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Current Affairs Pocket PDF – January 2020

Table of Contents
NATIONAL AFFAIRS ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................4
CABINET APPROVALS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................4
PARLIAMENT NEWS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................5
STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS........................................................................................................................................................................................5
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION .....................................................................................................................................................................................12
FESTIVALS .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS ...............................................................................................................................................................................................16
GOVT SCHEMES ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS..................................................................................................................................................................................................28
VISITS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
INDIA VISITS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
FOREIGN VISITS ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
OTHER VISITS ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
BANKING & FINANCE NEWS ..............................................................................................................................................................................................32
RBI IN NEWS.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
BANKING TECHNOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................................................................35
LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS ..............................................................................................................................................................................................37
AGREEMENTS & MoU’s SIGNED ..................................................................................................................................................................................37
OTHER BANKING & FINANCE NEWS ........................................................................................................................................................................38
ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS ...........................................................................................................................................................................................42
GDP & GROWTH RATE .....................................................................................................................................................................................................42
ECONOMY NEWS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................43
BUSINESS NEWS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................44
MoU’s & AGREEMENTS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................46
MoU’s BETWEEN COUNTRIES ......................................................................................................................................................................................46
MoU’s WITH STATES ........................................................................................................................................................................................................46
MoU’s BETWEEN ORGANIZATION .............................................................................................................................................................................47
OTHER MoU’s & AGREEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................................47
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS ................................................................................................................................................................................48
APPOINTMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................48
RESIGNATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................54
BRAND & CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS......................................................................................................................................................................55
OTHER APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS........................................................................................................................................................... 55
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ................................................................................................................................................................................................56
AWARDS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................56
RECOGNITIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................64
AWARDS IN CONTENT FORMAT .................................................................................................................................................................................65
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SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE ...............................................................................................................................................................................67

COMMITTEE & MEETING .....................................................................................................................................................................................................71
INDEX ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................73
ACQUISITION & MERGERS ..................................................................................................................................................................................................80
DEFENCE NEWS .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................82
DEALS, MoUs ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................83
ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS ..............................................................................................................................................................................83
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................................................................................84
OTHER SCIENCE NEWS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................85
ENVIRONMENT.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................89
SPORTS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................91
BOOKS & AUTHORS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................98
BOOKS & AUTHORS IN CONTENT FORMAT........................................................................................................................................................... 99
OBITUARY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 100
IMPORTANT DAYS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 108
OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS IN CONTENT FORMAT ......................................................................................................................................... 110
APPS & WEB PORTALS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 112
AC Bytes .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 113
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
CABINET APPROVALS
Overview of Cabinet approval with foreign countries on January 8, 2020
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister(PM) Shri Narendra
Modi approved the following pacts/agreements with the foreign countries on January,8, 2020.
 Approval for MoU between India & United Kingdom (UK) for enabling energy self sufficiency for
Indian railways.
 Approval for MoU between India & Sweden on cooperation in Polar Science.
 Approval for ratification of migration and mobility partnership agreement between India &
France.
 Approval for agreement between India & Mongolia on cooperation in the exploration and uses
of outer space
Read full details here: Overview of Cabinet approval with foreign countries on January,8, 2020
Overview of Cabinet Approvals on 8th January, 2020

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
has approved the following proposals on January 08, 2020.
 Institute of national importance status to the cluster at Gujarat Ayurved University campus.
 Cabinet apprised of information about amendments to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill,
2019.
 CCEA has approved the North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL)
with viability Gap Funding(VGF)/ Capital Grant at 60% of the estimated cost of Rs 9265 crore
(Including interest during construction).
 Amending Mines and Minerals Act, 2015 approved.
 The CCEA has given its ‘in principle’ strategic disinvestment of MMTC, NMDC, BHEL and MECON
and 2 State PSUs of Odisha Government, namely IPICOL and OMC in NINL
Overview of Cabinet Approval with Foreign Countries on Jan 22, 2020

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister(PM) Shri Narendra
Modi approved the following proposals with the foreign countries on January 22, 2020.
 MoUs among India, Tunisia and Papua New Guinea for cooperation in electoral management
approved
 Model MoU with foreign countries for recognition of Certificates of Competency of seafarers
approved
 Cabinet approval between India and Brazil: A total of 4 agreements/MoUs were between India
and the Federative Republic of Brazil were approved by the CCEA. The MoUs were on legal
assistance in criminal matters, cooperation in oil and natural gas sector, cooperation in the field
of early childhood and cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources. Read full
details here: Overview of Cabinet Approval with Foreign Countries on Jan 22, 2020
Overview of Cabinet Approvals on January 22, 2020

 Amendments/Repeal in Acts dealing with GST, VAT & Excise Duty in view of Dadra & Nagar
Haveli and Daman & Diu merger
 Revised cost estimates for establishing permanent campus of new NITs approved
 Closure of CPSE named Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited under Dept of Chemicals &
Petrochemicals approved
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 Tenure extension of Commission constituted under Article 340 to examine issue of sub-
categorization within OBC caste approved
Read full details here: Overview of Cabinet Approvals on January 22, 2020
Overview of Cabinet Approval on Jan 29, 2020

 Official amendments in the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019 approved
 Proposal for Official Amendments in National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill,
2019 approved
 Allocation of 30% of NEC’s allocation for new projects in deprived areas, society’s neglected
sections approved
 Extension of PLR Scheme for Port Trust & Dock Labour Board employees beyond 2017-18
approved
 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 approved
Read full details here: Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 approved:
PARLIAMENT NEWS
Govt promulgated ordinance for amendment in laws to ease coal mine auctions
The central govt has promulgated ordinance for amendment in the Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Act 1957 (MMDR act 1957) and The Coal Mines (special provisions) act, 2015 (CMSP
act 2015) in order to ease new areas of growth in the coal & mining sector. As a part of amendment,
unexplored and partially explored coal blocks mining through prospecting license-cum-mining Lease
(PL- cum-ML) will be offered. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will be promoted in the coal mining
sector. It will also allow the successful bidder/allottee to utilise mined coal in any of the plant of its
subsidiary or holding company Attracting large investment in coal mining sector as restrictions of end
use has been dropped. Read full details here: Govt promulgated ordinance for amendment in laws to
ease coal mine auctions
Rajya Sabha panel submits report on child porn

An ad hoc committee of the Rajya Sabha (RS) headed by Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh
submitted its report on child pornography to Vice President (VP) and Rajya Sabha Chairman
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu. In it, 40 recommendations have been made to strictly prohibit the
promotion and access of child pornography and related content through social media. This includes
amendments to POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012 and IT (Information
Technology) act, 2000 & to control children’s access to such content containing generation and
dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS
Andhra Pradesh
CM Jagan mohan reddy inaugurates YSR Aarogyasri scheme at Eluru, Andhra pradesh
In a bid to provide free medical treatment to the poor, The Chief Minister (CM) of Andhra Pradesh (AP),
Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy has inaugurated “YSR Aarogyasri scheme” at Eluru in West
Godavari district of AP. The revamped healthcare scheme is aimed at providing free medical treatment
to people having an annual income of up to Rs 5 lakh & those eligible people will also be given
Aarogyasri cards. Free treatment will be provided to the person whose treatment cost is more than Rs
1,000. The flagship scheme will cover 2,059 medical ailments. Read full details here: CM Jagan mohan
reddy inaugurates YSR Aarogyasri scheme at Eluru, Andhra pradesh
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Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves proposal to abolish legislative council

The Andhra Pradesh (AP) cabinet chaired by the chief minister (CM) Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan
Reddy has approved the abolition of the legislative council which the government feels is a major
hurdle for passing crucial bills. This approval came after AP government failed to pass 2 important bills
(Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive development of All Regions Bill-2020 for the tri-capital
system & and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act (Repeal) Bill) in the upper
house of the legislature.
AP CM launches Rs 6,318 cr ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme for indigent mothers

Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister(CM) Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy launched his
government’s flagship programme ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme in Chittoor, AP. The scheme is to
support lakhs of poor and needy mothers to educate their children. Rs.6318 crore has been released
which will enable mothers to educate their children in the state this year. An annual financial assistance
to the tune of Rs.15,000 credited into the accounts of indigent mothers. Read full details here: AP CM
launches Rs 6,318 cr ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme for indigent mothers
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh adopts new logo for the state
Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (ARLA) adopted a new logo which will reflect the distinct
identity and culture of the state. The new logo consists of the National Emblem to signify the federal
system of the Indian Constitution and the flower foxtail orchid (Rhynchostylis retusa) which represents
the state, its people and culture, while the blue colour denotes the autonomy of the assembly
secretariat.
Assam
Natyasurya Awardee dramatist Ratna Ojha passed away at 88 in Assam
Renowned Assamese dramatist, writer and social activist Ratna Ojha passed away in Guwahati, Assam.
He was 88. He took part in an ongoing protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Hailing
from Barpeta district of Assam, he introduced street plays in Assam and Cartoon Theater in Northeast.
In 2005, he received the prestigious Natyasurya Award for his contribution in the field of theater.
Bihar
1st of-its kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar
A 1st of its kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles is to be inaugurated in January 2020 in the
Bhagalpur forest division of Bihar, which can shelter 500 turtles at a time. The centre will also treat
turtles that are sick, severely injured or smuggled, and then returned safely into their natural habitat.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh railway station is fifth in the country and first in North India to inaugurate Navigation
facilities for visually impaired
Navigation facilities for visually impaired was inaugurated in Chandigarh railway station in Mohali,
Punjab by Shri Gurinder Mohan Singh, Divisional Railway Manager- Ambala Division. It is fifth in the
country and first in North India to have this facility for visually impaired. It was developed by Indian
Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) and Makemytrip Foundation through NGO (Non-
government organization) 'Anuprayaas'. Mysuru Railway Station in Karnataka was India's first visually
impaired-friendly railway station inaugurated in Nov 2015.
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Delhi
Delhi CM Arvind kejriwal launches a 10-point shorter election manifesto “Kejriwal Ka Guarantee Card”
Delhi Chief Minister (CM) and AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has launched
the "Kejriwal Ka Guarantee Card", a 10-point shorter election manifesto of the party, ahead of Delhi
Assembly elections 2020 to be held on Feb 8, 2020.
The 10 gurantees are:
 24 hours of electricity with 200 units of free electricity
 24-hour pure piped drinking water
 World-class education facility till graduation to every Delhi child
 Better health facilities for all people.
 Cheapest transport facility for the city with free bus travel for women, students'
 Effort to reduce pollution by planting more than 2 crore trees & Yamuna will also be freed from
pollution, at the end of 5 years.
 Delhi will be garbage-free, street, drain and paths are free from garbage.
 For security of women, one and a half million cameras &one and a half lakh street lights will be
installed, Mohalla Marshals will be deployed in buses.
 Road , water, drain, mohalla clinic will be built in Kutchi Colony where slum dwellers will build
houses.
 The party will give 'pucca' houses to people living in slums under the 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahin
Makan' scheme.
Read full details here: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launches a 10-point shorter election manifesto
“Kejriwal Ka Guarantee Card”
Delhi airport gets a new women-only cab service namely "Women with Wheels"
‘Women with Wheels’ cab service has been started at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New
Delhi by ‘Sakha cabs’ for the safety of women. The taxis are operated by women drivers and the
services are provided only to women or men with family. Sakha Consulting wings also provide women
cab service in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur (Rajasthan), and Kolkata (West Bengal). All
the women drivers have been trained by Azad foundation, partner of Sakha Consulting Wings Pvt Ltd.
Gujarat
Flipkart signs MoU with GSHHDC to promote artisans and craftsmen
Flipkart Private Limited, an Indian e-commerce company, has entered into an MoU (memorandum of
understanding) with the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd
(GSHHDC) for the promotion of local handicrafts by bringing on board thousands of artisans, weavers
and craftsmen. The agreement is a part of Flipkart's “Samarth” initiative & was signed in the presence of
Gujarat chief minister (CM) Vijay Ramniklal Rupani at an event held in Rajkot, Gujarat.
10k cameras to be used for 2020 Asiatic lion census in Gujarat

Wildlife Institute of India (WII),an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest
and Climate change(MoFCC), is set to conduct the Asiatic Lion Census in May 2020 by using around
8,000-10,000 cameras across 25,000 sqkm (Square kilometre) area spanning 7 districts in Gujarat.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)’s technology will be used for the lion census. In the 2015
census, the area of 15,000 sqkm surveyed where 523 lions reported by WII in Gujarat. Read full details
here: 10k cameras to be used for 2020 Asiatic lion census in Gujarat
KVIC’s 1st Silk Processing Plant opens in Gujarat to boost Patola Saree production
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) opened its first Silk Processing Plant in Surendranagar
district of Gujarat to increase the production of Gujarat Patola Sarees. The Plant was set up at a cost of
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Rs 75 lakh by Khadi institution where Rs 60 lakh was contributed by KVIC. Patola Sarees are the
trademark of Gujarat.
Gujarat to set up Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center soon

Gujarat will set its Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) soon. The objective of the
center is to identify, nurture and promote innovation of children up to 18 years in the state.The
innovation centre will come up in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Extension Research and Innovation at
Gujarat University. Children’s Innovation Festival (CIF) organized by the Gujarat University Start-ups
and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC) in which the 30 teams were selected among 480 teams from 25
districts of Gujarat.
Gujarat CM unveiled world’s 2nd tallest statue of Vallabhbhai Patel in Ahmedabad

Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Vijay Ramniklal Rupani unveiled the world’s 2nd largest statue of Sardar
vallabhbhai Patel at Sardardham campus near Vaishnodevi circle in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This bronze
statue which is 50 feet tall weighing 70,000 kilograms was built at a cost of Rs 3.25 crores by Padma
Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar(Sculptor) who also designed the world’s tallest, ‘statue of unity’ of
Sardar Patel at Kevadiya in Narmada district of Central Gujarat at a cost of Rs 3000 crores.
Himachal Pradesh
CM Jai ram launches Himachal MyGov portal & CM app for HP
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Jai Ram Thakur has launched the Himachal MyGov portal –
(https://himachal.mygov.in/en) to strengthen public participation in the government system. He also
launched CM App during the occasion in Shimla, HP. Himachal is the 11th state in India to provide this
app.
 Himachal MyGov portal: The portal will help the people of Himachal to take their views,
suggestions, feedback and complaints to the government.
 CM app: With this app, citizens of Himachal will be able to get direct and quick information
about various policies and programs of the government.
Jammu and Kashmir

J&K registers highest Inpatient Department (IPD) care in the country
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Union territory of India has registered the highest Inpatient Department,
IPD care in the country. The state-wise fact sheets was released by National Health Systems Resource
Centre (NHSRC), New Delhi. Overall, all women in J&K are availing Antennal Care Services (ANC). J&K
had surpassed Kerala as the state with the highest life expectancy in India for all ages barring life
expectancy at birth in the year 2016.
Srinagar declared Open Defecation Free

Mayor of Srinagar Junai Azim Mattu announced that the Srinagar has joined the list of ‘Open Defecation
Free (ODF)’ cities. Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir received its Swachata certificate from Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Central Government. Srinagar receives 45th Rank in Cleanest
cities in the country.
Karnataka
India to set its New World-Class Facility center in Karnataka’s Challakere to train astronauts
The new World- Class facility center for training astronauts will come up in India in the next three years
at Challakere in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has
proposed Rs 2700 crore, to set its young House Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka,
which will be the single-top for all space related activities for space travelers. Four pilots of India will
train at the “Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre” in Russia for Gaganyaan mission 2022.
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Kerala
‘K-RERA’ launched in Kerala to bring transparency in real estate sector
The Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan launched K-RERA (Kerala Real Estate Regulatory
Authority) to bring confidence and transparency in real estate sectors among the customers. As per the
Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, State governments needs to establish RERA for the
effective regulations in real estate sectors. The buildings with more than eight apartments and real
estate projects with 500 sq meters land or more will not be registered under RERA.
Kerala announces sports awards, Muhammad Anas wins GV Raja award

Kerala Sports Minister EP Jayarajan Nambiar announced the sports award instituted by Kerala State
Sports Council. Indian Sprinter Mohammad Anas and badminton player Puthenpurayil Chandrika
Thulasi won the annual GV Raja (Lt.Col. P. R. Godavarma Raja) award in male and female ategory
respectively for excellence in Sports, which carries prize money of Rs 3 lakh and a citation.
 T P Ouseph won Olympian Suresh Babu Lifetime achievement award.
 Satheevan Balan won the award for the best sports trainer.
Mizoram
Mizoram set to organize 1st edition of Zo Kutpui festival 2020 in 10 states & US, Myanmar, Bangladesh
In a bid to unify different tribes of Mizo community, the state Government of Mizoram will organize the
1st edition of Zo Kutpui festival 2020 across 10 states in India & also in countries such as Maryland in
the US (United States), Tahan in Myanmar and Bangladesh from January 9, 2020. The 1st such festival,
organized by the Mizoram tourism department, would be held at Vanghmun, a hub of Mizos in
neighbouring Tripura, from January 9 – 11,2020. Then festival will carry forward to other states which
have significant Mizo population.
Maharashtra
‘Cyber Safe Women’ campaign launched in Maharashtra by state cyber police
Maharashtra cyber police launched ‘Cyber Safe Women’ campaign to mark the birth anniversary of a
social reformer, Savitribai Phule in Maharashtra. It is a joint initiative of the Maharashtra state
government, Maharashtra Cyber and Maharashtra police.
Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launched 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme

The Shiv Sena party led Maharashtra launched ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme, with the aim of providing a meal to
the poor for Rs.10, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day. The district guardian Minister Aslam
Shaikh inaugurated the “Shiv Bhojan Thali” canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital, Mumbai,
Maharashtra. The Rs.6.4 crore pilot ‘Shiv Bhojan’ thali project started at district headquarters will run
for 3 months & will be expanded, based on feedback.
Maharashtra celebrates January 6, 2020, as State’s Journalists’ Day

The Government of Maharashtra celebrates the 6th of January as a state’s Journalists' Day every year. It
was celebrated in the memory of late thespian journalist Balshastri Jambhekar. He was born on January
6, 1812, in the village of Pombhurle in Devgad taluka in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. He was
known as ‘The Father of Marathi Journalism’, for his efforts in starting journalism in the Marathi
language.
 He came out with the first newspaper in the Marathi language named ‘Darpan’ in 1832.
 He was the first Indian to have published research papers in the quarterly journal of the Asiatic
Society and was the first person to print Dnyaneshwari in 1845.
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Madhya Pradesh
Reading preamble of constitution made mandatory in schools of Madhya Pradesh
The govt of Madhya Pradesh has made it mandatory for schools to read the preamble of the
constitution every Saturday under the name sovereignty of constitution. This has been done to make
the students understand the basic principles of justice, equality, liberty & brotherhood. The order has
been issued by the department of school education of Madhya Pradesh.
MP cabinet approves Mukhyamantri karmchari swasthya bima yojana, rollout from April 1,2020
Madhya Pradesh (MP) state Cabinet led by its Chief Minister (CM), Kamal Nath has approved the
Mukhya Mantri Karmchari Swasthya Bima Yojana (Chief Minister Employees Health Insurance Scheme)
implementation from April 1, 2020, for the welfare of all 12.55 lakh employees of the state. Under this,
Rs 5 lakh for general illness and 10 lakh for critical illness & Cashless treatment facility up to Rs 10,000
per annum in OPD (Outpatient Department) will be provided / free medicines will be distributed. All
the current and retired employees of the state will get the benefit of the scheme. Apart from this, a loan
waiver scheme called “Jai Kisan Fasal Rin Maafi Yojana” was also launched.
Read full details here: MP cabinet approves Mukhyamantri karmchari swasthya bima yojana, rollout
from April 1,2020
Odisha
Odisha govt launches India's 1st e-Gazette portal for all gazette notifications
The State Government of Odisha has launched an online platform called “e-Gazette portal”(
http://egazetteodisha.nic.in),a first-of-its-kind initiative in India designed and developed by the NIC
(National Informatics Centre) for all departments. The portal was launched by Odisha Chief Secretary
Asit Kumar Tripathy as a part of state’s 5T initiatives (Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and
Transformation). Since e-publication is covered under Section- 8 of the Information Technology Act,
2000, it will save the transportation of trucks of papers & reduce wastage.
CM Naveen Patnaik launches Odisha Police's transformational projects including state's 1st virtual
police station
The Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the state's 1st virtual police station
at State Crime Record Bureau in Bhubaneswar, which will facilitate online registration of FIR (first
information report) in unknown motor vehicle theft cases. If a case remains undetected for 21 days, the
final form will be automatically reflected at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems
(CCTNS). With an aim to reduce human interface with government offices, the Road Accident Case
Documents Module and Medico-Legal Opinion System was alo launched.
Tamil Nadu
TN’s Fishery and Music universities named after the late CM J Jayalalithaa
Tamil Nadu (TN) Assembly passed the Bills to rename ‘Tamil Nadu Fisheries University’ and ‘Tamil
Nadu Music and Fine Arts University’, after the late Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Jayaram
Jayalalithaa as ‘Tamil Nadu Dr.J.Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU)’ and ‘Tamil Nadu Dr.
J.Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University (TNMFAU)’ respectively.
CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN

Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced a new scheme for 63
types of green category industries, “Direct Consent to operate (CTO) scheme for green industries”
to get faster clearances from government, during the 125th year celebrations of the Confederation of
the Indian Industry (CII) held in Chennai, TN. Now they just need permission for establishment purpose
& need not wait for final approvals for starting construction work. Apart from this an initiative for land
10 | P a g e
use reclassification in non-plan areas was also announced where the approval will be given within 50
days in comparison to earlier 6 months to 2 years.
15 new investment proposals worth Rs 6608 cr approved in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, fifteen new investment proposals worth Rs 6608 crore have been approved, which will
generate 6763 direct employment. They have been cleared by the higher-level committee on industrial
guidance and single window system, led by the state chief-minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy.
Telangana
2020 declared as AI year in Telangana, 8 MoU inked
Telangana Information Technology (IT) minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao has declared 2020 as
year of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and has signed 8 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various
companies and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) to make way for technological
advancements in the Telangana. The MoU with IIT-KGP is for setting up centre of excellence in AI and
research and Development Park.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh became 1st state to shortlist migrants for citizenship
Uttar Pradesh (UP) became the 1st state in India to conduct an exercise to shortlist migrants from
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan for eligibility under the new Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA) 2019. This exercise will identify the people living illegally in UP. The state government will also
update the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on illegal Muslim migrants in the state and they could also
be deported back to their countries.
GeM signed MoU with UP for GOTT Project Management Unit

The Government eMarketplace (GeM) under the Department of Commerce of the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry (MoC&I) has signed MoU with Uttar Pradesh (UP) govt to set up GeM Organizational
Transformation Team (GOTT) Project Management Unit (PMU) in the state to make the procurement
processes easier for MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to transact on GeM. The
MoU was signed by GeM’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Talleen Kumar and Principal Secretary of the
Department of MSME and Export Promotion, Navneet Sehgal. It is to be noted that UP is the second
state after Punjab to establish GOTT-PMU whereas among the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)
the Steel Authority of India ltd (SAIL) is first.
Uttar Pradesh government announced to build a 121-acre zoo named after Ashfaqullah Khan
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a proposal to set aside Rs.234 crore for a zoological garden
spread across 121 acres in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh to be named after the freedom fighter and
revolutionary Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan. At present there are two zoological gardens in Uttar Pradesh
namley, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden in Lucknow and Kanpur Zoological Park in Kanpur.
Uttar Pradesh government implements 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana' for the
state's farmers
Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has implemented 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana'
(earlier 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Bima Yojana')for state’s farmers to provide financial
assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the farmers’ family in case of a farmer’s death and Rs 2 lakh if a farmer
becomes 60% handicapped or more, while working in fields. The age limit of this full funded UP govt
scheme is between 18 to 70 years.
 Apart from this scheme, UP govt will implement Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana to
boost tourism in the state. One tourist point will be developed with a fund of 50 lakh rupees in
each and every assembly segment of the state.
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UPSRTC launched ‘Damini’ helpline service for women in Uttar Pradesh

UPSRTC (Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) has launched ‘Damini’ helpline service
considering the safety of the women passengers in Uttar Pradesh (UP). As the extension of ‘Nirbhaya
Yojana’ the unique number “81142-77777” has been subscribed for this helpline, which was launched
by transport minister Ashok Kataria in Lucknow, UP. Using these helpline women passengers can lodge
their complaints by calling the helpline number and by using WhatsApp service from 9 a.m to 6 p.m
everyday. After 6 p.m complaints can be lodged using general helpline number 1800-180-2877.
West Bengal
Kolkata Police started 3rd edition of 'Sukanya' project
Kolkata police of West Bengal started the 3rd edition of the ‘Sukanya’ project in the state. The project
provides self- defence training to girls studying in school and colleges of Kolkata city. In the 3rd batch of
the project, 100 city based schools and colleges lying in the Kolkata police jurisdiction were given
training. Sukanya project is an initiative by the Kolkata Police's Community Policing Wing and is funded
by Women and Child Development (WCD) and Social Welfare Department(SWD) of the West Bengal
government.
LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION

Indian Railways launches integrated helpline number 139 for passengers
The Indian Railways launched an integrated helpline number 139 for quick grievance, needs and
enquiries by the passengers during journeys. It is an integrated form of existing helpline numbers
(except 182) to avoid the inconvenience over multiple helpline numbers. The helpline number will be
available in 12 languages and it will be based on an interactive voice response system.
HM Amit shah 2-day visit to Gujarat; launches project VISHWAS & Cyber AASHVAST in
Gandhinagar
Union Home Minister (HM) Amit Shah landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport,
Ahmedabad for 2-days visit to Gujarat. He addressed the 9th convocation function of Gujarat
Technological University (GTU) & also attended the event at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar to
digitally launch India’s 1st Cyber Crime Prevention Unit called ‘AASHVAST’ (Assured Assistance Service
Helpline for Victims at Shortest Time) which is a helpline for cyber crime victims& project VISHWAS
(Video Integration and State Wide Advanced Security)to improve the Law and Order. He also launched
Netrang project that aims to Command and Control Room in 33 districts of the state, and online portal
to pay E Challan “https://echallanpayment.gujarat.gov.in/”. Read full details here: HM Amit shah 2-day
visit to Gujarat; launches project VISHWAS & Cyber AASHVAST in Gandhinagar
DPIIT launches paperless licensing process for petroleum road tankers

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
has launched paperless licensing process through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization
(PESO) for road tankers for transportation of petroleum under the Petroleum Rules,2002. This initiative
is a move towards green India that provides ease of doing business for petroleum road tankers.
Govt launches Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD) developed by IIT-Madras

During the ‘Road Safety Stakeholders’ Meet in New Delhi,Union Minister for Road Transport &
Highways and MSMEs(Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Nitin Gadkari & Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh have jointly launched an IT (Information Technology) tool, “Integrated Road
Accident Database (IRAD)”, developed by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) that will
help in proper monitoring and accurate analysis of road accidents.It was developed with ₹258
crore financial aid given by the World Bank, and implemented by the National Informatics Centre
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(NIC).Read full details here: Govt launches Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD) developed by IIT-
Madras
Union Minister for culture and tourism launched “Indian Heritage in Digital Space” exhibition in New
Delhi
Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC) Shri Prahalad Singh Patel launched the first
International Heritage Symposium and Exhibition (IHSE). The exhibition will be held until February 15,
2020 on “Indian Heritage in Digital Space” and first international heritage symposium will be held for
two days in the National Museum in New Delhi. The exhibition organized with Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), Delhi is developed under the Indian Digital Heritage (IDH) initiative of the
Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India in the cultural heritage domain of
the country.
DV Sadananda launched HURL’s brand "APNA UREA-Sona Ugle" & unveiled company logo in New Delhi
Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers (MoC&F) Shri Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda
launched “APNA UREA – Sona Ugle” brand of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) and also
the company’s logo at an event in New Delhi. HURL is a Joint venture(JV) company 3 Maharatna
companies as its lead promoters which are Coal India Limited (CIL), NTPC Limited (NTPC) and Indian
Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd (FCIL) & Hindustan Fertilizer
Corporation Limited (HFCL) as other two partners. Read full details here: DV Sadananda launched
HURL’s brand “APNA UREA-Sona Ugle” & unveiled company logo in New Delhi
Seismic Hazard Microzonation project was launched by the Ministry of Earth Science
The Ministry of Earth Science (MoES) has launched Seismic Hazard Microzonation project in major
cities of India. The project aims to reduce the hazards of Seismic activities by taking proper measures in
major Indian cities and areas falling under high-seismic Zones IV and V. Seismic Hazard Microzonation
is the process of identifying the earthquake-prone areas based on its geological and geophysical
characteristics. The project has been completed in the State of Sikkim and in other eight cities namely
Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jabalpur, Dehradun Ahmedabad and Gandhidham. Japan is the best
example for the proper implementation of microzonation techniques.
PM Modi & Nepal PM Sharma Oli inaugurated 2nd Integrated Check Post Jogbani-Biratnagar
Indian Prime Minister (PM) Shri Narendra Modi along with the PM of Nepal Shri Khadga Prasad Sharma
Oli jointly inaugurated the 2nd Integrated Check Post (ICP) Jogbani (Bihar, India) – Biratnagar (Nepal)
through video conference. Jogbani - Biratnagar acts as an important trade point between the two
nations and is equipped with modern facilities.Jogbani - Biratnagar ICP: This ICP built with Indian
assistance is spread over 260 acres and the project worth is Rs. 140 crores. It is capable of carrying 500
trucks on a daily basis.
Country’s 1st and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary inaugurated at Byculla Zoo in Maharashtra
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the country’s first and biggest ‘walk-
through’ aviary in Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo also known as Byculla Zoo in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.T he aviary is spread over in 18,234 sq ft, is 44 feet tall and consists of 100 species of
Indian and exotic birds. He also inaugurated 'Miyawaki' method, at Bhakti Park in Wadala, Maharashtra
to increase cover in Mumbai. This method is about planting maximum trees in minimum area.
Indian Navy launched 'Operation Vanilla' to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar

Indian Navy(IN) launched ‘Operation Vanilla’. The purpose of this operation is to support and provide
assistance to Tropical Cyclone Diane & flood-hit Madagascar. The Indian Navy Ship (INS) Airavat has
been deployed to this mission. Indian Navy is the first responder for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
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(HADR) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The assistance has been provided in consonance with Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 'Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)'. It is also to be
noted that Madagascar is a member of the inter-governmental organisation Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA).
13th edition of International Children’s Film Festival inaugurated at Dhaka, Bangladesh

13th edition of International Children’s Film Festival was inaugurated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The theme
of International Children’s Film Festival 2020 is ‘Under The World’ and slogan is "Future in Frames".
The week-long festival will be concluded on January 31, 2020.
FESTIVALS
Ritualistic Festival ‘Lai Haroba’ begins in Tripura
The five-day long Lai Haroba, a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities in Agartala,
Tripura was inaugurated by Speaker of State legislative Assembly, Rebati Mohan Das. The festival was
organized by Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of Tripura in collaboration
with Puthiba Lai Haraoba Committee and Puthiba Welfare & Cultural Society, Agartala. The fest is
celebrated through oral literature, music, dance and rituals.
4th Buxa bird festival 2020 commenced in West Bengal

A 3-day long 4th edition of the Buxa Bird Festival 2020 has begun in Buxa National Park in the
Alipurduar district of West Bengal(WB). The festival, organized by West Bengal Forest Department, will
see the participation of around 50 people, including prominent ornithologists, birdwatchers and bird
enthusiasts from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.
31st International Kite Festival launched in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

The 31st International Kite Festival has been launched at Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad. Gujarat
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has inaugurated the colourful kite festival in the presence of Gujarat
Governor Acharya Devvrat on this occasion.The festival is also being organized in 9 other places across
the state simultaneously including Statue of Unity- Kevadiya, Surat, and Vadodara and continue till 14th
January MakarSankranti (Uttarayan)- the festival of kites in different parts of the state.
Eight North-Eastern states to celebrate Madhavpur Mela in Gujarat on 2nd April 2020
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) chaired a
high- level meeting for the preparation of the annual festival, Madhavpur Mela, which will be held at
Madhavpur Ghed in Porbandar district of Gujarat on 2nd April 2020.The seven days festival celebrates
the immortal journey of Lord Krishna and Rukmini from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat. The eight North-
Eastern states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and
Tripura will participate in this festival. The organizers are Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR),
Zonal Cultural Centers (ZCCs), Song and Drama Division of Information & Broadcasting Ministry besides
the concerned departments of the State Governments. Read full details here: Eight North-Eastern states
to celebrate Madhavpur Mela in Gujarat on 2nd April 2020
23rd National Youth Festival 2020 held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

The 23rd edition of the National Youth Festival (NYF) 2020 was held at Indira Pratishthan, Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh. It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and State
Government of Uttar Pradesh with theme “Fit Youth, Fit India”. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State (MoS- independent charge) for Youth Affairs &
Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju on 12th January that marked the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda,
Indian-Hindu monk.
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Mizoram sets to celebrate ‘Chapchar Kut’ festival on March 6, 2020

Government of Mizoram along with the organizing committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister
Zoramthanga will celebrate the two- days long ‘Chapchar Kut’, the biggest and most important festival
of the Mizos, under the theme "Promotion of Mizos' culture and moral code", on March 6, 2020. March
5, 2020 will be celebrated as pre-festival, which will be attended by state’s Art and Culture Minister R
Lalzirliana as "Kut Pa" or the "father of the festival".
5th edition of Science Film festival 2020 held in Panaji, Goa

The four days long, 5th edition of the Science Film Festival of India, SCI- FFI 2020 held at Inox Complex
and Maquinez Palace in Panaji, Goa. Inaugurated by Chief Minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Pandurang
Sawant, the fest aimed to instill knowledge of science among youth of the country. The event was
supported by both Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and National Institute of Science
Communication and Information Resources (NISCAR).
Magh Bihu festival celebrated in Assam

Magh Bihu, an auspicious harvest festival is being celebrated in Assam. Magh Bihu falls in the local
month of ‘Magh’ during mid-january. It is also called ‘Bhogali Bihu’ or ‘Maghor Bihu’ as it is celebrated
with community feasts after the annual harvest takes place. People began the day by gathering at the
temple and offered prayers, beat up the drums and walk around the bonfire. The highlight of this
festival is the food, which is made from the abundance of grains after the harvest. The night before
‘Magh Bihu’ is called ‘Uruka’ meaning the night of feasts.
13th Jaipur Literature Festival began in Jaipur, Rajasthan

The 13th edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) began at Diggi Palace Hotel in Jaipur,
Rajasthan on January 23, 2020, and will be conducted till January 27, 2020. The 5-day long festival was
inaugurated by Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Ashok Gehlot. Author Ashwin Sanghi launched his book
'The Vault of Vishnu' through Sonali Bendre Behl at the fest. Renowned poet and literary critic Arvind
Krishna Mehrotra was awarded 5th edition of the Mahakavi Sethia Award for poetry during JLF 2020.
1st ever 2-day long “Innovation festival” was organised by Arunachal Pradesh govt at Itanagar,
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh state council for science & Technology (APSCS&T) in partnership with National
Innovation Foundation organised the 1st ever Innovation festival at science centre IG Park, Itanagar
Arunachal Pradesh. The two days festival aims to encourage the cultural innovation among the people
and students of Arunachal Pradesh. During the festival more than 50 innovations are displayed by the
innovators of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and other states and as a part of the festival Inspire Awards –
Manak state level event has also been organised.
Nagoba Jatra festival celebrated in Telangana

Nagoba Jatara tribal festival was celebrated in the state of Telangana. The festival is prominently
celebrated in Keslapur village, Indervelly Mandal, Adilabad district of Telangana. It is the 2nd biggest
tribal carnival which is celebrated by the tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa,
Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesaram clan of of Gond tribes. The Gusadi
Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is the main attraction during the celebration.
Indian Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022

The Indian Railways has decided to provide ‘Content on Demand Service (CoD)’ on trains and railway
stations from 2022. With COD, passengers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted free subscription based
entertainment service such as movies, shows, educational programs during their journey. Also, the CoD
platform will provide e-commerce services such as bookings for cab, bus and trains. The project will be
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implemented by RailTel Corporation of India and Zee Entertainment's subsidiary Margo Networks
Private Limited will act as Digital Entertainment Service Provider (DESP).
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS

Government creates new Department of military affairs headed by Bipin Rawat
Following the change in the Government of India (Allocation of Business), Rules 1961, the Ministry of
Defence (MoD) has got it’s 5th department namely 'Department of Military affairs (DMA)’, which is to be
headed by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat. The new department works for the unity of
the three forces Army, Navy and Air Force and will also monitor the services except for capital
acquisitions according to prevalent rules and procedures.
Pragati Maidan metro station renamed as Supreme Court metro station in New Delhi
The Delhi Government’s renaming committee, headed by Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, has
renamed Pragati Maidan metro station as Supreme Court metro station following the demand made by
Supreme Court (SC) in September 2019. The committee has also decided to rename Mukarba Chowk
and its flyover after Kargil war martyr Captain Vikram Batra, MB Road as Acharya Sri Mahapragya Marg
and The Lajpat Nagar flyover to Jhulelal Setu.
Kerala became 1st State to pass resolution against citizenship Amendment Act
Kerala has become the 1st state in the country to pass a resolution scrapping the Citizenship
Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). The resolution was moved by Kerala’s Chief Minister Shri Pinarayee
Vijayan and was seconded by the Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. As per Kerala cabinet,
Citizenship Act was passed in 1955 followed all international conventions but present act is not
adhering them.
30% of Poshan Abhiyaan funds used in 3 years as per data shared in parliament
According to an analysis of the data shared by Minister for Women and Child Development (MoWCD)
Smriti Irani in the Parliament, merely 30% of the Poshan Abhiyan funds have been used in 3 years.
Apart from Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar, none of the state govt has used the
fund granted to them in the past 3 years. As per the data, a total of Rs 4,283 crore was disbursed by the
Centre to different States and Union Territories (UTs). From this amount, Rs 1,283.89 crore was utilised
until October 31, 2019, which is just 29.97% of the funds granted. Read full details here: 30% of Poshan
Abhiyaan funds used in 3 years as per data shared in parliament
Overview of PM Modi’s 2-day visit to Karnataka

