RAC E Rapid Academy of Competitive Exams

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Current
Affairs
January 2016
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January 2016
January 01, 2016: National Affairs
ABS will be mandatory for two-wheelers
In an attempt to make roads safer, the Union
government will soon make it mandatory for all twowheelers to fit anti-lock braking system (ABS) and
combined braking system (CBS) by April 2019.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry,
which has released the draft notification, had earlier
planned to implement the rule on all two-wheelers by
April 2018.
Re. 1 for every call drop: TRAI
The regulation that mobile phone users be paid a
compensation of Rs. 1 for every call dropped, up to a
maximum of three calls a day, will come into effect on
January 1.
PAN must for cash payment of hotel bill over Rs
50,000
Furnishing PAN will be mandatory for cash transactions
such as hotel or foreign travel bills exceeding Rs
50,000 a move aimed at curbing the black money
menace.
Besides, PAN will be a must for all transactions,
including purchase of jewellery, above Rs 2 lakhs in
cash or through card with effect from January 1, 2016.
PAN will also be mandatory on purchase of immovable
property of over Rs 10 lakh. This will be a relief to
small home buyers as previously the government had
proposed to make PAN mandatory for property worth
Rs 5 lakh.
PAN – Permanent Account Number
Announced by, Ministry of Finance
BHEL commissions Prayagraj power plant unit in
UP
State-run heavy equipment-maker Bharat Heavy
Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) it has commissioned a 660 MW
unit of the Prayagraj Super Thermal Power Project at
Bara in Uttar Pradesh.
"The unit has been commissioned at the upcoming
3x660 MW Prayagraj Super Thermal Power Project
(STPP) at Bara in Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh,".
The statement said BHEL is the leading power
equipment manufacturer in the country with orders of
43 sets of super-critical boilers and 38 sets of supercritical turbine generators by various customers.
Centre plans ₹1 lakh-crore road projects in UP
Chennai
Madurai
The Centre will take up ₹1 lakh-crore of road works in
Uttar Pradesh in the coming year. This includes
₹45,000 crore of ongoing works in the State.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has set a
target to build the highway in two-and-a-half years.
He added that the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project will
generate employment for local residents. Earlier,
Gadkari also spoke of a road network connecting
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri with Delhi
at a project cost of ₹11,000 crore.
Transport Minister- Nitin Gadkari
International Affairs
Israel rejects book on Jew-Arab love for school
curriculum
Israel‘s Education Ministry has rejected a request to
include a novel about a romance between a Jew and an
Arab in the high school curriculum, reportedly because
of concerns it could encourage assimilation.
Teachers had requested the book Borderlife be included
in the Ministry‘s reading list but its content was
deemed unfit for high school students.
The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a letter written by
education official Dalia Fenig as saying the book
shouldn‘t be included because teens cannot grasp the
―significance of assimilation.‖
Banking and Economy
Banks enter 2016 with $60 billion red ink on
books
As a New Year begins, it‘s not a clean slate for the
banks with balance sheets full of red ink due to huge
bad loans worth about $60 billion and a serious cleanup job is a must in 2016 with the RBI having set a
deadline.
At the same time, the existing public and private sector
banks would also have to prove their competitiveness
in the wake of two entirely new breeds of banks joining
the fray in the form of payments and small finance
banks this year.
RBI asks banks to open more branches in rural
areas
India‘s central bank has asked the lenders to open
more brick and mortar branches in villages with no
banking facilities and with a population of more than
5,000.
The banking regulator has asked banks to submit a
roadmap on how many branches they will be opening
by 31 March 2017. Banks have to submit the roadmap
by end of January 2016.
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Awards and Honours
Kerala
Tourism‘s
Nishagandhi
award
for
Ilaiyaraja
Music maestro Ilaiyaraja has been selected for Kerala
Tourism‘s Nishagandhi Puraskaram 2016 for his
artistic excellence and contribution to the Indian film
music industry.
Minister for Tourism A.P. Anil Kumar said the award will
be presented to the 72-year-old maestro at the
inaugural ceremony of the Nishagandhi annual dance
and music festival commencing here on January 20.
Sports
BCCI‘s top award for Kohli
India‘s Test captain Virat Kohli has won the Cricketerof-the-Year 2015 award. The award is named after
former India captain and all-rounder Polly Umrigar.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) which
won the Ranji Trophy, Zal Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare
Trophy in the 2014-15 season has been declared the
best team.
India crowned world‘s fastest growing aviation
market in 2015 as economy takes off
India was the world‘s fastest growing aviation market
in 2015, expanding more than 20pc as economic
growth on the subcontinent picked up.
The country‘s air travel industry outpaced the 10pc
growth registered in China and 5pc increase in the
United States, according to International Air Transport
Association.
It is widely expected that the South Asian nation will
clock 7.3pc to 7.9pc growth in 2016.
Full implementation of DAVA project to check
fake drugs export
Full implementation of DAVA (Drug Authentication and
Verification Application) project will help check export
of spurious drugs from the country.
The project has won the 2015 eASIA Award under
Trade Facilitation category as announced by Asia
Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic
Business (AFACT) in Tehran.
About DAVA Project:
DAVA project, launched on June 29, 2015, created an
integrated platform for implementation of the track and
trace system both for exports and domestic markets of
drugs and pharmaceuticals.
Chennai
Madurai
Asean To Launch Trade Bloc To Integrate
Southeast Asian Markets
Ten member states of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) will launch an ambitious trade
pact to integrate their markets and allow unrestricted
flow of labor, services and capital across the region.
The U.S.-backed Asean Economic Community (AEC)
Asean‘s business council formally adopted a game plan
for the next decade, which plans to boost economic ties
between the countries in hopes of building an open
cross-border market and production base.
Aim of Trade Bloc
The trade bloc also aims to consolidate to better face
competition from China and Japan, and expects its
$2.6 trillion combined economy to almost double by
2030.
India,
Pakistan
exchange
list
of
nuke
installations, prisoners
India and Pakistan exchanged for the 25th consecutive
year a list of their nuclear installations under a
bilateral agreement that bars them from attacking
each other‘s atomic facilities.
About Bilateral Agreement
The two countries also exchanged, through diplomatic
channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad,
the lists of nationals (including civil prisoners and
fishermen) of each country lodged in their respective
jails.
Business and Economy
Petronet inks significant gas pact with Qatar‘s
RasGas
In a move that will save consumers around Rs 4000
crore, Petronet LNG, India‘s biggest gas importer,
signed a revised contract with RasGas of Qatar to
import gas at a significantly lower price to reflect falling
global prices.
Junior Minister for Oil and Natural GasDharmendra Pradhan
Appointments
Javeed Ahmed appointed as new U.P. police chief
A 1984-cadre of the Indian Police Services, Javeed
Ahmed, was appointed as the new Director General
of Police in Uttar Pradesh.
Preceded by, Jagmohan Yadav (32 yrs of Service)
Khemka promoted
Haryana
as
principal
secretary
in
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R. A. C. E
The New Year has brought cheer for whistleblower IAS
officer Ashok Khemka with the Haryana government
promoting him to the post of principal secretary. A
departmental promotion committee (DPC), headed by
Haryana chief secretary D S Dhesi.
Banking and Economy
SBI to focus on digital branches
State Bank of India has decided to scale down the pace
of opening new brick and mortar branches in the
country. It will open more digital branches. In the
current fiscal, it will open only 500 branches against
the original target of 1,000.
At the inauguration of the bank‘s InTouch (digital)
branch, Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya media
persons that 250 such branches have been planned till
March 31.
RBI tells banks to replace defective 1,000-rupee
notes
Out of 300 million defective banknotes that were
printed in one of the printing presses of governmentowned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of
India, about 100 million of those notes have hit the
market leaving the general public in a tizzy.
About 200 million pieces were transferred to the RBI‘s
currency chests, some of which was then loaded in
banks‘ automated teller machines.
Sport
Neeraj Chopra sets World Junior Leading Mark in
Javelin Throw
Young Indian Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra set a
World-Leading Mark for Junior Athletes (Under-20) by
throwing the 800 gm spear to a remarkable distance of
81.04m at the 76th All India Inter-University Athletics
Championships in Patiala.
Note:
The 18-year old bettered his previous best of 77.67m
which he had created en-route his Indian Open
Nationals victory in Kolkata in September.
Star Sports signs on as title sponsor for Premier
Badminton League
Star Sports has signed up as the title sponsor for the
Premier Badminton League, which will see the world‘s
top shuttlers square off in India‘s largest badminton
tournament.
India‘s largest broadcaster, Star Sports has
already signed up as the League‘s official broadcast
partner.
Chennai
Madurai
Govt decision welcome: Censor Board chief
Nihalani on revamp committee
The Centre constituted a committee headed by
acclaimed filmmaker Shyam Benegal to look at a
possible revamping of the censor board, facing
allegations of stifling artistic freedom under present
chairman Pahlaj Nihalani.
CBFC - Central Board of Film Certification.
Government to roll out LPG-like DBT scheme for
kerosene from April 1
After the success of paying subsidy to LPG users in
their bank accounts, the government will from April 1
roll out a similar programme for kerosene where the
users will buy the cooking fuel at market rate but will
get financial support directly in their bank accounts.
The cash subsidy to be paid to users will be equivalent
to the difference between current PDS price of about
Rs 12 and market rate of Rs 43 per litre.
Alstom delivers ‗Made in India‘ coaches to Kochi
Metro
Alstom coaches are unique as they are the most
modern ones manufactured in India.
Alstom, the French transportation equipment maker,
rolled out the first set of railway coaches for the Kochi
Metro project from its facility at Sri City in Andhra
Pradesh.
The three indigenously-designed and manufactured
coaches were flagged off by Union Minister for Urban
Development and Parliamentary Affairs, M. Venkaiah
Naidu.