The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi paid a 2 day visit to Karnataka to attend events in
Tumakuru and Bengaluru cities of the state. He arrived at the yelahanka air base in Bengaluru.
Following are the key highlights:
 3rd installment of Rs 2000 to 6 crore beneficiaries under PM KISAN released
 5 high-tech DRDO labs with under 35year aged scientists inaugurated
 TN farmers handed over with deep sea fishing vessels
 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC) inaugurated at the University of Agricultural Sciences
(UAS) in Bengaluru with ISC 2020 theme “Science and Technology: Rural Development”.
Read full details here: Overview of PM Modi’s 2-day visit to Karnataka
NEST division is formed by Ministry of External Affairs

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies (NEST)
division which helps to deal with new and emerging technologies by partnering with 5G and artificial
intelligence areas of other countries. This division acts as the intermediate agency within the Ministry
for issues pertaining to new and emerging technologies.
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Department of Heavy Industries sanctioned 2636 EV charging stations across the country
Department of Heavy Industries headed by Prakash Javadekar had sanctioned 2636 EV (Electric
Vehicles) charging stations in 62 cities across 24 State/UTs under FAME India (Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) phase II scheme to clean the mobility in Road Transport
Sector. It aims to increase the electric vehicle users and also encourage Original Equipment
Manufacturer’s (OEM) to launch new electric models. FAME India II was started in April 1, 2019 with
the total outlay of Rs 10000 crore for a period of three years. Read full details here: Department of
Heavy Industries sanctioned 2636 EV charging stations across the country
Amit Shah to head group of ministers to examine the proposed National Tariff Policy
Minister of Home Affairs (MoHA) Shri Amit Shah will head the Group of Ministers (GOM) to discuss and
examine the proposed National Tariff Policy 2016. The policy if implemented, will bring a major reform
in the stressed power sector but is opposing by the state govts and discoms (Distribution Companies)
due to clauses like penalties for load shedding. The interministerial group will have 10 ministers
comprising of 8 ministers in the cabinet rank and 2 ministers with independent charge. In the proposed
draft amendments, the cross subsidies on industries should not exceed 20% and subsidy is to be
provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Read full details here: Amit Shah to head group of
ministers to examine the proposed National Tariff Policy
Eight States finalized Agriculture Export Policy by the Government of India

As per Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), eight states
namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Punjab, and Karnataka
finalized an action plan for Agriculture Export Policy (AEP) to enhance exports. Agriculture Export
Policy was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018. It aims to increase the potential of Indian
agriculture to make India a global power in agriculture. Read full details here: Eight States finalized
Agriculture Export Policy by the Government of India
171 hospitals de-empanelled & Rs 4.5 cr fine imposed for fraud under Ayushman Bharat scheme
National Health Authority (NHA) which is the apex body regulating and implementing ‘Ayushman
Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- PMJAY);’ has de-empanelled a total of 171 hospitals and
also imposed penalty of Rs 4.5 crore on hospitals for committing fraud and indulging in malpractices
under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The PMJAY health insurance cover provides
health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family and not just Rs 5 lakh per e-card. Read full details here: 71 hospitals
de-empanelled & Rs 4.5 cr fine imposed for fraud under Ayushman Bharat scheme
BEE: New Energy Performance Standards for ACs set; default AC temp at 24°C from Jan 1, 2020
The central govt. in consultation with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has notified new energy
performance standards for room Air Conditioner (AC) as on 30th October 2019. Under the ambit of BEE
star-labelling program vide the notification, the default temperature setting for all ACs has been made
mandatory at 24°C with effect from January 1, 2020. The Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
(ISEER) will also be ranging from 3.30 – 5.00 for split ACs and 2.70 – 3.50 for window air conditioners.
This will become effective from January 1, 2021 onwards. Read full details here: BEE: New Energy
Performance Standards for ACs set; default AC temp at 24°C from Jan 1, 2020
1st tri-dimensional expedition ‘Maha-Navy Connect 2020’ launched by Indian Navy in Maharashtra
The first tri-dimensional expedition ‘Maha-Navy Connect 2020’ was launched by Indian Navy in
Mumbai. It aims to promote the heritage of Indian Navy and to spread awareness about Coastal Security
amongst the coastal communities in Maharashtra. It was launched by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief
of the Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P. The expedition continues till January 11,
2020. The tri-dimensional expedition consists of yachting, running and cycling teams of 50 naval
personnel.
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HLC chaired by Amit shah sanctioned Rs 5908 crore to 7 states from National Disaster Response Fund
(NDRF)
A High Level Committee (HLC) led by the Union Minister for Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah, has released
Rs. 5908.56 crore to 7 states including Assam, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
(MP), Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh (UP) to help in the losses suffered by various disasters in
2019. The amount was released to seven states under additional central assistance from the National
Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the high-level meeting held in New Delhi. Read full details here: HLC
chaired by Amit shah sanctioned Rs 5908 crore to 7 states from National Disaster Response Fund
(NDRF)
Petroleum minister Pradhan launched PURVODAYA mission in steel sector in Kolkata, West Bengal
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel (MoPNG&S) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched
PURVODAYA with the aim of driving accelerated development of eastern India through integrated steel
hub in Kolkata, West Bengal. The proposed steel hub encompasses of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh. The objective of this hub is to enable swift capacity
addition and improve overall competitiveness of steel producers in terms of cost as well as quality.
Read full details here: Petroleum minister Pradhan launched PURVODAYA mission in steel sector in
Kolkata, West Bengal
11-member panel headed by K. Rajeswara Rao to chair royalty rate issues on minerals
The centre has decided to set up an 11-member panel that will look into the issues related to revision
of royalty rates for minerals (other than coal, lignite, sand for stowing and minor minerals). The panel
will be headed by additional secretary of the mines ministry Dr. K. Rajeswara Rao. Mines secretaries
from states of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha will be the
members of the panel.
2nd phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 begins in Uttar Pradesh
The Union Government has launched 2nd phase of vaccination drive under Intensified Mission
Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 at block level in 35 districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP) to achieve 90 % vaccination
coverage among children under 2 years of age & pregnant women against 8 vaccine preventable
diseases(diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and
Hepatitis B). It is a nationwide immunization drive to mark the 25 years of Pulse polio program.
Indian Railways installs IP based Video Surveillance System in railway stations to enhance the security
Indian Railways is in the process of installing Internet Protocol (IP) based Video Surveillance System
(VSS) at railway stations. In the last budget Rs 250 crore was allocated to Indian Railways from
Nirbhaya funds for installation of VSS in 983 railway stations. In the first phase of installation VSS is
being installed at 200 stations and as on date work has been completed at 81 stations across India.
Home ministry issues revised guidelines for mutual legal assistance treaties
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued revised guidelines to expedite the delivery of
mutual legal assistance and justice in criminal matters with other countries under the government’s
policy of zero tolerance for crime at all. In this regard, India has signed Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
(LLAT) with 42 countries in November 2019 for cooperation in criminal matters & the MHA is also
designated ‘Central Authority of India’ for it. Read full details here: Home ministry issues revised
guidelines for mutual legal assistance treaties
1023 Fast Track Courts under safety of women mission to be set up in 24 states
24 states and union territories (UTs) have joined together to set up a total of 1,023 ‘fast-track special
courts’ (FTSCs) to dispose of over 1.60 lakh cases of rape of children below the age of 12 years and
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women pending in various courts across the country. This has been done to bring out fast and time
bound completion of trial of these cases for which Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was enacted.
The FTSC will be set up as part of National Mission for Safety of Women (NMSW). Total financial
implication of the project is over Rs 767.25 crore.
1st Solar section in South Central Railways comes up in Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Guntakal
division of Andhra
The Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division of Andhra Pradesh has been declared as the first
solar section in South Central Railway. In 2016 August Indian Railways opened Nandyal-Yerraguntla
section in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. 16 stations have already been declared Green Railway
stations across Indian Railways, which are meeting energy needs completely either through solar or
wind power. Read full details here: 1st Solar section in South Central Railways comes up in Nandyal-
Yerraguntla section in Guntakal division of Andhra
Chenab bridge: World’s highest rail bridge by Indian Railways to connect Kashmir to rest of India by
2021
Government of India set a new deadline for the completion of the world’s highest railway bridge-
Chenab bridge. Kashmir will be connected to the rest of India by Indian railways by December 2021.
Konkan railway is the implementing agency of this project. The Chenab bridge will be 35m taller than
the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Paytm launches all-in-one QR for merchants to make unlimited payment for free
Paytm, India's leading digital payments company has launched an all-in-one QR (Quick Response) for
merchants across India. With the help of this, businessmen will be able to get unlimited payments
across the country at zero percent fees through Paytm wallet, Rupay Cards & all UPI (Unified Payments
Interface) based apps directly. It also unveiled a new service 'Paytm Business Khata', which further
promotes the Paytm merchant partners to maintain digital ledgers of all their customer transactions
including cash and credit.
Centre accepts SIT recommendations in 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases headed by Justice SN Dhingra
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by retired Delhi High Court judge Justice SN Dhingra,
which probed 186 cases of 1984 anti-sikh riots, reveals the involvement of police officials in the anti-
sikh riots and recommended appropriate actions under law against them. Solicitor General Tushor
Mehta, on behalf of the Centre informed Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde
and comprising of Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant, that centre has accepted the SIT recommendations
and take appropriate action.
Arunachal Pradesh becomes the 1st state in India to initiate IUCN’s red-listing of orchids
Arunachal Pradesh (AR) has became the 1st State in India to initiate the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s ‘red listing’ of orchids at the state level after it has inked a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IUCN in Itanagar, AR to cooperate with IUCN by
conducting a red-list evaluation of orchids in the state.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched ‘Saksham’ Campaign in
New Delhi
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan launched ‘Saksham’ a month long People-
centric fuel conservation mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA)
under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in New Delhi. Under this campaign PCRA and Gas
companies will conduct various workshops, seminars, cyclothons, and social media campaigns to create
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awareness among people in conservation of fuels Read full details here: Minister of Petroleum and
Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched ‘Saksham’ Campaign in New Delhi
Govt allocates Rs 2379 crore for completing Z Morh tunnel in J&K

Rs.2379 crore has been allocated to complete the construction of Z-Morh tunnel in the Union Territory
(UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) within 3.5 years, as a part of concession agreement signed in New
Delhi between National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)
and APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway Pvt Ltd. It was signed in presence of Minister of State (MoS) for Road
Transport and Highways Gen (Retd) Vijay Kumar Singh and Secretary of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Sanjiv Ranjan. The 6.5 kilometers long tunnel will provide connectivity to Sonmarg tourist spots in
Jammu and Kashmir. Read full details here: Govt allocates over Rs 2000 crore for completing Z Morh
tunnel in J&K
Bahadurpur and Kheri Viran to become India's first model sports villages
Two villages namely Bahadurpur and Kheri Viran of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has set to become India’s first
‘Model Sports villages’ as a part of Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad, UP ‘Adarsh
Khel Gram’ program in association with NGO(Non Governmental Organization) ‘Sports: A Way of Life’ to
evolve sports culture and increase sports literacy in the country. Under this program all the verandahs,
courtyards will be developed as primary sports ground management and IMT will provide Olympic
related sports equipment. One hour everyday from 4-5:00 pm will be the designated time to play sports.
Commemorative stamp of former footballer Padma Shri Chuni Goswami released by Indian Postal
Department
Chuni Goswami became the 3rd Indian footballer on whose name a commemorative postal stamp has
been released by Indian Postal Department during his 82nd birthday at his residence in Kolkata, West
Bengal. Chuni Goswami led the Indian team to win a gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games held in
Bangkok, Thailand. He is an awardee of Arjuna Award (1963) and Padma Shri (1983). Prior to Goswami
the commemorative stamp was released honouring Indian footballers Gostho Paul in 1998 and late Dr.
Talimeren Ao in 2018.
Centre to cut wasteful expenditure on travel and food by 20 % to control fiscal deficit
In a major step to avoid fiscal downfall, the central Government has decided to reduce wasteful
expenditure on items such as travel, food and conferences by 20%. The decision was taken in a meeting
of the newly- formed Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth (CCIG) chaired by Prime Minister
(PM) Narendra Modi with the members Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, and
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. Read full details here: Centre to cut wasteful expenditure on travel and
food by 20 % to control fiscal deficit
For the 1st time, Govt to collect data including families headed by transgenders for census 2021
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the central government, for the 1st time, will collect
data on households headed by a transgender and members living in the family for census 2021. Now,
three options will be given under the head "sex of the head of the household"- male, female and
transgender. The census reference date will be March 1, 2021 but due to snowfall it will be October 1,
2020, in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The census 2021 will be done
through a mobile phone application, deviating from the traditional pen and paper. Information
regarding the ''Main Cereal'' eaten will also be asked for the 1st time.
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Law minister inaugurated NIC’s Centre of Excellence in Blockchain Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka
Union Minister of Law and Justice (MoL&J) Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the Centre of
Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain Technology set up by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in
Bengaluru, Karnataka. The CoE has been set up with the aim of providing blockchain as a service and
help all stakeholders to benefit from shared learning, experiences and resources. The CoE which has
developed Blockchain based Proof of Concepts (PoCs), will facilitate govt buildings to use the
blockchain technology for deployment of large scale applications. With the support of NIC, the CoE will
also provide Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) for hosting the Blockchain network efficiently. The CoE is
expected to begin its operations by March 2020. Read full details here: Law minister inaugurated NIC’s
Centre of Excellence in Blockchain Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka
Supreme Court sets up a panel for draft mediation law headed by mediator Niranjan Bhat
The Supreme Court set up a panel headed by mediator Niranjan Bhat to firm up draft legislation to give
legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation, which would then be sent to the government as a
suggestion from the apex court. The panel will recommend a code of conduct for mediators, who are
legal experts.
Panel headed by Amit Shah to create tougher law against sexual harassment at work
Group of Ministers(GoM) headed by Union Minister of Home Affairs(MoHA) Shri Amit Shah constituted
to further strengthen legal frameworks to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace, has now
finalised the recommendations for it. Addition of new provision in the Indian Penal Code(IPC) was
recommended by the panel and will be put up for public comments. Various sections in the IPC as well
as Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr. PC) are to be amended Read full details here: Panel headed by Amit
Shah to create tougher law against sexual harassment at work
12th National Tribal Youth Exchange Programme inaugurated in Puducherry

Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry Dr Kiran Bedi inaugurated the 12th National Tribal youth
exchange programme. It is a week long program in which 200 Youths from Naxal-affected districts of
Chattisgarh are taking part. The programme has been jointly organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra
Sangathan (NYKS) and Puducherry Government to ensure development and empowerment of the tribal
youths.
Andhra Pradesh Cabinet clears the Proposal for three capitals: Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, Kurnool
Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government has passed Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive
development of All Regions Bill-2020 for the tri-capital system. The bill proposes to make
Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, Amaravati as the legislative capital and Kurnool as the judicial
capital of Andhra Pradesh. The aim behind this bill is decentralised administration that will result in
socioeconomic progress at equal levels. Now the bill is presented before the legislative council. The
cabinet also approved the proposal of establishing the Amaravati Metropolitan Development Authority
(AMDA) in the place of AP Capital Regional Development Authority (APCRDA) by repealing the Capital
Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act. Read full details here: Andhra Pradesh Cabinet clears the
Proposal for three capitals: Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, Kurnool
APEDA sets up 186 Agri Products testing laboratories across the country
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has set up an
additional 135 Agri products testing laboratories under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI).
Now APEDA recognized Agri products testing laboratories has reached 186 across the Country. APEDA
has decided to add National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)
accredited laboratories in the network of APEDA recognition which will enable the exporters to have
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easy access to the laboratories for testing of APEDA scheduled products for exports. The highest
number ofAgri product testing laboratories is in Maharashtra (35).
UAE has been declared ‘reciprocating territory’ by India under section 44A of CPC, 1908
The Central Government has declared the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be a “reciprocating territory”
under Section 44A of Civil Procedure Code (CPC), 1908. The order was issued by the Ministry of Law
and Justice.By this the order passed by the superior Courts of UAE can now be enforced in India as if
they had been passed by the local courts in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District
Court here. The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.
Bengaluru airport first in India to get disabled aircraft recovery equipment

An agreement was signed by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to acquire Disabled
Aircraft Recovery Equipment (DARE) to enhance operational capabilities and to reduce downtime
during runway emergencies. (BIAL) has signed an agreement with a German based company KUNZ
GmbH to manufacture, supply, commission and maintain the specialized equipment for Kempegowda
International Airport (KIA), Banglore.
Central Government Notifies National Startup Advisory Council

The Central Government announced the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council, chaired by
the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry(MoCI) Shri Piyush Vedprakash Goyal. The council will
provide measures to build a strong ecosystem for new innovations and start-ups in the country. The
council aims to increase the economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities in
India.
Uttarakhand is the 1st state in the country to implement agricultural leasing policy
Uttarakhand has become the first state in India which has made a policy to lease agricultural land. After
the approval of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the state government has issued the order. Under this leasing
policy, instead of giving land on a 30-year lease, the concerned farmer will get the rent for the land. By
this policy any institutions, company, firm or NGO can take farmlands of maximum 30 acres in villages
for lease for a period of 30 years and the government land around farm land can be taken for lease by
paying the fee with the permission of the District Magistrate.
‘Youth Co:Lab- National innovation Challenge’ was hosted by Atal Innovation Mission and UNDP in New
Delhi
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted
a three day long Youth Co:Lab -National Innovation Challenge in New Delhi. The programme aims at
fostering technology, promoting youth leadership and social entrepreneurship in India. This
programme supports young people by catalysing youth-led innovation and empowers them through
Youth Co:Lab. Read full details here: ‘Youth Co:Lab- National innovation Challenge’ was hosted by Atal
Innovation Mission and UNDP in New Delhi
Govt think-tank NITI Aayog releases its vision for National Data and Analytics Platform
NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, a policy think tank of the Government of India
(GoI), has released the vision document for the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP), which
contain the latest datasets from several government departments and will also provide tools for
analytics and visualisation of data to stakeholders in a user-friendly manner. The NDAP will take over a
period of 1 year for its development process & the 1st version of the platform is expected to be released
in 2021.
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India’s 1st War Memorial for Service Animals to be set up in Meerut, UP

The govt has announced to set up country’s 1st war memorial for service animals such as dogs, horses,
mules in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (UP). This war memorial will come at army’s specialized breeding,
rearing training centre for animals in the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in
Meerut. Mansi, a Labrador breed dog who was awarded the highest honour of animals will top the list of
animals to be remembered.
IR sets up govt's 1st Waste to energy plant at Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha
Railway Board Member (Rolling Stock) Rajesh Agarwal inaugurated the East Coast Railway’s (ECoR)
waste to energy plant at Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar (CRW/MCS) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
It is the fourth waste to energy plant in the country and first plant manufactured by Government sector
and Indian Railways (IR). Total cost of the plant is Rs 1.79 crore and it can convert 500kg waste to light
diesel oil which can be used in light furnaces.
NIRDPR ties up with UNICEF, Hyderabad (Telangana) field office to establish 'communication resource
unit'
National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), an autonomous organization
under the Union Ministry of Rural Development has entered into the partnership with UNICEF (United
Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), Hyderabad (Telangana) field office to set up
'Communication Resource Unit' (CRU). At present CRU functions in 3 states of Andhra Pradesh (AP),
Telangana and Karnataka with the aim to help strategic communication needs of different government
departments. Dr. Gyanmudra, professor and head, Centre for Good Governance and Policy Analysis
(CGG&PA), NIRDPR is leading the CRU.
India supplies 30k doses of Measles and Rubella vaccine to Maldives within 72 hours
Government of India (GoI) has supplied 30,000 doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine within 72
hours on the emergency request of the Maldives government. These vaccines are supplied by Serum
Institute of India Private Limited, Pune, Maharashtra. In June 2019, during Prime Minister’s (PM) visit
to the Maldives, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India and Maldives on Health Co-
operation.
Government sets up 10 chairs to encourage women in research activities on National Girl Child Day,
January 24, 2020
January 24, 2020, is celebrated as the “National Girl Child Day” under the Ministry of Women and Child
Development. The Ministry announced an initiative called “Establishment of Chairs in the Universities
in the name of eminent women” which encourages women to carry out research activities. This
initiative was launched under the assistance of University Grants Commission (UGC) to inspire women
to achieve their goals and to motivate young girls towards higher studies. Each chair will be given Rs 50
lakh each for a year with a total expenditure of Rs 5 crore per annum for a period of five years.
India's first e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal

India’s first e-waste clinic was inaugurated by C K Mishra (Secretary to the Ministry of Environment,
Forest & Climate change, MoEFCC) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The e-waste clinic is jointly set up by the
Central Pollution Board Control -CPCB and Bhopal Municipal Corporation -BMC. It is a 3-month project
and if the project becomes successful then it will be established in other parts of the country also. The
electronic waste will be collected door to door or could be deposited directly at the e-waste clinic while
CPCB will provide technical support.
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Ministry of Tourism to fund the travel expenses of the tourist who visit 15 destinations of our country
in 1 year
The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) will fund the travel expenses of the tourist who submits the photos in
tourism websites after visiting 15 destinations of our country in a year. It was announced by the Union
Tourism Minister, Prahald Singh Patel during the concluding ceremony of the two-day National
Tourism Conference held at Konark, Odisha. This conference was organised by Odisha government in
association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). According to the
Ministry, the Sun Temple at Konark, Odisha will be included in the list of 'iconic sites'.
Bharat Parv 2020 to be celebrated from 26th to 31st January

Bharat Parv, 2020, the programme to celebrate the Spirit of India, started at Red Fort on January 26,
2020 in New Delhi and will be continued till 31st January, 2020. Special Secretary & Financial Adviser of
Ministry of Tourism Shri Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi inaugurated the function in New Delhi. Its objective
is to encourage people to visit different tourist places of the country and to inculcate the spirit of ‘Dekho
Apna Desh’. The theme is “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” & “Celebrating 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi”.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated India’s 1st Super Fab Lab

Chief Minister(CM) of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated India’s 1st Super Fab Lab facility at the
Integrated Startup Complex of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM). The lab which will function in
collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States(US), will work in
enhancing the hardware industry. It is the only such facility outside the United States (US). The concept
for the Super Fab Lab was by Dr. Neil Gershenfeld, Director of MIT Centre for Bits and Atoms, who set
up the 1st Fab Lab in the U.S. 17 years ago.
India's first underwater metro, ‘Kolkata metro’ to be opened by March 2022

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is set to complete its East-West Project, which runs partly
under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022. It will be India’s first underwater metro. The new
metro rail is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily & will take less than a minute to cross a 520-
meter underwater tunnel. 74% of the East-West metro project is owned by India’s Railway & remaining
26% by the nation’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
ICG commissioned high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned a 3rd high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru,
Karnataka. The boat will be operational under the administrative control of Commander of the Coast
Guard Region (West) Inspector General AP Badola. Apart from this, it was also announced that
Karnataka govt through its Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), had sanctioned 160
acres of land in Kenjar for the Indian Coast Guard Academy (ICGA) in Mangaluru at a total cost of Rs
1,010 crore. This interceptor boat built by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) shipyard will have a crew of 12
personnel commanded by Assistant Commandant Apoorva Sharma. The boat will be used for patrolling
and rescue operations.
SC allows govt to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India

Supreme Court (SC) has allowed the govt. to introduce African Cheetah in a suitable wildlife habitat in
India including Kuno-Palpur (Kuno National Park) in Madhya Pradesh. The decision was taken after a
petition was filed by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to introduce the African Cheetah
from Namibia as the rare Indian Cheetah that has become almost extinct in India. According to a bench
comprised by Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, the court will monitor the
project where its committee will have to submit its report every 4 months.
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Government to release the report of 100 Smarts Cities in June 2020

The Government of India (GoI) is to release the report card of 100 selected smart cities in June, 2020 as
the Smart Cities Mission completes its five year. This report will be released in three categories, namely
ease of living index, municipal performance index and climatic index. According to the Ministry, the
tender issued for Smart Cities Project is Rs 1,62,000 crore and the value of all completed projects is
more than Rs 25,000 crores.
World’s largest meditation centre opened in Hyderabad, Telangana

World’s largest meditation centre was inaugurated at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, Telangana to
mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Heartfulness
Institute. The center is dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness Lalaji Maharaji. It can accommodate 1
lakh practitioners at a time.
10 more wetlands from India declared as Ramsar sites

In an effort to improve the conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of wetlands, the Ramsar
Convention has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of national importance. Ramsar
sites are those which are declared under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971 to preserve wetlands of
national importance. Thus India now has a total of 37 Ramsar sites covering an area of 1,067,939
hectares. The 10 newly added Ramsar sites are as follows:
 Nandur Madhameshwar: This is the 1st Ramsar site of Maharashtra.
 Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal: These 3 ramsar sites are newly added
to Punjab.
 Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and SarsaiNawar: These 6 Ramsar sites have
been newly added to Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Read full details here: 10 more wetlands from India declared as Ramsar sites
India completely phased out one of the most potent ozone depleting HCFC-141 b chemical
India has successfully achieved complete phase out of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b. It is
a chemical used in foam manufacturing companies and is one of the most potent ozone depleting
chemicals after the Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). India took the challenge to phase out HCFC-141b by
January 1, 2020.
France to be the guest of honour at 2022 New Delhi World Book Fair
France ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain has announced that France will be the guest of
honour at New Delhi World Book Fair for the year 2022 (NDWBF 2022) as part of the reciprocal
invitation as New Delhi was the guest of honour for 2020 Livre Paris (Paris Book Fair). Lenanin along
with Leila Slimani, novelist and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Envoy for Francophone Affairs,
conferred 2020 Romain Rolland Book Prize at Jaipur BookMark in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Assam Rifles builds war memorial “Veer Samriti” in Nagaland for 357 martyrs
Assam Rifles (military unit) has constructed a war memorial “Veer Samriti” in Nagaland, Kohima for
357 Army & Assam Rifles personnel, who died while fighting insurgency in north-eastern state. he
memorial has been built at Mokokchung, Nagaland (one of the cultural & intellectual center), which was
planned & executed by Inspector General Assam Rifles (North).
Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India

As per the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India, India's youngest state Telangana has
emergered as Number 1 state in the ‘Decent work and economic growth’ category with the score of 82
on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India index in 2019. Telangana was followed by states of
Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka together with a score of 72. However, in overall Telangana ranked
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3rd after Kerala & Himachal Pradesh. Read full details here: Telangana tops in best performing state in
sustainable growth: UNDP India
IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
Indian Railways (IR) undertook the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) project which aims for
automatic identification & data collection of rolling stock with focus on improving the safety and
reliability. Two works for the RFID project have been sanctioned by the Railway board worth Rs.112.96
Crores where coaches and wagons are to be RFID-tagged. The project is spearheaded by the Rolling
Stock Department of IR and will be implemented fully by 2021. Read full details here: IR Undertakes
RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a department of the Ministry of Communications, has
taken over the process of issuing and managing IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), a
special 15-digit serial number of mobile phones in the country, from private body MSAI (Mobile
Standard Alliance of India). The MSAI operated system will be replaced by “Indian Counterfeited Device
Restriction (ICDR)”, which has been developed by Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the
Research and Development (R&D) unit of the DoT, for implementing the SOP (Standard operating
procedure).
GOVT SCHEMES
Centre sets up 7-member GoM led by Rajnath singh to review crop insurance scheme-PMFBY
Government has formed a 7-member group of ministers (GoM) headed by Defense Minister Rajnath
Singh to review the crop insurance scheme ,“Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)” for making
improvments as per the need of the farmers. This move comes after the concerns over growing dissent
among farmers about the scheme, dropping out of 4 insurance companies (ICICI Lombard, Tata AIG,
Cholamandalam MS, and Shriram General Insurance), and exit of states like Bihar, West Bengal and
Andhra Pradesh (AP) from the scheme. Read full details here: Centre sets up 7-member GoM led by
Rajnath singh to review crop insurance scheme-PMFBY
‘Yashaswini scheme’ was launched by the Union Minister Smriti Irani in Goa
Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani launched Yashaswini
scheme for Women entrepreneurship at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium in Taleigao town near
Panaji district of Goa along with Swasthya Sakhi Project and breast cancer screening initiative.
 Yashaswini Scheme: Interest free loans up to Rs. 5 lakhs with tenure of 5 years will be given to
women self-help groups by the state government of Goa.
 Breast Cancer screening initiative: Women will be screened for breast cancer by the healthcare
workers of the state with focus on state’s rural areas.
 Swasthya Sakhi Project: A diagnostic kit is given to the healthcare workers which helps them to
conduct basic diagnostic tests for people at their doorsteps.
Read full details here: Union Minister Smriti Irani launched Yashaswini scheme, swasthya Sakhi Project
and Breast cancer initiative
Eight Crore farmer families benefited under PM Kisan Scheme

Nearly eight crore farmer families have benefited under PM Kisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman
Nidhi) scheme, which was launched on 24 February 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry reported more than 48 thousand
937 crore rupees has been released under the scheme till date. A new facility has been provided on PM-
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KISAN Web Portal (www.pmkisan.gov.in) for self-registration and editing of name in PM-Kisan
database as per Aadhar card. Under this scheme an income of Rs.6000 per year in three equal
installments of Rs.2000 is provided to small and regional farmers with landholding up to two hectares.
Forest Committee approves Green Credit Scheme to ‘trade’ in forests

On Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) which is an apex body that considers questions on the diversion
of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships etc and also issues
granting of forest clearances has approved Green Credit Scheme that would allow forests to be traded
as a commodity. The scheme allows agencies like private companies, village forest communities etc to
identify lands for forest cultivation and ensures plantations are grown. Read full details here: Forest
Committee approves Green Credit Scheme to ‘trade’ in forests
National draft policy on Rare Disease: Govt to provide Rs 15 lakh under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi scheme
Govt has released the National draft policy on Rare Disease in which financial support of Rs. 15 lakh will
be provided under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi scheme for one-time treatment of rare diseases. The
scheme benefit is limited to people below Poverty Line (BPL) and also 40% of the population eligible as
per Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY) norms for treatment in
government tertiary hospitals only. Govt also plans to set up National Registry for Rare Diseases at
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to create a database of various rare diseases. Read full
details here: National draft policy on Rare Disease: Govt to provide Rs 15 lakh under Rashtriya Arogya
Nidhi scheme
‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme will be implemented by June 1, 2020: Union Minister Ram Vilas
Paswan
'One Nation, One Ration Card' scheme will be implemented by June 1, 2020 across the country. The
announcement was made by the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas
Paswan. This scheme has been preponed from its original date of June 30, 2020 to June 1, 2020. As of
January 1, 2020 the scheme is operational in 12 states across the country which includes Madhya
Pradesh, Goa, Tripura, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Telangana. Under this scheme, the beneficiaries will be able to avail their entitled food
grain under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop located across India.
70,000 crore rupees has disbursed till January 13, 2020 under MSME loan scheme: Ministry of Finance
Under the scheme of providing loan to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) within 59
minutes nearly 70,000 crore rupees has been disbursed till January 13, 2020. The report was given by
the Ministry of Finance (MOF).The government has introduced loan provision to MSMEs through a
dedicated online portal- www.psbloansin59minutes.com. This portal acts as a single interface portal
which facilitates in principal approval of bank loans to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises upto five
crore rupees within 59 minutes. Read full details here: 70,000 crore rupees has disbursed till January
13, 2020 under MSME loan scheme: Ministry of Finance
MoRD inks MoU with BMGF under DAY-NRLM to strengthen grassroots institutions of the rural poor
Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). The MoU is to further strengthen grassroots of institutions for rural
poor. The MoU was signed by Smt Alka Upadhyaya, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of NRLM
on behalf of MoRD while it was signed by Shri Alkesh Wadhwanion on behalf of BMGF in presence of
MoRD secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan.
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MGNREGA scheme faces fund crunch as 96% funds been spent

As per Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme’s financial
statement, the govt is on the verge of running out of funds for the MGNREGA scheme. It has been
announced that more than 96% of the allocated money to the fund has been spent and is still needed to
pay the pending dues. Less than Rs. 2500 crore is left to sustain the scheme for the next two months. 15
states currently have negative net balance. Out of them Rajasthan has the highest negative net
balance of Rs 640 crore followed by Uttar Pradesh with Rs.323 crores.
Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
The Central Government has aimed to achieve objective of Housing for all by 2022 (which coincides
with 75 years of Indian independence) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) scheme.
Under the 2nd phase of the scheme the eligible people will get one crore 95 lakh houses. Government
has set a target of 60 lakh houses for the current financial year-FY 20.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India and Pakistan exchanged list of Nuclear Installations in their countries
India and Pakistan exchanged lists of nuclear installations agreeing to not be targeted incase of
hostilities, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad (Pakistan). The
exchange is based on the agreement of prohibition of attack against nuclear installations between India
and Pakistan that came into force on January 27, 1991, under which the list is shared every year on
January 1st. Both nations also shared data regarding prisoners, the details of which are here: India and
Pakistan exchanged list of Nuclear Installations in their countries
UNICEF:2019 concluded as deadly decade for children in conflict; >1.7lac grave violations verified
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) also known as the United Nations
Children’s Fund announced that more than 1,70,000 grave violations against children in conflict were
verified which is the equivalent of more than 45 violations a day for the last 10 years. Read full details
here: UNICEF:2019 concluded as deadly decade for children in conflict; >1.7lac grave violations verified
Pacific Island Nation Palau becomes first nation in the world to ban ‘reef-toxic’ sun cream
Palau has become the first nation to ban sun cream which damages the coral reefs, sea life and are toxic
to juvenile wildlife species. The sun cream consists of oxybenzone and octinoxate absorbs UV
(UltraViolet) rays, which causes water more acidic, makes corals susceptible to bleaching and agitating
fish stocks. Following Palau, Hawaii will ban sun cream from 2021. Palau is a Pacific Island country in
the Western Pacific Ocean near Philippines.
Top Iran general Qassem Soleimani killed at Baghdad airport in US airstrikes

Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, who was the head (since 1998)
of the Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in an American
drone airstrike at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The airstrike was conducted by the order of
United States (US) President Donald Trump. An Iranian general Esmail Ghaani replaced Qassem
Soleimani as the next military commander of Iran. The drone strike came days after US (United States)
embassy in Baghdad was attacked by Irani protestors. Read full details here: Top Iran general Qassem
Soleimani killed at Baghdad airport in US airstrikes
U.N's decarbonisation target of Shipping industry could cost over $1 trillion: UMAS study
According to a new study by experts from University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS), London,
England, which includes University College London’s (UCL) Energy Institute & the Energy Transitions
Commission,the shipping industry must spend a scale of investment of at least $1 trillion (£0.8 trillion)
on new fuel technology to decarbonise the international shipping if it is to meet UN emissions targets by
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2050. Since about 90% of world trade is done by sea, Global shipping is responsible for around 2.2 % of
the world’s CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. United Nations (UN) specialized shipping agency, the
International Maritime Organization (IMO),has set itself the target of reducing carbon emissions by 50
% by the year 2050. Read full details here: U.N’s decarbonisation target of Shipping industry could cost
over $1 trillion: UMAS study
Guyana takes over the chairmanship of G77

Guyana takes over chairmanship of the Group of 77 (G77) for the year 2020, the year which
commemorates the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN). It assumes the chairmanship of the
Group from the State of Palestine. G77, established in 1964 by 77 developing countries including India.
It's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
India Opens 1st Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger

India’s Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Nigerian President
Mahamadou Issoufau inaugurated the first convention centre in Africa namely “Mahatma Gandhi
convention centre”(MGICC) established at the state of Niger in Western Africa by India to honour the
memory of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This is the 1st centre established in Africa by
India under grant assistance. The establishment of the center is a landmark for India-Niger friendship
and the 4th edition of India-Africa Summit will be held in Delhi this year.
Switzerland mints world's smallest gold coin values ¼ Swiss francs