Govt forms panel to study wage structure of
gramin dak sevaks
Kamlesh Chandra, a retired member of the postal
services board, will constitute the committee, which
will be assisted by T Q Mohammad, a senior
administrative grade officer, who will act as secretary.
―A one-man committee to examine the wage structure,
service conditions etc of gramin dak sevaks in the
Department of Posts has been constituted by the
Government of India,‖.
The Department of Posts has 2.6 lakh gramin dak
sevaks.
China creates three new Army units to modernise
military
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R. A. C. E
China has created three new military bodies as part of
reforms to modernise its military and improve its
fighting capacity.
State television showed President Xi Jinping giving
military flags to the leaders of the three new units a
general command for the People‘s Liberation Army, a
missile force and a strategic support force. Mr. Xi and
PLA officers and soldiers sang the national anthem at
the inauguration ceremony .
Awards and Honours
Corp Bank gets NPCI awards
Corporation Bank has bagged three awards at the
‗National Payments Excellence Awards 2015‘ event
recently. The function was organised by National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The bank said in a release that these awards were
instituted for recognition of exceptional performance of
member banks.
Corporation Bank received the winner award jointly
with Indian Bank for ‗Cheque Truncation System‘ under
the mid-sized category.
Banking Awareness
PNB launches digital banking solutions
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched slew of
digital banking solutions aimed at improving customer
experience.
The digital solutions launched at the hands of Usha
Ananthasubramanian, Managing Director and CEO,
PNB, include an industry first App enabling the
customer to locate PNB ATM with ‗PNB ATM Assist‘.
Another android based App, ‗PNB MOBIEASE‘ to help
undertake basic banking has also been launched.
Govt. may dilute 25% stake in IDBI Bank
State-run lender, IDBI Bank, is planning to raise
Rs.3,771 crore by way of qualified institutional
placement (QIP) which could see government stake
reduce by 25 per cent, according to an exchange filing.
―Govt. of India has conveyed its approval to IDBI Bank
to raise capital to the tune of Rs.3,771 crore, through
QIP route, at an appropriate time during the year.‖
Mahindra inaugurates bio-CNG plant
Mahindra & Mahindra on inaugurated a bio-CNG facility
here to create carbon neutral ecosystem at Mahindra
World City (MWC).
Chennai
Madurai
Spread over 1,000 square metres, the facility will
convert eight tonnes of food and kitchen waste
generated daily at MWC, into 1,000m3 of raw biogas.
Further the raw bio gas can be enriched to yield
400kg/day of purified CNG grade fuel which is
equivalent to a 200 kW power plant.
Mahindra & Mahindra CEO - Anand Mahindra
E-commerce industry to cross $38 billion this
year
India‘s e-commerce market is likely to touch $38billion-mark in 2016, a 67 per cent jump over the $23
billion revenue it clocked last year, according to the
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(Assocham).
Mumbaikars left behind all other cities in India
shopping online in 2015, while Delhi residents came
second
Assocham - Associated Chambers of Commerce and
Industry in India.
Passed Away
CPI veteran Bardhan passes away
Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI),
Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, passed away. He was 91.
About Bardhan:
A widely respected politician, his influence extended
beyond electoral strength and geographical spread of
the CPI, which he steered through highs and lows
during the challenging era of coalition politics in the
last two decades. He was CPI‘s general secretary for 16
years from 1996.
e-Vahan Bima launched in TS
The e-Vahan Bima is an electronic motor insurance
policy issued in digital form with Quick Response (QR)
code to scan for verification of policy details.
Note:
 An SMS-based verification was also installed. It can
be stored and accessed on smart phones to make the
process of verification easier for commuters as well as
police.
 Telangana became the first State in the country
where electronic motor insurance policies were legally
accepted by police and transport departments.
Science expo to be inaugurated
The Pride of India science exhibition, held as part of
the 103rd Indian Science Congress.
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R. A. C. E
Reckoned to be the biggest science and technology
museum to be held in the country, it will feature over
180 institutions.
Venue: Bangalore
Theme: Science and Technology for Indigenous
Development in India
1.93 lakh houses will be sanctioned
Janmabhoomi Maa Vooru programme gets under way
in all 13 districts. He said the government would issue
12.43 lakh new ration cards and 43.74 lakh new
pensions in the State.
Free diagnostic tests were introduced in all government
hospitals under NTR Vaidya Seva scheme and
emphasis laid on maternal and neo-natal care.
About NTR Vaidya Seva scheme:
The aim of the Government is to provide Universal
Health Coverage to BPL families. The scheme is a
unique PPP model in the field of Health Insurance,
tailor made to the health needs of poor patients and
provides end-to-end cashless services for identified
diseases under secondary and tertiary care through a
network of service providers from Government and
private sector.
N-projects to get equity boost on NPCIL‘s JV
plans with PSUs
With the decks being cleared for state-owned NPCIL to
launch nuclear ventures in collaboration with at least
three other public sector firms, the move could see the
pooling of additional equity worth nearly Rs 30,000
crore for expanding the country‘s installed nuclear
power capacity.
The Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act, one of the five
legislations that got the President‘s approval, will allow
NPCIL to launch collaborations with other public sector
utilities.
NPCIL - Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd
G-Sec holding: FIIs, DIIs raise their share as
banks‘ holding declines
Following a higher interest rate environment and a
relaxation in the investment limit for foreign portfolio
investors in government securities over the last couple
of years, the FII holding of dated securities of
Government of India more than doubled to 3.67 per
cent in FY15.
Note: For MFs, the holding went up from 0.78 per cent
of the total securities in FY14 to 1.89 per cent in FY15,
and for insurance companies it rose from 19.5 per cent
to 20.87 per cent in the same period. Even the share
Chennai
Madurai
of financial institutions rose from 0.7 per cent to
2.1 per cent.
Cabinet to decide soon on WTO pact
The commerce ministry is finalising a draft note on the
trade facilitation agreement (TFA) of the World Trade
Organization and will soon approach the Cabinet for an
approval.
Aim of TFA Agreement
The TFA is aimed at easing customs rules, expediting
the movement and clearance of goods and effective
cooperation between appropriate authorities of
countries concerned on trade facilitation.
India to roll out red carpet for Silicon Valley
chiefs
Chief Executives of companies such as Google‘s Sundar
Pichai, Tesla‘s Elon Musk and Apple‘s Tim Cook, who
met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in San Jose last
September, are among the 2,000 startup invitees
expected for unveiling the government‘s Start Up India
initiative. The global workshop on startups will be held
in the capital.
Earthquake measuring 6.7 on Richter Scale hits
Manipur
An earthquake of moderate intensity rocked India‘s
north-eastern
states
and
adjoining
Myanmar,
Bangladesh and Bhutan.
In India, six people died due to injuries and at least 35
people were injured in Imphal, where a building
collapsed. Reports of injuries also came in from Siliguri
district of West Bengal.
GoAir may get clarity on A320 Neo delivery
schedule by mid-Jan
Budget carrier GoAir, whose fleet expansion plans were
affected after European aircraft maker Airbus recently
indicated a potential delay in the delivery schedule for
A320 Neos, is likely to get clarity on the matter in two
weeks.
CEO: Wolfgang Prock-Schauer
Investment in technology key to CAMS growth
CAMS manages vast data for mutual funds, private
equity, banks, NBFC, insurance companies and even
brokerages. As mutual fund investments are long-term
in nature, technology platforms business processes and
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R. A. C. E
controls are designed to protect
investors.
CAMS Group CEO - N .K. Prasad
the
interest
of
Sports
Lodha Committee Report: Winds of change set to
sweep BCCI
The Supreme Court-mandated Committee headed by
former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha is set to
propose extensive measures to revamp the functioning
of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
About Committee Report
The Committee, which will submit its report to the
Supreme
Court
and
shall
make
public
its
recommendations subsequently, has compiled various
far-reaching proposals to make certain that players are
not treated like employees of the BCCI and that they
are adequately separated from the Board.
Passed Away
Young English cricketer Matthew Hobden dies at
age 22
Matthew Hobden, an English cricketer regarded as one
of the most talented up and coming players in the
country, has died. He was 22.
About Hobden
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced
Hobden‘s death. Kevin Shine, the ECB‘s lead fast
bowling coach, says Hobden was the strongest, most
powerful cricketer I‘ve ever seen on that program up
there with elite athletes from different sports.
Pranab gives assent to 5 key legislations
Mukherjee gave nod to the Arbitration and Conciliation
(Amendment) Act;
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act; the
Commercial
Courts,
Commercial
Division
and
Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act; The
Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act; and the Payment of
Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015.
The Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act will allow staterun Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to
have
collaboration
with
other
public
sector
undertakings in the nuclear field.
Sharif arrives on three-day visit to Sri Lanka
Chennai
Madurai
Pakistan‘s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif commenced his
three-day-long visit to Sri Lanka by launching a
publication on tourism promotion of his country.
Pacts will be signed between the two countries on a
variety
of
subjects
including
counter-terrorism
financing.
Friendship bus service between India-Nepal
resumes
A friendship bus service between India and Nepal via
Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed after a gap of
27 years, much to the delight of people on either side
of the border who have family and trade ties with each
other.
The service had been suspended 27 years back in the
wake of the Indo-Nepal Trade and Transit Treaty.
Appointments
Wipro names Abid Ali Neemuchwala as CEO
Incumbent CEO T K Kurien will become the Executive
Vice-Chairman.
India‘s third largest IT exporter Wipro Limited
announced
the
appointment
of
Abid
Ali
Z.
Neemuchwala as the Chief Executive Officer and
Member of the Board of the company. The company
also appointed the current CEO T.K. Kurien as the
Executive Vice Chairman. Both the appointments will
be effective from February 1, 2016.
T.K. Kurien, will continue to report to Azim Premji and
will remain a Member of the Board until March 31,
2017.