Switzerland state-owned Swissmint has minted World’s smallest gold coin of 2.96 millimeter (0.12
inches). The coin featured a face of scientist Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue. It weighs 0.063
grams (1/500 th of an ounce) and has a nominal value of 1/4 Swiss francs (USD United States Dollar-
0.26).
WEF to conserve 1 trillion trees by 2030 to combat climate change through 1t.org
World Economic Forum (WEF) and its partners have launched 1t.org which is a multistakeholder effort
to support efforts to grow, restore and conserve 1 trillion trees around the world inorder to restore the
biodiversity and help combat climate change. 1t.org project aims to unite all the countries’ govts, non-
govt. organisations, businesses & individuals in to restore nature in a mass scale. The initiative is set up
with initial support of Salesforce (CRM) Chairman Marc and his wife Lynne Benioff who are also
American internet entrepreneurs. Read full details here: WEF to conserve 1 trillion trees by 2030 to
combat climate change through 1t.org
Pakistan may be out of FAFT’s “Grey List” by February 2020

The Asia Pacific Joint Group, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) international cooperation review
group meeting was held in Beijing, China which states that Pakistan has 75 percent chances of exiting
‘Grey List’. In 2018 June, Pakistan was placed on the 'Grey List' by the FATF and it may exit from ‘Grey
List’ in the next FATF meeting which is to be held on February 16, 2020, in Paris, France. Pakistan
needs 12 votes out of 39 to exist from the ‘Grey List’. According to the last meeting of FATF, Pakistan
has got support from China, Malaysia and Turkey.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina launched e-passport in Dhaka; South Asia’s 1st and 119th e-passport in
the world
Prime Minister (PM) of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wazed has launched e-passport in Dhaka,
Bangladesh as Mujib Century year gift to the country. Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia and
119th countries in the world to have an e-passport facility. Malaysia is the first country in the world to
launch this facility in 1998. This e-passport consists of embedded chip which contains biometric data,
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digital Photograph and signature of the passport holder which will help to control fake passports in the
country.
EU moves resolutions against India over CAA, Kashmir

European Union (EU) parliament has decided to make a debate and conduct vote on the resolution
against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) 2019, and on the annexation of
occupied Kashmir by India after abrogating Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. The decision taken
after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s global campaign against CAA and the Kashmir issue, cited
that the annexation of Kashmir was in clear violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
resolutions. Read full details here: EU moves resolutions against India over CAA, Kashmir
WHO has declared the global risk of Noval Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the global risk of Noval Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
that cause serious illnesses ranging from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) from moderate to high. According to
WHO report on January 27, 2020 Globally there is 2798 confirmed cases in out of which in China there
are 2741 cases. Nearly 80 cases were found dead in China according to the report. In India, all the
passengers from China will undergo compulsory health check up in all airports. Read full details here:
WHO has declared the global risk of Noval Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
Britain unveils new 50 pence coin to mark its departure from EU

Britain has unveiled the new 50 pence coin to mark the country’s departure from the European Union
(EU). The coin bears the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” and the Brexit
date of 31 January 2020. Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the EU. On January
22, 2020, the UK (United Kingdom) Parliament has given approval to EU withdrawal agreement. Thus
the UK will leave the EU on January 31, 2020.
India's crude steel production rose by 1.8 % to 111.2 MT in 2019: WSA

According to World Steel Association (WSA),the international trade body for the iron and steel industry
, India’s crude steel production increased to 111.2 million tonne (MT) in 2019, showing a 1.8 %
hike over 2018 (109.3 MT). India ranked 2nd in top 10 steel-producing countries in 2019 behind China
which produced 996.3 MT. Except Asia and the Middle East nations, all other regions during the
calendar year 2019 witnessed a contraction in steel output. Read full details here: India's crude steel
production rose by 1.8 % to 111.2 MT in 2019: WSA
UK Govt launches £4 Million pound Innovation challenge fund in India

The government of UK (United Kingdom) has launched a £4 Mn (about Rs 37 crore) ‘Innovation
Challenge Fund’ in India at an event in Pune, Maharashtra. The fund is focused on 2 main tech platforms
including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in Karnataka and future mobility in Maharashtra. The
fund, which is one of several new initiatives of the UK-India Tech Partnership, is aimed to boost
industry and academia to collaborate & develop tech solutions to social, economic and environmental
challenges in India.
Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared novel Coronavirus(nCoV) as a global health emergency
during the second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations
(IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 held in Geneva, Switzerland. The
outbreak which was more prominent in China has now continued to spread to other countries too. CoV
are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases
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such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS-CoV).
VISITS
INDIA VISITS
Overview of Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s 4-day Visit to India
The president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Messias Bolsonaro paid a 4-day official visit to
India from January 24-27, 2020. Brazil and India signed 15 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and
also signed an action plan to deepen strategic partnership.
 Brazilian gunmaker Taurus Armas SA has signed for a joint Venture (JV) with Indian
steelmaker Jindal Group to manufacture and sell guns in India.
 Bolsonaro was the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations and attended the Parade
ceremony at Rajpath in New Delhi.
 Piyush Goyal addressed India-Brazil Business Forum in New Delhi- The forum was organised by
Industry Body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
 The bilateral trade and work target of $15 billion between India and Brazil was set to be
achieved by 2022.
Read full details here: Overview of Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s 4-day Visit to India
Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn meets EAM Jaishankar during his 2-day visit to India
The Minister of Foreign & European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg H.E. Mr. Jean Asselborn
has met the External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at Hyderabad
House in New Delhi during his 2-day (January 27- 28, 2020) visit to India. Asselborn visited India for
the 5th time & in current visit he visited Rajghat in Delhi to pay respects to Mahatma Gandhi. As part of
the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Luxembourg had also issued a special postage stamp.
FOREIGN VISITS
Highlights of NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to Sri Lanka; $50mn assistance pledged to SL
National Security Advisor (NSA) of India Shri Ajit Doval paid a day-long visit to Colomo in the Island
nation of Sri Lanka (SL). On his visit, Mr Doval met the President of SL Shri Nandasena Gotabaya
Rajapaksa and held talks on various bilateral issues. Ajit Doval is the second-highest-ranking Indian
official to visit Colombo, SL after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed office in November 2019. India pledged
to provide $50 million security assistance to Sri Lanka for purchasing equipment for its security forces.
NSA Ajit Doval discussed on setting up of a maritime research coordination centre in SL. Read full
details here: Highlights of NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to Sri Lanka; $50mn assistance pledged to SL
Overview of External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s 3-day visit to Niger & Tunisia
External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has paid a visit to two
nations Niger & Tunisia. This was his 1st visit to the African continent after becoming Foreign Minister.
During the visit, India signs MoU with Tunisia to set up ‘India- Tunisia centre for innovation
in information and communication technologies (ICT)’ in Tunisia. Discussions were also held regarding
the 4th edition of India-Africa Summit 2020 (IAFS-IV), which scheduled to be held
in India in September 2020. Read full details here: Overview of External affairs Minister Jaishankar’s 3-
day visit to Niger & Tunisia
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OTHER VISITS
Overview of Prime Minister Modi’s 2 day official visit to Kolkata,West Bengal
Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi paid a two-day official visit to Kolkata, West Bengal where he
launched Rs.600 crore worth projects, commemorative stamp, Port anthem,and also renamed Kolkata
Port as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port on the occasion of sesquicentenary (150th year) celebrations of
the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT). Apart from this, he dedicated 4 refurbished heritage buildings in Kolkata
to the Nation and inaugurated the Kaushal Vikas Kendra (skill development training centre) and
Pritilata Chhatri Avas (student behavior centre) for 200 tribal girl students from Sundarbans, West
Bengal.Two oldest pensioner of the port Smt. Nagina Bhagat (105 years) and Mr. Naresh Chandra
Chakraborty (100 years) were honoured at the event. Read full details here: Overview of Prime
Minister Modi’s 2 day official visit to Kolkata,West Bengal
President Kovind lays foundation stone of Lakshadweep’s 1st super specialty hospital at Kavaratti
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, who was on a first ever 2-day State Visit to the Union
Territory of Lakshadweep, has laid the foundation stone for Lakshadweep’s 1st Super Specialty Hospital
at Kavaratti. President also praised Rehmath Beegum Sailaniyoda, the only woman who received Padma
Shri (1999) from Lakshadweep in the field of Medicine.
BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

RBI IN NEWS
CAD slips to 0.9% of GDP in July-Sept 2019 from 2.9 :RBI
According to the report “Developments in India’s Balance of Payments during the Second Quarter (July-
September) of 2019-20” released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s current account deficit
(CAD) decreased to 0.9 % of gross domestic product (GDP) or $6.3 billion in July-September 2019
quarter. It was 2.9 % of GDP or $19 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19. The reduction in
CAD is primarily due to low trade deficit of $ 38.1 billion as against the trade deficit at a high of $50
billion in 2018. The Net Foreign direct investment (FDI) stood at $ 7.4 billion in the second quarter of
2019. Read full details here: CAD slips to 0.9% of GDP in July-Sept 2019 from 2.9% :RBI
RBI allows banks to offer round-the-clock forex market operations

Inorder to reduce the rising influence of offshore trading in the currency markets, the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has enabled AD (Authorised Dealer) Category-I Bank to offer round-the-clock (24x7)
trading in the Indian rupee to allow Indians to safeguard their foreign exchange (Forex) risks at any
time. Till now, the select banks in India offered Indian customers foreign exchange rates only in inter-
bank market hours from 9 am - 5 pm. The decision has been taken on the lines of the key
recommendations of the Task Force on Offshore Rupee Markets headed by Smt. Usha Thorat.
RBI revises supervisory action framework for Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks
Inorder to better manage the stressed UCBs, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released its final
Supervisory Action Framework (SAF) tightening norms for Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks
(UCBs). The revised rules include threshold limits for asset quality, profitability and Capital to Risk-
weighted Assets ratio (CRAR). All such actions are taken under section 35A of the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949 (as applicable to co-operative societies). Under the revised rules, UCBs may be placed under
the framework, if it incurs two consecutive years of losses. Read full details here: RBI revises
supervisory action framework for Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks
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Shivalik Mercantile became 1st urban cooperative bank to convert to SFB

Reserve Bank of India (RBI), gave approval to Uttar Pradesh based Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative
Bank Ltd to convert to a small finance bank (SFB). With this, Shivalik Mercantile became the 1st urban
cooperative bank (UCB) to be converted into an SFB since the release of reformed RBI guidelines which
came out 2 years ago. The RBI will grant a licence to Shivalik Mercantile bank for the commencement of
banking business under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 as an SFB. Read full details
here: Shivalik Mercantile became 1st urban cooperative bank to convert to SFB
India's foreign exchange reserve touches a record level of $457.46 bn: RBI
According to the “ Bulletin Weekly Statistical Supplement – Extract” released by the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI), India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves rose by $ 2.520 billion to a record $ 457.468 billion
during the week ended 27 December 2019. The main reason for increase in foreign exchange reserves is
the increase in foreign exchange assets, which is the main component of forex.
 Foreign Currency Assets (FCA): Foreign currency assets rose to $ 424.936 billion.
 Gold Reserve: Country's gold reserves also increased to $ 27.392 billion.
 SDR: India’s special drawing rights (SDR) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined
by $ 2 million to $ 1.441 billion.
 Reserve Position in the IMF: India’s reserve position with the IMF Fund increased to $ 3.7 billion.
RBI curbs functions of Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank; withdraw limit set to Rs.35000
Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Chief General Manager Yogesh Dayal has issued the directive which
curbed Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank, a private bank in Bengaluru, Karnataka from doing
business,w.e.f. January 10, 2020, under Sections 35A and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. This
has been done after finding alleged irregularities in transactions. The bank’s savings and current
account customers and depositors can however withdraw cash up to Rs 35,000 only till further
notice.The directive will remain in force for 6 months.
Central govt raised India Overseas Bank's authorized capital to Rs 25,000 crore
The central govt in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)has announced an increase in the
authorized capital of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) to Rs 25,000 crores from the previous authorized
capital of Rs. 15,000 crores, thus making an increase by Rs. 10,000 crores.
RBI permits UPI transactions for recurring payments & releases framework for imposing penalties on
payment system operators
In a view of the promotion of digital payments, RBI has permitted processing of e-mandate for recurring
payments through UPI (Unified Payments Interface) under Section 10 (2) read with Section 18 of
Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007). It also released framework for imposing
penalties on payment system operators/banks under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
for not complying with regulatory requirements. It ensures safety and security to various stakeholders,
including customers. The monetary penalty levied for a contravention shall not exceed Rs 5 lakh or
double the amount of contravention or default, whichever is higher,Read full details here: RBI permits
UPI transactions for recurring payments & releases framework for imposing penalties on payment
system operators
RBI formulates National Strategy for Financial Inclusion for the period 2019-2024
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the aegis of Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC) has set
up a 5 year plan of formulation of National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) for the period 2019-
2024. This has been done keeping in view the global trend of financial inclusion which acts as a key
driver of economic growth.The national strategy plan, i.e., NSFI was finalised and approved by Financial
Stability Development Council (FSDC) and the final documents were released by RBI deputy director
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Mahesh Kumar Jain at the high level meeting on Financial Inclusion for the North East region at
Agartala, Tripura.Read full details here: RBI formulates National Strategy for Financial Inclusion for the
period 2019-2024
In a 1st, RBI introduced video-based identification process for KYC

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the 1st time has introduced Aadhaar-based Video Customer
Identification Process (V-CIP). This process will allow banks and other lenders to complete the KYC
(Know Your Customer) process of customers on video itself. To introduce V-CIP, RBI has amended
guidelines under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005. The video
KYC will be consent based i.e, banks can complete V-CIP of KYC process only after obtaining consent
from the bank customers. This is done to adhere to the RBI’s KYC norms by leveraging digital
technology. The definition of digital KYC has been changed in section 3 of the Master Direction on KYC
dated February 25, 2016.
RBI tightens norms for debit, credit card issuance & usage to improve security
In view of the increasing cases of cyber fraud, India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
framed new rules under “Enhancing Security of Card Transactions” to further protect debit, credit card
transactions. These directions are issued under Section 10(2) of the Payment and Settlement Systems
Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007) & will come into effect from 16 March,2020. Under this, now transactions at
ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) and PoS (Point of Sale) will be done through domestic cards. RBI
also directed banks and other card issuing companies to allow their customers to switch on and off
their debit and credit cards. Read full details here: RBI tightens norms for debit, credit card issuance &
usage to improve security
WGC: RBI ranked 6th among central banks in buying gold abroad;China’s central bank tops
India’s central bank i.e., the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been ranked 6th largest buyer of sovereign
gold abroad after it purchased 25.2 tonnes in the first 10 months of 2019 according to World Gold
Council(WGC) report titled “Outlook 2020: Global economic trends and their impact on gold”. The
central banks of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Poland have purchased more gold than India in
2019. RBI currently holds 625.2 tonnes of gold, that forms 6.6% of its forex reserves. The performance
of gold in market in 2019 was best Since 2010. It rose by 18.4% in United States dollar (USD)terms in
2019. Read full details here: WGC: RBI ranked 6th among central banks in buying gold abroad;China’s
central bank tops
Reserve Bank cancels certificate of authorisation of Vodafone m-pesa

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation
(CoA) of Vodafone M-pesa Limited, a Payment System Operator (PSO), after it had voluntarily
surrendered the authorization. Now Vodafone m-Pesa cannot continue to transact the business of
issuance & will no longer have the right to provide payment facility as a prepaid instrument (PPI).
Vodafone Idea in 2019 has decided to close m-pesa vertical after the closure of Aditya Birla Idea
Payments Bank Limited (ABIPBL), with which it was being merged. However, m-Paisa customers and
merchants can claim valid under POS.
For the 1st time, RBI Releases Minutes of board meeting

For the 1st time, India central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the minutes of the
579th meeting of Central Board of Directors (BoD) held in Chandigarh on October 11, 2019 as part of
the central bank’s transparency initiative. The disclosure of the information is considered as a measure
to further enhance public awareness about the functioning of the RBI & and bring accountability to the
directors. The minutes of the meetings of the Central Board will be uploaded on the RBI’s website under
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provisions of Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. Read full details here: For the 1st
time, RBI Releases Minutes of board meeting
RBI hikes short-term debt investments limit for FPI to 30% from 20%
With the aim to boost foreign inflows, India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
increased the short-term investments by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to 30 % from 20 % of the
total FPI investment in Central government securities including Treasury Bills(T-bills) / state
development loans. This rule also applies in corporate bonds. These directions are issued under
sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999). Now FPIs can
also invest up to Rs 1,50,000 crore through voluntary retention route (VRR) as against the earlier limit
of Rs 75,000 crore. Read full details here: RBI hikes short-term debt investments limit for FPI to 30%
from 20%
UCBs hit by around 972 cases of fraud worth Rs 221 crore in past 5 fiscals: RBI
According to the India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), there have been about 972
cases of fraud in the urban cooperative banks (UCBs) of the country in the last 5 fiscal years (FY), in
which banks have incurred losses of 221 crores. As per RBI, banks need to register these cases of
rigging with legal investigating agencies. Banks should decide the responsibility of staff in such cases
and take strict action & punish the guilty. Read full details here: UCBs hit by around 972 cases of fraud
worth Rs 221 crore in past 5 fiscals: RBI
RBI increased Investment Limits Under Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) to Rs 1.5lakh crore
Based on the feedback received from the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) scheme introduced by the
Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in 2009, the central bank(RBI) in consultation with the govt. made certain
amendments in the scheme to increase its operational flexibility. As per the amendments, the
investment limit under VRR has now been increased to Rs 1,50,000 crores (1.5lakh crores) from earlier
Rs.75,000 crores. For fresh allotment, the investment limit will be Rs. 90,630 crores and will be allotted
under VRR- combined category.Read full details here: RBI increased Investment Limits Under Voluntary
Retention Route (VRR) to Rs 1.5lakh crore
RBI appoints Janak Raj as member of the Monetary Policy Committee

Janak Raj has been appointed as the third internal member (ex officio member) of the Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during it's 581st meeting of the central board in
Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is the successor of Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra who was appointed as Deputy
Governor of RBI. ED Janak is the executive director in-charge of the monetary policy department. MPC
consists of 6 members which is headed by RBI governor.
BANKING TECHNOLOGY
APP NAME LAUNCHED BY KEY NOTES
MANI (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) Shri Shaktikanta launched a mobile app named “MANI”
Das, 25th Governor (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) that would
of Reserve Bank help visually impaired people to identify
(RBI) denomination of currency notes correctly.
Click here
myApps HDFC (Housing For the 1st time has launched ‘myApps’,
Development which is a suite of white-label apps to
Finance benefit urban local bodies, housing
Corporation) Bank, societies, local clubs and gymkhanas and
An Indian banking religious institutions. The myApps was
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and financial launched at an event in Mumbai,

services company Maharashtra by Smita Bhagat, Country
Head, Government & Institutional
Business, Start-ups and E-Commerce,
HDFC Bank and Sunali Rohra, Executive
Vice President, Government and
Institutional Business, HDFC Bank.
ICICI Bank API Banking ICICI (Industrial Launched India’s largest API (application
portal’(https://developer.icicibank.com/) Credit and programming interfaces) Banking portal,
Investment which consists of 250 APIs & allows
Corporation of bank’s partner companies across the
India) bank, an globe to sign up on it, create an
Indian multinational application, select the application, test it
banking and out and get the sample code. API is a
financial services software intermediary that allows two
company applications to talk to each other. Click
here
iMobile ICICI (Industrial An Indian multinational bank has
Credit and launched Cardless cash withdrawal
Investment facility from its ATMs (Automated Teller
Corporation of Machine) with a per-day transaction limit
India) Bank of Rs 20,000. With this, customers can
withdraw cash from more than 15,000
ATMs of the bank through the bank's
mobile banking application 'iMobile'. This
facility can be used for self-withdrawal
when ICICI customers do not wish to carry
the debit card & also enables customers to
withdraw cash securely and easily from
their mobile phone for everyday use.
Ask Lakshmi City Union Bank For the 1st time India, the City Union Bank
(CUB) Limited (CUB) Limited, one of the leading Indian
banks in India, has launched a multilingual
voice-enabled mobile banking application.
Now the CUB customers can converse
with the chat-bot ‘Ask Lakshmi’ of the app
in Tamil, English, Hindi / Telugu language
for their general banking queries
including transactions like Balance
enquiry, mini statement, fund transfer
over voice/text instructions. The chat-bot
Lakshmi operates on Artificial Intelligence
(AI) platform.
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LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS

LOANS RECEIVED AMOUNT KEY NOTES
ISSUED BY BY
Export-Import Cuba $75 million Export-Import (Exim) Bank, the premier export finance
(Exim) Bank (over Rs 500 institution of India has given a $75 million (over Rs 500
crore) crore) line of credit (LoC, a soft loan/loan with low-
interest rate) to Cuba for financing 75 MW (megawatt)
Photovoltaic Solar Parks. The Agreement in this regard
between Exim Bank & Banco Exterior De Cuba, a
nominated agency of the Government of Cuba, signed on
July 16,2019 & is effective from December 12,2019.
Kfw, Germany Andhra Rs.711 crore For expanding the climate-resilient Zero-Budget Natural
Development Pradesh Farming (ZBNF) in the state for the next five years. To
bank take up the insurance scheme, Andhra Pradesh
government will spend Rs 304 crore in addition to
encourage 2.39 lakh farmers in 591 village panchayats.
The state government under takes ZBNF along with the
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Paramparagat
Krishi Vikas Yojana’s (PKVY) of the Centre government
and technical supported by Azim Premji Philanthropic
Initiatives. Click here
World Bank Govt. of $88 million For implementation of the Assam Inland Water Transport
(WB) Assam Project (AIWTP) to modernize passenger ferry sector of
Assam which runs on rivers including the Brahmaputra
river in Assam. A loan of $88 million from WB’s
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) has a final maturity of 14.5 years including a grace
period of 5 years. The loan agreement from the Indian
side was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional
Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance and by Mr Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director
(India), World Bank on behalf of the WB.
World Bank Govt of $210 million For Maharashtra's Agribusiness & rural transformation
(WB) Maharashtra project. This project will help the farmers in Maharashtra
to take part in competitive agriculture value chains,
enhance agribusiness investments thereby increasing
productivity of commodities. All 36 districts of
Maharashtra will be implemented with the project and
would benefit nearly 1 million farming households. This
loan is from the WB’s International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a grace
period of 6 years and a maturity period of 13.5 years.
AGREEMENTS & MoU’s SIGNED

BANKS SIGNED WITH KEY NOTES
Bank of Baroda JM Financial Home Bank of Baroda (BoB), an Indian Multinational, public sector Bank
(BoB) Loans Limited has signed a co-lending partnership agreement with JM Financial
(JMFHL) Home Loans Limited (JMFHL), the housing finance arm of JM
Financial Group, to provide retail loans to home buyers. This tie up
37 | P a g e
will boost the credit delivery to customers & also promote home
buying field in India.
Paytm Payments CSC e-Governance CSC e-Governance services India ltd has signed a Memorandum of
Bank ltd (PPBL) services India ltd Understanding (MoU) with Paytm Payments Bank ltd (PPBL) for
selling FASTags. Through this MoU, FASTags will be sold through
the last mile network of 3.6 lakh CSCs (Common Service Centres).
This will help in enhancing govt’s vision of cashless and smooth
transit at toll plazas in the country. FASTags allows toll payments
directly from prepaid or savings account linked to it. The FASTags
work on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Click
here
Indian bank Women Indian bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Entrepreneurs with Women Entrepreneurs Welfare Association (WEWA) of
Welfare Association Tamil Nadu(TN) to provide training and credit linkage to its
(WEWA) women entrepreneurs to establish business. The Indian bank will
provide loans to the WEWA members at discounted rates.
Training will be given to the WEWA members in the INDSETIs
(Indian Bank Self Employment Training Institutes)
State Bank of South Central For ‘doorstep banking’ under which the bank will collect earnings
India (SBI) Railway (SCR) Zone generated from all 585 stations of the zone. Till now, the railways
of Indian Railways used to send cash received at their stations to the bank in the safes
by train. There was risk in this work and it was extremely difficult.
It also consumes human labor. Click here
OTHER BANKING & FINANCE NEWS

RevFin partners with PNB MetLife to provide life insurance to its customers
India's leading Digital lending startup, RevFin Services Private Limited has joined hands with PNB
MetLife India Insurance Company to offer protection to the RevFin’s customers by bundling life
insurance cover on their loans. The collaboration will help PNB MetLife to reach out to unbanked areas
& drive greater financial inclusion in the country by securing the families of the borrowers against loan
repayment in case of unfortunate death of the borrower.
PayPal India launches adoption assistance programme for employees

In order to promote parental support benefits for employees, online digital payments player, PayPal
India Private Limited has launched a new Adoption Assistance Program w.e.f. December 2019, where it
will be offering financial assistance of up to Rs 1 lakh per adoption for the parents. The company
provides paid adoption leave of 16 weeks for female employees, maternity leave of 26 weeks, paternity
leave of 2 weeks, along with Childcare@PayPal, where children can be enrolled in a nearby daycare
centre.
IRDAI: Health insurance cover in the name 'Arogya Sanjeevani' mandatory for insurance companies
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has mandated all the health and
General Insurance Companies (GICs) to offer 1st of its kind standardised health insurance products
(SHIP) namley “Arogya Sanjeevani” policy with effect from April 1, 2020.
 Insurance limit: Minimum sum insured will be Rs. 1 lakh while the maximum sum insured limit
will be Rs. 5 lakhs. The health insurance plan should be offered with a policy term of one year.
 Eligibility: Any person aged between 18-65 (inclusive of 18 & 65 years of age) eligible for the
Arogya Sanjeevani policy
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Read full details here: IRDAI: 1st Health insurance cover in the name ‘Arogya Sanjeevani’ mandatory for
insurance companies
NSE arm launches AI-powered ‘knowledge hub’ to serve financial sector

National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched ‘NSE Knowledge Hub’ an Artificial Intelligence-powered
learning platform for BFSI (Banking, Financial services and Insurance) sectors to enhance skills for
their employees, during an event in New Delhi. The function was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Union
Minister of Railways & Commerce and Industries. It has been developed by NSE Academy, a wholly-
owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The modules in the hub will help in
understanding the stock exchange and their functionalities.
SEBI extends April 2022 deadline for separation of chairman & MD posts for top 500 listed entities
firms
Stock market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has extended the deadline for the
separation of the posts of Chairman and MD (Managing Director) or chief executive officer (CEO) for
500 listed companies by 2 years. Now this rule has to be followed by April 1, 2022. Its aim is to
separate the board and the management of the top companies.The rules to separate the post of
Chairman-MD are part of the recommendations of the Uday Kotak (MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank)
Committee appointed by SEBI on Corporate Governance.
SBI announces new 'RBBG' scheme; SBI & Sunteck Realty Limited signed MoU on RBBG scheme
State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a new scheme named Residential Builder Finance with Buyer
Guarantee (RBBG) to safeguard home buyers financially by issuing guarantee for completion of projects
to customers availing SBI Home Loans. The ongoing home projects of SBI customers will be financed by
the bank itself. Under the scheme, all reputed builders fulfilling the bank criteria can avail loan ranging
between Rs 50 crores and Rs 400 crores. SBI and real estate development company Sunteck Realty
Limited (SRL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost the residential housing sector
under the public sector lender’s RBBG scheme with tagine “Sapna Aapka – Bharosa SBI Ka” to the home
buyers. Read full details here: SBI announces new ‘RBBG’ scheme; SBI & Sunteck Realty Limited signed
MoU on RBBG scheme
Digital payments body NPCI launches blockchain-based 'Vajra platform' to make payments fast &
secure
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments
has launched blockchain technology/ Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) based “Vajra Platform” to
make payments fast & secure. It aims to offer automatic clearing and settlement of payments on NPCI
products such as unified payments interface (UPI) and Rupay card & will significantly reduce the need
for manual reconciliation. All the transactions undertaken by Vajra Platform using DLT follow real-time
clearing and settlement and will also help in Aadhaar authentication by the Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI).Read full details here: Digital payments body NPCI launches blockchain-
based ‘Vajra platform’ to make payments fast & secure
Airtel joins hands with Bharti AXA to provide Rs 179 prepaid plan with life insurance of Rs 2 lakh
Bharti Airtel Limited (also known as Airtel), an Indian global telecommunications services company has
partnered with Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Limited to offer Rs 2 lakh insurance cover to Airtel
users with every recharge of Rs 179 prepaid bundle. The new plan will be accessible at any Airtel retail
store or on the Airtel Thanks app. In case of insurance cover, the users taking this plan should be
between 18 and 54 years old.
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NICL board approves its merger proposal with OICL & UIIC
The Board of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) has approved its merger with Oriental
Insurance Company Ltd (OICL) and United India Insurance Company Ltd (UIIC). The merger would help
cut down costs and achieve economies of scale. In the General Budget for the financial year 2018-19, the
then Finance Minister (FM) Arun Jaitley announced the proposal for merger of the three government
general insurance companies. But the merger of these companies was not done due to poor financial
health. In December 2019, the government has infused Rs 2,500 crore in three insurers through the
supplementary demand for the first grant for 2019-20, to add Rs 2,500 crore.
Bajaj Finserv partners with Apollo Hospitals to launch health EMI cards to patients
Apollo Hospitals Group in collaboration with Bajaj Finserv has launched digitized “Health EMI Card”
which will be provided to patients and will be offered a credit limit of Rs.4 Lakhs. Nearly 600
procedures for patients will be covered. This partnership between Apollo and Bajaj Finserv has been
done to enable EMI (Equated monthly installments) financing for healthcare. The card will be accepted
in all the Apollo hospitals through India. It provides personal accident insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh.
ICICI Lombard gets IRDAI approval to pilot 5 projects under Regulatory Sandbox
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited, one of the leading private sector general insurance
companies in India,has received Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) approval for
5 innovative applications and programs in its health and motor portfolio under the Sandbox Project.
This is the largest approval by IRDAI in terms of numbers given to a company under the project. ICICI
Lombard has got the approval for APP Monitored Diabetes Mellitus Wellness Program, APP Monitored
Dyslipidaemia Management Program under the health insurance portfolio, Pay As You Use (PAYU)
policies for Private Car, Pay How You Use (PHYU) policies for Private Car and Single owner multiple
vehicle (Motor floater policy).
Exim Bank extends $35.80 mn LoC to Suriname for rural electrification

Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM bank) has extended $35.80 million (nearly Rs 250 crore) Line of
Credit (LoC) to South American country Suriname to fund its rural electrification programme through
solar Diesel Generator (DG) hybrid Photo-Voltaic(PV) systems in Suriname’s 50 remote villages. Under
the LoC, the projects covered include power, water supply, purchase of helicopters, and rehabilitation
and upgradation of milk processing plant.
New India Co-operative Bank (NICB) to be converted as Small Finance Bank

New India Co-operative Bank (NICB) has decided to convert into a Small Finance Bank (SFB) after being
agreed by its shareholders under Voluntary Transition of Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs)
into SFB. NICB will now approach the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Central Registrar of Societies for
further action. The decision for conversion comes after RBI made regulatory changes following the Rs
4500 crore PMC (Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank) bank scam and to ensure enhanced
regulations to lenders. A minimum of Rs.200 crore is needed to set up an SFB.
IndusInd Bank launches asset management platform "PIONEER"

IndusInd Bank Limited, one of the leading Private Sector Banks of the country , has launched the asset
management platform under the name ‘PIONEER' Banking. Through this, specially tailored banking
services will be provided to high net-worth customers of IndusInd bank. They can avail free doorstep
banking of up to Rs. 4 Lakh per day at no extra cost. They will not be charged for transactions taken
through the NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer) or RTGS (Real-time gross settlement) platforms,
and also no charges for Non-Maintenance of Minimum Balance.
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Western Union joins hands with Airtel payments bank & Airtel Africa for money transfer service
Western Union Company has partnered with India’s largest integrated telecommunications services
company, Bharti Airtel’s 2 arms- Airtel Payments Bank & Airtel Africa Plc, to enable millions of latter’s
customers in India to receive international remittances in their bank accounts & and Mobile Wallets
across 14 countries in Africa. Airtel Payments Bank customers will be able to direct a Western Union
money transfer into their bank accounts 24/7 via their app in real-time. In collaboration with Airtel
Africa, this will enable over 15 million Airtel Money mobile wallet users to simply get any money
transfer received from across the world into their wallets.
NABARD predicts Rs 90,395cr credit potential for Odisha in FY21

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an Apex Development Financial
Institution in India, in its State Focus Paper for Odisha, has estimated Odisha's credit potential at Rs
90,395.69 crore for Financial year FY- 2020-21 with a hike of around 20% over credit projection of
2019-20.
No charge on UPI, RuPay transactions if MDR is zero: Banks to NPCI

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments
and settlement systems, has approved part of the banks request to remove interchange fees on Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) and RuPay card transactions as long as the merchant discount rate (MDR)
remains zero. In contrast, it still reviewing other fees like payments service provider (PSP) fee and
switching fees as it is concerned that the decision will obstruct its revenues. If NPCI provides a complete
waiver on charges, NPCI as well as banks, networks and PSPs will not earn anything from UPI and
RuPay transactions.
ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24x7 self-service delivery facility , 'iBox’

ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank has launched first-of-its-kind 24x7
self-service delivery tool for customers called “iBox” at one of its branches in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The
bank has started it in over 50 branches in 17 cities. Under this facility, customers will now be able to
take their debit, credit card, check book and return check from the branch close to their home or office.
The iBox terminals are installed outside the premises of the bank's branches, which can be used even
after the bank closes.
Indian Bank launches credit products 'Corporate Loan' & 'Ind Surya Shakthi' for textile sector
Indian Bank has announced the launch of two tailor made credit products i.e., Corporate Loan and Ind
Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar which will be available across the country for the benefit of the textile
sector. The products were launched during a meeting with high officials of the textile industry under
the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
 Corporate Loan: Under it, the loans will be offered at affordable interest rates.
 Surya Shakthi: It is a term loan to set up roof-top solar power plants for captive consumption to
boost the renewable energy utilisation culture in the textile sector.
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ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

GDP & GROWTH RATE
ORGANIZATION YEAR RATE
State Bank of India (SBI) FY20 State Bank of India (SBI) Ecowrap report has downgraded India’s
Ecowrap Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY20
(Financial year 2020) to 4.6% from its previous estimate of 5%.
World Bank (WB) FY 2020 January 2020 Global Economic Prospects: Slow growth, policy
challenges”, has Slashed India’s GDP(Gross domestic product)
growth for financial year –FY 2020 to 5% from 6% estimated
earlier in October 2019.The bank cuts the forecast due to the
weakness in credit distribution of non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs) in India. Click here
World Economic Situation FY 2019- Report released by the United Nations (UN), it has slashed India's
and Prospects (WESP) 20 GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth forecast for the year 2019-
2020 20 by 1.9% to 5.7%. Earlier in 2019, it had projected GDP growth
rate of 7.6% for FY 2019-20. It has lowered the India’s growth
rate to be 6.6% in the next financial year-FY 2020-21 from 7.4 %
earlier. 3 major reasons for the reduction in GDP growth are
slowdown in auto industry, sluggish IIP (Index of Industrial
Production) due to the major steps like corporate tax cuts in
September 2019, and cash crisis of non-banking finance
companies (NBFCs). Click here
United Nations (UN) 2019-20 An intergovernmental organization responsible for maintaining
international peace and security, has predicted the India’s GDP
(Gross Domestic Product) growth forecast for the year 2019-20
to 5%. This comes a day after its ‘World Economic Situation and
Prospects (WESP)2020’ report slashed India’s GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) growth forecast for the year 2019-20 by 1.9%
to 5.7%. Earlier in 2019, it had projected GDP growth rate of
7.6% for FY 2019-20.
International Monetary 2019 An international organization, in its World Economic Outlook
Fund (IMF) 2020, has reduced India’s economic growth forecast for 2019 to
4.8 % from 6.1% predicted earlier in October 2019. The growth
projections have been lowered, citing pressure from non-banking
financial companies (NBFCs) and weak income growth in rural
India. Due to slowdown in Indian economy, Asia is expected to
grow at the rate of 5.6 percent in 2019 to 5.8 percent in 2020 and
5.9 percent in 2021. Click here
India Ratings and FY 21 Indian subsidiary of Fitch group, has estimated the Indian
Research (Ind-Ra) economy to grow at a 5.5% rate in fiscal year-FY 21 (2020-21),
which is slightly higher than the 5% GDP(Gross Domestic
Product) growth rate estimate for FY20 (2019-20). It is to be
noted that earlier in November 2019, Ind-Ra had estimated
India's GDP to grow by 5.6 % for FY20. As per the agency, earlier
it believes that there would be some improvement in the next
financial year, but the Indian economy seems to be stuck in a
period of low consumption and low investment demand.
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Federation of Indian Fiscal year Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Chambers of Commerce –FY 20 (FICCI), an association of business organizations in India, in its
and Industry (FICCI) “Economic Outlook Survey 2020”, has projected India’ s annual
median GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth at 5% for 2019-20
(Fiscal year –FY 20).It is in line with the National Statistical
Organisation’s (NSO) projected growth rate (5%, a 11-year low).
FICCI has hoped that the conditions will improve further and the
country's growth rate could reach 5.5 % in 2020-21 (FY 21).It
also estimated India’s growth rate at 4.7 % in the last December
quarter (2019-20).
ECONOMY NEWS
Small savings schemes interest rates unchanged for Jan-Mar quarter of FY 2019-20:FinMin
The Union Finance Ministry, Government of India (GoI), has not made any changes in the interest rates
on its small savings schemes (SSS) of the post office for the fourth quarter of the financial year (FY)
2019-20 starting from January 1, 2020- March 31, 2020 due to softening in the bank deposit rate.
Following are the rates:
 Public Provident Fund (PPF)-7.9%
 National Savings Certificate (NSC)-7.9%
 Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)-7.6% (113 months maturity)
 Sukanya Samriddhi Account-8.4%
 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme-8.6%
 Savings Deposit-4.0%
 Term Deposits (1-5 year maturity)-6.9 %-7.7 %
 5-year Recurring Deposit-7.2%
Read full details here: Small savings schemes interest rates unchanged for Jan-Mar quarter of FY 2019-
20:Fin Min
India to place restrictions on non-essential imports from China by March 2020

India has decided to place stricter quality standards for importing of 371 items. This has been done
with the aim of curbing imports of non-essential items such as toys, plastic goods, sports items, and
furniture, especially from China. The proposed rules will be framed by respective ministries in
coordination with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and spearheaded by Union trade minister Shri
Piyush Goyal. The new rules will also be applicable to Indian producers so as to make the regulations
World Trade Organization (WTO) compliant. Read full details here: India to place restrictions on non-
essential imports from China by March 2020
DPIIT: FDI inflows rose 15% to $26 Bn in 1st half of FY2020; Singapore largest FDI source of India
According to the data released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT), the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India rose 15% to $26 billion in the first half of FY2020
(Fiscal year 2020). Singapore continued to be the largest source of FDI in India during the first half of
FY2020 with $8 billion investments followed by Mauritius ($6.36 billion), the United States (US) ($2.15
billion), the Netherlands ($2.32 billion), and Japan ($1.78 billion). The inflow of FDI during April-
September of 2018-19 stood at $22.66 billion. Read full details here: DPIIT: FDI inflows rose 15% to
$26 Bn in 1st half of FY2020; Singapore largest FDI source of India
IEA’s India 2020 energy policy review: India to surpass China in terms of oil demand growth by mid-
2020s
According to the report, 'India 2020 Energy Policy Review' which covers the key energy sectors of oil,
natural gas and electricity and identify the main energy security issues, released by the International
43 | P a g e
Energy Agency (IEA) in collaboration with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog
stating that India will overtake China by mid-2020 in terms of crude oil demand growth. The report
noted India’s crude oil demand will rise from 4.4 million barrels per day in 2017 to 6 million barrels per
day in 2024. At the same time, China’s demand growth is expected to be slightly lower than India by
mid-2020. Read full details here: IEA’s India 2020 energy policy review: India to surpass China in terms
of oil demand growth by mid-2020s
Retail inflation rose to 7.35% in December 2019, highest in last 5 years : NSO
According to the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) / Retail inflation figures, released by the National
Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Retail
inflation rose to a 5-year high of 7.35% in December 2019. Earlier, in July 2014, the retail inflation had
reached 7.39 %. The reason behind this rise is high food prices. Food inflation rose to 14.12% from
10.01% in November 2019. Read full details here: Retail inflation rose to 7.35% in December 2019,
highest in last 5 years : NSO
Department of Telecommunication approves 100% FDI in Bharti Airtel

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved raising of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in
Bharti Airtel to 100 percent from 49 percent. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also given the
approval to Bharti Airtel for allowing foreign investors to hold up to 74 percent stake in the company.
The company has to clear statutory liabilities of up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore, of which Rs 21,682 crore
is licence fee and another Rs 13,904.01 crore is spectrum dues excluding the dues of Telenor and Tata
Teleservices before the approval.
Government of India has decided to sell 100 percent stake of Air India
Indian Government has decided to sell its 100 percent stake of Air India (AI) under the reconstituted
Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) for re-initiated strategic disinvestment of Air India. It
includes its 100 percent stake in low-cost airline Air India Express and 50 percent shareholding in joint
venture AI SATS Airport Services Private Limited.
BUSINESS NEWS
CONCOR incorporates CONCOR Last Mile Logistics
Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) has incorporated with a wholly-owned subsidiary company
with the name CONCOR Last Mile Logistics Limited. The authorized share capital of the company is Rs
100 crore. The new company will be engaged in the development, operation, and management of goods
sheds
WTO: Dispute panel set up over India's duty hike on 28 American goods
The dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) has set up a panel to examine
complaints of United States(US) against India for hiking customs duties of 28 American goods in July
2019. US alleged New Delhi’s move of increasing the custom duties and alleged that the decision was
inconsistent with 2 global trade norms of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) 1994
agreement. If there is any dispute, a consultation will be requested to the WTO. After 60 days, if the
consultations fail to resolve the dispute then a panel will be requested to be formed.
GoM chaired by Amit shah clears EOI & share purchase agreement for privatization of Air India
A Group of Ministers (GoM) chaired by Union Home Minister(HM) Amit Shah has approved the
Expressions of Interest (EOI) and Share Purchase Agreement for privatization of Air India, a debt-
ridden state-run airline. Both these forms will be released to the bidders for Air India in January 2020
itself. In 2019, the Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) once again approved the sale of
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100% government stake in Air India along with Air India Express and the carrier's stake in joint venture
AISATS (Air India -SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services Private Limited).
Reliance Jio becomes 1st telecom operator to launch UPI payments feature
Telecom operator Reliance Jio of the Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the 1st Indian telecom
operator to launch UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments space. Thus Reliance Jio will now
compete with other private UPI payment providers such as Paytm, Google Pay and PhonePe.
Airtel joins hands with Google cloud to bring G Suite to Indian SMBs
Bharti Airtel Limited (also known as Airtel), an Indian global telecommunications services company,
has entered into the partnership with cloud computing services provider Google Cloud, under which
Airtel will offer services provided by Google’s G Suite to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in
India, which are already clients of Airtel’s information and communications technology (ICT) services.
BSE signed licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed a licensing agreement with the Intercontinental Exchange
(ICE) Futures Europe. ICE is a global exchange and clearing houses operator. Through this pact, the ICE
Brent index will be used as a final settlement price for the rupee-denominated Brent future contract of
BSE.
NTPC to develop 300 MW solar power projects in West African country Togo
According to the Power Ministry, Government of India (GoI), West African country Togo has appointed
NTPC ( formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) as its project management
consultant (PMC) for about 300 MW (MegaWatt) of solar power projects in Togo. With this, Togo
become the 1st ISA (International Solar Alliance) nation to get the services of NTPC. The letter of
engagement in this regard was handed over in New Dehi by Kondi Mani, Charge d'Affaire, Embassy of
Togo, New Delhi to Gurdeep Singh, CMD (chairman-cum-managing director), NTPC. Minister of Power &
Renewable Energy (MNRE), Raj Kumar Singh was also present at the occasion. Read full details here:
NTPC to develop 300 MW solar power projects in West African country Togo
Google commits $ 1 million grant to Internews for news literacy promotion in India
In order to curb misinformation, Google News Initiative (GNI), a cooperative effort between Google & a
number of large traditional news media providers, has announced a $1 million grant for global non-
profit organization ‘Internews’ that will launch a new initiative to promote news literacy among the
Indian public. The funding is part of a $ 10 million Google's commitment worldwide to media literacy.
Tata AIG in collaboration with DFI to develop insurance products for drone industry
During the Drone Festival of India at New Delhi, the not-for-profit industry-led body Drone Federation
of India (DFI) has announced to collaborate with Tata AIG General Insurance Company Ltd (Tata AIG)
for developing as well as launching insurance products for the drone operators. Tata AIG has obtained
approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for necessary regulations. DGCA
regulations make insurance mandatory for operating remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS).
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MoU’s & AGREEMENTS

MoU’s BETWEEN COUNTRIES
COUNTRY MoU’s WITH FIELD / PURPOSE
The Indian Army (IA) Russia For the procurement of over 7.5 lakh AK-203 assault rifles. A total
of 1 lakh rifles come directly from Russia, remaining 6.5 lakh rifles
will be manufactured by Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited
(IRRPL), at Amethi district’s Korwa town in Uttar Pradesh. IRRPL
is a joint-venture of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) of India
and Rosoboron Exports and Kalashnikov of Russia. Click here
India Bangladesh In the field of Information and Broadcasting along with content
exchange programme between All India Radio (AIR) and
Bangladesh Radio Betar, during the Information and Broadcasting
Ministers meet 2020 in New Delhi. India and Bangladesh is also
co-producing a biopic of “BangaBandhu”, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman,
the first President of Bangladesh, which will be released during his
birth centenary, March 17, 2020. Bangladesh will celebrate the
“Mujib Year” from March 17, 2020 to March 17 2021.
India Bangladesh Have signed an agreement to upgrade the 50.58 kilometer long
Ashuganj-Akhaura road into a 4-lane highway. The road runs
between Ashuganj river port and the Akhaura land port in
Bangladesh. The road project is part of the $2 billion second Line
of Credit(LoC) extended by India to Bangladesh in 2016. Roads
and Highways Department (RHD) of Bangladesh and Afcons
Infrastructure Limited of India will upgrade 39 km long road
between Ashuganj river port to Dharhar area of Chattisgarh.
MoU’s WITH STATES
STATE MoU’s WITH FIELD / PURPOSE
Union Territory (UT) National Institution for In order to promote the development of
of Ladakh Transforming India infrastructures in the recently developed UT
(NITI) Aayog through ‘Development Support Services to
States for Infrastructure Projects (D3S-
i or DSSS for Infrastructure Projects)’. The MoU
was signed by senior adviser of Niti Aayog
Yogesh Suri and Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor
Umang Narula in presence of Niti Aayog Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) Shri Amitabh Kant and
joint secretary MC Jauhari.
Assam Representatives of the Govt. of India has signed a tripartite
banned National agreement with the representatives of the
Democratic Front of banned National Democratic Front of
Bodoland (NDFB) Bodoland (NDFB) organisation
and Government of Assam at the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA). The pact was signed to
boost peace in the Northeastern state of Assam.
The agreement would fulfill political and
economic demands besides safeguarding the
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language and culture of the Bodo community

people. Click here
MoU’s BETWEEN ORGANIZATION

ORGANIZATION MoU’s FIELD / PURPOSE
WITH
Hindustan Aeronautics Wipro 3D Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian state-owned
Limited (HAL) aerospace & defence company, has signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Wipro 3D, the metal additive
manufacturing (AM) business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering
(WIN), to jointly design, develop and manufacture aerospace
components using metal additive technology (Three Dimensional
(3D) printing).
Indian Institute of Indian Space To establish an Optical telescope under ‘Project NETRA’ (NEtwork
Astrophysics (IIA) Research for space object TRacking and Analysis) for tracking space objects.
Organisation A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ISRO and IIA
(ISRO) was signed by ISRO scientific secretary R.Umamaheswaran and IIA
director Annapurni Subramanium during a meet in Bengaluru,
Karnataka. Project Netra was launched by ISRO in September 2019
with an outlay of Rs 400 crore to detect threats to Indian Satellites
from debris and other hazards.
Indian Oil Corporation National For the implementation of Ghana’s National LPG (Liquified
(IOC) Petroleum Petroleum Gas) Promotion Policy. Mr.Alhassan Sulemna Tampuli,
Authority Chief Executive, NPA, Ghana and Mr. L.K.S Chauhan, Chief General
(NPA) of Manager (LPG), Indian Oil signed MoU. The purpose of this MoU is
Ghana Oil to strengthen cooperation between the Parties in the petroleum
Regulator field specifically LPG. The Indian Oil will support the NPA on
successful implementation of the Re-circulation Model (CRM) of
LPG.
Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Signed the Brexit deal agreed in the month of October 2019. It will
Presidents of European Michel, be placed before the European Parliament on 29 January, 2020 for
Commission European written approval. This will ensure Britain's separation from the
Council European Union in the prescribed manner from midnight on 31
January, 2020. After Brexit, the 28 member states will come down
to 27, but the withdrawal deal provides for an 11-month transition
period for Britain until the end of 2020. Brexit is the word coined
by merging the words Britain and exit. It is the shorthand way of
saying that Britain is leaving the EU. Click here
OTHER MoU’s & AGREEMENTS

Indian Railways signs MoU with RailTel for Phase 2 execution of e-office
Indian Railways signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RailTel, a miniratna Public Sector
Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways for Phase 2 project of e-office execution. Under this
project, RailTel will register 39,000 users over 34 divisions on National Informatics Centre (NIC) e-
office platform by June 30, 2020. MoU was signed by Executive Director (ED/TD), Railway Board, Shri
Umesh Balonda, and General Manager (GM)/Information Technology (IT) project/RailTel, Smt.
Haritima Jaipuriar. NIC e-office is a cloud enabled software based on Central Secretariat Manual of e-
Office Procedure (CSMeOP).
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EC of India and Mauritius renewed MoU on cooperation in electoral management

On January 08, 2020 the Election Commission of India(ECI) has renewed its Memorandum of
Understanding(MoU) on cooperation in the field of electoral management with the electoral
commission of Mauritius. The renewal was done at Port Louis of Mauritius and was signed by India’s
Chief Election Commissioner(CEC) Sunil Arora and Mohammed Irfan Abdool Rahman, Electoral
Commissioner of Mauritius.
HM Amit Shah signs historic Bru-Reang refugee agreement in New Delhi; around 34,000 refugees to be
settled in Tripura
Union Minister for Home Affairs (HM), Shri Amit Shah has presided over the signing of a quadripartite
agreement between the central government and state Governments of Tripura, Mizoram and
representatives of the Bru tribe in New Delhi to end 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis. As per the
new agreement, about 34,000 Bru refugees will be inhabited in Tripura and assisted by central
government with its allocated budget of Rs 600 crores to help in their resettlement. Read full details
here: HM Amit Shah signs historic Bru-Reang refugee agreement in New Delhi; around 34,000 refugees
to be settled in Tripura
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

APPOINTMENTS
NATIONAL
PERSON NAME APPOINTED ENTITY / KEY NOTES
AS PLACE
S Sundar Interim Lakshmi Vilas The Board of directors of Lakshmi Vilas Bank has
Managing Bank (LVB) appointed S Sundar as interim Managing Director
Director and and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lakshmi Vilas
Chief Executive Bank (LVB) with effect from January 1, 2020. The
Officer (CEO) bank’s MD and CEO, Parthasarathi Mukherjee
resigned from his post on August, 2019 and the post
was left vacant. He has also appointed as the
additional director of the bank.
Suresh Chandra 1st ever NMC (National Sharma was the head of ENT (ears, nose, throat)
sharma, AIIMS’ Chairman Medical head-surgery department of AIIMS(All India
Professor (Delhi) commission) Institute of Medical Sciences) in New Delhi.The
Committee also appointed Dr Rakesh Kumar Vats as
Secretary of NMC. The Chairman and the Secretary
of NMC will serve for a period of 3 years or till the
age of 70 years. Click here
Dr. Bipul Bihari Bureau IUPAC For the period 2020-23. Saha is the only second
Saha, Hyderabad member (International Indian after “Bharat Ratna” Professor Chintamani
Union of Pure Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (CNR Rao),to be elected
and Applied (1979) for this position in a century.IUPAC is the
Chemistry) largest global organization of Chemistry
professionals and comprises of 12 Committees and
8 Divisions.
Lt Col Yuvraj Director of National Book Malik succeeds Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer
Malik National Book Trust (NBT) Rita Chowdhury. Previously Malik has served with
the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Home
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Trust (NBT) on Affairs (MoHA), Raj Bhawan in Jammu &

deputation Kashmir(J&K), United Nations Missions in Africa
and also in several operational assignments.
Lt General Girish Surveyor Survey of India Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved
Kumar General of India the re-appointment proposal of Lt General Girish
Kumar, the national survey and mapping
organization of the country, for a period of one year
on contract basis w.e.f. January 1, 2020.
Michael Deputy Reserve Bank After the resignation of Viral V Acharya the post
Debabrata Patra Governor of India (RBI) was lying vacant from July 2019. He will be the
fourth Deputy Governor of the RBI appointed for a
period of three years.
A P Maheshwari, Director Central Reserve Appointed by Appointments Committee of the
Senior Indian General (DG) Police Force Cabinet. He took the charge from Indo-Tibetan
Police Service (CRPF) Border Police (ITBP) DG Surjeet Singh Deswal who
(IPS) was given an additional charge as the head of CRPF
after the retirement of DG Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar on
December 31, 2019.
A Sakthivel Chairman Apparel Export From 2020 to 2021, He succeeded HKL Magu. He is
Promotion also the first person in the history of AEPC, who is
Council of India sworn-in for the fourth time as Chairman of the
(AEPC) AEPC.
M Nagaraj Chairman and State-owned For a period of 3 months. M.Ravi kanth was the
Managing Housing and former Chairman and Managing Director of HUDCO.
Director(CMD) Urban Nagaraj is also Director(Corporate Planning) of the
Development company.
Corporation
(HUDCO)
Chandra Pal Chairman Krishak Bharati Agri-cooperative leader and Rajya Sabha MP
Singh Yadav Cooperative (Member of Parliament) Chandra Pal Singh Yadav,
Limited Uttar Pradesh constituency has been re-elected
(KRIBHCO) unanimously as Chairman of (KRIBHCO). He has
been the Chairman from July 1999 to May 2010 &
thereafter from February 2015 to till date.
Dr Mihir Shah Chairman National Water Ministry of Water Resources, River Development
Policy (NWP) and Ganga Rejuvenation has appointed Dr Mihir
Shah, professor at the Shiv Nadar University,
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh as the chairman of
the 11-member committee to draft the National
Water Policy (NWP) and will have to submit the
report within 6 months from the date of
constitution (January 14, 2020). Click here
Abhay Manohar Chairman Road Safety The Supreme Court will appoint one of its retired
Sapre judges Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre as the
Chairman of the committee on road safety since the
panel’s current head and former top court judge
Justice K.S.P. Radhakrishnan expressed his difficulty
in continuing the position. The decision in this
regard has been given by a bench headed by Chief
49 | P a g e
Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde. The bench has also

appointed Sanjay Mitra, former Defence Secretary
as a member of the committee replacing the former
secretary of Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways S Sundar.
Harish Salve Queen’s The courts of Who is known for representing India before the
Indian Senior Counsel England and International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan
Advocate Wales Jadhav extradition case, has been appointed the
Queen’s Counsel for the courts of England and
Wales. The appointment was announced by Queen
Elizabeth II on the advise of the Lord Chancellor
Robert Buckland. The title of Queen’s Counsel QC is
awarded to those who have demonstrated
particular skill and expertise in the conduct of
advocacy. Advocate Salve served as Solicitor
General for India from 1999 to 2002.
Arjun Munda President Suspended For 4 years term by defeating B V P Rao by a margin
(Jharkhand), Archery of 34-18 votes. He was supported by former AAI
Minister of Tribal Association of President Vijay kumar Malhotra. Captain
Affairs India (AAI) Abhimanyu Sindhu (Maharashtra) was elected
senior vice-president while Pramod Chandurkar
(Maharashtra) became the secretary-general, and
Rajendra Singh Tomar (Uttarakhand) was elected as
treasurer.
Satinder Kumar Vice Chief of Army He will take charge on January 25, 2020 by
Saini, Lieutenant Army Staff succeeding Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund
General of (VCOAS) Naravane, who was promoted as the 28th Chief of
Southern Army Army Staff. The appointment was made by the
Commander Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat
and this was the first order of a senior military
appointment made through DMA.
Sanjiv Chadha Managing Bank of Baroda The Government appointed head of 3 large public
Director(MD) & sector banks- Bank of India (BOI), Bank of Baroda
Chief Executive (BOB) and Canara bank for a period of 3 years. The
Officer(CEO) announcement in this regard was made by the
Atanu Kumar Das MD & CEO Bank of India Ministry of Personnel. Sanjiv Chadha replacing P.S.
Lingam Venkat MD & CEO Canara Bank Jayakumar. Prabhakar succeeding RA Sankara
Prabhakar Narayanan.
Nripendra Misra, Chairperson of Nehru By the Ministry of Culture. A. Surya Prakash,
Former principal the executive Memorial chairperson of the Prasar Bharati board, will be the
secretary to the council Museum and NMML council’s vice-chairperson. The objective of
Prime Minister Library the council is to oversee the building of the museum
(PM) Narendra (NMML) of the Prime Ministers of India. 74-years-old, Misra
Modi is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
officer of 1967-batch, who worked as the
chairperson of Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI), secretary, Telecom and secretary,
Fertilizers.
50 | P a g e
Challa Managing State Bank of For a period of three years. He is currently serving
Sreenivasulu Director (MD) India (SBI) as the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of the SBI.
Setty The proposal of the Department of Financial
Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, GOI to appoint
Setty as the MD of the SBI is approved by the
Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC). Three
other Managing Director of State Bank of India are
Shri P. K. Gupta, Shri Dinesh Kumar Khara, Shri
Arijit Basu & Shri C.S. Setty.
Punit Sood Country head of RBS Punit Sood has been appointed as country head of
RBS (Royal RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), India succeeding
Bank of Pankaj Phatarphod. He will be responsible for
Scotland) building the organisation’s strategic capabilities and
will support the bank to achieve its goals.
Previously, he was serving as the advisor of
Cornerstone Venture Partners Fund, a technology-
focused global VC (Venture Capital) funds.
Manoj Kohli India’s head of SB (SoftBank) He has served as the Chairman of SB(SoftBank)
SoftBank group energy, the Japanese telecom, and investment
renewable energy business. Manoj Kohli will be
responsible for SoftBank Vision Fund, their
portfolio companies and look after government
relations and public policy efforts. Kohli succeeds
Sumer Juneja, who has been hired to head India
investments with SoftBank’s Vision Fund. SB Energy
Global will be headed by Raman Nanda.
A.D.M Chavali panel member Advisory Board Central Vigilance Commission(CVC) has appointed
of the Advisory for Banking former Indian Overseas Bank(IOB) Executive
Board Frauds (ABBF) Director as A.D.M Chavali as its new panel member
of the Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF)
and will serve the board till August 20, 2021. The
board headed by T.M Bhasin former Vigilance
Commissioner and former Chairman-cum-Managing
Director of the Indian Bank(IB), was formed in 2019
and aims to conduct examination of allegations
against officials in General Managers (GM) ranking
involved in fraud cases of worth above Rs.50 crores.
Sunil Arora Chair of the Election India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil
Forum Management Arora took over as the new Chair of the Forum of
Bodies (EMBs) the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of South
Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2020 during the 10th
annual meeting of FEMBoSA held in New Delhi.
Sunil Arora succeeds K.M. Nural Huda, CEC of
Bangladesh. FEMBoSA is a regional association of
Election Management Bodies (EMB) of SAARC
(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
countries and has 8 members.
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Sunil Mehta, CEO Indian Banks Sunil Mehta, took over as the CEO of the Indian
Former Association Banks' Association (IBA) for 3 years. Mehta will
managing (IBA) replace VG Kannan, who resigned from office as
director (MD) chief executive of IBA on December 31, 2019. At
and chief present, the managing committee of IBA has SBI
executive officer chief Rajnish Kumar as Chairman for the year 2019-
(CEO) of Punjab 20 along with 3 deputy chairmen and honorary
National Bank secretary.
(PNB)
Anil Khanna, Life President Asian Tennis During the meeting of its Board of Directors in
Senior Sports Federation Melbourne, Australia. He is also named as the
Administrator (ATF) Chairman of the ATF Finance Committee. CS Raju
was elected as Senior Vice President of the ATF,
representing South Asia. Anil Dhuper was elected as
a member of the seniors committee and V.K. Bhatra
was elected as a member of the constitution of the
ATF.
Vinay Mohan Ambassador of Ministry of As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Vinay
Kwatra India to Nepal External Affairs Mohan Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service
(MEA) (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next
Ambassador of India to Nepal replacing Manjeev
Singh Puri. Priorly, he was serving as India's
ambassador to France. He also worked as a Joint
Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister (PM)of
India from October 2015 - August 2017.
INTERNATIONAL
PERSON NAME APPOINTED ENTITY / KEY NOTES
AS PLACE
Hillary Rodham First female United She succeeds Tom Moran. Clinton is the 11th
Clinton Chancellor Kingdom’s Chancellor of the University and will serve for a
Queen’s period of five years from January 1, 2020. She
University will act as an advisor to the vice-chancellor Prof
Ian Greer and senior management.
Haitham bin Tariq Al New Ruler Oman After the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said
Said who ruled the country from 1970. Haritham bin
Tariq Al Said who is the cousin of the deceased
Sultan Qaboos, was the Cultural and Heritage
Minister of Oman.
Tsai Ing-wen President Taiwan He has won the presidential election for second
time with 57.1% of total votes. She belongs to
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She
defeated Han Kuo-yu of the rival Nationalist
Party.63-years-old Tsai Ing-Wen joined DPP in
2004 and nominated for the presidential
election in 2012 and 2016.In 2016 she won the
Presidential election for the first time.
Robert Abela, Labour 14th Prime Malta He replaces Joseph Muscat, who resigned over
Party Minister the murder of a journalist, Daphne Caruana
52 | P a g e
Galizia. Robert Abela is the son of the Malta’s

Former President George Abela. Galizia was
killed by a car bomb in 2017 as she investigated
corruption in Malta.
Pedro Sanchez Perez- Prime Spain He took the oath as Spanish prime minister
Castejon, Spanish Minister (PM) (PM) before Spanish King Felipe VI. He is
politician & Socialist serving as the PM since June 2018.The new
leader Cabinet under Pedro Sanchez will have
members of the anti-austerity United We Can
party, including party leader Pablo Iglesias as
deputy prime minister. He is Secretary-General
of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
Zoran Milanovic President Croatia Zoran Milanovic is Croatia’s center-leftist
former Prime Minister. He defeated center-right
incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic(51 years
old), who was the first female president of
Croatia.
Mikhail Vladimirovich Prime Russia Russian lawmakers have approved Russian
Mishustin Minister President Vladimir Putin’s proposed candidate
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin, the head of the
Federal Tax Service, as the next prime minister
of the country. He replaced Dmitri Anatolyevich
Medvedev who resigned from his post. Putin’s
proposal to appoint Mikhail is seen as a move
that could help him (putin) remain in power
indefinitely even after his presidential term
ends in 2024. Click here
Katerina 1st Woman Greece Elected by Greece’s Parliament for a period of 5
Sakellaropoulou, President years. She will be officially sworn in as Greece’s
Independent 13th President in April, 2020 by succeeding
candidate Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the current president.
She is an expert in constitutional and
environmental law and defender of human
rights.
Former England New Marylebone The pair will replace former West Indies fast
opener Alastair Members Cricket Club bowler Ian Bishop and Bangladesh all-rounder
Nathan Cook and ex- (MCC), World Shakib Al Hasan.MCC is an independent panel of
West Indies team Cricket former and current players and umpires that
manager Richard Committee. can propose changes to the cricket laws.
'Ricky' Skerritt
Sheikh Khalid bin Prime Qatar Tamim bin Hamad AI Thani, Emir of Qatar
Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Minister (PM) appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin
Al Thani Abdulaziz Al Thani as new Prime Minister (PM)
of Doha, Qatar. He is the successor of Sheikh
Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani who
has resigned from the post. Sheikh Khalid is
currently serving as the chief of the Amiri
Diwan, the emir’s office. The new changes in
Qatar are due to the FIFA World Cup 2020
53 | P a g e
which is going to be held in Qatar December

2020 & and also to boost its national economy.
Gita Sabharwal Resident Thailand Gita Sabharwal of India was appointed as the
Coordinator UN(United Nations) Resident Coordinator (RC)
(RC) of Thailand by United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres. The UN Resident Coordinator
is the highest ranking representative of the UN
development system at country level and
representatives of UN Secretary-General. UN
Resident Coordinator has the responsibility to
guide UN country teams and coordinate the
support from other countries for smooth
implementation of 2030 Agenda.
RESIGNATIONS
PERSON NAME RESIGNED AS ENTITY / PLACE
Zoran Zaev Prime Minister (PM) North Macedonia Prime Minister (PM) Zoran Zaev submitted
his resignation which paves a way to form a new caretaker
government under the country’s former interior minister
Oliver Spasovski until April 12, 2020 election. He belongs to
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia party. Zaev was a
member of North Macedonia’s parliament between 2003 and
2005 and mayor of Strumica between 2005 and 2016.
P R Seshadri MD (Managing MD and CEO of Karur Vysya Bank has resigned from the
Director) and CEO position citing personal reasons, which was accepted by the
(Chief Executive Bank's Board of Directors. He will be relieved on 31st March
Officer) 2020. He succeeded K.Venkatraman on September 1, 2017.
Dilip Lokpal Member Due to some personal reasons. He was appointed by Lokpal
Babasaheb Bhosale Chairman Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose on March 27, 2019. 63-
years-old Bhosale was the acting Chief Justice of the High Court
of Judicature at Hyderabad for the states of Andhra Pradesh
and Telangana from 2015-2016. He also served as a judge of
the high courts of Bombay and Karnataka.
Uttam Prakash Independent director He has resigned citing corporate governance failure. Agarwal
Agarwal and chairman of YES was appointed to the post, and his tenure set to end in
Bank’s Audit November 2023.
Committee
Marjan Sarec Prime Minister (PM) Slovenian Prime Minister (PM) and leader of party 'List of
and leader of party Marjan Sarec (LMS)' Marjan Sarec has resigned from his post.
'List of Marjan Sarec 42-years-old Marjan Sarec was born on December 2, 1977 in
(LMS)' Ljubljana, Slovenia and started his career as a comedian and
actor. In 2018 he entered Parliamentary election and became
the 9th PM of Slovenia. His resignations may call for early
elections bysecond half of April, 2020 which is originally to be
conducted in second half of April, 2020. He was the youngest
ever PM of Slovenia.
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Sachin Bansal, co- independent director Sachin Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart has resigned from the
founder of Flipkart of Ujjivan Small independent director of Ujjivan Small Finance bank in the
Finance bank interest of propriety and corporate governance as Navi
Technologies' microfinance arm, Chaitanya India Fin Credit
Pvt. Ltd (CIFCPL), owned and controlled by him, has applied
for a universal banking licence on January 10, 2020.
BRAND & CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS

PERSON BRAND / CAMPAIGN KEY NOTES
NAME
Joao Vale de Ambassador Appointed as the first ambassador of European Union (EU)
Almeida, to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Veteran He will assume the office on February 1, 2020 the day after
diplomat the Brexit (Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom
from the European Union). The European Union is a political
and economic union of 28 (after brexit 27) member states
that are located primarily in Europe. It is headquartered in
Brussels, Belgium.
Taranjit Singh India's Ambassador Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has named diplomat
Sandhu Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India's
Ambassador to the United States of America (USA). He
succeeded Harsh Vardhan Shringla who will take charge as
the next foreign secretary. 1988-batch Indian Foreign
Service officer (IFS), Taranjit Singh Sandhu currently
serves as the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka. He
was the first Secretary (Political) at Embassy of India,
Washington, D.C. US from 1997 to 2000.
OTHER APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha gets 1 year extension
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has notified that Mr.Umesh Sinha has been
re-employed as the Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) after the approval by the Appointments
Committe of the cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on a contract basis for one
year with effect from January 1, 2020 up to December 31, 2020. Mr.Sinha served as Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) and higher Education Secretary of Uttar Pradesh.
V K Yadav to continue as Railway board chairman for one more year

Vinod Kumar Yadav has been given a one-year extension as the Chairman of the Railway Board by the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He
succeeded Ashwani Lohani as the chairman of the railway board (retired in December 2018). Priorly,
VK Yadav held the post of the General Manager (GM) of South Central Railway (SCR).
Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo wins the Guinea-Bissau's presidential election

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo won the West African state of Guinea-Bissau’s Presidential election. He
succeeded President Jose Mario Gomes Vaz. Umaro belongs to Madem G15 party. He defected former
ex-Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira of African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape
Verde (PAIGC).
55 | P a g e
Arun Kumar Sahu concurrently accredited as India's Next Envoy to Dominica

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has concurrently accredited Arun Kumar Sahu as the next
ambassador of India to the mountainous Caribbean island of Dominica, with residence in Port of Spain.
He succeeded Madhu Sethi. Sahu is a 1996 batch IFS (Indian Foreign Service) officer, who serves
presently as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Lebanon announces formation of new govt headed by Hassan Diab

Lebanon President Micheal Naim Aoun announced formation of new Government due to anti-
government protests for the last several months. The new Government (govt) will be headed by Prime
Minister (PM) Hassan Diab, a 60-year-old professor at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The
New Government consists of 20 member technocrats.
WEF appoints IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and ARM chairman Patrice Motsepe to its board of
trustees
During the 50th edition of World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020, which was held on
January 21 to January 24, 2020, in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, the WEF has appointed International
Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva and African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) founder and
Executive Chairman, Patrice Motsepe to its board of trustees.
Vakrangee appoints Ramesh Joshi as its Non-Executive chairman as per Kotak committee
recommendations
Vakrangee Limited, a technology company, has appointed Mr. Ramesh Joshi (EX-RBI (Reserve Bank of
India & EX-SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) ED- Executive Director) as its Non-Executive
Chairman on the lines of Kotak's board constituted Nomination & Remuneration Committee chaired by
Mrs. Farida Khambata. The company also appoints Mr. Dinesh Nandwana, Executive Chairman as its
Managing Director (MD) and Group CEO, replacing Mr. Anil Khanna.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

AWARDS
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE & ACADEMICS
NAME OF AWARED FIELD KEY NOTES
AWARD WINNER
Padma awards 141 Awardees Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of
2020 India (GoI) on the eve of 71st Republic Day,
announced the names of Padma awardees for
2020, which is the highest civilian Awards in the
country. The Padma Awards are conferred under
3 categorized viz- Padma Vibhushan, Padma
- Bhushan and Padma Shri. This time (2020) a total
of list had 141 awards – 7 celebrities have been
chosen for Padma Vibhushan, 16 celebrities for
Padma Bhushan and 118 personalities for Padma
Shri. They will be conferred by the President of
India, Ram Nath Kovind at ceremonial functions
which will hold in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
by March / April 2020. Click here
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Merck Young Dr Sakya Singha Chemical Announced in Bengaluru in Karnataka. Won the
Scientist Award Sen, Indian Science Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 for their
2019 Scientist and his specialization in main group of chemistry and
team synthesis of compounds with main group
elements and their catalytic application. The
recipients of the award are Click here
17th Crossword 10 Awardees Indian 17th edition of Crossword Book Awards was held
Book Awards Authors and in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Crossword Book
Indian Award is the only forum in India that gives a face
Literature to Indian authors and Indian literature, with a
well-rounded jury mining gems from the length
and breadth of the country. Click here
29th Saraswati Sindhi (Indo- literary Sindhi (Indo-Aryan language) Writer Vasdev Mohi
Samman 2019 Aryan language) has been selected for the Saraswati Samman
Writer Vasdev 2019, a literary recognition given annually by the
Mohi KK (Krishna Kumar) Birla Foundation. The
literary award is given for his short stories
collection- ‘Chequebook’, which talks about the
sufferings of the marginalized sections in society.
The work was selected by a committee headed by
the former secretary-general of the Lok sabha,
Subash C Kashyap. Saraswati Samman carries a
cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation, and a
plaque.
Oxford Bookstore Sneha Pamneja Brilliance in Sneha Pamneja, a well known Graphic
Book Cover Prize book design designer based in New Delhi, was awarded Oxford
2020 Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2020, a 1st of its kind
award for brilliance in book design, at Jaipur
BookMark of ongoing 13th edition of the Zee Jaipur
Literature Festival (JLF) at Diggi Palace Hotel
in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
She was honoured for designing the cover of the
book ‘Tiffin: Authentic Recipes Celebrating India’s
Regional Cuisine’. She was awarded a trophy and
a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SERVICE, SCIENCE & BRAVERY

NAME OF AWARD WINNER FIELD KEY NOTES
AWARD
Global Bihar Piyuus Jaiswal Social Activity Award by Rajya Sabha MP (Member of
Excellence Parliament) and Padma Shri Awardee Dr CP
Award 2019 Thakur & Bihar Women Commission
president Dilmani Devi in Patna, Bihar for
his invaluable and outstanding contribution
towards social welfare, women
empowerment and introducing new talent in
the field of arts and culture.
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Swarna Jayanti 14 Scientists under Science and The Union Ministry of Science and
Fellowships Union Ministry of Technology Technology, Government of India (GoI), have
2018-19 Award Science and awarded Swarna Jayanti Fellowships for
Technology 2018-19 to 14 Scientists under 40 years of
age, associated with innovative research
projects and capable of impacting research
and development (R&D) work in their
respective fields. Click here
1st Recipient of Dr M S Swaminathan, Excellence The award was given at a function in
the Eminent Agricultural Hyderabad, Telangana. The award which is
Muppavarapu Scientist given for the 1st time, has been instituted by
Venkaiah Naidu Muppavarapu Foundation for award for
Dr. Gutta Muniratnam Social Service
National Award excellence while the one for social service
2020 was launched by Swarna Bharat Trust, in
Hyderabad, Telangana. Click here
Champions of Hemant Soren, Social Service Jharkhand CM (Chief Minister) Hemant
Change Award- Jharkhand CM (Chief Soren was conferred with ‘Champions of
2019 Minister) Change Award-2019’ for social welfare
(Aspirational Districts) by Former President
Pranab Mukherjee at a function in New Delhi
for his work in the Barhait and Dumka
assembly constituencies in the state.
2nd Subhash Disaster Mitigation & January 23, 2020 marking the 123rd birth
Chandra Bose Management anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Aapda Centre (DMMC) of The award is given annually and 2020 award
Prabandhan Uttarakhand Disaster selection & the nominations were
Puraskar Award Management scrutinized by two high-level Committees.
2020 Kumar Munnan Singh DMMC was selected under ‘institution
category’ while Shri Kumar Munnan
Singh was selected under ‘individual
category’. Click here
ICCW National 22 childrens Bravery They will receive the award from President
Bravery Awards- of IndiaShri, Ram Nath Kovind on
2019 26th January 2020 (Republic Day). These
awards are broadly classified into five
categories, including the Bharat Award,
Sanjay Chopra Award, Geeta Chopra Award,
Bapu Gaidhani Award and the General
National Bravery Awards. Akash Khillare
from Aurangabad (Maharashtra) will be
getting a bravery award for rescued the life
of a 5-year-old girl and her mother after he
saw them sinking while on his way to school.
Click here
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AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF ARTS & CULTURE FILMS