Banking and Economy
SBI to set up special branch for start-ups in
Bengaluru
The country‘s largest bank will soon set up a first-ofits-kind branch to cater exclusively to the growing
banking needs of start-ups.
The bank has zeroed in on Bengaluru, the so-called
Silicon Valley of India, for setting up its dedicated
branch for emerging businesses. Currently, SBI has
specialised branches for large corporates, midcorporates, and small and medium enterprises.
Nabard inks pact with NRSC for web-based
monitoring of projects
Country's apex development bank, Nabard has signed
a pact with National Remote Sensing Centre
(NRSC) for web-based monitoring of its projects in
four states.
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R. A. C. E
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development,
Indo-German Watershed Development ( IGWDP)
projects (are located) in three states- Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Telangana, and Nabard-assisted
watershed projects under Watershed Development
Fund (WDF) in Madhya Pradesh.
About the projects
Under the MoU, NRSC will create a separate web page
for Nabard on BHUVAN web-Portal, develop customised
software tool and mobile application for real time
monitoring, online comparison and visualisation with
respect to activities implemented in the projects
sanctioned by Nabard.
RBI imposes Rs. 1 crore fine on State Bank of
Travancore
Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of Rs. 1 crore on
an SBI associate bank, State Bank of Travancore, for
violation of some of its instructions.
The monetary penalty has been imposed for violation
of its instructions including reporting of data to Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC).
Banks are required to report all such information,
including classification of an account as SMA (Special
Mention Accounts), on all borrowers having aggregate
fund-based and non-fund-based exposure of Rs. 5
crore and above.
Hero Cycles sells record 6 lakh units in December
Bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles sold over six lakh
units last month, an increase of 20 per cent as
compared to December 2014.
The sales registered in December 2015 is the highest
one-month sale in the history of the bicycle industry by
any cycle company in India.
Govt abolishes export duty on iron ore pellets
In 2014, the government had levied a 5 percent export
duty on iron ore pellets, which are value-added
products of leftover material or low grade iron ore and
are used in steel-making.
Iron ore pellet makers as well as some miners had
earlier sought a reduction in the export duty on iron
ore to make it more competitive. Steel and its related
raw material market is facing a tough time on account
of subdued demand and high production, adversely
impacting the prices.
Government okays quotas for women in
paramilitary
The government took an important step to improve
gender equality in the paramilitary by approving
reservation of 33% women at the constable rank in two
major central paramilitary forces CRPF and CISF and
also setting a 15% quota in the border forces BSF, SSB
and ITBP.
These forces together comprise of around nine lakh
personnel of whom only around 20,000 are women as
of now.
Note:
The 33% reservation in constable level posts in Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF) and 14-15 per cent posts in
Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB) and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will come
into effect immediately.
UDAY has 15 takers, Jharkhand first state to sign
MoU
Mineral rich but energy deficit Jharkhand will become
the first state to sign a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the Centre for the Ujwal Discom
Assurance Yojana (UDAY) reforms for state-owned
power distribution companies .
The MoU is a tripartite agreement is between the state
government, the power distribution companies and the
Union ministry of power.
Note
With this, the total number of states that would be
joining UDAY will become 15. The other states that are
on board UDAY are Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand,
Rajasthan,
Gujarat,
Haryana,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
BARC tech to help clean Ganga of industry waste
With the Centre taking multiple measures to fulfill its
clean Ganga mission, the country‘s premier atomic
research body Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
has offered membrane based water treatment system
to clean the national river.
About the Technology
The membrane-based technology can help remove
heavy metals from water in rivers, reservoirs or ponds.
At present, 764 industrial units are located along or
near the banks of the Ganga.
Chennai
Madurai
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R. A. C. E
Volkswagen faces penalties as US sues for
environmental violations
Volkswagen could face penalties exceeding $90 billion,
or as much as $37,500 per vehicle per violation of the
law.
German car maker Volkswagen may face billions of
penalties as the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil
lawsuit against it for violating the Clean Air Act by
installing illegal devices to impair emission control
systems in nearly 600,000 diesel cars.
37-metre-tall golden Chairman Mao statue
A Giant golden statue of Chairman Mao has been built
in the remote Chinese countryside.
The building of the huge sitting image of Mao Zedong,
the late communist revolutionary and founding father
of the People‘s Republic of China, who poured 3 million
yuan.
The statue, which is around 37 metres high, is situated
in a rural area of Tongxu county in Henan Province the
epicentre of a famine which killed tens of millions in the
late 1950s, partly as a result of Mao‘s policies.
Appointment
Mary Barra is General Motors chairman
General Motors chief executive Mary Barra was named
chair of the automaker, smashing yet another gender
ceiling in the US auto industry. Succeeded by, Tim
Solso
Hitachi Solutions acquires US-based Ignify
Hitachi Solutions India has acquired Ignify, provider of
specialised Microsoft Dynamics industry solutions, for
an undisclosed amount.
Note: US-based Ignify was founded in 1999 by
Sandeep Walia and Pankaj Kumar.
Hitachi Solutions India is a subsidiary of the $200million Hitachi Solutions America Ltd, which in turn is
part of the Japan-based $3.4-billion Hitachi Solutions
Ltd.
Banking and Economy
Andhra Bank launches IMPS for money transfer
Andhra Bank has launched Immediate Payment Service
(IMPS) at all its branches in association with the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
A multi-channel, multi-dimensional platform, IMPS
makes payments possible within fraction of seconds
with all the standards and integrity maintained for
security.
About IMPS facility
Chennai
Madurai
Under the IMPS, a real time instant fund transfer
system for inter-bank remittances, the maximum cap
of transaction will Rs.2 lakh. The charges will be at the
rate of Rs.5 per transaction.
Extra-long tweet
Twitter‘s 140 character limit on tweets has long
frustrated and challenged its most verbose users. Now
the company could offer a solution, according to tech
news website re/code: the 10,000 character tweet,
which could be available as soon as March.
Scientists discover invasive species of snowflake
coral off coast of Thiruvananthapuram
Scientists have recently discovered the presence of
several colonies of an invasive species of snowflake
coral off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and
Kanyakumari.
However, scientists have warned that these invasive
species of snowflake coral could pose a serious threat
to the marine ecology of the region.
About Snowflake Coral:
The snowflake coral or branched pipe coral (scientific
name: Carijoa riisei) is a species of soft coral in the
family Clavulariidae.
Native to the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, it has
spread to other areas of the world such as Hawaii. In
1972, it was first reported as an invasive species in
Hawaii.
Since then, it has spread to countries like Australia,
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Largest blue star sapphire found in Sri Lanka
The world‘s largest blue star sapphire, weighing
1404.49 carets and valued at an astonishing $100
million, has been found in a mine in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan gemmologists say the sapphire was found in
the city of Ratnapura, in southern Sri Lanka, which is
known as the ‘City of Gems.‘
A day to remember for Pranav Dhanawade
Pranav Dhanawade continues his record-breaking spree
to become the first cricketer to break the 1,000-run
barrier.
The 15-year-old‘s 1,009 not out off 323 balls
obliterated a 117-year-old record for the highest
number of runs scored in one innings which stood in
the name of Arthur Collins‘s previous record total of
628 in England in 1899.
About Pranav Dhanawade
9
R. A. C. E
The Class 10 student from the KC Gandhi School in
Kalyan, an eastern suburb approximately 60 kilometres
from south Mumbai, achieved the milestone in the
Thane district inter-school tournament for the HT
Bhandari Shield against a depleted Arya Gurukul school
from the same suburb.
Bavuma becomes first black South African to
make test 100
Bavuma became the first black South African to make
a test century, helping his team defy England in the
second test and respond to the tourists‘ huge 629-6
declared with its own mammoth 627-7 declared.
Captain Hashim Amla made 201 and Bavuma reached
102 not out to effectively wipe out England‘s advantage
and push the game toward a draw on a serene batting
pitch where runs flowed and bowlers struggled.
South Africa Capital – Capetown
President – Jacob Zuma
Former CJI S.H. Kapadia passes away
Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the 38th Chief Justice of India,
bid farewell to the world in Mumbai with his integrity,
which he considered his ―only asset,‖ intact. He was
68.
A strict disciplinarian with interests ranging from
Theoretical Physics to Buddhist Philosophy, Justice
Kapadia was best known for his statistical acumen.
Stand Up India Scheme & Coversion of MUDRA
Ltd approved
Union Cabinet has approved the ―Stand Up India
Scheme‖ to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST
and Women entrepreneurs. Under this, the government
aims to achieve the target of at least 2.5 lakh
approvals in three years from the launch of the
scheme.
It envisages reaching out to under-served sectors of
the population by facilitating bank loans repayable up
to 7 years and between 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore for
Greenfield enterprises in the non-farm sector set up by
such SC, ST and Women borrowers.
Rs.1000 crores allocated to LWE affected states
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved the
State wise allocation of Additional Central Assistance
(ACA) of Rs.1000 crores to 35 worst Left Wing
Extremism (LWE) affected districts in 7 states.
Out of 35 districts, there are 16 affected districts in
Jharkhand, 8 in Chhattisgarh, 6 in Bihar, 2 in Odisha
Chennai
Madurai
and one each in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated fund at the
rate of Rs.28.57 crores per district.
Union Cabinet gives nod to MoU with Bangladesh
for operation of traditional haats
The Union cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval
to MoU with Bangladesh for Mode of Operation of
Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border signed in
2010.
The Border Haats are common marketplace which will
promote the well-being of the people dwelling in
remote areas across the borders of the two countries.
Border Haats those are already operational:
Kalaichar
(Meghalaya-Bangladesh
border),
Balat
(Meghalaya-Bangladesh border), Kamlasagar (TripuraBangladesh border), Srinagar (Tripura-Bangladesh
border)
Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first River
Information System of India
Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and
Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the River
Information System (RIS) at a function in New Delhi.