NAME OF AWARD FIELD KEY NOTES
AWARD WINNER
100 Global Child Sucheta Music Who sings in 120 languages, has won the ‘100
Prodigy Award Satish (14), Global Child Prodigy Award 2020' in the category of
2020 Dubai-based singing. The award ceremony was held in Ashok
Indian girl Hotel, Delhi. She was awarded by Puducherry
ieutenant (Lt) Governor Kiran Bedi.
77th Golden Globe Ricky Gervais Film Industry The 77th Golden Globe Awards honouring the best
Awards 2019 films and television of calendar year 2019 was held
at Beverly Hills, California in the USA (United States
of America). English stand-up comedian, actor,
writer, director, producer, and musician Ricky
Gervais hosted the ceremony for the fifth time.
More Awards Click here
62nd Recordings, The 62nd edition of the Annual Grammy
Annual Grammy Compositions, Awards 2019 was held at the Staples Center in Los
Awards 2019 and Artists Angeles city of California in the United States (US).
The awards were given in recognition for the best
recordings, compositions, and artists covering the
- period from October 1, 2018 till August 31, 2019.
The event was hosted by American musician, singer
and composer Alicia Keys (original name Alicia
Augello-Cook). The awards were presented in 84
categories. Click here
Chevalier dans Sanjna Theater Indian theatre personality and former British film
l’Ordre des Arts et Kapoor actress of Indian and British descent, was awarded
des Lettres (Knight the prestigious French honour of ‘Chevalier dans
of the Order of Arts lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order
and Letters) Award of Arts and Letters) for her outstanding
2020 contribution to the field of theater. She was honored
by French Minister of Culture Franck Riester. A
daughter of Hindi film actor Shashi Kapoor and
British actress Jennifer Kendal, she currently
operates Mumbai-based theater company 'Junoon'.
Cinema Award Andrew Celebrity Andrew Clement Serkis (55), an English actor and
2020 Clement film director, will receive the Outstanding British
Serkis Contribution to Cinema Award 2020, one of the
British Academy’s top honours from British
Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the
73rd EE British Academy Film Awards
ceremony,scheduled to be held on February 2, 2020
in London, UK (United Kingdom).
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AWARDS FOR STATES, COUNTRY, BANKS & ORGANIZATIONS

AWARD WINNER
National Highways 12 Best Road Transport Nitin Jairam Gadkari ,the Union Minister for Road
(NH) Excellence performers & Highways Transport & Highways and MSMEs (Micro, Small
Awards 2019 in NH and Medium Enterprises), has presented the
sectoron National Highways (NH) Excellence Awards 2019,
Instituted in the year 2018, the award was given in
7 categories. Click here
National Lata Indian Music Noted Indian singer Suman Kalyanpur was chosen
Mangeshkar singer Suman for the 2017 National Lata Mangeshkar Award of
Award 2017 Kalyanpur the state govt. of Madhya Pradesh (MP) while
Indian Music composer Kuldeep Singh has been
chosen for the same Mangeshkar award for the
year 2018. They have been chosen for this award
for their contribution in the field of music and will
be awarded in February 2020 at an event in
Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The award carries a cash
prize of Rs 2 lakh, a shawl, a citation and
a ‘shreephal' (coconut).
Award of Dr. Kushal Information and Award of Excellence for the year 2019 was given
Excellence for the Pathak Communication by Computer Society of India (CSI) and Special
year 2019 Technology Interest Group on e-Governance (CSI SIG e-Gov)
(ICT) at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha during the CSI 2020, 53rd
annual convention of CSI. The two innovative
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
applications developed by Election Commission of
India (ECI), ‘cVIGIL’ and ‘Voter Helpline App’ has
won the ‘Award of Excellence’ 2019. Click here
Emerging Global Kerala Tourism’s Won global recognition with the United Nations
Destination in the Barrier-Free World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as an
Accessible Project “Emerging Global Destination” in the Accessible
Destination Destination Awards 2019 for South-Indian state
Awards 2019 category. The recognition is for the
implementation of the project in the central Kerala
district of Thrissur (India’ s only destination to win
the honour). Kerala is also the 1st Indian state to
work as per the UNWTO guidelines on making
tourist destinations disabled-friendly.
Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran IAS (Indian
Administrative Service) received the award from
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili at
40th FITUR International Tourism Trade Fair in
Madrid, Spain.
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AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS

NAME OF AWARD WINNER FIELD KEY NOTES
AWARD
11th Dubai Globe Cristiano Ronaldo, Sports As the best men’s player of the year in the
Soccer Awards Famous Portuguese international football function held in Dubai,
2019 professional football United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ronaldo has won the
player award six times out of its nine years of its existence
and also marked 4th consecutive time. England
international Lucy Bronze was awarded the best
women's player of the year.
Board of Control Jasprit Jasbirsingh Sports He has received the highest prize of Indian cricket
for Cricket in Bumrah, Indian pacer – the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for the best
India (BCCI) international cricketer (2018-19) in men’s
Annual Awards category.The award carries a citation, trophy &
2018-19 cheque for Rs. 15 lakh. More Awards Click here
World Games Rani Rampal, Sports captain of the Indian women’s hockey team has
Athlete of the Haryana been nominated for the award, by the International
Year Award 2019 Hockey Federation (FIH). Rani was instrumental in
India qualifying for the first time in back-to-back
Olympic Games. World Games Athlete of the Year
award is an initiative of IWGA(International World
Games Association) that recognizes and honours
an athlete or a team for their outstanding
performance or for their social commitment or
particularly, fair behavior.
2nd Sportstar 23 different Sports Held at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, Maharashtra,
Aces Awards categories were The winners have been picked by a panel headed
2020 Awarded by cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar which included
THG (The Hindu Group) Publishing Private Limited
chairman N. Ram, former India hockey captain
M.M. Somaya, Olympians Anjali Bhagwat, Aparna
Popat and chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Click
here
Most valuable Kylian Mbappe, Paris Sports Switzerland based International Centre for Sports
football players Saint-Germain Studies (CIES) Football Observatory has released a
in the world striker list of the most valuable football players in the
2020 world. Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe
topped the list with €265 million.Raheem Sterling
from Manchester City listed second with €223.7
million and Mohammed Salah from Liverpool was
the third position with €175.1 million. The six-
time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was at eighth
position with €125.5 million.
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ODI (One Day Rohit Gurunath Sports International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced
International) Sharma the list of ICC award winners for the year 2019 to
Cricketer of the recognize and honor the best international cricket
Year 2019 players of the previous 12 months. Indian opener
Rohit Gurunath Sharma became ODI (One Day
International) Cricketer of the Year for the first
time. At the same time, Virat Kohli bagged Spirit of
Cricket award. List of ICC award winners for the
year 2019 Click here
World Games Rani Rampal, 2020 Sports 1st ever hockey player to win the 2019 ‘World
Athlete of the Padma Shri awardee Games Athlete of the Year' award. The
Year Award 2019 & Indian Hockey announcement was made by the world games.
women’s team Hailing from Haryana, Rani has obtained 1,99,477
captain votes from fans worldwide. The award is an
initiative of IWGA (International World Games
Association) that recognizes and honours an
athlete or a team for their outstanding
performance or for their social commitment or
particularly, fair behaviour.
OTHER IMPORTANT AWARDS

AWARD WINNER
14th Ramnath 23 Awardees Journalism President of India Shri.Ram Nath Kovind
Goenka Excellence 11 categories presented the award, To honour journalists across
in Journalism the country from print, broadcast and digital
Awards media. For their outstanding work done from the
year 2018. Ramnath Goenka was an Indian
newspaper publisher who launched Indian
Express in 1932 and the award is given by his
name since 2006 by the Express Group. The
winners were chosen by an eminent jury that
included Tom Goldstein, Shahabuddin Yaqoob
Quraishi, Pamela Philipose, and Bellur
Narayanaswamy Srikrishna.
PEN Gauri Lankesh Yusuf Jameel, Journalism For Democratic Idealism for his outstanding
Award 2019-20 Senior contribution in journalism. This was the 2nd
journalist, edition of award instituted in 2018 by PEN South
Jammu & India and PEN Delhi in the name of editor late
Kashmir Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated in 2017. The
award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a
citation. The 1st edition was given to cartoonist P
Mahamood in September 2018. ameel was chosen
for this award by a jury of scholar Chandan
Gowda, editor Vinutha Mallya and poet Asiya
Zahoor.
1st Antarrashtriya 30 Media Media Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Yoga Diwas organisations (spread of yoga (MoIB) Shri Prakash Javadekar conferred the 1st
Awarded in the society) edition of the Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Samman
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Samman (AYDMS) (AYDMS) to 30 media organisations in New Delhi.

Award 2020 The awards were given as an honour to media
organisations for contributing to the spread of
yoga in the society.The award consists of a medal,
plaque, trophy, and a citation. Click here
National Media The Hindu Print Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded
Award 2020 Tamil National Media Award for print to “The Hindu
Tamil” as part of the poll panel’s national awards
for voter awareness and education campaign in
2019 on the occasion of the 10th National Voters
Day held at New Delhi. President Ram Nath
Kovind presented National Media Award for print
to K.Ashokan, Editor, The Hindu Tamil for
encouraging people for ‘Right to vote based on the
merit of candidates’ during Lok Sabha election
2019.
Harit Ratna Award Shri N Kumar Agri-business Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Tamil Nadu Agriculture
2019 University (TNAU), Shri N Kumar was honoured
with Harit Ratna Award 2019 at the 5th National
Youth Convention (NYC) at Indira Gandhi Krishi
Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) in Raipur, Chattisgarh by
All India Agricultural Students Association
(AIASA). He was awarded for the dissemination of
Rs 30-crore entrepreneurship project in agri-
business.
Global Child Ishwar Sharma Yoga Yoga Champion Ishwar Sharma,10 years old
Prodigy Award schoolboy (UK resident) originally from Mysore,
2020 under 11-yoga champion from the UK, has been
honoured with the Global Child Prodigy Award
2020 for achievements in spiritual discipline yoga.
Global Prodigy Award honours child prodigies
from across 45 countries under 30 different
categories such as palaeontology, choreography,
biking, fitness and martial arts etc.
Costa Children’s Jasbinder Children Indian born-author Jasbinder Bilan’s (UK
Award 2019 Bilan’s Award resident) debut novel ‘Asha and the Spirit Bird’,
focusing on the readers of age range 9 years and
above, beat the competition and named as the
winner of 2019 UK (United Kingdom) children’s
book award named Costa Children’s Award. Bilan
will receive 5,000 pounds for the award, which is
open to the authors resident in the UK and
Ireland.
Global citizen Priya Prakash, Health For her school health program that provides
prize: Cisco Youth Founder and healthcare support to children. The Award was
Leadership award CEO (Chief given by Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief
for 2019 Executive People Officer Fran Katsoudas at Royal Albert
Officer) of Hall, London, United Kingdom (UK). The
prestigious award honours individuals aged 18-30
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India-based years who bring changes in the world by solving

HealthSetGo some of the global challenges. It includes a
$250,000 cash prize paid to the individual
organization to which individual contributes for
their further mission.
BFSI Digital Bajaj Housing Cloud Solutions The Express BFSI(Banking,Financial Services
Innovation Award Finance &Insurance) Technology Conclave and Awards
2020 Limited 2020 held in Pune, Maharashtra which is one of
(BHFL) the largest meetings of IT-decision makers, senior
executives and partners in India. The function was
organized by the Express Computer, an IT
(Information Technology) business magazine
from the Indian Express Group.
Ayurveda Ratan Dr. Partap Ayurvedic Dr. Partap Chauhan, the pioneer of Ayurvedic
Award 2020 Chauhan, Telemedicine Telemedicine, has conferred with Prestigious
Ayurveda Ratan Award 2020 in Brussels, Belgium
during Ayurveda Day Celebratio at the European
Parliament ib Belgium, Brussels. The All-Party
Parliament Group on Traditional Medicines
organized a meeting at in Brussels, Belgium with
the aim of formulating a roadmap to legalize
Ayurveda in Europe and to integrate it with their
healthcare systems. Indian Ambassador to
European Union (EU) is Gaitri Kumar.
RECOGNITIONS
NAME RECOGNITION
Airports Authority of India(AAI) Announced that 4 Indian airports have received
international recognition for reducing the carbon
emission level as per the standards set by Airports
Council International (ACI) for the grading. The 4 airports
are as follows:
1. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport
(West Bengal)
2. Biju Patnaik International Airport (Odisha)
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (Uttar
Pradesh)
4. Trivandrum International Airport (Kerala)
Click here
Tania Shergill, Captain An officer with Army’s Corps of Signals, will be the first
woman parade adjutant for the Army Day (15th January)
and Republic Day (26th January) parade of 2020. A
parade adjutant is responsible for the parade. She was
commissioned in March 2017 from the Officer Training
Academy, Chennai. In the 2019 Republic Day parade,
Captain Bhavna Kasturi was the first women officer who
led an all-men contingent.
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AWARDS IN CONTENT FORMAT

Telangana’s mountaineer Malavath Poorna: 1st and youngest tribal women in the World to scale 6
mountain peaks in 6 continents
18-years-old Malavath Poorna from Telangana scaled Mt Vinson Massif, the highest mountain peak in
Antarctica at 4,892 meters and becomes the first and youngest tribal women in the World to scale six
mountain peaks in six continents. Sekhar Babu Bachinepally is her coach. She scaled Mt. Everest in
2014, Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) in 2016, Mt. Elbrus (Russia) in 2017, Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina) in
2019, and Mt. Cartsnez (Indonesia) in 2019. ‘Poorna’, a biography of Poorna Malavath was written by
Aparna Thota.
Britain's Prince William unveils prize for climate innovation

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis (37) has announced a multi-million-pound prize for “visionaries”
working to solve “Earth’s greatest environmental problems,” from climate change to air pollution. The
Earthshot Prize will be awarded to five winners, every year, for the next 10 years. The initiative’s goal is
to provide “at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.” The prize was initially
designed and handled by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and it was
headed by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Singular 'they' voted word of the decade by US linguists

A jury of 350 US linguists of the American Dialect Society (ADS) chose ‘they’ as their Word of the Decade
to recognize its growing use to refer to a person whose gender identity is non-binary. The most popular
pick for the Word of the Year 2019 was “(my) pronouns”. The recognition comes after US dictionary
Merriam-Webster in December named ‘they’ as word of the year.
2020 Swachhata Darpan plastic management awards conferred by actor Aamir Khan in New Delhi
Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under Ministry of Jal Shakti, organised the ODF (Open
Defecation Free) sustainability workshop in New Delhi. The workshop had a special session by
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan (founder of Paani foundation), who distributed awards to the best
performing districts on key swachhata parameters. 4 districts
i.e, Dibrugarh (Assam), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Puri (Odisha) were
awarded for innovations and initiatives in plastic waste management.Read full details here: 2020
Swachhata Darpan plastic management awards conferred by actor Aamir Khan in New Delhi
Forbes India's "20 people to watch in 2020" list: 7 Indians featured; Indian origin Hassan
Minhaj from US tops
According to the Forbes India’s prestigious list of ‘20 people to watch in the 2020s’, 7 Persons from
India featured in the list. Two persons from Bihar namely Prashant Kishor-12th place (Poll strategist
and JD(U) national vice-president ) & Kanhaiya Kumar -16th (former JNU Students’ Union president)
were the biggest name in the list. Other Indians in the list include, Aditya Mittal -2nd place (Group CFO
and CEO, ArcelorMittal Europe), the Godrej family-6th (of Adi Godrej), Dushyant Chautala -7th (deputy
chief minister,Haryana), Mahua Moitra -9th (Lok Sabha member, Trinamool Congress), and Garima
Arora -14th (Chef, the first Indian woman to receive a Michelin star). Forbes India's "20 people to watch
in 2020" list: 7 Indians featured; Indian origin Hassan Minhaj from US tops
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: 4th Indian to receive highest Australian civilian honour

Australia has conferred its highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia honour to Kiran Mazumdar-
Shaw, founder and chairperson of biopharmaceutical company Biocon and appointed as an honorary
member in the general division of the Order of Australia by Australia's High Commissioner to India Ms.
Harinder Sidhu at a ceremony in Leela Palace, Bengaluru, Karnataka. She is the fourth Indian citizen to
be awarded Australia’s highest civilian honour after batsman Sachin Tendulkar in 2012, Former
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Attorney General of India Soli Jehangir Sorabjee in 2006 and Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu) of
Kolkata in 1982.
President Kovind conferred 2020 Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards in New Delhi
President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the 2020 annual Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal
Puraskar to 49 children in the age group of 5-18 in New Delhi. The award is given to children having
exceptional achievements in various fields such as innovation, scholastic achievements, social service,
arts and culture, sports and bravery. Yash Aradhya (17 years) of Bengaluru, Karnataka created history
by becoming the 1st motorsports personality to be awarded the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. Click here to
know more about other awardees.
'Samvidhaan' named as Oxford Hindi Word of the Year for 2019

The Oxford University Press (OUP) has named ‘Samvidhaan’ (constitution) as the Oxford Hindi Word of
the Year (HWOTY) for 2019. This name received widespread attention in August 2019 with the
abrogation of Article 370 and article 35(A) of the Indian Constitution on August 05, 2019. The articles
removed special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.
Assam, Jal Shakti Mission & NDRF wins the best tableaux awards for 71st Republic Day Parade 2020
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh distributed the awards for best tableaux which were conducted on
January 26, 2020, during the 71st Republic Day event. There were a total of 22 tableaux including 16
from various states and union territories (UTs) and remaining 6 from various ministries and
departments. Assam’s tableaux won best tableaux for states and UTs, which displayed the theme ‘Land
of Unique Craftsmanship and Culture’, had showcased the Xattriya tradition in the form of Bhortal
Nritya. The second position was tied between Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Among tableaux from different
ministries/departments, Ministry of Jal Shakti and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) won the
joint best Tableaux award. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) won special prize for the theme
“Kashmir se Kanyakumari”.
Environmentalist Pavan Sukhdev and Prof. Gretchen C. Daily won the Tyler Prize 2020 for
Environmental Achievement
Indian environmentalist and Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) Pavan Sukhdev won Tyler Prize 2020 for Environmental Achievement for his groundbreaking
“green economy” work along with conservation biologist Gretchen C. Daily from United States (US). The
winners will be awarded at the private ceremony on May 1, 2020 in presence of the Tyler Prize
Executive Committee and distinguished members of the international environmental community at the
Intercontinental Barclay Hotel in New York City, United States (US). Read full details here:
Environmentalist Pavan Sukhdev and Prof. Gretchen C. Daily won the Tyler Prize 2020
Abhijit Banerjee conferred D Litt by Alma mater Calcutta University

Nobel Prize winner in economics Abhijit Vinayak Bannerjee conferred with the honorary D Litt (Doctor
of Literature) by his alma mater Calcutta University in Kolkata, West Bengal. Abhijit was awarded Nobel
Prize in 2019 for an “Experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. He is one of the directors of
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), United States of America (USA) founded in 2003.
Other awardees: Astrophysicist J V Narlikar was conferred Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Medal.
Scientists Samir K Brahmachari, Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri and Partha Pratim Majumder were
bestowed the Sir Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Medal.
Journalist & Hindu group chairman N Ram honoured with Kerala’s national media award
Popular journalist and Chairman of the Hindu Group of Publications Shri N Ram was honoured by
Kerala Media Academy’s National media award as part of its 40th anniversary of formation. He was
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awarded for his outstanding contribution to journalism. The award carried a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a
citation and a memento.
SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE

SUMMITS
NAME OF SUMMITS VENUE KEY NOTES
14th Global Healthcare Visakhapatnam, The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
Summit (GHS) 2021 Andhra Pradesh (AAPI), a professional association for Indian American
(AP) physicians, is set to organize a 3-days long 14th Global
Healthcare Summit (GHS) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
(AP) from January 3, 2021 for the 1st time to focus on public
health hazards, eradication of tuberculosis(TB), preventing
maternal mortality, control of Hepatitis B etc.
107th Indian Science University of Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the
Congress (ISC) 2020 Agricultural summit, The theme of ISC for the year 2020 was “Science and
Sciences (UAS) in Technology: Rural Development”. The main objective of the
Bengaluru, summit was to bridge the gap between farmers and tech-
Karnataka. developers. The Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO) participated in the “Pride of India-
Science Expo- 2020” at the 107th ISC. Click here
1st Krishi Manthan 2020 Ahmedabad, From January 16-17, 2020. Which is a Food, Agri-business
Gujarat and Rural Development Summit of Asia, The event was
organised by the Food and Agribusiness Committee of the
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).
10th World Future Abu Dhabi Hosted by Masdar renewable energy company, was held at
Energy Summit National Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi, United
(WFES)2020 Exhibition Arab Emirates(UAE) with theme "Rethinking Global
Centre, Abu Consumption, Production, and Investment”. Alongside the
Dhabi, United World Future Energy Summit, 3rd edition of the Climate
Arab Innovations Exchange, ‘CLIX’ for short and the Future
Emirates(UAE) Sustainability Summit was also held in Abu Dhabi.
International Summit India Habitat The Department of Biotechnology under the aegis of Ministry
on Women in STEM– Centre, New of Science & Technology has organized a 2-day long
“Visualizing the Future: Delhi International Summit. Aim to increase the participation of
New Skylines” women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
field for development of scientific career.
EVENTS
EVENTS VENUE KEY NOTES
Wings India 2020 Begumpet Airport Wings India 2020, the biennial event including international
in Hyderabad, exhibition and conference on civil aviation sector, held from
Telangana March 12-15, 2020 with theme “Flying for all”. It will be
inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA), Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Airports Authority of India
(AAI) are the organizers of the event. The maiden edition of
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“WINGS INDIA AWARDS” for Excellence in the Civil Aviation

Sector will also be announced.
1st Ever Session of New Delhi Based on the Terms of Reference (ToR) which was signed by India
the India- and Norway on 8th January 2019 in New Delhi at time of Norway
Norway dialogue Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s visit to India. The Foreign Direct
on Trade & Investment (FDI) inflows to India from Norway were around
Investment (DTI) $257million during April 2000-September 2019.
28th New Delhi Pragati Maidan, From January 4-12, 2020. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of
World Book Fair New Delhi Human Resource Development (MHRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal
(NDWBF )2020 ‘Nishank’. The theme of NDWBF 2020 book fair was ‘Gandhi:
TheWriters’ Writer’ celebrating 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi.
Since 2013, the NDWBF is organised by National Book Trust
(NBT) in association with India Trade Promotion Organisation
(ITPO), Ministry of Commerce (MoC). The fair saw a special photo
exhibition titled “Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat” on NBT’s
contribution in promoting books in schools and libraries. Click
here
14th ELECRAMA India Expo Mart, Union Minister of Heavy Industries &Public Enterprises,
2020 Greater Noida, Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Information &
Uttar Pradesh Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar and Power Minister Raj Kumar
(UP) Singh have inaugurated the 5-day long 14th edition of ELECRAMA
2020. Organised by IEEMA (Indian Electrical and Electronics
Manufacturers' Association ), apex industry association of
manufacturers of electrical, industrial electronics, the event aims
to showcase the Indian electrical industry and provide platform to
connect the world with Indian industry with respect to
technology, modern trends and innovation for future energy
transition. The ELECRAMA 2020 chairman is Anil Saboo.
3rd International Central Marine From 7 - 10 January 2020 with an aim to address the concerns of
Symposium on Fisheries marine ecosystem and will make new strategies for sustainable
Marine Research Institute utilisation of marine wealth. Organized by the Marine Biological
Ecosystems (CMFRI) in Kochi, Association of India (MBAI), The symposium also focused on the
Challenges and Kerala Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-14) of the United Nations
Opportunities (UN),which says Conserve and Sustainably use the oceans and its
(MECOS-3) 2020 resources for sustainable development.
3rd Interaction Talkatora Stadium The Prime Minister (PM), Shri Narendra Modi has attended the
programme with in New Delhi ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’, The purpose of this one-hour long
school students program was to ensure that the students relieve stress and give
Pariksha Pe upcoming board and entrance examinations. About 2,000
Charcha 2020 students, teachers and parents participated in this program from
all over India. Out of these, 1,050 students were selected through
‘short essay’ competition conducted by HRD (Human Resource
Development) Ministry in partnership with MyGov on five
different themes for students of classes 9 to 12.
International Kerala The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode),
Conclave on Kerala has hosted (GIT2020) from January 16-18, 2020. The
Globalising Indian three-day Academic conclave was inaugurated by the Hon'ble
Thought' Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, through video conference.
(GIT2020) the valedictory function was attended by Dr. Kiran Bedi, Hon’ble
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Lieutenant Governor, Puducherry, and Prof. Anil Kumar Gupta,

renowned academician and activist. PM unveiled and dedicate a
full-size statue of Swami Vivekananda, in front of the MDC
Complex of IIM Kozhikode.
2nd NIC Pravasi Bhartiya Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ,the Union Minister for Law & Justice,
TechConclave Kendra, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology(IT),
2020 Chanakyapuri, has inaugurated a 2-day long 2nd edition of ‘NIC TechConclave
New Delhi 2020’based on the theme “Technologies for NextGen Governance”
held at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.The
conclave was organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC)
with the aim to promote the application of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) at various levels in the
Government.
50th World Davos, Union Minister of State for Shipping Independent Charge (I/C)
Economic Forum Switzerland and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers, Shri
(WEF) Mansukh Mandaviya participated in the High- level roundtable of
the joint United Nations Programme on HIV//AIDS (UNAIDS) on
his fourday official visit to attend the 50th World Economic Forum
(WEF) held at Davos, Switzerland. The theme of the programme
was “Access for all Leveraging Innovations, Investments and
Partnership for Health”. Click here
India’s 1st global National Science Union Minister of State Independent Charge (I/C) Ministry of
Mega Science Centre, New Delhi Development Of North Eastern Region, Minister of State (Mos)
Exhibition “Vigyan Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances, and
Samagam” Pension, Minister of State for Department of Atomic Energy and
Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated Mega Science Exhibition.
The exhibition is organized by the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) and the National Council of Science Museums
(NCSM) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) & will be
held from January 21, 2020, to March 20, 2020.
1st Ganga-Volga New Delhi Theme “Connectivity”, between India & Russia. The event was
Dialogue of inaugurated by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V.
Civilizations 2020 Muraleedharan & was organised by the Ministry of External
Affairs(MEA) in association with Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee
Research Foundation. The dialogue aims to provide a platform for
enhancing the special and privileged bilateral partnership
between India & Russia. Click here
50th World Davos-Klosters in From January 21-24, 2020. The theme for the year 2020
Economic Forum Switzerland was “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. The
(WEF) summit WEF summit aims to engage world leaders to collaborate for
2020 global, regional and industrial development etc. Here are the
highlights: World Economic Forum (WEF) has announced new
internet security principles which will help nearly 1 billion
users. 1st ever public blockchain based platform launched by WEF
in collaboration with 1st movers Everledger, the International
Trade Centre (ITC) and Lenzing Group. Click here
44th Kolkata Book Central Park Mela Russia as a “Focal Theme Country”. Tyto, a category of bird
Fair (IKBF) 2020 Ground in species consisting of barn owls, grass owls and masked owls was
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SaltLake, Kolkata, selected as the official Mascot of the Book Fair for the 1st time.
West Bengal Click here
CONFERENCES
CONFERENCES VENUE KEY NOTES
2nd National GST New Delhi 2nd Edition of the National GST Conference of the
Conference 2020 Commissioners of State Tax and Chief Commissioners of
Central Tax was held under the chairmanship of Dr Ajay
Bhushan Pandey, Revenue Secretary of the Ministry of
Finance(MoF). The conference was held to streamline the
GST (Goods and Service Tax) system and also to plug revenue
leakages. Click here
5th Biennial Pune, Maharashtra Conducted in India for the 1st time from January 6-10
conference (or) Asia in Pune, Maharashtra. Overall this is the 5th edition of the
Pacific Drosophila biennial conference and is known by the name APDRC5. It is
Research organised by Indian Institute of Science Education and
Conference (APDRC) Research (IISER). Aim: The conference aims to promote the
interaction of Drosophila researchers in the Asia-Pacific
region with the rest of the world.
5th Biennial Aamby Valley City, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex
conference The Lonavala, organisation of the import and export trader of pulses and
Pulses Conclave Maharashtra grains in India will host conference from February 12 – 14,
2020 2020 at the Aamby Valley City in Lonavala, Maharashtra. The
Conclave aimed at increasing domestic production and
consumption & other areas of the trade like improving
processing efficiencies, increasing consumption, exports,
value addition, post-harvest crop management, etc
23rd Persian Gulf Tehran, Iran India participated in the Tehran Dialogue Forum, During the
International forum, India supported the Hormuz Peace initiative 2020
Conference which seek stability in one of the world’s busiest and
strategically located shipping lanes i.e, Strait of Hormuz amid
escalating US-Iran tensions. The Strait of Hormuz is one of
the world’s most strategically important choke points. It has
Iran in the northern coat, UAE (United Arab Emirates) and
Musandam, an enclave of Oman in the southern coast. It acts
as an important gateway for significant amount of global oil
supplies. Click here
5th Raisina Dialogue New Delhi which is India's annual global conference on geopolitics and
2020 geo-economics, Jointly organised by the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF),
it was attended by Narendra Modi (PM) and Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar (MEA). The dialogue witnessed the signing of MoU
between India & Finland to enhance cooperation
in defence sector. While the year 2020 marks the 20th
anniversary of the establishment of
strategic partnership between India and the
Russian Federation. Click here
25th Conference of Ottawa, Canada A parliamentary delegation headed by Lok Sabha speaker Om
Speakers and Birla has attended the Conference, from January 6 -January
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Presiding Officers of 10,2020. The conference aimed at topics of parliamentary

the Commonwealth engagement. In 2022, Australia will be the host of
(CSPOC) 2020 commonwealth speakers meeting & Uganda to host 2024
Commonwealth speakers’ conference with additional CSPOC
Standing Committee meetings to be held in Guernsey in 2021
and Trinidad and Tobago in 2023.
3rd Global Potato Gandhinagar, Gujarat Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi addressed the
Conclave 2020 video conference. The 4-day conclave from January 28-31 is
being organised by Indian Potato Association (IPA) in
collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural
Research(ICAR), New Delhi, and ICAR-Central Potato
Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and
International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru. The 3rd edition
of the potato conference is based on 10 themes out of which
8 themes are based on basic and applied research. The
previous two Global Potato Conferences were organized in
1999, and 2008.
Click here
12th South Asia Institute for Defence Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed Conference,
Conference Studies and Analysis From January 28-29, 2020. The conference deals with issues
(IDSA) in New Delhi related to economic cooperation for development, changing
political context in India’s neighbourhood etc. The theme of
the conference was India’s "Neighbourhood First" Policy:
Regional Perceptions. All members of South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and
Myanmar called for cooperation to end terrorism.
COMMITTEE & MEETING

COMMITTEE NEWS
COMMITTEE COMMITTEE HEAD KEY NOTES
NAME
Group of Ministers Amit Shah, Union To oversee the disposal of more than 9,400 enemy
(GoM) Home Minister(HM) properties in India, which are expected to bring in revenue
of about Rs.1 lakh crore rupees to the exchequer.
Inter-Ministerial Group: It will be co-chaired by the Union
Home Secretary -Ajay Bhalla and Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey,
the secretary of the department of investment and public
asset management (DIPAM). Core Group of Secretaries on
Asset Monetisation (CGAM):
It will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet
Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
Indian Academy of Yudhvir Singh Malik The final report of the Committee on Indian Academy of
Highway Engineers Highway Engineers (IAHE) headed by Yudhvir Singh Malik
(IAHE) has been submitted to the Union Minister for Road
Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari. The report
stresses to improve the present training infrastructure,
content, training methodology & to create linkages with
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world-famous international institutes and undertake

applied research & related works. Click here
MEETING NEWS
MEETING NAME VENUE KEY NOTES
Global Investors Lulu Bolgatty From January 9-10. The meet was inaugurated by the Chief
Meet – ASCEND International Minister of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and was organised
2020 Convention Centre, by states Department of Industries. Totally Rs 1 lakh crore
Grand Hyatt, Kochi, worth investment proposals were received consisting of
Kerala wage subsidy scheme which will be provided for the first 5
years for new ventures getting registered on April 1, 2020.
During the meet, Kerala infrastructure Fund Management
Ltd.(KIFML) and Abu Dhabi investment Authority (ADIA)
had signed 1 project and also designated Rs 8110 crore for
other 6 projects. Click here
Raisina dialogue New Delhi The secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation
Meet 2020 Organisation (SCO) Vladimir Norov who is on a 4-day visit
to India to attend the Meeting, which was hosted by
Observer Research Foundation(ORF) in collaboration with
Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). During the meet, India
has been selected to host the SCO’s annual meeting of
council of heads of government for the 1st time. Also, Statue
of Unity in Gujarat, India has been included in the SCO’s “8
wonders of SCO” list, which was designed by Indian
sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar. Click here
6th Meeting New Delhi The Union Minister of Home Affairs (MoHA) Shri Amit
of Island Shah chaired this meeting, To review the progress made
Development towards “Holistic development of islands”. It is also for the
Agency (IDA) first time in India, under the IDA’s guidance an initiative of
sustainable development has been undertaken with
scientific assessments. A total of 26 islands i.e, 16 from
Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 10 from Lakshadweep
islands have been identified for promoting tourism. Click
here
32nd PRAGATI (Pro- New Delhi Shri Narendra Modi chaired 32nd PRAGATI (Pro-Active
Active Governance Governance and Timely Implementation) meeting 2020 and
and Timely discussed progress of several projects in New Delhi. PM
Implementation) Modi reviews 9 delayed projects of three central ministries,
meeting 2020 costs Rs 24,000 crores, PM Narendra Modi has reviewed the
status of 9 projects pending in 9 states in the 1st meeting of
‘Pragati’ 2020. These projects are worth Rs 24,000
crore and are to be implemented in Odisha, Telangana,
Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
(AP), Kerala and Uttar Pradesh(UP) by 3 Union ministries.
Click here
50th World Davos-Klosters, From January 21-24, 2020. During the summit two survey
Economic Forum Switzerland reports were released. World losing trust in climate
(WEF) annual meet science;Indians tops trust chart: The new public opinion
2020 poll was published in the WEF for climate education and
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urgent upskilling. As per the opinion poll, the global public

started losing trust level in climate sciences. In Contrast,
Indians were the most trusting people in this regard. 86%
of Indians trusted scientists on climate science. 1st edition
of Positive Impact Rating 2020 launched: The 1st edition of
Positive Impact Rating 2020 was launched at the WEF. As
per the rating, 2 Indian business schools, Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) Bangalore in Karnataka
and XLRI (Xavier School of Management) in Jamshedpur,
Jharkhand have been included in the top 30 list. Click here
INDEX
RANKING
INDEX / SURVEY RELEASED BY / KEY NOTES
NAME CONDUCTED BY
5th Swachh Shri Hardeep Singh An event held in New Delhi, which is to commence from 4
Survekshan 2020 Puri, Union minister of January 2020 by MoHUA was also rolled out across India
(Urban Cleanliness State (MoS- exept West Bengal.
Survey) Independent Charge) Top 3 Ranks:
Housing and Urban 1. Indore, (MP)
Affairs (MoHUA) 2. Bhopal, (MP)
3. Surat, (Gujarat)
Click here
Index of industrial National Statistical According to the Index Growth in manufacturing sector
production (IIP) Office (NSO) of the has resulted in 128.4 in November 2019, which is 1.8 %
2020 Ministry of Statistics higher as compared to the level 126.1 in the month of
and Programme November 2018 .The result turning positive after 3
Implementation consecutive months (August to October 2019) of decline.
(MoSPI) Click here
1st in-depth review International Energy The review states that India has strong growth in
of India’s energy Agency (IEA), renewables, accounting for almost 23% of the country’s
policies 2020 partnership with NITI total installed capacity. There is also reduction in 300
(National Institution million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions between
for Transforming 2000 and 2018. Indian oil consumption is expected to
India) Aayog grow faster than that of any other major economy.
The top performing profit making Public Sector Units(PSU)
were
Top 3 Ranks
1. Indian Oil Corporation limited (IOCL)
2. ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation)
3. NTPC (formerly National Thermal Power Corporation
Limited) Click here
National Crime National Crime Record Stating that over 50 lakh crimes have been registered in
Record Bureau’s Bureau’s (NCRB) 2018 which is 1.3% more than that of 2017.
(NCRB) report 2018 Top 3 States
1. Uttar Pradesh (UP) maximum number of economic
offences in 2018 with 22,822 cases recorded.
2. Rajasthan (21,309 cases)
73 | P a g e
3. Maharashtra (14,854 cases)

Click here
World Travel, World Economic India was ranked at 34th place in World Economic Forum
Tourism Forum (WEF) (WEF)’s World Travel, Tourism Competitiveness Index. A
Competitiveness great hike from its previous ranks (i.e.65th rank in 2013,
Index (TTCI) 2019 52nd rank in 2015, 40th rank in 2017). Yemen was ranked
last in the index at 140th position.
Top 3 Ranks:
1. Spain
2. France
3. Germany.
Henley passport Henley & Partners As per the index based on the data obtained from
Index 2020 International Air Transport Association (IATA), Indian
passport ranked at the 84th spot among the world’s most
powerful passports list, which is tagged along with
Mauritania and Tajikistan and also India drop by 2 places
as it ranked 82nd in 2019.
Top 3 Country for Most Powerfull Passports:
1. Japan
2. Singapore
3. Germany and South Korea
Click here
Economist Economist Intelligence Latest ranking based on fastest growing urban regions in
Intelligence Unit Unit (EIU) the world was released, As per the report 3 of the cities in
(EIU) Survey 2015- Kerala were ranked in the top 10 places. Malappuram city
20 of Kerala was ranked 1st in the list, while Kerala’s
Kozhikode and Kollam cities were ranked in the 4th and
10th place respectively.
Top 3 City:
1. Malappuram (Kerala)
2. Can Tho (Vietnam)
3. Suqian (China) Click here
Central and state Ministry of Jal Shakti According to the rankings, Gujarat ranked the best for
governmental water parameters on efficiency targets while National Capital
departments based Territory of Delhi remains in the worst-performing state
on their efficiency category. In Departments wise ranking, Survey of India
targets for 2019 (SoI) received top spot among the 7 central government
departments reviewed .It was followed by National
Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and the Central Water
Commission. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
pushed to the last in the year 2019 ranking. Click here
Global challenges for World Health 13 health challenges in this decade were also identified.
2020 Organisation (WHO) Top global challenges: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR),
climate crisis, eventuality of an influenza epidemic and
spread of infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV (Human
immunodeficiency virus) and tuberculosis (TB) were listed
as the top global health challenges for 2020. It is also the
second straight year that these challenges have topped the
WHO list. Click here
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1st The Global Social World Economic The global social mobility index (GSMI) of 82 countries
Mobility Report Forum (WEF) were launched in this report. As per the Index, India
2020: Equality, ranked at the 76th position with a score of 42.7.
Opportunity and a Top 3 Country:
New Economic 1. Denmark
Imperative 2. Norway
3. Finland
Click here
Global Residential Knight Frank Hyderabad has ranked 14th among 150 cities in the World
Cities Index Q3 with an appreciation of 9% in residential prices on a YoY
(Quarter) 2019 (Year-over-Year) basis.
Top 3 City:
1. Budapest in Hungary with the highest annual growth
rate of 24%
2. Xi’an in China at 15.9%
3. Wuhan in China 14.9%. Click here
Climate and business CDP (Carbon India has ranked 5th among the countries surveyed for
partnership of the Disclosure Project) corporate commitments to science-based targets (SBT).
future: CDP India Top 3 Country:
Annual Report 2019 1. United States of America (USA)
2. Japan
3. United Kindom (UK)
Click here
23rd World Economic Launched on the 1st day of the World Economic Forum
PwC’s Annual Global Forum (WEF) (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. As per the
CEO Survey survey based on the confidence of CEOs over worldwide
economic growth, India ranked 4th.
Top 3 country:
1. United States
2. China
3. Germany
Click here
1st Global Wealth and Swiss private India’s financial capital Mumbai was ranked last (28th) in a
Lifestyle Report 2020 bank Julius Baer list of the world’s 28 most expensive cities for luxury
living.
Top 3 City:
1. Hong Kong
2. Shanghai (China)
3. Tokyo (Japan) Click here
Global Talent Institut Europeen A partner and sponsor of the United Nations (UN)
Competitiveness d'Administration des Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Tent in Davos,
Index (GTCI) 2020 Affaires (INSEAD) Switzerland. India has moved up eight places to the 72nd
position from 80th position in GTCI 2019.
Top 3 Country:
1. Switzerland
2. United States
3. Singapore
Click here
75 | P a g e
12th Democracy Economist Intelligence India has slipped 10 ranks to 51st spot with the score of
Index 2019: A year of Unit (EIU) 6.90 in this index, which provides a blueprint for the
democratic setbacks current state of democracy in 167 nations. North Korea is
and popular protest at the bottom with 167th place with 1.08 points.
Top 3 Country:
1. Norway with the score of 9.87
2. Iceland with the score of 9.58
3. Sweden with the score of 9.39
Click here
SKOCH State of SKOCH Gujarat gained the top spot on the back of better
Governance report performance in Health, Education, Power and e-
2019 Governance segments. Gujarat, which was ranked 5th in
2018 replaces 2018 leader West Bengal.
Top 3 Star states:
1. Gujarat
2. Maharashtra
3. West Bengal
Click here
State-wise Ministry of Agriculture Top Ranking States:
Horticulture & Farmers’ Welfare 1. West Bengal (WB) has been at the forefront of vegetable
production data production in 2018-19 (3rd advance estimates), where the
production of vegetables was 29.55 million tonnes (MT).
2. Uttar Pradesh –UP (27.70 MT) and Madhya Pradesh
(17.77 MT). Andhra Pradesh (AP) continued to hold the
top spot in fruits with 17.61MT in 2018-19.It was
followed by Maharashtra (10.82 mt) and UP (10.65 mt).
Click here
World Breastfeeding WBTi As per the survey India ranked 78th with a score of 45.0
Trends Initiative and got yellow colour code and Libya ranked last (97th)
(WBTi) survey 2020 with red colour code.
Top 3 Country:
1. Sri Lanka
2. Cuba
3. Bangladesh
Click here
Corruption Transparency As per the Index, India ranks 80 out of 180 countries with
Perception Index International a score of 41 out of 100. Last year India’s rank was 78 with
2019 the same score. Somalia ranked at 180th position (least
ranked country), it follows South Sudan that ranked at
179th and Syria at 178th.
Top 3 Country:
1. Denmark , Newzealand
3. Finland
Click here
NITI Aayog ( National NITI Aayog The ranking is based on the progress made in 5
Institution for development areas in 112 aspirational districts across
Transforming India) India in December 2019. The rankings focus on progress in
Ranking Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water
76 | P a g e
of Aspirational resources, financial inclusion& skill development and Basic

Districts 2020 infrastructure.
Top 3 District:
1. Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh
2. Balangir, Odisha
3. Y.S.R., Andhra Pradesh
Click here
3rd Transparency In Transparency According to the survey, Assam tops in the ranking of best
Budgetary Process International’s India practices followed by states in budget formulation with a
Report (TII) score of 70. Assam is the only state out of 29 states and 2
UTs (Union Territories) to publish a citizens budget in the
public domain and also to conduct budget awareness
campaign across 17 districts. Assam was followed by
Andhra Pradesh & Odisha. While Meghalaya ranked
bottom with the score of 21.
Top 3 State:
1. Assam
2. Odisha
3. Andhra Pradesh (AP)
Click here
9th Tomtom Traffic Dutch multinational As per the index, Bengaluru (Karnataka) emerged as the
Index 2019 developer & creator of worst traffic congested cities in the world. The other
location technology Indian cities ranked in the top 10 places
and consumer were Mumbai (Maharashtra), Pune (Maharashtra)
electronics Tomtom and New Delhi in the 4th 5th and 8th places respectively.
Top 3 City:
1. Bengaluru (Karnataka), India
2. Manila, Philippines
3. Bogota, Colombia
Click here
REPORTS
REPORT NAME SUBMITTED BY KEY NOTES
National Infrastructure Smt. Nirmala A report of the task force on National Infrastructure
Pipeline 2019-2025 (NIP Sitharaman, Union Pipeline for 2019-2025 (NIP 2019-25) in order to
2019-25) Report Minister of Finance achieve the $5 trillion economy by 2024-25. Based on the
information compiled by the task force headed by
Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty, Rs 102
lakh crores has been projected on the capital expenditure
in infrastructure sectors in India during the fiscals 2020
to 2025. Click here
Forest Survey of India Forest Survey of According to a report about 21.40% of forest cover of the
(FSI) Report 2019 India (FSI) country has been prone to fires. Among the total forest
areas, the northeastern region in the country was found
to be more vulnerable. Mizoram topped among all the
states with the highest number of fire alerts at 2,795. The
forest fire points (FFP) identified during the 13 years
(2004-2017) were 2,77,758. While overall green cover in
77 | P a g e
the country has been increased but forest cover in the

north east states have decreased drastically. Click here
Levels and Trends in Child Inter agency group As per this report India is among 5 countries where in
Mortality report 2020 for child mortality, 2018, the mortality of girls under the age of 5 exceeds
United Nations(UN) that of the boys. Half of all under-5 deaths in 2018
occurred in these five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) and
Ethiopia.India and Nigeria alone accounted for about
1/3rd of under 5 age deaths. In India, considering overall
states and Union Territories(UTs), Jharkhand, Bihar and
Uttarakhand showed largest gender gaps in under-5 age
mortality. Click here
Market Study on E- Competition For better understanding a functioning of e-commerce in
commerce in India:Key Commission of India on April 2019.
Findings and Observations India (CCI) Revenue sector: Revenue from the e-commerce sector is
report 2020 expected to increase from $39 billion in 2017 to $120
billion in 2020, growing at an annual rate of 51%, the
highest in the world. Click here
2nd State Energy Efficiency Minister of State In New Delhi based on 97 indicators. The index was
Index 2019 (MoS- Independent released during RPM (Review, Planning and Monitoring)
Charge) for Power meeting in New Delhi and was developed by the Bureau
and New & of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance
Renewable Energy for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). Progressive
also MoS for Skill states: Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Development & Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and
Entrepreneurship Chandigarh. Click here
Shri Raj Kumar
Singh
1st Advance Estimates of National Statistical The corresponding expenditure components of the Gross
the national income at Office (NSO) of the Domestic Product (GDP) were also estimated. Following
both constant(2011-12) Ministry of are the key highlights:
and current prices for Statistics and 1. GDP: GDP in the year 2019-20 is likely to attain Rs
FY(Financial Year) 2019- Programme 147.79 lakh crores against the Rs 140.78lakh crore
20 Implementation estimate for 2018-19 released on May 31, 2019.
(MoSPI) 2. GDP growth: The growth in real GDP for 2019-20 is
estimated at 5% compared to 6.8% for 2018-19. Click
here
Greenpeace India report National Ambient On January 21, 2020. Jharia in Jharkhand which is known
2018 Air Quality for Coal-belching is the most polluted Indian city with
Monitoring 322 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) of PM10
Programme (Particulate matter) pollutants in 2018, according to the
(NAMP) report analysis of 287 cities across the country. Out of
287 cities 231 cities were severely polluted. Dhanbad in
Jharkhand which is known for its rich coal reserves and
industries, is the second-most polluted Indian City with
264 un/m3 of PM10 pollutants. Lunglei in Mizoram is the
least polluted followed by Meghalaya's Dowki. Click here
15th Global Risk Report World Economic As a part of WEF’s Global Risks initiative and presents
2020: An Unsettled World Forum (WEF) about the major risk the world is expected to face in the
78 | P a g e
future. It is also to be noted that the year 2020 marks the

50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum, with the
2020 theme being “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and
Sustainable World. As per the report for the 1st time in
the survey’s 10 year outlook, severe threats to the
climate account for the top 5 long term risks with
extreme weather events, human-made environmental
damage and disasters and major biodiversity loss and
natural disasters from earthquakes to tsunamis. Click
here
Time to Care: Unpaid and Oxfam International As per the report, India's richest 1% of the population
underpaid care work and has more than 4 times of wealth held by 953 million
the global inequality crisis people making up for the bottom 70% of the country's
population. 2,153 of total billionaires globally in 2019
had more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make
up 60% of the planet's population. Total combined
wealth of 63 Indian billionaires is higher than the
country's total Union Budget for the fiscal year 2018-19
which stood at Rs 24,42,200 crore. Click here
World Tourism Barometer United Nations As per the report the international tourist arrivals in
Report 2019 World Tourism 2019 increased by over 4% (3.8% exact value)
Organisation in 2019 and reached 1.5 billion, which is 54 million more
(UNWTO) than 2018, based on the data collected from reports
around the world. The middle east region (+8%) led
growth in arrivals, followed by Asia and Pacific region
(+5%). Europe had a growth of 4% in international
tourist arrivals and had 743 million visitors. 2019 is the
10th consecutive year of international tourist growth.
Click here
Global Investment Trend United Nations India ranked 8th among the top 10 countries attracting
Monitor report 2020 Conference on foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2019. During this
Trade and period FDI in India grew by 16 % to $ 49 billion(bn). This
Development led to a surge in FDI growth in South Asia (SA), which
(UNCTAD) recorded a 10% increase in FDI to $ 60 billion. The
United States (US) remained the largest recipient of FDI
in flow, attracting $251 billion, followed by China with
flows of $140 bn & Singapore with $110 bn.Foreign
direct investment globally fell by 1% to $1.39 trillion. In
2018 it stood at $ $1.41 trillion. Click here
1st Estimate of Rabi crop National Collateral The year 2020 is expected to make record food grain
production 2019-20 Management production led by the wheat crop along with corn and
Services jowar while Oilseeds and pulses may have lower
Limited (NCML), production. This season which contributes 50% of
Agriculture post- foodgrain production usually starts from the month of
harvest November and lasts till the following year’s April month.
management The Rabi paddy production is also estimated to increase
company by 5% further. The pulse production may show marginal
decline by 2% from its previous year production. Indian
Rabi pulses production for the year 2019-20 is estimated
79 | P a g e
at 144.8 lakh tonnes as against 148 Lakh tonnes

witnessed during 2018-19. Click here
Area and Production of The Ministry of First advance report for 2019-20 & as well as the final
various Horticulture Agriculture & estimate for 2018-19 for Area and Production of various
Crops report 2019-20 Farmers Welfare, Horticulture Crops. Horticulture production: According
Government of to the report, horticulture production in 2019-20 can be
India (GoI) 313.35 million tonnes (mt), 0.84% higher than in 2018-
19 (310.74 mt). Vegetables & Fruits production:
Vegetables production was expected to be about 183.17
mt, while fruits production was to be around 97.97 mt in
2018-19(Final). Click here
World Employment and International The global unemployment figure is projected to increase
Social Outlook: Trends Labour by about 2.5 million in 2020. The report noted that
2020 (WESO) Report Organisation (ILO) nearly half a billion people around the world are not
getting enough paid work. The global economic
slowdown is a major cause of rising unemployment in
the world. Click here
Nature Risk Rising: Why World Economic The report is the 1st in a series for the New Nature
the Crisis Engulfing Forum (WEF) in Economy (NNE). As per the report, global businesses are
Nature Matters for collaboration with more than dependent on nature with an estimated
Business and the Economy PwC exposure of $44 trillion which is half of world GDP (Gross
Report 2020 Domestic Product). Many countries are nature
dependent industries. Among them, the 3 largest
industries dependent on nature are Construction ($ 4
trillion), agriculture ($ 2.5 trillion) and food and
beverages ($ 1.4 trillion). Their combined value is twice
the size of Germany’s economy. Click here
ACQUISITION & MERGERS

HDFC gets requisite approval to hold a 51.2% stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company
HDFC (Housing Development Financial Corporation) has received its requisite approvals from
Competition Commission of India (CCI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to acquire 51.2% stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance
Company from Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited (AHEL) and other shareholders. After the
acquisition, Apollo Munich will be merged with and into HDFC Ergo, subject to approval from the
Mumbai bench of National Company Law Tribunal. IRDAI granted the approval under Section 6A of the
Insurance Act, 1938. The total value of the deal is Rs. 1,347 crore.
Mastercard acquires RiskRecon to strengthen its cybersecurity front

Mastercard, a leading global payments & technology company has acquired RiskRecon Inc, a leading
third-party cyber risk solutions provider, to protect its cyber systems & infrastructure. The acquisition
has been finalized for an undisclosed sum & is expected to be completed by early 2020. Under the deal,
RiskRecon will further promote Mastercard’s suite of cyber solutions designed to help financial
institutions, merchants & governments secure their digital assets.
Flipkart former CEO Sachin Bansal acquires DHFL General Insurance for Rs 100 crore
Former CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and co-founder of Flipkart Sachin Bansal has acquired DHFL
(Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited) General Insurance, Mumbai, Maharashtra from Wadhan
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Group Capital (WGC) for around Rs.100 crore. WGC is the parent company of crisis-hit DHFL which has
been recently admitted for bankruptcy.The deal has been done via Navi Technologies for Rs.100 crore
formerly known as BAC Acquisitions Private Limited (BACQ) which Sachin Bansal has founded along
with IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) -Delhi batchmate Ankit Agarwal after selling his stake in
Flipkart.
Digital payment firm PayU India acquires Paysense for $185 mn

PayU India, a fintech company that provides payment technology to online merchants, has acquired
digital credit startup PaySense at an equity valuation of about $185 million (mn). After the acquisition,
PayU is also decided to merge its lending business Lazypay with PaySense.Also, Prashanth
Ranganathan, the founder and CEO of PaySense, will head PayU’s credit business in India as the CEO of
the new venture.
HDFC acquired Apollo Munich Health Insurance for Rs 1,495.81 crore; named as HDFC ERGO
Health Insurance Ltd
HDFC has completed the acquisition of majority stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance for
Rs.1,495.81 crore, after approvals from the Competition Commission of India (CII), the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Now, Apollo
Munich Health Insurance company renamed as HDFC ERGO Health Insurance Ltd (HDFC ERGO Health)
and will operate as a subsidiary of HDFC.
Equifax inks pact to acquire 100 % stake in its Indian JV- Equifax credit information services for Rs 370
crore
Equifax Inc, a global information solutions company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 %
stake in its Indian Credit information company, Equifax Credit Information Services Private Ltd (ECIS)
for Rs 370 crore. ECIS has worked as a joint venture (JV) between Equifax and leading Indian financial
institutions (FI) namely State Bank of India (SBI-7.41% stake), Bank of India (BOI-3.50 % stake), Kotak
Mahindra Prime Limited (5.56% stake), Union Bank of India (UBI-4.17% stake) and Bank of
Baroda(BoB), Sundaram Finance Limited (10% each) since the year 2010. Following this deal, now all
the partners will exit from ECIS.
Food delivery startup Zomato acquires Uber Eats in all-stocks deal for $350 mn
Zomato, an Indian restaurant aggregator and food delivery startup has acquired Uber’s food delivery
business in India, Uber Eats in an all-stocks deal valued at about $350 million (Rs 2,485 crore). As a part
of the deal, Uber will now hold only 9.99 % shares of Zomato & UberEats will discontinue operations
and direct restaurants, delivery partners. Further, all of Uber Eats’ customers will be directed to Zomato
platform.
Adani group’s NBFC Adani Capital acquired Essel Finance’s MSME loan business
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) of the Adani group, Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd has acquired Essel
Finance’s MSME (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) loan business. The business has a
loan book of Rs 145 crore approximately. As on December 31, 2019, the overall lending book of Adani
capital and the housing finance business was Rs1,100 crore where the contributed Rs150 crore.
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DEFENCE NEWS
EXERCISE
EXERCISE NAME VENUE / KEY NOTES
PARTICIPATING
COUNTRIES
12th 'Naseem-Al- Mormugao Port, Goa. 2 ships of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) arrived at
Bahr' naval India & Oman Mormugao Port in Goa to participate in the 12th edition of
Exercise the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise 'Naseem-Al-Bahr'.
The meaning of the biennial exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr that
has been conducted since 1993 between India and Oman is
sea breeze. Among the Indian Navy ships (INS) Beas and
Subhadra are participating while 2 naval ships of the RNO i.e,
RNOV (Royal Navy of Oman Vessel) Al Rasikh and RNOV
Khassab are participating.
19th Annual Joint Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Ship ‘Echigo PLH08’ has arrived
Exercise ‘Sahyog- India & Japan Chennai on a five-day goodwill visit to participate in the
Kaijin’ Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ which began on January 16, 2020.
With the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Admiral Takahiro Okushima, Commandant, Japan Coast
Guard (JCG) and Director General (DG) Krishnaswamy
Natarajan, DG of Indian Coast Guard witnessed the 19th
edition of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ exercise.
Winged Raider northeastern theatre Indian Army (IA) conducted its biggest airborne exercise
‘Winged Raider’. The exercise comprised of more than 500
soldiers of Special Forces troops in the northeastern theatre
and involved all kinds of air transport platforms of the
Indian Air Force (IAF). The name Winged Raider was chosen
due to its multidimensional nature of the exercise and
demonstrated the operational readiness of paratroopers.
The exercise involved soldiers parachuting from the C 130
Hercules, C 17 Globemaster and Dhruv helicopters both day
and night.
SAMPRITI-IX India & Bangladesh As part of ongoing defence cooperation between India and
Bangladesh, 9th edition of the joint Indo-Bangladesh military
exercise named SAMPRITI-IX will be conducted at
Umroi, Meghalaya from February 03-16, 2020. Both nations
will work together in a counter terrorism environment
under the United Nations (UN) charter. A Command Post
Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be
conducted during SAMPRITI-IX.
TESTING
MISSILES NAME TESTING FEATURES
LOCATION
Submarine Launched Visakhapatnam coast The 3,500 Kilometer range missile is developed by Defence
Ballistic Missile in Andhra Pradesh Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The test
(SLBM) K-4 was carried out from an underwater platform in the sea.
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India is the fourth country after the United States (US),

Russia, China to launches SLBM of 3,500 kilometer range.
Apart from K-4, BO-5 is the other underwater missile with a
strike range of 700 kilometers which is being developed by
India.
Ghaznavi, Nuclear- Islamabad, Pakistan The Ghaznavi missile strike targets upto a range of 290 km
Capable surface-to- (kilometers). Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the
surface ballistic media wing of Pakistan’s army mentioned that the Training
missile (SSBM) launch was part of Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic
Forces Command.
DEALS, MoUs
Indian Navy Signs MoU for offshore Data with Geological Survey of India
Indian Navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Geological Survey of India (GSI)
for sharing seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval application in Meteorology and
Oceanography. Two heads Commodore AA Abhyankar, Head of Indian Navy’s Oceanology and
Meteorology Directorate and N Maran, Deputy Director General of GSI have signed the MoU on 21st of
January 2020. Mangaluru based Marine and Coastal survey division has mapped 2.1 Million square
kilometre of Exclusive Economic Zone and has a vast repository of offshore data.
Russia to deliver five S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025

Russia has announced to deliver 5 units of S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025 on the lines of
$5.43 billion deal inked during the 19th edition of India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit held in New
Delhi in 2018. The announcement was made by Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin.
Indian Armed forces will also receive the 1st batch of 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles in 2020 itself. Apart from
this, 60 Ka-2267 helicopters will be supplied to India as well as 140 helicopters of the same type will
also be produced. Union Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will visit
Russia on March 22&23 to attend the Russia-Indian-China(RIC) trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to
be held in Vladivostok, Russia Read full details here: Russia to deliver five S-400 air defence systems to
India by 2025
ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE NEWS

IAF chief formally inducted Dornier 228 aircraft into No. 41 Squadron in New Delhi
Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria formally inducted the light utility aircraft Flight
Inspection System (FIS) Dornier 228 into the No. 41 'Otters' Squadron at a ceremony at the Palam Air
Force Station in New Delhi. A contract has been signed by Indian Air Force (IAF) for purchasing 14
Dornier aircraft in 2015, which are flight inspection system planes, for Rs 1,090 Crore from state-run
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise 'MILAN' in March 2020

The Vishakapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh will host International naval exercise ‘MILAN’ in March
2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’. Milan exercise which
will be hosted by Eastern Naval Command (ENC) aims to enhance professional interaction between
foreign navies and also make use of the best practices in the maritime domain. 41 navies of different
countries were invited so far, of which 30 navies have confirmed their participation in MILAN 2020.
Defence Ministry approves procurement of military hardware worth Rs. 5,100 crore
The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh approved the
procurement of military equipment from indigenous sources worth over Rs. 5,100 crores. The
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procurement of military equipment includes sophisticated Electronic Warfare Systems designed by the
Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) also
approved the prototype testing of trawl assemblies designed by the DRDO for T-72 and T-90 tanks and
to the construction of six conventional submarines for Navy in India.
Rajnath Singh dedicated 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to nation; $26 billion turnover by 2025 in Defence
Production
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated 51st K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer gun made by L&T
(Larsen & Toubro) private sector Limited at Hazira in Gujarat to the Nation. The Government has set a
target to achieve a $26 billion turnover in the aerospace and defence industry by 2025 which provides
employment to 2- 3 million people. The indigeneous built K9 Vajra gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire
47-kilogram bombs at targets up to a distance of 43 kilometers distance target. In April 2017 L&T and
Hanwa Techwin of South Korea signed a contract to manufacture 100 k9 Vajra-T guns worth Rs.4500
crore.
Indian Army to induct Artillery gun 'Sharang' by March 31, 2020

Indian Army (IA) has announced to induct 1st batch of 18 indigenously upgraded 'Sharang' artillery
guns by March 31, 2020. The announcement was made by the Programme Coordinator of Sharang,
Brigadier Jayant Kar. The contract to upgrade the Sharang artillery gun was undertaken by Gun
Carriage Factory (GCF) in Jabalpur with the help of state-owned ordnance factories, and teams from the
Army and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).
INS Kavaratti is set to be delivered to Indian Navy by the Defence PSU GRSE
INS Kavaratti, the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette was built by Defence Public Sector
Undertaking (PSU) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for Indian Navy under the project
P28. INS Kavaratti is the 104th warship constructed by GRSE. Under Project P28, Kavaratti is the last of
the four ASW stealth Corvettes delivered to Indian Navy, which were 'INS Kamorta' in July 2014, 'INS
Kadmatt' in November 2015 and 'INS Kiltan' in October 2017. All these four corvettes are named after
islands of Lakshadweep and Arabian Sea.
DRDO to showcase indigenously-developed military systems at DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow UP

The 11th edition of ‘DefExpo 2020’ will be held from February 5 to February 9, 2020, in Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh with the theme “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”. It will be organized by the
department of defence production, Ministry of Defence. During the exhibition, the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) will display its various indigenously-developed military
systems and technologies with the theme of the event “Digital Transformation of Defence”.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SATELLITES LAUNCHES
SATELLITE NAME COUNTRY PURPOSE
Tongxin Jishu Shiyan China China has successfully launched a new communication
Weixing -5 (TJSW-5) technology experiment satellite by its Long March-3B (also
known as CZ [Chang Zheng]-3B) carrier rocket. The
mission lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in
Sichuan Province, a southwestern Chinese province. It was
the 324th mission for the Long March series of carrier
rockets.
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GSAT- Guiana space Arianespace, French Company launched a pair of

30(Geosynchronous center, French communication satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer
Satellites) Guiana, South Orbit (GTO) through Ariane 5 rocket, consisting of
America (SA). ISRO(Indian Space Research Organization) communication
satellite GSAT-30(Geosynchronous Satellites)
and EUTELSAT KONNECT.
AIM:To provide high quality television, telecommunications
and broadcasting services. The 3,357 Kg GSAT-30 derives
its heritage from ISRO’s earlier INSAT/GSAT (Indian
National Satellites/Geosynchronous Satellites) satellite
series and will replace INSAT-4A in orbit equipped with 12
C(covers Gulf countries, Asian and Australian countries)
and 12 Ku band(covers Indian mainland and island)
transponders.
OTHER SCIENCE NEWS

ISRO to set its 2nd launch port in Thoothukodi district of Tamil Nadu
During the press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka with ISRO Chairman K. Sivan, it has been
announced that the second launch port of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) will be
established in Thoothukodi district of Tamil Nadu to launch small satellite vehicles. This will come up in
2300 acres.
ISRO sets its fourth RAC-S in Karnataka

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sets its fourth Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S)
at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NIT-K) at Surathkal in Mangaluru taluk. The centre
helps for the advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic
needs of the Indian Space programme. ISRO has set its first RAC-S in Jaipur, second at Guwahati and
third at Kurukshetra.
Two Coast Guard ships Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur commissioned at Kolkata
The two Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) namely Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur were commissioned and
deployed along the eastern coast by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar at Khidderpore park, Kolkata, West
Bengal. Annie Besant will be based at Chennai, Tamil Nadu under the operational and administrative
control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region(East). It is commanded by Commandant (JG) Sunny
Deo.Amrit Kaur will be based at Haldia, West Bengal under the operational and administrative control
of the Commander,Coast Guard Region (North East). It is commanded by Commandant (JG) Himanshu
Mishra.Read full details here: Two Coast Guard ships Annie Besant and Amrit Kaur commissioned at
Kolkata
Shopper malware affects 14.23% Indian users: Kaspersky report

According to the researchers from cybersecurity and anti-virus solutions provider Kaspersky, a new
Trojan malware application called ‘Shopper’ (‘Trojan-Dropper. AndroidOS.Shopper.a' ) has affected
more than 14.23% Indian users. This malware boosts shopping app ratings, spreads ads, installs apps
without the permission of the smart phone user. The malware has infected 28.46% (the most) of the
users in Russia who use shopaholic app from October - November 2019. It is followed by Brazil
(18.70%) and India (14.23%).
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India lands LCA Tejas on INS Vikramaditya for the first time
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has made a successful landed on the India's biggest warship INS
Vikramaditya. The maiden landing was conducted by Commodore Jaideep Maolankar.India becomes
sixth nation to master the art of an arrested landing and ski-jump take off on the deck of a carrier after
Russia, the United States (US), France, the United Kingdom (UK)and China.LCA was developed by
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) long with Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO).
H9N2 virus: Indian scientists detect India's 1st case of infection in Maharashtra
Scientists of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, Maharashtra have detected the 1st case of
H9N2 virus ,a rare subtype of influenza virus A, in a 17-month-old boy in Maharashtra. The discovery
has been published in the December 2019 issue of journal ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’ of the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr Varsha Potdar, senior scientist at NIV, is the lead
author of the study along with Dr Pragya Yadav and Dr M S Chadha.
A 17-year-old intern at NASA, Wolf cukier discovers new planet ‘TOI 1338b’ 1300 light years away
Wolf Cukier, a 17-year-old boy from New York (United States), has discovered a planet named “TOI
1338b” that is 1,300 light years away & about 6.9 times larger than Earth, on the 3rd day of his
internship at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). He used NASA's alien-hunting
space telescope TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) for his record breaking discovery. Another
special thing is that the planet, which lies in the Pictor constellation, orbits 2 stars, one of which is 10 %
larger than our Sun, while the other is much smaller and less bright. The planet orbits the pair of stars
every 93 - 95 days.
IOC launches special NATO class diesel for Indian Navy

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has developed a special class diesel (HFHSD- IN 512) High Flash High
Speed Diesel conforming to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) grade for use in ships and
vessels of Indian Army. Vice Admiral Gurtej Singh Pabby, Indian Navy launched the HFHSD- IN 512
during an occasion in New Delhi. The new diesel results in a reduced carbon footprint. Read full details
here: IOC launches special NATO class diesel for Indian Navy in New Delhi
NASA Discovers Potentially Habitable Earth-Sized World “TOI 700 d” in Star's 'Goldilocks' Zone
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) has discovered an Earth-sized world ‘Goldilocks’ zone within the habitable range of the star.
Scientists confirmed the find as TOI 700 d by using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope (SST). First,
habitable-zone Earth-sized planet is TOI 700 d, the outermost planet 20% larger than Earth and orbits
its star in 37 days.
iii.TOI 700 d is 100 light-years away from earth.
Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO to launch IDRSS satellites for space communication purpose
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO),the space agency of the Government of India (GoI), has
planned to launch a new satellite series called “Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS)” for seamless
communication for India’s first manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’, which have a schedule to take off in
2022.
 IDRSS For Gangayaan Mission: It consists of 2 satellites, which will be deployed in phases. The
1st one planned to launch by the end of 2020 to track . Then the 2nd IDRSS satellite will be
launched in 2021, which will set the platform for the main mission launch in 2022.
 4 astronauts have been selected from the India Air Force (IAF) for India's first manned space
mission 'Gaganyaan', a Rs 10,000-crore project. The training will be provided to these
astronauts in Russia in the third week of January 2020 after the medical test.
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Read full details here: Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO to launch IDRSS satellites for space communication
purpose
India’s 1st indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant to be commissioned by early 2021

The manufacturing of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is likely to be commissioned
by early 2021. Vikrant is currently under phase three of construction which involves setting to work of
machinery and other equipment like power generation, propulsion and machinery. This carrier is being
built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Kochi, Kerala. The third phase of construction will go till
acceptance of harbour, sea trials and aviation trial will also take a year and it will be fully operated by
2022.
LIGO detects collision of neutron stars for the 2nd time

A team of Scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo
collaborations have detected gravitational waves due to collision of two neutron stars for the 2nd time.
The first such gravitational-wave detection of merging neutron stars, called GW170817, took place in
August 2017.
India's 1st Sukhoi-30 squadron to be stationed in Thanjavur, TN: IAF chief RKS Bhadauria
As per the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh (RKS) Bhadauria,
the induction ceremony of a Sukhoi-30 MKIs (Su-30 MKI) squadron in the southern skies will take place
in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu (TN) on January
20,2020. The range of this will be in the Indian ocean region (IOR) up to Suez Canal. The Indian Air
Force ‘s 222 Squadron, ‘The Tigersharks’ has been resurrected to be opertionalized Brahmos equipped
Sukhoi-30 air superiority fighter with twin-engine. Read full details here: India’s 1st Sukhoi-30
squadron to be stationed in Thanjavur, TN: IAF chief RKS Bhadauria
WHO: TB diagnostic test ‘TrueNat’ developed in India has high accuracy

World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) Global Tuberculosis Programme has included an Indian
Molecular assay (test or analysis) named “TrueNat” as its initial test to identify strain resistance of TB
bacteria. The assay has been included in rapid communication document on Molecular Assays of the
mentioned global TB programme and has high accuracy. It is a molecular diagnostic test for pulmonary
and extrapulmonary TB and rifampicin-resistant TB developed by Goa-based Molbio Diagnostics with
technical assistance from Global non-profit organisation (NPO) called Foundation for Innovative New
Diagnostics (FIND). The diagnostic tool was assessed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It is
highly cost effective when compared to the GeneXpert test. Read full details here: WHO: TB diagnostic
test ‘TrueNat’ developed in India has high accuracy.
Xenobots: World’s first living, self-healing robots

Scientists of the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created the world’s first living and
self-healing robots Xenobots, using stem cells from frogs. It is named after the African clawed frog,
Xenopus laevis from which they took stem cells. Xenobots are new class of artifact: a living,
programmable organism, which don't look like traditional robots. These are machines which are less
than a millimeter (0.04 inches) in width and are small enough to travel inside human bodies. They can
walk and swim, survive for weeks without food, and work together in groups.
Health ministry takes action for the recent novel coronavirus outbreak in China
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of govt. of India has initiated various measures
as a precaution for the recent outbreak of the 2019 Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China including
screening at airports. The Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) under the Chairmanship of DGHS has also to
assess the risk and also to review the preparedness in combating the virus. National Institute of
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Virology, Pune (Maharashta) will test samples of nCoV. Apart from China, Japan, Thailand and South
Korea have reported cases of coronavirus and there are some suspected cases in Vietnam and
Singapore also. Read full details here: Health ministry takes action for the recent novel coronavirus
outbreak in China
In a 1st, TSEC to use face recognition app in 2020 Telangana Municipal polls on pilot basis
The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) of the Indian state of Telangana, for the first time in
India will use facial recognition in the Telangana Municipal polls to counter impersonation by the
voters. This will be done on a pilot basis in selected 10 polling stations of Telangana’s Kompally
Municipality of Medchal Malkajgiri district. The pictorial data collected during the process will be
deleted from the memory of mobile phone used and also from the server of Telangana State Technology
Services (TSTS).
POLNET 2.0 was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs (MHA) Nityanand Rai inaugurated revamped police
communication services POLNET 2.0. It is armed with robust multi-media facility. POLNET 2.0 is a
captive satellite-based network that provides video, audio and data connectivity across the country,
especially in times of disasters when regular communication either gets jammed or crashes. POLNET
2.0 provides video-conferencing facility to four entities sitting at different locations across the country
with Internet-enabled multimedia services.
World’s oldest ever mushroom fossil discovered in Congo, Africa