It will facilitate safe and accurate navigation on
National Waterway 1 on the Ganges River.
RIS is being implemented under the overall
responsibility of Inland Waterway Authority of India.
Phase-II of the system from Farakka to Patna and
Phase-III from Patna to Varanasi will be undertaken on
priority.
Government decides to directly shift from BS-IV
to BS-VI Emission norms
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has decided to
directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission norms
directly by 01.04.2020 to address the issue of vehicular
pollution.
A unanimous decision was taken in a meeting chaired
by Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping
Shri Nitin Gadkari.
In BS-V, vehicles have to be fitted with a diesel
particulate filter, which needs to be optimised for
Indian road conditions. In stage VI, selective catalytic
reduction technology has to be optimised.
China admits first same sex marriage rights
lawsuit
10
R. A. C. E
China‘s first lawsuit on same-sex marriage rights has
been accepted by a court, marking a milestone for gay,
bisexual and transgender rights.
Court has accepted the suit of Plaintiff Sun Wenlin
(name changed), a homosexual against the civil affairs
bureau in Changsha‘s Furong district for not accepting
his marriage registration application.
Sun filed the case on December 16 after his marriage
registration application was turned down on the words
―one man and one woman‖ can be registered as
married. The court is expected to hand down a ruling
on the case within six months.
Govt. decided to shut 3 HMT units
Government decided to shut three units of HMT
including HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and HMT
Bearings by offering an attractive voluntary retirement
scheme (VRS) to the employees as per 2007 pay scales
scales to mitigate the hardships being faced by the
employees of HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and
HMT Bearings and close their operations.
Decision by: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Hindustan Machine Tools Limited is a manufacturing
company under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises in India.
Quikr to acquire Commonfloor
Quikr has finalised deal to acquire CommonFloor.com
(real estate portal) for $200 million i.e. Rs.1,300 crore
to strengthen its newly launched vertical, QuikrHomes.
CommonFloor reckons investors such as Accel, Google
Capital and Tiger Global.
Recently, it acquired India Realty Exchange (IRX)
which is a mobile-first aggregator of real estate agents
founded by Vikram Dhawan and Karan Jindal. IRX
helps users connect with them to buy and sell property.
Awards and Honours
Pentagon award to recognise US drone operators
To recognise U.S. troops who have directly affected
battles as drone pilots or in cyber operations, the
Defense Department has awarded them with Pentagon
Award. New award for drone pilots will be a letter ―R‖
device to be affixed to existing service medals.
Drones have been President Barack Obama‘s
counterterrorism weapon of choice. These are used in
the U.S. pursuit of militant groups in Somalia, Nigeria,
Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
Chennai
Madurai
Defense officials are looking at recommendations for
Silver Star and Service Cross medals made since
September11, 2001 during the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Appointments
Vedanta appoints Cairie as head for Metals
business in India
Vedanta appoints Cairie as head for Metals business in
IndiaVedanta Ltd appointed Samir Cairae as CEO of the
Metals division in India. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of Diversified Metals (India). Member of the Vedanta
Executive Committee team, the firm led by Anil
Agarwal (NRI billionaire).
Science & Technology
NASA discovers five ‗superstars‘ in other galaxies
NASA discovers five 'superstars' in other galaxiesFor
the first time, Five objects in other galaxies have
founded which are parallel to Eta Carinae,the most
luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000
light years of Earth and that using data from NASA‘s
Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
Sports
Apurvi Chandela Clinched ―Gold with Record‖ at
Swedish Air-Rifle Championship
Young Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela (23) began her
year on a high by winning the Gold with a world record
in the 10m Air Rifle at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix. For
her outstanding performance in the tournament, she
was awarded a Walther rifle, besides being crowned
the best shooter (men and women combined).
World No.7 Chandela had a tally of 211.2 which
surpassed the feat of Chinese Olympic gold medallist Yi
Siling, who held the record with 211.
ONGC won 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey
tournament
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation won 26th Lal Bahadur
Shastri hockey tournament and defeated Indian
Railways 3-0 on penalties at the Shivaji Stadium.
Sumit deflecting a Diwakar Ram push off the team‘s
first penalty corner.
It is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of
India, under the the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural
Gas and is India‘s largest oil and gas exploration and
production company.
Passed Away
11
R. A. C. E
First Muslim Home Minister Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed passes away
The 6th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed passed away at All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi due to
multiple organ failure. Sayeed (79) was survived by his
wife, three daughters including PDP President
Mehbooba Mufti and a son.
The Union government has declared a day of national
mourning following his death. National flags across the
country flown at half-mast.
Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passes
away
Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passes away
renowned Gujarati author Labhshankar Thakar(80)
passed away. He was a modernist poet, playwright and
story writer who was particularly influenced by bizarre
theatre.
Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, MEA merged
In order to avoid duplication of work and to improve
efficiency, the government merged the Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the Ministry of
External Affairs.
Explaining the official line, a spokesperson of MEA said
the merger of MOIA was to avoid ―duplication‖ as
most of the work of MOIA was done by Indian missions
abroad. ―Even the information for answering the
questions related to MOIA in Parliament used to be
provided by the Indian missions,‖.
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry – Smt.
Sushma Swaraj
Ministry of Economic Affairs - Minister Shri Arun
Jaitley
Punjab bans manufacture of gutkha, pan masala
Punjab CM ordered ban on manufacture of food
products containing tobacco or nicotine like ‗gutkha‘
and ‗pan masala‘ in the State with immediate effect.
The Health Department to take immediate steps to
ensure complete ban on manufacturing of ‗guthka‘,
‗pan masala‘, processed/ flavoured/ scented chewing
tobacco and any other food products containing
tobacco or nicotine in the state.
Chief Minister - Parkash Singh Badal
The central government has given final approval to the
proposed Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in
Chhattisgarh‘s upcoming capital Naya Raipur.
About the Plan & Place
The proposed EMC to come up in 70 acres area as a
special industrial park, will see the manufacturing of
television set, CCTV cameras, set-top box, LED lights,
computer related equipmentand other electronic
gadgets.
It will be located at Tuta village in Sector-22 of Naya
Raipurwhere around 61 industries would be set up
which are expected to draw investments worth around
Rs 2,000 crore.
Appointments
Senior Bureaucrat Amitabh Kant Appointed As
Niti Aayog CEO
Amitabh Kant, Secretary in the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion, was appointed as the
Chief Executive Officer of Niti Aayog. He will take over
the new job after his retirement, next month-end.
About Mr. Kant
59-year-old Mr Kant has been appointed in place of
former IAS officer Sindhushree Khullar, who was
appointed as the first CEO of the National Institution
for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog, a body that has
replaced Planning Commission, for a fixed one-year
term beginning January 1, last year
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Chairman of Niti
Aayog.
Unicorn India raises Rs. 40 crore in first closure
Unicorn India Ventures, a SEBI registered AIF-I VC
fund, started by Anil Joshi and Bhaskar Majumdar, has
done its first close of Rs. 40 crore of its Rs. 100 crore
fund.
The fund will invest in early stage start-ups in the
areas like social media, mobile, analytics, cloud tech
and IOT.
BHEL commissions 2 substations in Afghanistan
Bharat
Heavy
Electricals
Limited
(Bhel)
has
commissioned
two
220/20kV
substations
in
Afghanistan. The project has been executed by BHEL
on EPC basis.
The substations have been commissioned at Charikar,
around 60 km from Kabul, and Doshi, around 150 km
from Kabul.
Centre approves proposed EMC in Naya Raipur
Netflix launches
500/month
Chennai
Madurai
service
in
India
for
Rs
12
R. A. C. E
Netflix‘s entry into India was cheered by its smaller
competitors as they believe that US-based company‘s
efforts to educate users and create habits on
consuming video online, will benefit them in the long
run.
In an unprecedented global rollout, video streaming
service Netflix made a big splash by launching its
service in India and 129 more countries. But the likes
of Hungama, Spuul and Hooq say that the arrival of a
giant would only ease their efforts in decoding the
complicated market that India is.
Quikr merges with CommonFloor to create
biggest real estate vertical
Online classifieds portal Quikr announced the merger of
real estate listing company CommonFloor.com, making
the combined entity the biggest in the space.
Analysts feel the merger will accelerate the growth of
Quikr Homes, the result of a recent verticalisation
strategy of Quikr.
ICICI Bank to partner FINO PayTech for
payments bank
ICICI Bank will partner FINO PayTech to foray into the
payments bank space.
The ICICI Group, with about 16 per cent stake in FINO
Paytech, a business correspondent, is the largest
domestic shareholder.
FINO Paytech has received ‗in principle‘ licence from
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a payment
bank.
IIT-alumnus‘s
company
launches
unique
wearable gaming platform
SuperSuit is designed as a wearable gaming platform
aimed to reduce screen time for kids and increase their
social interaction and physical activities.
A game design company in the U.S., founded by an
IIT-educated entrepreneur, has showcased a first of its
kind wearable gaming platform meant to reduce screen
time for children and increase their social interaction
and physical activities.
IFSC banking units can open foreign currency
current a/cs
Banking units operating in International Financial
Service Centres (IFSCs) can now open foreign currency
current accounts of units operating in IFSCs and of
non-resident institutional investors to facilitate their
investment transactions.
Chennai
Madurai
The RBI, in its notification, also clarified that the IBUs
cannot raise liabilities from retail customers including
high net worth individuals (HNIs). Also, no cheque
facility will be available for holders of current accounts
in the IBUs. All transactions through these accounts
must be undertaken via bank transfers.
Banking and Economy
Bandhan Bank mobilises ₹5,000-cr deposits till
Dec
Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank is making rapid progress
in deposit collection and credit operations.
The bank, which started operations in August last year,
has already opened 605 branches across 27 states.
According to Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Founder-MD and
CEO of Bandhan Bank, deposits grew to nearly ₹5,000
crore in a little over four months of its existence.
Note:
The loan book stands at ₹11,500 crore and is
estimated to reach ₹13,000 crore by the end of this
fiscal. Around ₹500 crore of its loans that qualify as
priority sector lending has been sold to other banks
under IBPC (inter-bank participatory certificates).
River Information System Launched
In a first of its kind of initiative, the Union Government
launched a River Information System (RIS) that will
facilitate safe and accurate navigation on National
Waterway 1 on River Ganga.
RIS is being implemented under the overall
responsibility of the Inland Waterway Authority of
India, a statutory body administered by the Ministry of
Shipping.
Note
The Transport Minister said that Phase- II of the River
Information System from Farakka to Patna and PhaseIII from Patna to Varanasi would also be implemented
on priority.
Jallikattu in T.N., bullock cart race in Maharashtra
cleared
The Centre issued a notification to permit jallikattu,
Tamil Nadu‘s traditional bull-taming sport, ahead of the
Pongal festival.
The present order permits jallikattu and bullock cart
races in Maharashtra, etc. despite Attorney General
Mukul Rohatgi reportedly advising the government
against revoking the ban in view of the Supreme
Court‘s ruling.
13
R. A. C. E
Appointments
Pushan Mahapatra Appointed as SBI General
Insurance MD, CEO
SBI General Insurance has appointed Pushan
Mahapatra as its new managing director and chief
executive officer.
SBI General Insurance is a joint venture between
State Bank of India and Insurance Australia
Group .
About Mahapatra
Mr Mahapatra, who took over the reins on January 1,
has been associated with the private sector non-life
insurance firm since July 2014 as general manager and
chief operating officer.
He will head the company's growth across State Bank
of India's network of 19,000 branches, SBI General
Insurance's 90 branches and an additional network of
350-plus satellite branches.
Former Gujarat Cadre IAS Officer Sikri Appointed
CCI Chief
Devender Kumar Sikri, a former IAS officer of the
Gujarat cadre, was appointed Chairman of fair-trade
regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
About Sikri
62-year-old Sikri succeeds Ashok Chawla, whose over
four-year tenure as CCI chief ended. Chawla has been
the former Finance Secretary and had succeeded
Dhanendra Kumar, who demitted office in June 2011.
Sikri will have a tenure of about two and half years, i.e
till he attains the age of 65 years.
Bhanumurthy is the new COO of Wipro
veteran Bhanumurthy B. M. as the President and Chief
Operating Officer and also appointed another senior
leader G. K. Prasanna as the head of a newly formed
created unit, Marketing, Innovations and Technology
(MIT).
These announcements were made by newly appointed
CEO Abidali Neemuchwala in an internal mail sent to
Wipro employees.
Airtel appoints Rakesh Bharti Mittal nonexecutive director
Bharti Airtel named Rakesh Bharti Mittal as nonexecutive director in place of Rajan Bharti Mittal. Both
Rakesh and Rajan are vice-chairmen of Bharti
Enterprises, of which Airtel is a group company.
Rajan Bharti Mittal quit his position effective January 7,
2016.
Chennai
Madurai
Science and Technology
ASW corvette INS Kadmatt to be commissioned
at Vizag
'INS Kadmatt', the second indigenous stealth antisubmarine warfare corvette, will be commissioned by
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan at
naval dockyard.
A unique feature of the ship is the high level of
indigenisation incorporated in the production,
accentuating the national objective of 'Make in India'.
Note
'Kadmatt' is the latest indigenous ship after 'Shivalik'
class, 'Kolkata' class and 'INS Kamorta' wherein a
plethora of weapons and sensors have been integrated
to provide a 'Common Operational Picture (COP)'.
Indo-French military exercise 'Shakti-2016'
Indian and French troops will begin their eight-day
counter-terrorism
and
counter-insurgency
joint
exercise in Rajasthan.
The French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th
Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade, which had
taken part in the Afghan war, had arrived in Jodhpur to
take part in 'Shakti-2016'.
The exercise is an important step for the armies to
train together and gain from each other's rich
operational experience.
China‘s
Ctrip
to invest
$180
million
in
MakeMyTrip
China‘s travel service provider Ctrip.com will invest
$180 million in MakeMyTrip through convertible bonds.
MakeMyTrip has also granted Ctrip permission to
acquire MakeMyTrip shares in the open market, so that
combined with shares convertible under the convertible
bonds, Ctrip may beneficially own up to 26.6 per cent
of MakeMyTrip's outstanding shares.
Mukesh Ambani to invest in West Bengal
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, has
committed to invest in West Bengal.
Investments will come mostly through its telecom arm,
Reliance Jio. Around Rs. 5,000 crore has already been
invested through the arm in laying high-speed optical
fibre (for faster broadband connections) and connecting
various parts of the State.
Maruti to unveil new compact SUV Vitara Brezza
at Auto Expo
14
R. A. C. E
Country‘s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India will
unveil its new compact SUV ‗Vitara Brezza‘ at the
upcoming Delhi Auto Expo.
The Vitara Brezza will compete with the likes of Ford
EcoSport, Mahindra TUV300, besides being pitched
against Renault Duster and Hyundai Creta which are
priced in the range of Rs. 6.79 lakh to Rs. 13.77 lakh.
In its latest Global Economic Prospect report which is
released every six months the World Bank marginally
reduced India's growth rate 0.2% in 2015 and 0.1% in
both 2016 and 2017.
The World Bank estimates that China grew at an
estimated 6.9% in 2015 (0.3% less than its June
projection).
Awards and Honours
Raghuram Rajan Conferred Central Banker of the
Year Award
Raghuram Rajan has been conferred with the Central
Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for
2016 by 'The Banker', a monthly publication of the
Financial Times Group focussing on banking.
At 7.4 per cent, India's 2015 third-quarter gross
domestic product growth was the strongest among
large economies.
Sri Lankan parliament begins process to adopt
new Constitution
Sri Lankan parliament began a process to formulate a
new
constitution
with
Prime
Minister
Ranil
Wickremesinghe presenting a resolution to set up
Constitutional Assembly of all members for the
purpose.
The new constitution will replace the current executive
president headed constitution adopted in 1978.
Books and Authors
'Mein Kampf' published in Germany for first time
since WWII
A German historical institute is launching an annotated
edition of ―Mein Kampf,‖ the first version of Adolf
Hitler‘s notorious manifesto to be published in Germany
since the end of World War II.
Bavaria‘s state Finance Ministry had previously
prevented the book‘s publication, but its copyright
expired 70 years after the Nazi leader‘s death.
Avoid wearing ‗Army-pattern‘ dress, Army tells
civilians
The Army asked civilians to avoid wearing ―Armypattern‖ dresses and shopkeepers to refrain from
selling combat clothes, as it issued fresh guidelines to
the public to prevent terror attacks.
The guidelines, to be followed across the country, come
nearly a week after six terrorists infiltrated through the
border and launched attack at the Air Force station in
Pathankot, claiming the lives of seven security
personnel.
Banking Awareness
Banks may put ₹3-lakh cr of bad loans on the
block in 2017
Once the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill is passed, the
sale of bad loans to asset reconstruction companies
(ARCs) could improve substantially to 30-35 per cent of
the loans put on the block by banks and financial
institutions from the current 10-15 per cent, according
to a top Arcil official.
The Bill, introduced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
the Lok Sabha on December 31, seeks to promote
entrepreneurship and the availability of credit.
ARCIL - Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Limited
Bengal secured investment of over Rs. 250,000 cr
West Bengal has secured investments commitments to
the tune of at least Rs. 250,104 crore. Speaking at the
concluding day of the two-day Bengal Global Business
Summit, Banerjee.
In the summit concluded last year, Bengal had secured
investments to the tune of Rs. 243,000 crore, of which
proposals worth Rs. 95,000 crore have materialised
and the remaining are under process.
In 2017, the summit will be held on January 20 and
January 21.
India to grow at 7.8% this year: World Bank
India is projected to grow by a robust 7.8% this year
and 7.9% in the next two years, the World Bank
forecast said, citing strong investor sentiment and the
positive effect on real incomes of the recent fall in oil
prices.
Government Launches 2 Online Forums to
Improve LPG Customer Service
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has
launched an online initiative to seek suggestions from
LPG consumers across the country, which will help in
providing efficient and friendly service.
Two online discussion forums Citizen Friendly Services
and Increasing LPG Coverage in the Country – have
Chennai
Madurai
15
R. A. C. E
been launched and are available on myGov.in and
mylpg.in.
Note:
The initiative is part of steps being taken to observe
2016 as the ‗Year of LPG Consumers‘.
Governor‘s rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir came under governor‘s rule as
process of new government formation following the
death of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will
take some time.
Governor‘s rule had to be imposed in view of the
reluctance of Mufti‘s daughter Mehbooba to take oath
during the mourning period though her party has
already conveyed to the governor that 28 MLAs of the
PDP legislature party backed her for the chief minister‘s
post.
Techies turn 3 villages of Madhya Pradesh into
free Wi-Fi zone
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Digital
India initiative, four techies from Madhya Pradesh‘s
Rajgarh district have turned three remote villages into
first free Wi-Fi hamlets in the country without
government funding.
Though official inauguration was done on January 1,
the service began on November 17 as we were testing
the services for over a month.
President signs ordinance to amend Enemy
Property Act
An ordinance to amend the 47-year-old Enemy
Property Act has been approved by President Pranab
Mukherjee to allow custodians to continue to hold sway
over such properties.
The custodian of enemy property in the country is an
Indian government department that is empowered to
appropriate property in India owned by Pakistani
nationals.
After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Enemy
Property Act was promulgated in 1968.
The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation)
Ordinance, 2016, which amends Enemy Property
Act,1968 and the Public Premises (Eviction of
Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, has been
promulgated by the President.