The researchers from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France have discovered the world’s oldest
ever mushroom fossil in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. The detail of fossilised
remains of microscopic mushroom called mycelium in rocks dates between 715 and 810 million years
ago and is published in the journal ‘Science Advances’.
1st unmanned mission will be launched in December 2020 as a preparation for 'Gaganyaan': ISRO
According to the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), chairman Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan, ISRO
would launch 2 unmanned missions in December 2020 and June 2021 in view of the launch of India’s
first manned spacecraft “Gaganyaan” in December 2021. For this, ISRO has prepared women
robot ‘Vyom Mitra’ (means a friend in Sky) for sending into space. It is designed & developed by the
ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) in collboration with Indian Institute of
Science (IIsc) Bengaluru, Karnataka, is half-humanoid and its body stops at the torso (the part of the
human body where the limbs are attached) and without legs. France to train Indian flight surgeons for
Gaganyaan expedition. Read full details here: 1st unmanned mission will be launched in December
2020 as a preparation for 'Gaganyaan': ISRO
New mission launched by NASA & ESA to take first pics of Sun’s poles
NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency) will jointly
launch a new spacecraft- “The Solar Orbiter Spacecraft” to take first pictures of Sun’s north and south
poles. Its outlay is $1.5 billion. The spacecraft will be launched from Cape Canaveral, United States (US)
on Feb 7, 2020 on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V Rocket. The solar orbiter mission has 7 year
lifetime and will reach 24 degrees above the sun’s equator increasing to 33 degrees with additional 3
years extended mission operations. Solar Orbiter is built by Airbus Defense and Space, and contains 10
instruments.
Researchers at IIT-H develops essential-oil-based drug carrier to treat fungal diseases

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H), Telangana has developed a
new essential-oil-based system of delivering medicines to the body for the treatment of fungal
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infections such as vaginal infections, diaper rash, athletes foot and nail fungus caused by the Candida
family of fungi. Supported by the SERB (Scientific & Engineering Research Board) under
the Department of Science and Technology (DST) & Corporate social responsibility (CSR) support from
AT&T, an American multinational conglomerate, this medication can even fights against fungi that have
created immunity against traditional medicines. The research, published in the journal Materialia, has
been led by Mudrika Khandelwal.
Qualcomm launches 3 new chipsets – Snapdragon 720G, 662 &460 with Indian GPS system NavIC
In a major step to Made in India GPS (Global Positioning System) alternative, Qualcomm, an american
multinational chipset manufacturer, has launched 3 chipsets in India – Snapdragon 720G, 662 and 460,
along with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). All 3 chipsets feature Wi-Fi 6 connectivity
and Bluetooth 5.1 support &the most important thing is that these 3 chipsets of Qualcomm have been
developed with support for ISRO’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), a technology
considered an advanced location positioning and navigation system than the GPS technology currently
in use. Apart from NavIC, these chipsets will also support the widely used GNSS (Global Navigation
Satellite System).
NCRB Launched ‘Searching the missing persons’ & ‘Generate Vehicle NOC’ services.
NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) launched 2 police related Citizen centric services-- “Searching
the missing persons" & "Generating vehicle NOC (No Objection Certificate)" on CCTNS (Crime &
Criminal Tracking Network and Systems) platform. Shri Arvind Kumar, Director, Intelligence Bureau
launched the online services and inaugurated Cyber Tipline Monitoring facility in NCRB, New Delhi. The
online services can be accessed through ‘digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in’ portal or through a link in
the existing ‘Digital Police Portal’.
 Missing Person Search:The citizens can search for their missing child/person in the national
database in order to recover the unidentified person.
 Generate Vehicle NOC:It helps the buyer to know the status of the vehicle before its second hand
purchase (suspicious or clear from police records).
OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI

Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd (commonly referred as OPPO signed an
MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H), Telangana for research on new
technologies such as 5G (5th Generation) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It was signed by Mr. Tasleem
Arif, Vice President and Head (R&D), OPPO India and Dr. Sumohana S. Channappayya, Dean (Research
and Development), IIT Hyderabad.
ENVIRONMENT
Paddlefish of China’s Yangtze River, declared as extinct
China has declared that the country’s giant paddlefish often called as 'Panda of the Yangtze river' or
'Chinese swordfish' has become extinct. The extinction was reported due to decades of overfishing. As
per scientists of the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute (YRFRI) the paddlefish with scientific
name Psephurus gladius which can grow upto 22 feet (7 meters) in length became extinct between
2005 and 2010. The conclusion regarding the extiction was based on an evaluation by a panel of experts
arranged by the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) of Nature in Shanghai. The announcement
was made through a research paper published in Science of the Total Environment.
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Red brittle star "Ophiocoma wendtii" becomes the 2nd creature to exhibit extraocular vision : UK
scientists
For the 1st time, Scientists from the University of Oxford in England, United Kingdom (UK), have shown
that a starfish-like species called “red brittle star (Ophiocoma wendtii)” lives in the coral reefs of the
Caribbean Sea can see even though it does not have eyes/ the ability to exhibit extraocular vision. It has
become only the 2nd creature, after a sea urchin species, known to have this ability. In both species,
extraocular vision is facilitated by the photoreceptor cells found on their bodies. A light-sensing cells
that cover its whole body, give the species visual stimuli to recognise coarse structures such as rocks.
The study has been published in the journal Current Biology.
Govt. to encourage Indian pompano cultivation in the country

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh(AP) has
successfully cultivated Indian pompano- marine fish species in a brackishwater pond (low salinity)in
the region, thus scientifically proving its commercial viability. It was also the 1st scientific experiment
which became successful in Indian pompano cultivation. With this success, the govt plans to encourage
more Indian pompano cultivation. The scientific name of Indian pompano is Trachinotus mookalee. It
belongs to genus Trachinotus in the family Carangidae.
Three new frog species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

Bhaskar Saika and Bikramjit Sinha, scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) had discovered three
new species of tiny frogs in Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal
Pradesh. The three new species of tiny frogs had been named as ‘Liurana himalayana’, ’Liurana indica’
and ‘Liurana minuta’. A study has been published in a science journal, the Records of the Zoological
Survey of India. Earlier, Saika and Sinha found a rare frog species, ‘Megophrys pachyproctus’, from
Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, AR.
Meteorite Contains the Oldest Material On Earth: 7-billion-year-old Stardust

Scientists discovered the oldest material on earth, 7 billion years old grains inside the meteorite that
crashed in a fireball in 1969 into the town of Murchison in Victoria State, southeastern Australia. All the
dust specks that were analyzed in the research came from before the solar system’s formation known
as ‘presolar grains’. A team of scientists led by Philip Heck, curator of meteorites from the Field Museum
in Chicago, United States examined the presolar grains and research published in ‘Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences’ (PNAS).
ZSI documents another new snake eel species “Ophichthus kailashchandrai” in Odisha
The new snake eel species residing in the Bay of Bengal has been discovered and documented by the
Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at Gopalpur-on-sea in
Odisha. The new marine species have been named as Ophichthus kailashchandrai to honour the vast
contributions of Dr. Kailash Chandra (Director of Zoological Survey of India) to Indian animal taxonomy.
Ophichthus kailashchandrai is the 8th species of the Ophichthus genus found in the Indian coast and the
5th new species discovered by Gopalpur ZSI in the last 2 years. The study has been published in journal
Zootaxa.
New meat-eating Dinosaur species Allosaurus jimmadseni found in Utah, US

Paleontologists discovered a new meat-eating dinosaur species at Natural History Museum of Utah,
United States (US) that lived in the food plains of western North America during the Late Jurassic
period, between 157-152 million years ago. The new species named as Allosaurus jimmandseni evolved
at least 5 million years ago and published in open-access scientific journal PeerJ. The species belongs to
the allosauroids (a group of small to large-bodied, 2 legged carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the
Jurassic & Cretaceous period).
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SPORTS
India women's hockey player Sunita Lakra announces her retirement due to knee injury breakdown
Indian women's hockey team defender Sunita Lakra from Odisha, aged 28, who was part of the 2018
Asian Games silver-winning side, announced her international retirement, citing a knee injury.
However, she will continue to represent domestic hockey and NALCO (National Aluminium Company
Limited), Odisha. He played 139 matches for India that also included the 2014 Asian Games bronze
medal.
MS Dhoni named captain of ESPNCricinfo's ODI and T20 teams of past decade; Virat as captain of their
test team
Former Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 38 years old named as captain of ESPNCricinfo’s ODI
(One Day International) and Twenty20 teams of the decade. Virat Kohli was named the leader in Tests.
On the other hand, Former skipper Mithali Raj and fast bowler Jhulan Goswami were named in the same
women's team picked for both the ODIs and T20s. Australia's inspirational cricketer, Meg Lanning was
named the captain of the side.
Indian chess grandmaster Koneru humpy finishes 12th in FIDE World Blitz competition 2019 held in
Moscow, Russia
Humpy Koneru (32), an Indian chess grandmaster from Andhra Pradesh, has settled 12th overall in the
2-day FIDE World Blitz competition 2019 held at at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Kateryna
Lagno (13 points) of Russia and Magnus Carlsen of Norway (16.5 points) retained their titles in the
Women's and Men’s Blitz Championships respectively. Another Indian Harika Dronavalli finished 25th
position.
For the first time Lawn bowls & Cycling to be included in 3rd Khelo India Games 2020 to be held in
Guwahati, Assam
Chief Executive Officer of “Khelo India Games” has announced the inclusion of “Lawn bowls” and
“Cycling” in the 3rd edition of Khelo India Games. These two games will be included in the event for the
first time. Around 6500 athletes from 37 teams will take part in the 3rd edition of Khelo India youth
games in Guwahati, Assam which is scheduled to be held from 10th of January to 22nd of February at
Indira Gandhi Stadium.
India’s Manav Thakkar, Uttar Pradesh jumped 9 spots to No.1 in U-21 table tennis category
Manav Thakar (19), an Indian table tennis player from Uttar Pradesh jumped nine places and become
the world's No.1 player U-21 (Under-21) Men’s single category rankings released by the IITF
(International Table Tennis Federation). Thakar won the U-21 men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenge
Plus Benemax-Virgo North American Open in Markham, Canada by defeating Argentina’s player Martin
Bentancor, in December 2019.
 Among other Indians, Sathiyam has retained his 30th spot in the senior category, while Achanta
Sharath Kamal ranked at 33rd position.
 ii.Among women, India’s Manika Batra was static at the 61st position.
Overview of 63rd National Shooting championship competitions 2019 held in Bhopal, MP

The 63rd National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) 2019 in Small Bore Rifle & Pistol
events (including Para events) was held at Shooting Academy Shooting Ranges, Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh (MP) from 7th December 2019 – 4th January 2020. It was jointly organized and conducted by
the National Rifle Association of India(NRAI) &MP State Shooting Academy.
 Shooter Zeena Khitta of Himachal Pradesh wins women's national 10m Air Rifle
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 Manu Bhaker of Haryana has bagged 4 gold medals (individual and team events in senior and
junior) in the women's 10 meter air pistol event.
 Shooter Anish Bhanwala from Haryana has clinched gold medal in the senior men's 25 meter
rapid fire pistol event.
 Saurabh Chaudhary clinches gold in men's 10 m air pistol
 Vijayveer Sidhu of Chandigarh claims 3 gold in 25m Standard Pistol for Men, Junior Men and the
Junior Men's Team Gold medals.
 In the men's 50m pistol event, World Championship silver medalist Jitu Rai gave a team gold
Read full details here: Overview of 63rd National Shooting championship competitions 2019 held in
Bhopal, MP
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma lays foundation of International cricket stadium in Hyderabad,
Telangana
India's cricket batsman, Rohit Gurunath Sharma has laid the foundation of the Cricket Stadium and
Training Center at 'Heartfulness Institute's headquarters in Hyderabad, Telangana. The cricket stadium
has been named as “Rohit Sharma Cricket stadium” by spiritual guru Kamlesh Patel.
Indian Sports Ministry gave ‘in principle’ approval to hold shooting and archery in 2022 CWG
The Sports Ministry has given ‘in principle’ approval to hold the Commonwealth Games shooting and
archery events in India. These events will be held under the aegis of the Commonwealth Games (CWG)
Friendship Program in March 2022.Last year CWG has decided to exclude shooting event in 2022 CWG
to be held in Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK) but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was against
the decision.
India's all-rounder cricketer Irfan Pathan announces retirement

5 years old, all rounder cricketer from Vadodara, Gujarat, Irfan Pathan (nicknamed Guddu) has
announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He played last match for India against Sri Lanka in
2012. He is currently performing the role of mentor-cum-coach for the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket
team. He featured in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs (One Day International) and 24 T20Is (Twenty 20
International) for India.
India's Magesh Chandran wins 95th Hastings International Chess title in Hastings, England
A 36 years old, India’s grandmaster (GM) Magesh Chandran Panchanathan from Madurai, Tamil Nadu
wins the title in the 95th edition of the prestigious Hastings International Chess Congress at Hastings in
England. He stands with a FIDE (International Chess Federation) rating of 2479 finished first place with
7.5 points from nine games. Magesh Chandran became the GrandMaster in 2006.
World Cup winner De Rossi of Italy retired from football

Former Roma & Italian professional footballer and the 2006 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de
Football Association) world cup winner Daniele De Rossi (36 years) has announced his retirement from
the game after retiring from Argentina’s Boca Juniors Football club. Daniel has played 117 games for
Italy from 2004-17 and won the 2006 world cup title after defeating France. ii.He is Italy’s 4th
most most-capped player with 117 caps.
Bhubaneswar to host 1st edition of Khelo India University Games 2020

Bhubaneswar, Odisha has been selected to host the 1st edition of the 2020 Khelo India University
Games (KIUG) which will be held from February 22nd to March 1, 2020, at Bhubaneswar’s KIIT
University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University). The Union Sports Minister Shri Kiren
Rijiju and Odisha’s Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik unveiled the logo and jersey of Khelo India
University Games during a event in Bhubaneshwar. Mascots unveiled at the launch event were named
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as mascots 'Jay and Bijay'. Read full details here: Bhubaneswar to host 1st edition of Khelo India
University Games 2020
Tennis legend Novak djokovic defeats Nadal to make Serbia winner of 1st ATP Cup 2020 held in Sydney,
Australia
Serbian professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic has defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain to make Serbia
the champion of 1st edition of ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Cup i.e. ATP Cup 2020 held at
Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia from 3–12 January,2020.
India finish 2019 as number one shooting nation in world: ISSF

In 2019 according to International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), India is the top Shooting Nation in
the World with 21 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze. India secured first position in all the Rifle-pistol World
Cups and Finals in the year. China is at the second position with 11 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze while
the United States (US) is at third position with 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze.
NADA bans Weightlifter Sarbjeet Kaur for four years

Indian weightlifter Sarbjeet Kaur from Punjab has been banned for four years from the sport by the
National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) for involvement in doping violations. Sarbjeet won the 71kg event
at the 34th Women Senior National Weightlifting Championship 2019 held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh Prohibited substances like Di-hydroxy-LGD-4033 (LGD 4033 METABOLITE), Selective
Androgen Receptor Modulations (SARM), and Ostarine (Enobosarm) were founded in Sarbjeet’s sample.
Kohli continues at No.1; Rahane, Pujara slips: ICC Men’s test rankings 2020
As per the ICC (International Cricket Council) Men’s test ranking 2020 released on January 8,2020,
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has retained his top position with 928 points in the list of
batsmen. At the same time, Cheteshwar Pujara slipped one place to 6th spot with 791 points while
Ajinkya Rahane dropped two places to 9th position with 759 points. Read full details here: Kohli
continues at No.1; Rahane, Pujara slips: ICC Men’s test rankings 2020
Fouaad Mirza became 1st Indian equestrian to qualify for Tokyo Olympics in over 2 decades
Double Asian Games medallist equestrian, Fouaad Mirza (27 years) became the 1st Indian rider to
compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan after 2 decades. His qualification to the
Olympics was confirmed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). Prior to Fouaad,
Imtiaz Anees participated in the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000 and Late Wing Commander IJ Lamba
participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez to retire after Twenty20 (T-20) World Cup

Pakistan’s all-rounder cricket player Mohammad Hafeez, 38 years old, announced that he will be
retiring from international cricket after the upcoming T-20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October
2020. Mohammad Hafeez nicknamed as ‘Professor’ for his knowledge of the game, has been one of
Pakistan’s key players. Hafeez retired from tests in December 2018 after playing 55 tests.
Jacqueline Williams of Jamaica becomes the 1st woman third Umpire in men’s T20I
Jacqueline Williams of Jamaica becomes the first woman third umpire in men’s international cricket
match. The 43-year-old Jamaican woman oversaw all 3 matches of the Twenty20 International
(T20I) series in Grenada, West Indies between West Indies and Ireland. In 2017, she was one of the
four umpires in Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. In 2019, she stood in her first One Day
International (ODI) match between the United States (USA) and Papua New Guinea in the 2019 United
States Tri-Nation Series. In May 2019, India’s Gandikota Sarva Lakshmi became the first woman to be
appointed onto the ICC International Panel of Match Referees and oversaw the third series of the Men’s
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Cricket World Cup League 2 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), becoming the first woman match
referee in men’s ODIs.
India won ODI 2020 series against Australia held from January 14 – 19
The Indian men’s cricket team played 3 ODIs (One Day Internationals) against Australia from January
14 – 19, 2020. The ODI was part of the Australia tour of India, 2020 that consists of 3 ODIs matches,
which were held at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Maharashtra; Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium,
Rajkot, Gujarat; M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Indian team defeated Australia
to win the ODI series for 2-1 scores. The match highlights are as follows:
 Kuldeep Yadav became the 3rd fastest Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in ODI behind
teammates Mohammed Shami (56 matches) and Jasprit Bumrah (57 matches) who took 100
wickets in the fewest matches.
 Rohit Sharma breaks former South African batsman Hashim Amla's record (147 innings) as
fastest batsman to score 7000 ODI runs as opener in 137 innings. He also became the third
batsman to score the fastest 9000 runs in ODIs in 217 innings.
 Virat Kohli became the fastest captain to complete 5000 ODI runs in 127 innings, broke MS
Dhoni's record. He also held the record for being the fastest captain to score 11,208
international runs in 199 innings.
 ICC ODI rankings 2020: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma's reign in Batting Ranking, Bumrah also on
top as bowler
Read full details here: Highlights of India Vs Australia ODI 2020 series held from January 14–19
India wins 7 medals in 1st UWW Rome ranking series 2020 held in Rome, Italy
The Indian wrestling team has clinched 7 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and a bronze) in the 1st UWW
(United World Wrestling) Matteo Pellicone Rome Ranking Series 2020 held from January 15 – 18, 2020
in the Italian Capital, Rome. The 4-day tournament, organized by UWW, has featured all the 3
disciplines – freestyle, Greco Roman and women’s wrestling. The 2020 ranking series consists of two
events: the 1st, which already held in Rome, Italy and the 2nd will held from June 4-7, 2020 in Warsaw,
Poland. The Indian winners are:
 Bajrang Punia - 65kg freestyle- Gold
 Ravi Kumar Dahiya- 61kg freestyle- Gold
 Vinesh Phogat- 53kg- Gold
 Gurpreet Singh- 82kg- Greco-roman- Gold
 Anshu Malik-57kg-Silver
 Sunil Kumar-97kg-Silver
 Sajan Bhanwal-77 kg- Bronze
Read full details here: India wins 7 medals in UWW Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2020 held in Rome,
Italy
Sania Mirza wins 2020 doubles title at 27th WTA Hobart International Trophy in Australia
Indian Tennis Player Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok have won the 2020
women’s doubles title of the 27th WTA (World Tennis Association) Hobart International Trophy held in
Hobart, Australia by defeating Shauli Peng and Shaui Zhang of China with 6-4, 6-4. Sania and Nadiia
received a cash award of $13580 as prize money. Elena Andreyevna Rybakina, a Kazakh-Russian tennis
player won women’s singles category of 2020 Hobart International tournament.
Overview of 3rd Khelo India Youth Games 2020 held in Guwahati, Assam
The 3rd edition of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2020 was held at Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi
Indoor Stadium in Guwahati, Assam with the participation of over 10,000 students. Vijay the Tiger and
Jaya the Black buck were the mascots of the tournament. Maharashtra clinched Khelo India Youth
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Games 2020 champions trophy with a collection of 256 medals (78 gold, 77 silver and 101 bronze)
followed by Haryana and Delhi. Organized by Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports & conducted in
partnership with the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and
Assam State government, it was held from January 9-22, 2020. Following are the highlights:
 Sprinter Hima Das was the torchbearer of opening ceremony of KIYG 2020
 Pugilist Harsh Bhagwan wins Daman and Diu's first medal at KIYG 2020
 Tamil Nadu girls won the under-17 basketball title
 Maharashtra wins U-17 & U-21 gold in Kho Kho
 UP secures gold in mix team event U-21 category in 10-m air pistol
 Assam wins 7 gold in new lawn bowls at Khelo India Youth Games
 MP govt announces incentives for medal winners in Khelo India Youth Games
Read full details here: Overview of 3rd Khelo India youth games 2020 held in
Ministry of Sports de-recognised the Rowing Federation of India for violating the Sports Code of 2011
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) has de-recognised the Rowing Federation of India (RFI)
because of violating the Model Election Guidelines prescribed in the National Sports Development Code
of India, 2011, in four areas, during the RFI election which was held on December 6, 2019, in Hyderabad
in Telangana. Rajlaxmi Singh Deo elected as President and MV Sriram as the secretary-General in the
election 2019. Secretary-General MV Sriram has held the post for two years till 2016 and he is eligible
to contest the election only after 29.01.2020 as per code.
World Archery lifts suspension on AAI

World Archery (WA) removed suspension imposed on the Archery Association of India (AAI) which ahs
enabled Indian archers to compete in World Archery Events from 23 January 2020 onwards. The
decision to remove suspension was taken by World Archer’s executive Board postal vote. Now, AAI is
required to send a progress report every 3 months to World Archery as the federation instructed to
update the constitution for athlete membership. As per article 2.2.1 of the World Archery rule book, it's
essential for athletes to be affiliated with the AAI directly or indirectly.
6 cities across New Zealand to host the ICC Women's cricket world cup 2021; Hagley oval in
Christchurch to host final
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Cricket World Cup CEO Andrea Nelson, 6
cities namely Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Dunedin and Christchurch of New Zealand will
host matches of the 2021 edition of the Women's cricket World Cup. The final of this tournament will be
played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. A total of 31 matches will be played between the 8 teams
from February 6 - March 7,2021. A total of 31 matches will be played between the 8 teams in the ICC
Women's World Cup 2021 from February 6 - March 7,2021. The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 is
scheduled to be held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020.
Australia to host 11th Indoor Cricket World Cup in October, 2020

11th Edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup is to be hosted by Australia from October 10 to 17, 2020.
The World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) announced the tournament will be held at indoor cricket
venues in Melbourne, Australia in Casey Stadium and CityPower Centre. The event is organized by the
sport’s governing body, the World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) and is held every 2 or 3 years.The
first Indoor Cricket World Cup match held in England in 1995. Australia team won the Indoor Cricket
World Cup continuously in both men’s and women's categories for the last 25 years without losing a
single match.
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ICC Test ranking 2020: Virat Kohli at top spot in batting list; India tops team ranking
On January 24, 2020 International Cricket Council (ICC) had released the ICC test ranking in which India
is at the top with 120 rating followed by Australia and New Zealand. Indian Cricket team Captain Virat
Kohli remains at top in the ICC Test player ranking for batsmen with 928 points followed by Australia’s
Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Cheteshwar Pujara is at the 6th position with 791 points and
Ajinkya Rahane at 8th with 759 points.
 ICC test bowler ranking: Australia Pat Cummins tops the list with 904 points. India’s Jasprit
Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami are in sixth, eighth and tenth positions.
 ICC Test All-Rounder ranking: West Indies Jason Holder tops the list with 473 points followed
by Ben Stokes of England at 2nd rank and India's Ravindra Jadeja at 3rd position. India’s
Ravichandran Ashwin is at fifth position.
Read full details here: ICC Test ranking 2020: Virat Kohli at top spot in batting list; India tops team
ranking
ICC men’s T20 World cup 2021 in India: 4 countries to qualify from 16-team Qualifier
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), 4 of the 16 teams will qualify for the ICC Men’s T20
(Twenty -20) World cup in 2021 scheduled to be held in India in October – November 2021. The
tournament will replace the 8-team Champions Trophy One-Day International (ODI) tournament which
was held in England in 2017.
Domestic Cricket player from Rajasthan Vineet Saxena announces retirement

Rajasthan domestic cricket stalwart Vineet Saxena (39) who played and won Rajasthan’s consecutive
Ranji Trophy titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12 has formally announced his retirement. He is the most
capped and highest run-getter for Rajasthan in the Ranji trophy. Saxena scored 7,637 runs in 129 first-
class matches, which also includes 17 hundreds and 38 fifties.
India won the T20 series during '2020 Sri Lanka tour of India' held in Indore, Guwahati and Pune
The Indian Men’s cricket team played T20I (twenty twenty International) bilateral series against
Srilanka during the 2020 Sri Lanka tour of India. India defeated Sri Lanka in final T20I to win three-
match T20I series for 2-0. The three T20I matches were held in Guwahati (Assam), Indore (Madhya
Pradesh) and Pune(Maharashtra).
 Indian cricketer Virat Kohi surpassed India’s Rohit Sharma to become the highest run scorer in
the T20I.
 India’s Jasprit Bumrah became the highest wicket-taker in the T20 match against Srilanka. He
has now 53 T20 wickets from 45 T20I matches overall.
 Virat Kohli becomes the quickest to reach 11,000 international runs as a captain.
 India opener Kannur Lokesh Rahul retained 6th position in the first ICC Men’s T20I Player
Rankings of the season while Virat Kohli moved up a place to 9th.
Read full details here: India won the T20 series during '2020 Sri Lanka tour of India' held in Indore,
Guwahati and Pune
Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal loses in Pittsburgh Open 2020 final held in US
Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal missed out on winning his first title in the Professional Squash
Association (PSA) World Tour event 2019-20. He suffered a 7-11, 4–11, 9–11 defeat to Fares Dessouky
of Egypt in the finals of the Men's Pittsburgh Open 2020 held in Rivers Club, Pittsburgh, United States
(US). Saurav became the 1st Indian squash player to reach the quarterfinals of the World Championship
held in 2013. In 2014, he won the silver medal (individual singles) in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon,
South Korea, first Indian squash player to do so. He is also the first Indian to be ranked junior World
No.1.
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For the 2nd straight year, India to host Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific 2020 in Gurgaon, Haryana
For the 2nd time, India to host Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific 2020, hosted by Barca Academy,
scheduled to be held in Gurgaon, Haryana from January 30 -February 2, 2020, which will see the
participation of more than 650 football players from 7 countries (India, Australia, Turkey, China,
Singapore, Japan and Spain).
New Zealand spinner Todd Astle announces first-class retirement

Todd Duncan Astle, 33 years old from New Zealand, Wellington, leg-spinner had announced his
retirement from first-class cricket to focus on the limited-over cricket (one day cricket). Astle scored
more than 4000 runs in his 119 first-class matches. Known as ‘Canterbury stalwart’, Astle made his Test
Debut in 2012, played five tests for nations team in which he claimed 7 wickets at 52.57 and scored 98
runs at 19.60 overs.
71st International Boxing tournament Strandja 2020 held in Sofia, Bulgaria ; India bags 3 medals
The 71st edition of International Boxing Tournament "Strandja"2020 was held in Sofia, Bulgaria from
January 19-26, 2020. India ranked 9th in the medal tally with 3 medals (1 Silver, 2 Bronze). The list was
topped by Ukraine with 10 medals (4 Gold, 1 silver, 5 Bronze). Indian winners are:
 Mohammed Hussamuddin- 57kg- Silver
 Sonia Lather- 57kg- Bronze
 Shiva Thapa- 63kg- Bronze
Tennis player Joao Souza of Brazil banned for life due to match-fixing
According to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which is responsible for investigating match fixing in
tennis, Joao Olavo Soares de Souza (31), a former Brazilian professional tennis player has been banned
for life due to match fixing and corruption. It also fined Souza with $200,000. As per the investigation of
TIU, he did match fixing in tennis at the ATP(Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger and ITF
(International Tennis Federation ) Futures tournaments in Brazil, Mexico, the United States(US) and
Czech Republic between 2015 and 2019.
Bala Devi: 1st Indian woman to sign up for foreign football club, 'Rangers FC' of Scotland
Ngangom Bala Devi, 29 years old from Manipur, has become the first Indian woman footballer to get a
professional contract from Scotland's Women Premier League club Rangers (Football Club) for 18-
months and to play for jersey No.10 after a successful trial in November, 2019. The formal
announcement was made by Rangers FC and Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru,
Karnataka. She is the Ranger’s first-ever Asian footballer and current top-scorer for India.
Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
Christine Margaret Sinclair, 36 years old, Canadian soccer player, became the all-time top scorer with
185 goals in international soccer. Sinclair surpassed the record of American Abby Wambach (original
name Mary Abigail Wambach) who scored 184 goals. She scored her 185th goal against St. Kitts & Nevis
national football team. She achieved this feat during 5th CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying
Championship 2020 at H-E-B Park (stadium in Edinburg), Texas, United States (US).
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BOOKS & AUTHORS

BOOK NAME AUTHOR KEY NOTES
The Cuckoo’s Nest A Sethumadhavan, It is his first novel in English and was published by Niyogi
Malayali novelist Books. In this book, the author attempts to fight against the
division in society through the character of the eternal optimist,
Madam Agatha, a former nun and also other Indian girl-child
raised in an orthodox community. The story progresses to show
how these 'birds' take flight and become self-reliant. He bagged
many awards including the Vayalar award, Odakkuzhal award,
and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.
PAX Samir Saran and Union External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
SINICA:Implications Akhil Deo launched a book on China, titled ‘PAX SINICA:Implications for
for the Indian Dawn the Indian Dawn’ authored by Samir Saran and Akhil Deo and
published by Rupa Publications India. PAX SINICA presents a
comprehensive view of how President Xi Jinping’s, China will
implicate the world order in the 21st century.
New India:Selected Arun Jaitley, Juggernaut Books publishing house New Delhi, India has
Writings 2014-19 former finance announced a new book of compilation of selected writings by
minister former finance minister Arun Jaitley, namely “New
India:Selected Writings 2014-19” which offers readers with the
late’s politicians sharp insight on topics including GST (Goods
and Services Tax),demonetisation and Kashmir.
Karmayoddha Amit Shah Union The book ‘Karmayoddha Granth’ on the Life of Prime Minister
Granth Home Minister Narendra Modi during an event in New Delhi. The book states
that the politics of appeasement, casteism, and dynasty, the
three curses of Indian Politics, were removed by the PM Modi
after 2014.
The Winning Sixer: Woorkeri Venkat Which was released formally by Anil Radhakrishna Kumble
Leadership Lessons Raman (WV during an event in Bengaluru, Karnataka. WV Raman is the
To Master Raman), Former current head coach of the national women’s cricket team.
Indian cricket team Published by Rupa Publications, India, the book deals with all
opener the attributes required for a leader that exists in each one of us.
Essays & Arvind P Datar To mark the birth centenary anniversary of Indian Jurist and
Reminiscences: A Economist Nanaboy "Nani" Ardeshir Palkhivala. The book is
Festschrift in published by LexisNexis publications. The book was
Honour of Nani A commissioned by the Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Trust and
Palkhivala edited by the senior advocate Arvind Datar. Former Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram G Rajan, Industrialist
Ratan N Tata, Jurists Fali S Nariman, Soli J Sorabjee and K
Parasaran and Justice (retired) S Ranganathan are some of the
important contributors of the book.
Human Dignity – A Ashwani Kumar Former Union Minister of Law and Justice, Ashwani Kumar
purpose in authored the book title “Human Dignity – A purpose in
perpetuity perpetuity”, which was released by Former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh during a book launch event at the India
International Centre in New Delhi. The book was published by
US(United States) based publisher LexisNexis. The books
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portrays the author’s view on issues related to freedom, dignity

and justice faced in society.
The Gateway: A Hariharan It was released by Justice Konakuppakatil Gopinathan
Social Commentary Balagopal Balakrishnan, former Chief Justice of India (CJI), at the 14th
on Safety of Senior Security Leadership Summit held in New Delhi. The book was
Citizens published by Ailum publications. It stresses about the lack of
safety faced by senior citizens. Hariharan Balagopal is a
specialist in Media Management & Education and also as a
consultant for many educational initiatives.
The Story of Yoga: Scottish cultural Book titled "The Story of Yoga: From India to the Contemporary
From India to the historian Alistair World" which has been written by Scottish cultural historian
Contemporary Shearer Alistair Shearer will be released at the end of January, 2020 by
World publisher Penguin Random House. The book discusses about
the practice of yoga since ancient time in India till now.
Balwa Mukhtar Abbas The Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Naqvi, Minister for Hindi novel Balwa, a fiction story based on the happenings in
Minority Affairs India in the 1990s is all set to be published by Diamond Pocket
Books. Apart from this he has written a Hindi novel ‘Raj Lila’,
which based on the story of tribal woman’s struggles & Cyber
Supari will also be released soon.
Relentless Shri Pranab Former president of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the
Mukherjee, Former autobiography of former Finance Minister Shri Yashwant
president of India Sinha titled “Relentless” at the India International Centre in New
Delhi. The book describes Sinha’s journey from a normal life to a
high political powered life. The book is published by
Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt ltd.
Calcutta nights Hemendra Kumar Rajat Chaudhri, translated the book “Calcutta nights” (originally
Roy ‘Raater Kolkata’) into English and was published by Niyogi
Books. The book was first written in Bengali by Hemendra
Kumar Roy, famous Bengali writer and was published in 1923.
The book reveals the darkest secrets of Kolkata to the readers.
BOOKS & AUTHORS IN CONTENT FORMAT

Indian embassy in Nepal celebrates Vishwa Hindi Diwas; launches Nepali translation of Swami
Vivekananda's 'Karma Yoga'
In order to mark the event of Vishwa Hindi Diwas on January 10, 2020, the Indian Embassy in
Kathmandu, Nepal has launched 4 books including Nepali translation of Swami Vivekananda's 'Karma
Yoga' (Publisher -Advaita Ashrama).The other 3 books launched by Indian embassay include:
 Nepali translated book consisting of 5 popular stories penned by Indian writer Premchand
 Hindi translations of 'Ashwathama' penned by Nepalese poet Madhav Prasad Ghimire
(Publisher- Royal Nepal Academy)
 ‘Utkrishta Kahaniyan’, a book published by Unicorn Books comprising 25 new age Nepali stories
written by young Nepali story writers.
26 new Indian English words featured in 10th Oxford dictionary;Aadhaar, hartal among them
The 10th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary was launched. In this latest edition 26
new Indian languages words namely Aadhaar, Chawl, dabba, hartal, shaadi were included. Several
incorporate words like chatbot, fake news, microplastic & over 1000 new words were included. Out of
the 26 Indian language words, 22 are figured in printed dictionary while the remaining 4 words (looter,
99 | P a g e
current, looting and upazila) are in the digital version. The new edition has a total of 384 Indian English
words.
OBITUARY
NATIONAL
PERSON FIELD BORN PLACE KEY NOTES
NAME
Devi Prasad Nationalist Sultanpur, Uttar Passed away after battling with cancer in New
Tripathi Congress Party Pradesh Delhi. He was the former MP of Rajya Sabha from
(NCP) and Former Maharashtra. He was born on November 29,
Member of 1952. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the
Parliament (MP) quarterly journal Think India.
Alajangi Social activist and Nuapada Passed away at 91, in Nuapada district, Odisha.
Viswanath former Rajya Sabha district, Odisha He was a member of ‘Vanar Sena’ during India’s
Swamy member freedom struggle and a follower of Vinobe
popularly Bhave. He was the President of Utkal Sammilani,
known as AV Nuapada district branch.
Swamy
Bhim Chandra Centenarian Howrah District, Who spied on British police, has died of old-age
Jana Freedom fighter West Bengal related ailments in West Bengal’s Howrah
District at the age of 107. He was awarded by the
Government of India after Independence. In
1972, he was awarded the Tamra Patra (a
copper plaque given to freedom fighters by the
Centre) when Indira Gandhi was the Prime
Minister of India.
Paul Hector Indian politician of Cheranmahadevi Passed away at a private hospital in Chennai,
(PH) Pandian the All India Anna town, Tamil Nadu after prolonged illness. He was 74.
Dravida Munnetra Tirunelveli Born on 29 March 1945. Pandian joined AIADMK
Kazhagam district of TN in 1972. He was the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu
(AIADMK) party & Legislative Assembly from February 27, 1985 -
Former Speaker of February 5, 1989. He also served as former Chief
Tamil Nadu (TN) Minister (CM) J Jayalalithaa's legal advisor from
Assembly 1996 – 1999.
Kamal Bahadur Former Member of Kabai, Rajasthan 1st Lok Sabha - constituted in 1952 and last
Singh Parliament (MP) maharaja of erstwhile Dumraon Raj (zamindari
estate) Kamal Bahadur Singh passed away at the
age of 94 in Buxar district of Bihar due to old age
ailments. was the only surviving MP of the first
Lok Sabha of India. After the independence
movement, Kamal Singh contributed mainly to
the education and social development sectors in
Shahabad city of Uttar Pradesh.
Triloki Nath Former Karnataka Tirwaganj town, Passed away in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He was 90.
Chaturvedi Governor Uttar Pradesh He served as the Governor of Karnataka from
2002-2007. He was born on January 18, 1929.
He was an Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Officer and held the office of the Comptroller and
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Auditor General of India from 1984 to 1989. In