24th New Delhi World Book Fair opens
Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the
24th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair which
commenced here with China as the guest of honour
Chennai
Madurai
country and a theme presentation of the cultural
heritage of India.
The nine-day fair, touted as the largest in Asia, is
hosting about 30 countries in which a series of
programmes including panel discussions, dramas,
classical and folk dances, workshops, discussions,
authors‘ meets, conferences, seminars and cultural
programmes will be held.
China was invited to be the guest country after the visit
of Chinese President Xi Jinping here last year where he
signed a memorandum of understanding with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
China‘s country code domain ―.cn‖ becomes
world‘s largest
China‘s country code domain ‗.cn‘ has become the
world‘s most commonly used in the internet with 16.36
million users, surpassing Germany‘s ‗.de‘ domain.
According to the data released by the China Internet
Network Information Centre (CNNIC), which manages
the domain, ‗.cn‘ had 16.36 million users by the end of
2015.
As China began to require real-name registration in
2009, the ‗.cn‘ domain is able to protect users‘
interests and reduce online theft, phishing and fraud.
In the past, Germany‘s ‗.de‘ domain had the largest
number of registered websites.
China has around 670 million internet users and over
4.13 million websites, according to the official data.
Appointments
Urjit Patel to be RBI deputy governor for 3 more
years
The government re-appointed Urjit Patel as the deputy
governor of Reserve Bank of India for a three-year
term, ensuring continuity for the team spearheading
the country‘s monetary policy under Governor
Raghuram Rajan.
Patel, a close confidante of Rajan for shaping and
implementing monetary policy, was earlier appointed
as deputy governor for a period of three years from
January 11, 2013.
Patel is the fourth deputy governor, the other three
being HR Khan, R Gandhi and SS Mundra.
Hindustan Zinc to invest Rs.8,000 cr
Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) will invest Rs.8,000 crore in
the next 3-5 years as the Vedanta Group firm looks to
expand operations and capacity.
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R. A. C. E
The firm aims to take the existing ore production levels
of 9.36 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 14 MTPA
and finished metal production to 1.10 MTPA from 0.85
MTPA.
Trans India launches online travel agency
Offline travel agency Trans India Holidays Group
announced that it has forayed in the online travel
space with the launch of ‗BigBreaks‘ with an aim to
allow customisation of travel plans.
Besides offering regular flight and hotel bookings,
BigBreaks specialises in offering customised package
deals to its customers, the statement said.
Indian-American professor develops method to
hunt dark matter
Sukanya Chakrabarti, assistant professor at Rochester
Institute of Technology in New York, uses waves in the
galactic disk to map the interior structure and mass of
galaxies.
An international team of scientists led by an IndianAmerican professor has discovered a new method that
may help in detecting dwarf galaxies dominated by
dark matter and explain ripples in the outer disk of the
galaxy.
Azim Premji ‗Most Generous Indian‘ for Third
Year Running
IT czar Azim Premji is the ―Most Generous Indian‖ for
the third year running, according to a list by Hurun
India.
According to the Hurun India Philanthropy List, which is
a ranking of the most generous individuals from the
country, 70-years-old Azim Hashim Premji was named
as the most generous Indian as he donated Rs 27,514
crore for education, followed by Nandan Nilekani and
Narayana Murthy in the second and third places,
respectively.
The Azim Premji Foundation is working for empowering
education in India. It works in eight states and has
more than 3,50,000 schools.
Sports
Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis pair starts 2016 with
Brisbane International title
The Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, the No.1-ranked
team in the world, won their first title beating
German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea
Petkovic at the Brisbane International.
Mirza and Hingis have won six titles in this run, at
the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, the WTA
Finals and now Brisbane.
Chennai
Madurai
Passed Away
Rhythm and blues singer Otis Clay dies at 73
Rhythm and blues artist Otis Clay, a Blues Hall of Fame
musician who also was a community activist on
Chicago‘s West Side, has died. He was 73.
About Otis Clay
The one-time Grammy nominee, inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame in 2013, died of a heart attack.
India Post rides e-commerce boom, reaps big
rewards
For India Post, the boom in e-commerce deliveries is
proving to be a big money spinner, especially the
surging cash-on-delivery consignments of the country‘s
top online sellers Amazon, Snapdeal and FlipkartMyntra.
Note:
 The postal department‘s revenues by ways of COD
consignments from e-commerce majors have more at
Rs 1,000 crore, up from Rs 500 crore during the whole
of 2014-15, and just Rs 100 crore in 2013-14.
 The incremental e-commerce revenue boost are at
the heart of his plans to revive the fortunes of India‘s
postal service.
Plan to install 2,500 wi-fi hotspots by next fiscal
The Government is targeting to reach the 50-crore
internet subscribers mark in the next 6-7 months,
besides installing 2,500 wi-fi hotspots at 256 places by
the next fiscal.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of stock
exchange BSE‘s free wi—fi service to public, which
has been launched in partnership with Tata
Docomo.
The wi—fi hotspot project will provide a major fillip to
the ‗Digital India‘ initiative.
ISRO conceives two ‗space parks‘
Two space industry enclaves or ―parks‖ that have been
conceived one for launchers at Sriharikota and a
smaller one at an existing Bengaluru spacecraft
campus signal increased privatisation of the nation‘s
space programme over the next five years.
First, ISRO wants to groom and engage domestic
industry in the launch vehicles area from integrating
sub-systems up to assembling, and even launching the
PSLV.
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R. A. C. E
Eventually the future consortium will be fully
responsible for building and launching the light-lift
PSLV rocket.
Persons in News
Snapdeal marketing head quits
Srinivas Murthy, Senior Vice President of Marketing, at
e-commerce major Snapdeal, has put in his papers to
start his own venture.
Murthy added that he will announce his venture in the
next few months.
This is the second major exit at Snapdeal after its
Head of Strategy Ranjan Kant quit joining online
apparel retailer Jabong as its Chief Marketplace
Officer.
Domestic IT spend to grow 13.5% in 2016
According to research firm Core Quadrant, the
domestic IT industry revenue in India is expected to
grow to Rs. 1.91 lakh crore in 2016, against a spending
of Rs. 1.68 lakh crore in 2015.
This will be driven by a broader set of digital initiatives,
beyond the limited focus on mobility, cloud, and social
media in 2015.
Reliance Group to invest Rs 5K crore in naval unit
Reliance Group has proposed to set up a naval
shipbuilding
facility
in
Rambilli,
near
Visakhapatnam. The group will be investing Rs 5,000
crore in phases in the proposed state-of-the-art facility.
Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, who announced
this during the CII Investor Partnership Summit, signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the
Andhra Pradesh government in this regard.
Awards and Honours
Kate Winslet leads early Golden Globes winners
Kate Winslet led the early winners at the Golden
Globes as an unapologetic Ricky Gervais kicked off the
glitzy ceremony by taking shots at some of Hollywood‘s
biggest names.
Winslet was visible shocked as she won best
supporting actress for her role as Joanna Hoffman in
biopic ―Steve Jobs‖.
Jaitely to be chief guest at Invest Karnataka 2016
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be the chief guest at
the inaugural ceremony of Invest Karnataka 2016,
which begins on February 3.
Chennai
Madurai
As part of the event, the government has listed around
145 projects from various sectors like infrastructure,
renewable
energy,
aviation
and
defence,
biotechnology, and pharma for the investors, of which
48 are listed in Bengaluru and will be showcased at the
event.
Government launches web-based rail track
management
In a major step towards digitization, the Indian
Railways launched a web-based system to monitor
track maintenance on a real-time basis by replacing
more than a lakh registers related to it.
About the Rail Track Management
 The web-based management of track maintenance
will be implemented in all the 68 divisions of the Indian
Railways.
 Various activities such as track inspection,
monitoring and maintenance will now be done on the
e-platform.
 The system will give alerts through SMS and e-mails
to the concerned officials in the Railways.
Appointment
Binny Bansal is CEO of Flipkart
E-commerce major Flipkart‘s big bang management
reshuffle, which saw co-founder and CEO Sachin Bansal
relinquishing his role to install another co-founder and
COO, Binny Bansal, in his place.
About Flipkart
 The country‘s largest e-commerce company is
currently valued at $15 billion and has so far raised
$3.15 billion in 12 rounds from 16 investors.
 Mukesh Bansal has been given the additional role of
heading the ads business and continues as head of
Commerce Platform, a core function at Flipkart, and as
Chairman of Myntra, which he founded and was later
acquired by Flipkart.
Sikri takes over as new CCI chief
Devender Kumar Sikri has taken over as the Chairman
of Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Mr. Sikri, a 1975 Gujarat cadre IAS officer, replaces Mr
Ashok Chawla who demitted office on January 7. The
62-year-old Sikri, who superannuated as secretary,
department of justice on July 31, 2013, will have a
two-and-a-half year tenure until he turns 65.
‗MoUs worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore may be signed in
CII summit‘
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R. A. C. E
Power minister Piyush Goyal said MoUs worth about
R1.5 lakh crore are expected to be signed during the
22nd CII Partnership Summit in Vizag.
The MoUs will be mainly for renewable energy and
infrastructure projects.
Anil Ambani‘s Sasan Power to get ₹ 7,500-cr
CERC bounty
Anil Ambani Group‘s Reliance Power stands to gain an
estimated ₹7,500 crore from the electricity sold from
its ultra mega power project Sasan Power Ltd.
This is due to a compensation cleared by the Central
Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) after the
regulator approved a ‗change in law‘ petition of Sasan
Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Power.
Indian Oil to spend $600 million on Paradip
refinery upgrade
Indian Oil Corp aims to invest 40 billion rupees (USD
600 million) in upgrading its newest refinery in the
eastern part of the country after the central
government decided to bring forward by four years the
introduction of road vehicle fuels which are compliant
with Euro VI emission standards to April 2020.
Aurobindo Pharma to build pharmaceutical
factory in Saudi Arabia
Indian
pharmaceuticals
manufacturer
Aurobindo
Pharma has become the latest global conglomerate to
launch its factory in Saudi Arabia.
The company's investment arm has leased a site in
Phase one of the King Abdullah Economic City's (KAEC)
Industrial Valley to build its first manufacturing facility
in Saudi Arabia to produce oral tablets and capsules.
The company intends to invest in a phased plan,
starting with the production of medicines to treat
chronic diseases.
Banking and Economy
Bank of Baroda pays Rs 95 cr as interest on
Basel-III bonds
Bank of Baroda said it has timely paid over Rs 95 crore
as interest to the beneficiaries of its additional tier-I
Basel-III compliant bonds issue of Rs Rs 1,000 crore.
The payment was done through RTGS/NEFT to 75
beneficiaries, it added.
HDFC Standard Life floats reinsurance arm in
Dubai
HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary
of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC),
Chennai
Madurai
has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary in the
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
HDFC International Life and Re Company Ltd (HILRCL),
it will have an initial capital outlay of $12.33 million.
As a consequence, Standard Life will increase its
shareholding in HDFC Life to 35 per cent from 26 per
cent at present.
BSE to get its own postal stamp
Asia's oldest stock exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange,
will get its own postage stamp.
BSE had recently become the world's fastest stock
exchange clocking a median trade speed of six micro
seconds.
It has also cemented its position among the largest
exchanges of the world in terms of total market
capitalization of listed firms, after hitting a milestone of
Rs 100 lakh crore.
Sports
Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or over Cristiano
Ronaldo & Neymar
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon
d'Or award for the world's best player for the
fifth time.
United States midfielder Carli Lloyd, who scored a
hat-trick in the World Cup final, won the women's
award.
England coach Mark Sampson was beaten to the
women's football coach of the year award by USA
boss Jill Ellis.
About Messi's 2015 in numbers
61 games, 52 goals and 26 assists.
A goal every 101 minutes and an assist every 202
minutes.
Best minutes-per-goal rate - 80 - of anyone scoring a
minimum of 10 goals across Europe's top five leagues
during 2015. Scored in all six club tournaments in
2015, as Barcelona won five of them.
Sony joins with ESPN to launch 2 sports channels
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) announced the
launch of two sports channels in partnership with
ESPN, which is making a comeback in India.
The two channels, SONY ESPN and SONY ESPN HD.
As per the agreement, the broadcasters will offer
sports channels under the brand name Sony ESPN
along with a multi sport website and an app, which will
provide coverage of cricket, football, tennis, NBA,
badminton and hockey among others.
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ICC announces MoneyGram as Event Partner
The ICC and MoneyGram International, a leading
global provider of money transfer services, an eightyear deal which confirms MoneyGram as an event
partner for ICC events from 2016-2023.
A media release by ICC stated, ―The ICC and
MoneyGram recently completed a successful five-year
partnership, which began with the ICC World Twenty20
West Indies 2010, concluding with the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2015.
Passed Away
British singer Singer David Bowie dies at 69
British singer-songwriter David Bowie has died at the
age of 69 after battling cancer for 18 months.
Maria Teresa de Filippis, first female Formula One
driver, dies aged 89
Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to compete in
a world championship Formula One grand prix, has
died at the age of 89.
India tops 2016 outsourcing index
India is the world‘s biggest outsourcing destination in
terms of financial attractiveness and business
environment.
A T Kearney‘s 2016 Global Services Location Index
(GSLI) rated India as number one of the total 55
countries analysed.
China, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the
Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Poland respectively
made up the top 10 list.
Sushma Swaraj to visit Palestine, Israel
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visit Israel and
Palestine to further build on the goodwill generated by
the trip of President Pranab Mukherjee to the two West
Asian nations three months back.
Palestine will be Ms. Swaraj‘s first destination where
she will hold talks with leadership of the country with
an aim to boost bilateral engagement and deepen
mutual understanding at the political level.
PM Modi to lead galaxy of top global, Indian CEOs
at ET Global Business Summit 2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chief guest, and
star attraction, at the Airtel-ET Global Business Summit
(GBS).
Chennai
Madurai
The first edition of ET GBS, held last January, was
defined by the PM asking business leaders to dream of
a $20-trillion Indian economy.
AP inks MoUs for Rs.4.78 lakh crore
Chief Minister N. Naidu announced that they would hold
Davos-type interface with stakeholders regularly to
extend the benefits of development to the common
man after signing pacts worth Rs. 4.78 lakh crore
with investors from India and the Middle East, the
United States, China and other countries.
The pacts were signed during the three-day CII
Partnership Summit titled ‗Sunrise Andhra Pradesh
Investment Meet‘.
CCI approves ATC‘s ₹7,635-crore stake purchase
in Viom Networks
US-based American Tower Corp has got the approval of
the Competition Commission of India to acquire a
majority stake in telecom tower firm Viom Networks for
₹7,635 crore in an all-cash deal.
In the largest FDI in the telecom sector this fiscal year,
American Tower Corp (ATC) will buy 51 per cent in
Viom, which owns and operates about 42,200 towers
and has another 1,000 mobile phone masts under
construction from Tata Teleservices and SREI
Infrastructure Finance.
Banking and Economy
SBI chief identifies four change drivers in Indian
banking system
State
Bank
of
India
Chairperson
Arundhati
Bhattacharya said four drivers are changing the
banking landscape in India. These are regulatory
changes, technology, competition and financial
inclusion.
Note :
 SBI, which has been at forefront of technology
adoption, will this year open 100 new digital branches.
 SBI will also launch private wealth management
business at Bangalore.
Sree Chithira Tirunal national award presented to
T.P. Sreenivasan
Vice president Hamid Ansari conferred the Sree
Chithira Tirunal National Award on former
Ambassador and vice chairman of the Kerala Higher
Education Council T.P. Sreenivasan.
The award instituted by a private trust is annually
bestowed on persons reckoned to have an excellent
public service record.
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Awards and Honours
EPFO bags National Award on e-Governance
The Employees‘ Provident Fund Organisation has won
the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for
launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).
The UAN facility enables workers to transfer their
provident fund deposits while switching jobs anywhere
in India easily.
The EPFO won the gold award in the ‗innovative use of
technology in e-governance‘ category and the
retirement body will get a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
Increase in personal income tax exemption limit
to Rs.2.5 lakh for savings sought
Increase in exemption limit to Rs.2.5 lakhs for
savings under the Income Tax Act, interest rates
on small savings schemes to be fixed at five-year
Government Security yields and an end to the dividend
distribution tax these are among the suggestions the
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley received at a preBudget Consultative Meeting with the representatives
of Banks and Financial Institutions (FIs).
The experts have also demanded that Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) expenses should be treated as
business expenditure for taxation purposes.
Vodafone begins selling 4G-ready SIMs in Kolkata
According to the release, the SIMs are being made
available in advance of the commercial launch of
Vodafone‘s 4G services in Kolkata.
The roll-out will continue with major metros such as
Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi to be launched
by March 2016.
Bentley‘s Bentayga SUV is the fastest in the
world
The Bentayga is powered by a 6.0 litre, 12-cylinder
twin-turbo engine which develops 600hp and will blast
you from rest to 100km/h (60mph) in four seconds.
British car maker Bentley that its first SUV Bentayga
is the fastest and the most luxurious SUV in the world.
SUV - Sport Utility Vehicle
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
The Union Cabinet approved the launch of Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister Crop
Insurance Scheme) in which,
Chennai
Madurai
 The premium rates to be paid by the farmers have
been brought down substantially so as to enable more
farmers avail insurance cover against crop loss on
account of natural calamities.
 The scheme will come into effect from the upcoming
kharif season.
 Under the new scheme, farmers will have to pay a
uniform premium of two per cent for all kharif crops
and 1.5 per cent for all rabi crops. For annual
commercial and horticultural crops, farmers will have
to pay a premium of 5 per cent.
RGIA to run on solar energy in 3 years
In the next three years, Rajiv Gandhi International
Airport (RGIA) will become self-sufficient when it
comes to energy.
The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL)
witnessed inauguration of its 5 MW solar power plant.
In 2016-17 alone, the airport is expected to raise the
solar capacity up to 12 MW.
Mid-tier chain Ibis opens second hotel in Chennai
The mid-tier hotel chain Ibis, a joint venture
between French hospitality chain Accor Hotels
and InterGlobe Hotels, will launch five hotels in the
next three months, and has plans to open four more by
2017.
The five hotels will be launched in Goa, Kochi,
Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Delhi.
The group is looking at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata,
Pune for the next stage of development. The 19 hotels
have a cumulative investment of ₹2,000 crore.
Sugar cess ceiling hiked to Rs 200/qtl after Prez
nod to Bill
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the
Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015, raising the ceiling
of the impost from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per quintal, a
measure that will help sugarcane growers and cashstarved mills.
Presidential assent to the bill, which will help the
government meet its expenditure on interventions to
ensure payment of dues to the sugarcane farmers.
BSNL starts 4G service with soft launch in
Chandigarh
State-owned BSNL started 4G services on noncommercial basis in Chandigarh promising broadband
speed of up to 100 megabit per second (Mbps).
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R. A. C. E
The company‘s local ads are promising broadband
speed of up to 100 mbps on its Long Term Evolution
(LTE) based 4G mobile service.
BSNL has 4G spectrum across India except in Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
and Kolkata.
PSLV C31 launched at Sriharikota
The Indian space scientists are expected to launch the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-31 from the Satish
Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) at Sriharikota.
This is aimed at putting the Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System 1E satellite into a geo-synchronous
orbit.
The initial launch preparations have been started with
the scientists likely to announce
Appointment
WWE India appointment
WWE has announced the appointment of Joji George as
Vice-President and General Manager, WWE India.