2004 he served as the Governor of Kerala.
Akbar The Celebrated Mumbai, Died at the Isha Yoga Ashram near Coimbatore,
Padamsee Painter and Artist Maharashtra Tamil Nadu. Art Icon Padamsee was born on 12
April 1928. His very first solo show was held at
the Jehangir Art gallery, Mumbai in 1954.
Veteran artist Akbar Padamsee was also a
photographer, sculptor, painter, engraver, film-
maker and lithographer. Akbar Padamsee was
awarded “Padma Bhushan” by the Indian
Government in 2010.
Thomas Antony Kerala Cartoonist Kottayam Passed away at Kottackal town in Malappuram
and Secretary of District Kerala district, Kerala after suffering from heart attack.
Kerala Cartoon India He was 62.
Academy
Obaid Siddiqui Veteran Meerut, UP Passed away in Ghaziabad hospital, Uttar
Broadcaster, poet Pradesh (UP) due to health related problems.
and academician Siddiqui also worked with NDTV (New Delhi
Television) and also known as an Urdu
poet.Obaid Siddiqui was born in Meerut, UP in
1957. Obaid Siddiqui joined Jamia Millia
Islamia’s AJK (Anwar Jamal Kidwai) Mass
Communication Research Centre and later rose
to become its director.
M Chidananda Renowned Channagiri taluk Passed away on Bengaluru,Karnataka due to
Murthy Kannada scholar of Davangere, age-related illness. He was popularly known as
and researcher Karnataka. “ChiMu”. Chidananda Murthy known for his
specialization in the history of Kannada language
had contributed significantly in securing the
Classical language status from the Union
Government in 2008. He was born in 1931.
Manmohan Odisha’s legendary Khordha, Odisha Passed away at the age of 69 in Bhubaneshwar,
Mohapatra, filmmaker and Odisha. Mohapatra is considered as the ‘Father
director of New Wave Odia Cinema’ and consecutively
won eight national awards for ‘Best Feature Odia
film’.Mohapatra’s first movie “Seeta Raati”
released in 1981 that fetched him national
award for Best feature film in Odia and also the
first Odia film to be selected by the prestigious
‘Indian Panorama’ section of the International
Film Festival of India (IFFI), New Delhi.
R.P.Ulaganambi Former Lok Sabha Ranipet Passed away due to age-related illness. He was
MP(Member of elected from Vellore for the DMK (Dravida
Parliament) Munnetra Kazhagam) party and served as an MP
Vellore, Tamil in the 5th Lok Sabha during 1971-76.
Nadu Mr.Ulaganambi hailing from Ranipet,Vellore is a
staunch follower of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and
Thanthai Periyar E.V.Ramaswamy.
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Minati Mishra Veteran Odissi Cuttack, Odisha Passed away in Zurich, Switzerland after
Danseuse suffering from age related issues. She was born
in 1929 and known for expertise in the Indian
Classical dance form of Odissi. According to the
2011 report, she was the oldest living Odissi
performer and in 2012 she was honored with
the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award
by the Government of India. She was also a
recipient of the Sangeet Prabhakar title for
Hindustani vocal music.
Idu Sharif Dhadi folk singer Lalodi of Nabha, Died at Manji Majra, Chandigarh as he was
Patiala, Punjab suffering from paralysis. Idu Sharif received an
award from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi
and Tamra Patra award in 2006 by Former
President of India Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Dhadi
folk singer Idu Sharif sings ballads and uses folk
instrument ‘Dhadd’.
Gopinath Odisha’s Gajapati Paralakhemundi passed away due to prolonged illness in
Gajapati dynasty head and town of Gajapati, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He was 76. He was born
Narayan Deo the former MP Odisha on March 6, 1943. He was member of Indian
National Congress (INC) representing the
Berhampur parliamentary constituency.
P.T. Ummer Former vice- Calicut, Kerala Passed away at his residence at Panniyankara in
Koya, president of world Kozhikode, Kerala after a protracted illness.
chess governing Born on July 1, 1951 in Calicut, Kerala, Koya
body FIDE served as Joint Secretary and General Secretary
(International of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) from
Chess Federation) 1985-89 and 1989-2005 respectively for a total
of 20 years. He was also the treasurer of the
Commonwealth Chess Association, England from
1994 to 2000.
Ashwini Kumar Senior Journalist Jalandhar Passed away at a private hospital in Gurgaon
Chopra and former after battling with terminal cancer. He was a
Bharatiya Janata senior Journalist and Editor of Punjab Kesari
Party (BJP) (Hindi daily), later he was elected as a Member
Member of of Parliament from Karnal, Haryana, in 2014 and
Parliament (MP) served for the period of 2014-2019. He also
played Ranji Trophy under the name Ashwini
Minna for Punjab and played 25 first-class
matches between 1975-76 and 1979-80.
Rameshchandra Former Indian all- Nashik, Bombay A left-handed batsman and slow-left arm
Gangaram Bapu rounder cricketer Presidency, orthodox bowler passed away in Mumbai,
Nadkarni British India Maharashtra. He was best known for bowling a
record of 21 consecutive maiden overs in a test
match against England. Nadkarni played 41 tests
in which he scored 1414 runs and grabbed 88
wickets with 6/43 as his best bowling figures.
Bapu Nadkarni was born on 4 April 1933 in
Nashik, Bombay Presidency, British India.
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Shamsher Singh Former Haryana Chandigarh Passed away after in All India Institute of
Surjewala Congress Chief Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital, New Delhi
after suffering from a brief illness. He was 87
and hailed from Haryana. Shamsher Singh won
from Narwana, Haryana in 1967, 1977, 1982,
1991, and 2005 (Kaithal) to be elected
in Haryana Legislative Assembly and in 1992 he
was elected to the Rajya Sabha as Member of
Parliament (MP).
Sunanda Indian Classical Cuttack, Odisha Passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal due to age-
Patnaik Singer related complications. She was famously known
as ‘Guruma’ in the classical music circle. She is
the daughter of renowned Odia poet
Baikunthanath Patnaik and had composed many
bhajans (devotional songs) both in Odia and
Hindi. Sunanda was honoured with the Sangeet
Natak Akademi award in 1970 and 1971 and
also the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
for the year 2012. She also established the
Vishnu Vinayak Sangeet Ashram in Kolkata &
trained many Hindustani musicians.
Man Mohan Former test Lahore, Punjab Passed away in New Delhi. Sood played 1 Test
Sood Cricketer and and 39 first-class matches with 1 century. He
National selector played his lone test match against Richie
Benaud, Australia at Madras in 1960. Sood was a
popular administrator at the Delhi and District
Cricket Association (DDCA), Delhi.
Saleha Sultan Princess Bhopal, Madhya Passed away in Hyderabad due to brain
also known as Pradesh hemorrhage at the age of 80. She was the eldest
Dimpu child of Nawab Ifteqar Ali Khan Pataudi and
Begum Sajida Sultan of the princely state of
Bhopal and titled ‘Begum of Bhopal’. She was the
sister of Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the
cricket legend and the wife of Nawab Bashir Yar
Jung.
Melhupra Vero MP (Member of Runguzu village 1st person from Nagaland to become MP
Parliament) to the in Phek district, (Member of Parliament) to the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha (Upper Nagaland (Upper House) passed away in Dimapur,
House) Nagaland at the age of 86. He served the Upper
House of Parliament for 2 years from 1964 to
1974. The Government of India awarded him the
4th highest civilian honour of Padma Shri, in
2006, for his contributions to society. In 1995 he
was appointed as the chairman of the Liaison
Committee of Naga Hoho and became the first
president of the Naga Hoho from 1998-2004.
Jagannath Rout Former Minister of Odisha Passed away at a private hospital in
Odisha Bhubaneswar, Odisha due to cardiac arrest at
the age of 77. He has won the Dhamnagar
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constituency election in Bhadrak district, Odisha

in 1980, 1985, 1995. He also served as the
Odisha’s Minister of Industry from 1989-1990,
as the Minister of Health and family welfare from
1995-1998 and as Minister of Urban
Development from 1998-1999.
Golok Chandra Eminent linguist Morigaon, Passed away at the age of 96, in Guwahati,
Goswami Assam Assam due to old age ailments. In 1985 he
retired from Gauhati University as head of the
Assamese department. In 2018, he was awarded
with Hemchandra Barua Bhasha Sahitya
Sadhana award by the Sadin-Pratidin group.
Golok Chandra Goswami well-known books are
An Introduction to Assamese Phonology,
Structure of Assamese, Assamese-Its Formation
& Development, Dhvani Bigyanor Bhumika,
Asomiya Bornoprakash, anddAsomiya Akhor
Jotoni.
Kodman Former Minister of Moodbidri, Passed away in Mangaluru, Karnataka at 80. He
Amarnath Karnataka Mangaluru, hailed from Moodbidri, Mangaluru, Karnataka.
Shetty Karnataka He was the trustee of Alva's Education
Foundation and also served as the Minister of
Tourism and Labour in the government of
Karnataka.
Vinay Kumar veteran film Mumbai Passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age
Sinha producer of 74. He was a producer of famous film ‘Andaz
Apna Apna’ featuring Aamir Khan and Salman
Khan in lead roles which released in 1994. Born
in 1946, he also served as the Vice President
(VP) of Indian Motion Picture Producers’
Association (IMPPA).
Sunita Chandra Former Indian Bhopal, Madhya Passed away in her hometown Bhopal, Madhya
women’s hockey Pradesh Pradesh. She was an Arjuna awardee, who
team captain played for the Indian women’s hockey team from
1956 to 1966. She had served as team’s captain
from 1963 to 1966.
Jameela Malik Veteran actress Kollam, Kerala Passed away at the age of 73 in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala due to age-related
ailments. Jameela Malik was the first Kerala
woman who graduated from the Film &
Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune,
Maharashtra
Abdul Ghafoor Former Bihar Saharsa district, Passed away at the age of 60 in New Delhi due to
minister & RJD Bihar liver ailment. Gafoor represented Mahishi
party (Rashtriya constituency in Bihar assembly for 4 times
Janata Dal) MLA (1995, 2000, 2010 and in 2015). He was the
(Member of the former Minister of Minority Welfare in Nitish
Legislative Kumar Government of Bihar.
Assembly)
104 | P a g e
Sher Singh Eminent Artist & Buffa district, Passed away in New Delhi after a brief illness.He
Kukkal Sculptor Pakistan was 86. Kukkal, a former art teacher at Sainik
School Satara in Maharashtra, has received
several awards. He was honored with Senior
Fellowship in Visual Art Photography by the
Union Ministry of Culture during 2008-09.
M.kamalam Former Kerala Kerala Passed away at the age of 93 in Kozhikode,
Minister & Senior Kerala due to age-related ailments. Kamalam
Congress leader was elected to the state assembly twice from
Kalpetta, Kerala in 1980 & 1982 and also served
as Cooperation Minister in the K Karunakaran
cabinet from 1982-1987.
Tushar Kanjilal Famous social Noakhali, Passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was
worker, Bangladesh attracted to Marxist ideologies & quit politics in
environmentalist, 1967. He was an awardee of 1986 Padma Shri
educationist & and 2008 Jamnalal Bajaj Award. He also wrote a
writer book “Who killed the Sunderbans?” that deals
with the issue of the destruction of Mangrove
forests.
Ajmal Urdu Poet Harakhpur in passed away at the age of 97 in Sultanpur, Uttar
Sultanpuri Sultanpur Pradesh (UP) due to age related illness. He was
district, UP awardee of 2016b “LifeTime Achievement
Award” by Uttar Pradesh (UP) Urdu Academy for
his contribution to Urdu poetry. His popular
poems are “Kahan Hai Mera Hindustan" and
"Agar Main Tera Shahjahan".
P Matthew Former Indian Passed away at the age of 79 in Chennai, Tamil
Satya Babu basketball captain Nadu (TN). He had represented India in the
Asian Basketball Championship in Seoul, South
Korea in 1967, Bangkok, Thailand in 1969 and
- Manila, Philippines in 1970. He also served as
the coach for Indian Railways (IR) (men &
women) teams in the national championships
and was also the head coach Tamil Nadu (TN)
state team.
Sashi Sarma Famous Assamese Nalbari Dist., Passed away at his home Nalbari, Assam due to
litterateur Assam age-related ailments. He was an awardee of
Soviet Nehru Award in 1968 & the Sitanath
Brahma Chowdhury Award from Assam Sahitya
Sabha. He was a retired professor of Nalbari
college, Assam and his last book ‘Antim Jatra’
was released in 2019.
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INTERNATIONAL
PERSON FIELD BORN PLACE KEY NOTES
NAME
David Joel Stern Former commissioner New York, United Passed away due to brain haemorrhage at
of the NBA (National States (US) the age of 77 in New York. He served as
Basketball commissioner of the NBA for 30 (1984-
Association) 2014) years.
Hans Tilkowski Former West Dortmund- Passed away at the age of 84 due to old age
Germany football Husen, Germany ailments. He played in the 1996 world cup
Goalkeeper against England. He was renowned for a
controversial Geoff Hurst ‘ghost-goal’ at the
1966 World Cup final. Dortmund became
the first German club to win a major
European competition in the UEFA (Union of
European Football Associations) Cup
Winners' Cup in May 1966. in May 1966.
Prem Nath Hoon Former Western Abbottabad, Passed away in Chandigarh. He was born at
Army Commander Pakistan Abbottabad in Pakistan and commissioned
Lieutenant General into the army in 1947. He is one of the most
senior military veterans in the country. He
led the ‘Operation Meghdoot’ the code-name
for the Indian Armed forces to capture the
Siachen Glacier in the kashmir region. He
also served during 1965 in India-Pakistan
war.
Paulo Goncalves Portuguese Esposende city of Passed away after a crash in the seventh
Motorcycle rider Portugal stage of the 42th edition of Dakar Rally 2020
which was held for the first time in Saudi
Arabia. He was 40.He was born on February
5, 1979 in Esposende city of Portugal.He
was born in kottayam District Kerala India.
Neil Ellwood Canadian drummer Hamilton, Canada Passed away at the age of 67 due to brain
Peart and lyricist of rock cancer (glioblastoma) in California, United
band Rush States(US). He hailed from Hamilton,
Canada.
Sultan Omani leader Salalah, Oman Who was ruling the country from 1970 has
Qaboos bin Said passed away after suffering from colon
Al Said cancer. He was 79. He was succeeded by the
Culture Minister Haritham bin Tariq Al
Said.He was born on November 18, 1940 in
Salalah, Oman.He was the fourteenth-
generation descendant founder of the House
of Al Said and the longest serving leader in
the Middle East and Arab world.
Roger Vernon Philosopher and Buslingthorpe Passed away after battling with cancer. He
Scruton Britain's most was 75. In 2019 he was awarded
prominent Commander's Cross with Star of the Order
conservative thinker of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, by
Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor
106 | P a g e
Orban, and also honoured with Grand Cross

of the Order of Merit of the Republic of
Poland, 2019.
Henry Oscar nominated New York, US Passed away at Cedars-Sinai Health Center
Zuckerman screenwriter in Los Angeles, United States (US) due to
heart attack. He was known as Buck Hendry.
He was 89.
Liang Jun Woman who became Mingshui County, Passed away after a brief illness. She was 90.
China's 1st female Heilongjiang Born in 1930 in Mingshui County,
tractor driver, and Province of China Heilongjiang Province of China, Liang
eventually, a national enrolled in a training class for tractor
icon drivers in 1948 and became the only female
in China to take up the job at the age of 18.
Liang’s image was featured on China's one-
yuan Renminbi currency notes.
Legend Rocky World Wrestling Amherst, Nova World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Johnson Entertainment (WWE) Scotia, Canada. legend Rocky Johnson, passed away at 75 in
Lutz, Florida, United States. He was the
father of Hollywood actor and retired
wrestler Dwayne Johnson (The Rock). Rocky
Johnson birth name (Wayde Douglas
Bowles) was born on 24 August 1944 in
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada. He formed a
tag team with Atlas known as ‘Soul Patrol’.
Terence Graham Member of the Monty Colwyn Bay Passed at the age of 77 in London, England
Parry-Jones Python (Comedy due to dementia. He was a very famous
group) actor and writer who played a variety of
characters in the iconic comedy group’s
flying circus TV series, and had also directed
several of their films. In past, an asteroid,
9622 Terryjones, was named in his honour.
Kobe Bean American basketball Philadelphia Died along with his 13-years-old daughter
Bryant legend Gianna in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crash
near Calabasas in Southern California. He
was 41. Seven others, including the pilot,
were killed in the crash. Bryant is the
fourth-leading scorer in National Basketball
Association (NBA) history and selected to
the all-star 18 times and earned a Most
Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2008. He
was one among the several high-profile
nominees for the NBA's 2020 Hall of Fame
class.
Pieter Robert Dutch Football Player Amsterdam, Passed away at the age of 72 in Brussels,
Rensenbrink Netherlands Belgium, as he was suffering from muscular
atrophy for a number of years. In his club
career, he became famous at Royal Sporting
Club (R.S.C) Anderlecht, Belgium where he
won the league title in 1972 and 1974 as
107 | P a g e
well as four Belgian cups in 1972, 1973,

1975 and 1976. He was nicknamed as
“Snake Man.”
IMPORTANT DAYS
OBSERVED DAYS KEY NOTES
DATE / WEEK
January 4, 2020 World Braille Every year across the world to mark the remembrance of Louis
Day Braille who invented Braille script which helps the visually disable
persons to read as well as to write. He lost his eyes just at the age of
3. This led to the invention of language with 6 dots- Braille script.
The day is celebrated by the United Nations (UN) and other
organizations. Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the
town of Coupvray in Northern France. UN Observed First Official
World Braille Day on 4th January 2019 through United Nations
General Assembly's (UNGA) proclamation in November 2018.
January 9, 2020 Pravasi This year its 16th edition was celebrated. It is also called NRI (Non-
Bharatiya Divas Resident Indian) day. The date was chosen because on January 9,
(PBD) Day 1915, Mahatma Gandhi,the greatest Pravasi came to India from
South Africa and led India’s freedom struggle. On this occasion
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) are conferred by the
President of India to NRIs or PIOs(Person of India Origin) or an
organization established by PIOs or NRIs for outstanding
contributions in supporting,promoting and building India’s links
overseas. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated for the first time in
2003 and is observed by Ministry of External Affairs.
January 10, 2020 World Hindi Day Celebrated across the world with the aim to promote the use of
(WHD) Hindi language abroad. The 1st World Hindi Conference was
organized on 10 January 1975 in Nagpur, Maharashtra by then
Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi. It was attended by 122
delegates from 30 countries. The day was 1st celebrated in 2006.
Since then every year 10th January is being observed as the WHD.
‘National Hindi Day’/ Hindi Divas is being celebrated on September
14 every year to promote Hindi across India.
January 12, 2020 The National Every year to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Youth Day National Youth is also famously known as Yuva Diwas. The Theme of
National Youth Day 2020 is “Channelizing Youth Power for Nation
Building”.PM Modi visited Belur Math, the headquarters of
Ramakrishna Mission in Howrah district of West Bengal to mark the
157th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
January 14, 2020 Armed Forces Observed every year as a mark of respect and recognition of the
Veteran’s Day services rendered by Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
OBE (Order of the British Empire),the first Indian Commander-in-
Chief of the Indian Armed Forces who retired on 14 Jan 1953.
Observing since 2017, the year 2020 marked day's fourth
edition. Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff was the
Chief-Guest of the Veteran’s day function which was held at
Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
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January 15, 2020 India celebrated In New Delhi, To honour soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the
its 72nd Army country. The date marks the day on which First Indian General Field
Day Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa took charge as the first
commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949 from General
Francis Butcher, the last British Chief. Captain Tania Shergill from
Punjab, became the first woman parade adjutant in the history of the
Indian Army who led all the men-contingents during the 2020 Army
Day parade in New Delhi, India.
January 19, 2020 National The Pulse Polio Programme 2020 was conducted as a part of
Immunization National Immunization Day across the country. The programme
Day (NID) also aims to protect children less than five years from Polio disease and
known as 'Polio to eliminate Poliomyelitis in India. Puducherry chief minister
Ravivar’ Narayanasamy also launched the Intensified Pulse Polio
Immunization (IPPI) in Puducherry. On March 27, 2014 the World
Health Organization (WHO) declared India a polio free country.
January 19, 2020 15th Raising day In New Delhi, which also saw the release of booklet on SOPs
of the National (Standard Operating Procedure). The Union Minister of State (MoS)
Disaster for home affairs Shri Nityanand Rai was the chief guest on this
Response Force occasion while Shri G.V.V. Sarma, Member Secretary, NDMA
(NDRF) (National Disaster Management Authority) was the Guest of Honour.
NDRF came into force on Jan 19, 2006 is planning to give training for
more than 70000 volunteers by 2024 at the local levels in different
parts of the country.
January 24, 2020 International 2nd edition of International Day of Education observed with the aim
Day of to celebrate the role of education for peace and development. The
Education theme for the year 2020 is 'Learning for people, planet, prosperity,
and peace'. The day was organized by UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in partnership
with the CRI (Centre for Research and Interdisciplinarity), Paris,
France.
January 24, 2020 National Girl Celebrated in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Bhopal under the theme
Child Day “Aware Girl child-able Madhya Pradesh” (Jagruk Balika-Samrath
Madhya Pradesh) under the “Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao” scheme.
National Girl Child Day was started by the Ministry of Women and
Child Development and the Government of India in 2008. The
“National Girl Child Week” is also observes from January 24 to 30.
January 25, 2020 National Voters’ Celebrated across the country over 10 lakh locations. President Ram
Day (NVD) Nath Kovind was the Chief Guest of the NVD organized by Election
Commisssion of India (ECI) at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi with
theme “Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy”. “Belief in the
Ballot-II” developed by ECI in collaboration with Publications
Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and book “The
Centenarian Voters: Sentinels of our Democracy” were launched by
Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics
and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad during the
ocassion.
January 26, 2020 International The theme of International Customs Day 2020 was “Customs
Customs Day fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet”. The
(ICD) day celebrated to encourage and recognize the role of Customs
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officers in maintaining border security. ICD was celebrated to mark

the anniversary of the formation of the Customs Co-operation
Council (CCC) in 1953. At present 183 countries are members of
WCO including India.
January 27, 2020 International United Nations (UN) Department of Global Communications (DGC),
Holocaust Day New York, United States (US) observed International Holocaust Day
all over the world commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust (in
which 1.1 million people were murdered) during World War II.
2020 marks 75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz, the ending
of the Second World War & ending of the holocaust (1941-1945)
with theme “75 years after Auschwitz- Holocaust Education &
Rememberance for Global Justice”. Holocaust or 'the Shoah' was a
genocide attack on the six million Jewish men, women, and children
and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during
World War II which led to the state-sponsored killing.
January 30, 2020 World Neglected Observed officially for the first time to create awareness & also to
Tropical control the diseases. NTDs are caused by pathogens such as viruses,
Diseases (NTD) bacteria, protozoa and helminths & are common in population of
developing regions such as Asia, Africa & the Americas. This
inaugural event was announced by the Crown Prince Court of Abu
Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the
Reaching the Last Mile Forum held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates (UAE) in November 2019.. As per WHO (World Health
Organization), 20 health conditions are categorized as NTDs. The
common NTD of India is Lymphatic filariasis (Hathi Paon). Its Motto
is #BeatNTDs: For good. For all.
January 26, 2020 World Leprosy Observed annually on the last Sunday of January every year. This
Day year, the day was observed on January 26, 2020. In India, it is
celebrated on January 30 every year to commemorate the death of
Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on this day in 1948. The
theme 2020 was “Leprosy isn’t what you think” Leprosy, also known
as Hansen’s disease is a highly contagious infection caused by the
bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
January 30, 2020 National Observed annually on January 30. The year 2020 marks
Martyr’s Day the 72nd anniversary of the Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Divas to pay
homage to the freedom fighters who lost their lives for India’s
Independence from British rule. This day also marks the 72nd death
anniversary of India’s Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi who
was assassinated on Jan 30, 1948 by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Click
here
OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS IN CONTENT FORMAT

World Health Organisation designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse and Midwife
The executive board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated 2020 as International
Year of Nurse and Midwife in honour of 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. The WHO will
also launch first-ever State of the World’s Nursing report in 2020 prior to the 73rd session of the World
Health Assembly. The report will provide assessment of “fitness for purpose” relative to 13th General
Programme of Work (GPW13) targets.
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 WHO has collaborated with 3 year Nursing Now!’ Campaign (2018–2020) to enhance global
health by improving the status of nursing and help in achieving Universal Health Coverage
(UHC).
 According to WHO globally, 9 million more nurses and midwives are needed to achieve
universal health coverage by 2030.
Read full details here: World Health Organisation designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse
and Midwife
CISF observes 2020 as the ‘Year of Mobility’

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will observe 2020 as the ‘Year of Mobility’. It aims for the
creation of more residential units and the implementation of various welfare measures for the troops.
Rajesh Ranjan is the present Director-General of CISF.
Highlights of India’s 71st Republic Day

On January 26, 2020, India celebrated its 71st Republic Day. The day honours the date on which the
Constitution of India came into effect i.e. on 26 January 1950. The brief highlights of the republic day
functions are as follows:
 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attended Replublic day celebrations as a chief guest at
Rajpath in New Delhi. This is the 3rd time a Brazilian president attended as a chief guest of the
republic day.
 16 States and UTs along with 6 central ministries participated. Jammu & Kashmir participated in
the parade for the 1st time as a union territory.
 Captain Tania Shergill led Corps of Signals Contingent: She became the 1st woman officer as
Parade Adjutant on Army Day Parade (15 January, 2020).
 Dhanush gun system Army Air Defence marching contingent took part for 1st time along with
Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile from Mission Shakti and Air Defence Tactical Control Radar
(ADTCR) of the DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation).
 Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi paid homage to the fallen soldiers at the newly-
built National War Memorial in New Delhi, for the 1st time.
 ‘Abide With Me’, the Christian hymn played in republic day.
 The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha
Padak Series of Awards-2019 on 54 persons.
 Service Medals/Gallantry Medals awarded: The maximum gallantry awards (108) were given to
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police.
 Indian Army’s (IA) Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) based 15 corps commander Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet
Singh Dhillon was awarded with Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM).
 Indian Navy’s commodore Jyotin Raina was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (gallantry).
 6 Shaurya Chakras, total of 151 sena medals, 8 Yudh Seva Medals were awarded in the republic
day ceremony. 19 Indian Army officers, including Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir
Singh, have been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
 IAF adjudged best marching contingent among 3 services and CISF first among paramilitary
forces at R-Day parade
Read full details here: Highlights of India’s 71st Republic Day
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APPS & WEB PORTALS

APPS / WEB NAME LAUNCHED BY PURPOSE
Telangana Red Cross Shri Ram Nath
President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind launched a mobile
Kovind, President
app named “Telangana Red Cross” of the Red Cross Society
of India of India in Hyderabad, Telangana during the visit to the
southern parts of India including Telangana, Puducherry,
Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu). The app was developed by the
Telangana Centre for Good Governance. Access to blood
bank and red Cross membership will be made easy through
this app. Click here
www.modnoc.ncog.gov.in Rajnath Singh, For undertaking aerial photography/remote sensing survey
Defence Minister with the final permission of Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) during an ocassion in New Delhi. This
Portal helps in reducing the MoD’s time in issuing NOC and
also speeds the developmental projects and will also ensure
expeditious disposal of applications for carrying out aerial
survey, besides bringing in more transparency and accuracy.
www.cybercrime.gov.in Amit Shah Union Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated Indian Cyber
Home Minister Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi and also
dedicated National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
(www.cybercrime.gov.in) to the Nation. The portal will help
the citizens to report cyber crimes online while I4C, built
with an outlay of Rs. 415.86 crore, will deal all types of
Cyber crimes. Click here
HousingForAll.com Ministry of To facilitate home buyers in identifying genuine properties
Housing and to bring transparency in the sector by offering only
certified projects. The portal is developed by National Real
Estate Development Council (NAREDCO). The online
platform is for the projects that have received occupancy
certificate (OCs).
SAIL SERVICE Minister of Launched a scheme under Steel Authority of India Limited
Petroleum and (SAIL), “SAIL Employee Rendering Voluntarism and
Natural Gas & Initiatives for Community Engagement (SAIL SERVICE)” to
Steel Shri promote and facilitate Voluntary Philanthropist Activities
Dharmendra (VPA) by the employees. The Minister also launched a
Pradhan dedicated interactive “SAIL SERVICE” portal for the
implementation of this Scheme. This portal acts as a
platform for enabling faster interaction and communication
amongst the various stakeholders.
Rojgar Sangi Bhupesh Baghel, An employment-oriented mobile app,‘Rojgar Sangi’
Chhattisgarh(CM) developed by state-run Chhattisgarh State Skill
Development Authority (CSSDA) at the ceremony of youth
fest 2020 held at Science College premises in Raipur,
Chhattisgarh. The app is designed to provide employment to
trained youths under their skill development programme.
The app will act as a bridge between the employment-
generating institutions or individual and skill-trained youth.
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Very Good Morning Mrityunjay Singh The students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Banaras
and Priya Rai Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh have
developed a women security app ‘Very Good Morning’
(VGM) to reduce the crimes against women.By pressing the
mobile’s power button thrice the app sends the location of
the mobile number to the police emergency number. If the
mobile is stolen then the Picture and the location of the thief
will be sent to the emergency numbers when the person
tries to switch it off.
GATI Nitin Jairam Launched an online web portal ‘GATI’, on the pattern of
Gadkari, Minister portal 'PRAGATI', the portal used by the Prime Ministers'
for Road Officer (PMO) for monitoring projects, during the two-day
Transport and long review meeting of National Highways Authority
Highways (NHAI)-Ministry projects in Manesar, Haryana. GATI will be
(MoRTH) used to monitor around 500 projects of Rs 3 Lakh Crore.
V 3.0 Dr. Jitendra Launched the Bhuvan Panchayat Version V 3.0 web portal in
Singh, Union Antariksh Bhavan Bengaluru, Karnataka to support Gram
Minister of State Panchayat Development planning in the country. The
(Independent Minister also released the technical documents related to
Charge) Ministry SISDP (Space Based Information Support for Decentralised
of Development Planning Update)- Update Project.
of North Eastern
Region, MoS PMO
(Minister of State
for Prime
Minister’s Office),
Personnel, Public
Grievances and
Pensions, Atomic
Energy and Space
AC Bytes
Delhi gets First 20-feet-tall Smog Tower to Help Tackle Rising Levels of Air Pollution at Lajpat Nagar
Delhi gets its first 20-ft tall smog tower, which is used to purify the air, has been installed at south
Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market. It can remove up to 80% of the particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10).
India welcomes highest number of New born babies on first day of 2020, Surpasses China: UNICEF
As per UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), India has recorded the highest number of births of
67,385 children on the first day of 2020 in the world. A Total of 3,92,078 babies were born around the
world.
New Zealand batsman Leo Carter becomes seventh cricketer to hit six sixes in an over
Leo Carter, the first New Zealand batsman, became the seventh player in world cricket to hit 6 sixes
across all formats in both domestic and international level and only the fourth batsman to achieve the
feat in T20(Twenty20) Cricket.
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2019 recorded 7th Warmest Year in India Since 1901: IMD

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India has recorded 7th warmest year(2019)
since 1901, however it was lower than the highest warming, that was observed in 2016.
Indian Navy continues to maintain operation Sankalp in Gulf region amid growing tensions
Indian Navy continues to maintain operation Sankalp in the Gulf region amid tension between the US
and Iran in the Middle East, in order to ensure the security of its sea-borne trade and the safety of
Indian Flag Merchant Vessels transiting through the Gulf region, Maritime Security Operations code-
named operation Sankalp was initiated earlier June 2019.
Sachin Tendulkar nominated in Laureus's list for most inspiring sporting event of last 20 years
Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting
event in the last twenty years.Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other
cricketer to feature in the list.
Indian-American Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari is among NASA’s new astronauts:set to conquer Moon, Mars
An Indian-American US Air Force colonel, Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari (41), is among 11 new
NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) graduates who are all set to be a part of the
space agency’s ambitious future missions to the International Space Station (ISS), Moon and Mars.
Ladakh lifts 7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy

Ladakh lifted the 7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy held at the Karzoo Ice Hockey
Rink in Ladakh, which was organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) in association with
the Ladakh winter sports club.
Norway's Magnus Carlsen sets world record of longest unbeaten streak in chess history
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen set a world record of 111 unbeaten classical games after
getting out of trouble against local Jorden van Foreest during their 45-move draw in the fourth round of
82nd Tata Steel Masters 2020 held in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.
Aashman Taneja sets Guinness world record in Taekwondo

A five-year-old boy named Aashman Taneja from Hyderabad, Telangana has made the Guinness Book of
World Records for the most full contact knee strikes in one-hour non-stop in Taekwondo, who
successfully achieved more than 1,200 knee strikes.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupan flagged off Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has flagged off Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express, from
Ahmedabad, Gujarat which is the second premium train, after Lucknow – New Delhi Tejas Express, to
be run by Railway subsidiary IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), covering the
distance of 491 km and running at a top speed of130 kmph.
Tropical Cyclone Tino batters Fiji

Cyclone Tino has hit an island nation of Fiji. Vanua Levu, which is the second-largest island in Fiji was
hit by Cyclone Tino (category 3 storm), where Winds observed at the speed of 130-140 kmph. The
capital and Currency of Fiji is Suva and Fijian Dollar respectively.
RBI denies banning cryptocurrencies; but restriction for Banks

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has confirmed that it has not banned cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin
in India but only ringfenced regulated entities like banks, during the latest supreme court hearing of the
crypto case, which has restricted banks from dealing in bitcoin and crypto, due to concerns for
terrorism financing. The petition filed by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
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Nepal, the 1st South Asian Nation to mediate between India and Pakistan
Nepal became the first South Asian nation, which has offered to "mediate" between India and Pakistan
over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism, as the 2020 SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation) Summit to be held in Islamabad, has been Postponed since 2016.
SIPRI report:China is the world's 2nd-biggest weapons producer

As per the report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China is the world's
second largest producer of munitions behind the United States (US) and ahead of Russia. The report has
covered the period from 2015 to 2017.
West Bengal becomes 4th state to scrap CAA resolution

West Bengal became the fourth state to pass a resolution against the contentious Citizenship
Amendment Act(CAA), prior to it, three states have scrapped controversial CAA law which are Kerala,
Rajasthan and Punjab.
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SUMMITS, EVENTS & CONFERENCE ...............................................................................................................................................................................67

Overview of Cabinet Approvals on 8th January, 2020

Overview of Cabinet Approval with Foreign Countries on Jan 22, 2020

Overview of Cabinet Approvals on January 22, 2020

Overview of Cabinet Approval on Jan 29, 2020

Rajya Sabha panel submits report on child porn

STATEWISE NATIONAL NEWS

Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves proposal to abolish legislative council

AP CM launches Rs 6,318 cr ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme for indigent mothers

10k cameras to be used for 2020 Asiatic lion census in Gujarat

Gujarat to set up Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center soon

Gujarat CM unveiled world’s 2nd tallest statue of Vallabhbhai Patel in Ahmedabad

Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar declared Open Defecation Free

Kerala announces sports awards, Muhammad Anas wins GV Raja award

Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launched 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme

Maharashtra celebrates January 6, 2020, as State’s Journalists’ Day

CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN

15 new investment proposals worth Rs 6608 cr approved in Tamil Nadu

GeM signed MoU with UP for GOTT Project Management Unit

UPSRTC launched ‘Damini’ helpline service for women in Uttar Pradesh

LAUNCHES & INAUGURATION

DPIIT launches paperless licensing process for petroleum road tankers

Govt launches Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD) developed by IIT-Madras

Indian Navy launched 'Operation Vanilla' to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar

13th edition of International Children’s Film Festival inaugurated at Dhaka, Bangladesh

4th Buxa bird festival 2020 commenced in West Bengal

31st International Kite Festival launched in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

23rd National Youth Festival 2020 held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Mizoram sets to celebrate ‘Chapchar Kut’ festival on March 6, 2020

5th edition of Science Film festival 2020 held in Panaji, Goa

Magh Bihu festival celebrated in Assam

13th Jaipur Literature Festival began in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Nagoba Jatra festival celebrated in Telangana

Indian Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022

OTHER NATIONAL NEWS

Overview of PM Modi’s 2-day visit to Karnataka

NEST division is formed by Ministry of External Affairs

Eight States finalized Agriculture Export Policy by the Government of India

Govt allocates Rs 2379 crore for completing Z Morh tunnel in J&K

12th National Tribal Youth Exchange Programme inaugurated in Puducherry

Bengaluru airport first in India to get disabled aircraft recovery equipment

Central Government Notifies National Startup Advisory Council

India’s 1st War Memorial for Service Animals to be set up in Meerut, UP

India's first e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal

Bharat Parv 2020 to be celebrated from 26th to 31st January

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated India’s 1st Super Fab Lab

India's first underwater metro, ‘Kolkata metro’ to be opened by March 2022

ICG commissioned high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka

SC allows govt to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India

Government to release the report of 100 Smarts Cities in June 2020

World’s largest meditation centre opened in Hyderabad, Telangana

10 more wetlands from India declared as Ramsar sites

Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India