George‘s appointment precedes the return of WWE live
events to New Delhi on January 15 and 16, and follows
the launch of WWE Network last November.
Sports
Sania-Martina pair equals record
women‘s doubles winning streak
Former president of the Tamil Nadu unit of Janata Dal
(secular) G.A. Vadivelu died of illness. He was 92.
Born in Golahalli in 1925, Vadivelu had briefly worked
as revenue inspector under the British rule before
joining the freedom movement.
1971 India-Pakistan war veteran Lt Gen JFR
Jacob passes away at 93
Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), who played a key role in the
1971 war which broke up Pakistan and created
Bangladesh, died in New Delhi.
Born in the Bengal Presidency under British India,
Jacob joined the army at the age of 19 and also fought
in World War II and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965
before he retired in 1978.
Jacob also served as the governor of Goa and
Punjab.
―Sikkim‖ crowned as India‘s First ―Fully Organic
State‖
Sikkim has turned out to be the India‘s first fully
organic state by implementing organic practices. As per
the guidelines laid down in National Programme for
Organic Production, 75,000 hectares of agricultural
land was gradually converted to certified organic land
by implementing organic principles.
for longest
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner
Martina Hingis equalled the record for the longest
women‘s doubles winning streak by advancing to the
WTA Sydney International semifinals with a straight set
triumph.
With today‘s win, Mirza and Hingis won their 28th
consecutive match to equal the record set by Puerto
Rican Gigi Fernandez and Belarus‘ Natasha Zvereva in
1994.
Passed Away
A hero of the Bangladesh liberation war passes
away
Lieutenant-General J.F.R. Jacob, who died in New
Delhi, was one of the heroes of the 1971 war with
Pakistan. Born in Kolkata in 1923, where his Jewish
family had migrated from Baghdad, Lt.Gen.
Jacob started his military career with the British Indian
Army. Lt.Gen. Jacob was 92.
Govt sets up panel on 7th Pay panel‘s advice
Government decided to set up a high-powered panel
headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha to process the
recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will
have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central
government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
The implementation of the new pay scales is estimated
to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on
the exchequer in 2016-17.
India‘s Grid-linked solar generation capacity
crosses 5,000 MW mark
India‘s grid-connected solar power generation capacity
has crossed the 5,000 MW mark with total gridconnected solar power generation capacity in the
country is 5,129.81 MW.
Rajasthan (1,264.35 MW) has the maximum gridconnected capacity, followed by Gujarat (1,024.15 MW)
and Madhya Pradesh (678.58 MW).
The major states which are lagging behind are West
Bengal (7.21 MW), Uttarakhand (5 MW) and Haryana
(12.8 MW).
Former JD(S) State president Vadivelu dead
Chennai
Madurai
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Jharkhand to set up fast track courts for trial of
witchcraft-related attacks
Jharkhand government is ready to set up fast track
courts in five districts for speedy trial of cases relating
to witchcraft incidents.
The decision has been taken by Cabinet, chaired by
Chief Minister Raghubar Das for setting up of courts in
Ranchi, Chaibasa, Khunti, Palamau and Simdega
districts.
Due to prevailing superstition among a section of the
rural
populace,
witchcraft-related
attacks
are
sometimes reported in the state.
President gave nod to Sugar Cess (Amendment)
Bill, 2015
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the
Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015, raising the ceiling
of the impost from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per quintal, a
measure that will help sugarcane growers and cashstarved mills.
It will amend the Sugar Cess Act, 1982.
The hike in sugar cess would lead to increase in the
accruals to the Sugar Development Fund, which
facilitates rehabilitation and modernization of sugar
mills, thereby helping cane growers.
Sahayog – Kaijin 2016: India and Japan joint
Coast Guard exercise
The 15th edition of bilateral exercise between India
and Japan titled ―Sahayog-Kaijin 2016‖ has begun off
the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.
The focus of bilateral training would be Anti-piracy
procedures, search and rescue operations and
interoperability between the two forces and other areas
of common professional interest.
WHO declares world‘s worst ever Ebola outbreak
over
World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the
Ebola epidemic that has ravaged West Africa for two
years was over after Liberia, the last affected country,
received the all-clear.
Liberia, the country worst hit by the outbreak with
4,800 deaths, discharged its last two patients from
hospital, the father and younger brother of a 15-yearold victim.
Banking and Finance
SBI launches dedicated branch for start-ups in
Bengaluru
Chennai
Madurai
State Bank of India launched its wealth management
offering and inaugurated a dedicated branch for startups Bengaluru.
The wealth management service ‗Exclusif‘ is targeted at
the fast-growing affluent segment in the country, ‗SBI
InCube‗ the branch for start-ups would offer advisory
services to the budding entrepreneurs under one roof.
Awards and Honours
Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award
conferred upon David Beckham
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and retired football
professional David Beckham has been bestowed with
the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award at the
6th biennial UNICEF Ball in Los Angeles for recognizing
his tireless work to save and improve the lives of
children around the world.
He was presented with the award by Sir Elton John and
David Furnish at the black-tie gala event.
Indian designer wins International Woolmark
Prize
City-based fashion designer Suket Dhir won the Rs
48.5 lakh (A$100,000) worth prestigious International
Woolmark Prize.
Rahul Mishra took the prize in the womenswear
category two years ago. He was the first Indian to
won the Woolmark prize.
Woolmark is a trademark owned by Australian Wool
Innovation Limited (AWI). AWI licenses this trademark
to be used by affiliated vendors on their products as an
assurance that the product conforms to a set of
standards laid by the organization.
Appointment
Bhaskar Bhat takes over as new Vistara chairman
Bhaskar Bhat has taken over as the new chairman of
Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara, the airline.
Bhat was serving as the Managing Director of Titan
Company Limited since 2002, has replaced Prasad
Menon, who retired from the airline on January 13.
Ronaldinho announced as Brand Ambassador
Brazilian star Ronaldinho was appointed as Brand
Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football
Tournament will be played in Kozhikode in February 5,
2016 to February 21, 2016.
The Kozhikode District Football Association and Mondial
Sports Management LLP have joined hands to resume
and revive the Sait Nagjee Trophy after a 21-year gap.
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R. A. C. E
A premier football tournament in India and an event
that was very popular in Kerala, it will be renamed
and relaunched as the Nagjee International Club
Football Tournament.
updated chapters which cover the entire spectrum of
Railway Engineering. The book is designed for all
professionals of Railway, whether in the field or in the
office.
Anti-tank missile ―Nag‖ successful test fired
After the multipurpose exercises carried out for
improving the system, the indigenously built third
generation anti-tank missile, Nag successfully hit the
target 4 km away during a night trial in the Mahajan
Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
Thermal Target System (TTS) developed by a defence
laboratory at Jodhpur was used as target for the
missile, which is in the final user configuration.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015 inducted
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Act, 2015 with special provisions to tackle child
offenders in the age group of 16-18 years committing
heinous offences, came into force.
The JJ Act, 2015 provides for strengthened provisions
for both children in need of care and protection and
children in conflict with law.
Israel gets fifth German-made nuclear-capable
submarine ―INS Rahav‖
Israel has marked the addition of a fifth German made
submarine to its fleet with a dedication ceremony
attended by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
The INS Rahav was built in Kiel, Germany.
All the submarines are capable of carrying nucleartipped cruise missiles.
First ‗Mahila Troop‘ inducted for High-Altitude
Posts of ―IC Border‖
The recently trained cohort of 500 women labour force
has been positioned at high-altitude posts along the
India-China border.
The first ―Mahila‖ troop was commissioned into the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Panchkula,
Haryana.
Passed Away
British actor Alan Rickman passes away
British actor and Director Alan Rickman, a classically
trained stage star and screen villain in the Harry Potter
saga and other films has died. He was 69.
He recieved the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy and
Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away
Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away at his
residence after a brief illness.He was 82. Ganguly is a
noted director and screenwriter, who worked in Hindi
cinema from 1970s to the 90s. He is best known for
Jaya Bhaduri starrer ―Kora Kagaz‖ and ―Tapasya‖ both
of which won National Award.
Books & Authors
3rd Version of the book titled Objective Railway
Engineering-Track
The Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Manoj Sinha
released a book titled Objective Railway EngineeringTrack, Works & Others authored by a well known Civil
Engineer MM Agarwal in New Delhi.
It was originally written in 2007. This is the 3rd revised
and enlarged edition of the book, which contains 37
Chennai
Madurai
Country‘s first ‗water tourism‘ to begin in Madhya
Pradesh
The country‘s first ―water tourism‖ will begin in
Madhya Pradesh on February 12 to February 21 in
Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asia‘s largest
man-made water reservoirs with an aim of attracting
more tourists to the state.
During event named as ―Jal Mahotsav‖, adventure
sports will also be organised.
Govt sanctioned 791 crore rupees under NDRF for
drought affected Telangana
The High Level Committee (HLC) of the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) 791 crore
rupees to the drought affected Telangana.
Earlier, the Central Team visited the state as the
Government of Telangana declared 231 mandals
(blocks) as drought hit.
Kamal Haasan & Gautam Ghosh included in
Shyam Benegal Committee have been inducted in
the Shyam Benegal committee that has been set up by
the government to holistically look into the functioning
of controversy ridden Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC).
24
R. A. C. E
Committee Members: Shyam Benegal Chairman,
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Piyush Pandey and
Bhawana Somayaa.
Madhya Pradesh Government signed four MoUs
with Singapore
1,000-megawatt wind energy plant in western part of
the state has been signed by the Department of New &
Renewable Energy with Singapore corporation unit,
Sembcorp Green Infra Ltd.
MoUs signed between both Nations:
 MoU on urban planning was signed between Madhya
Pradesh‘s directorate of town and country Planning and
the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise.
 MoU on skill training between its department of
technical education and skill development and
Singapore‘s ITE Education Services.
 MoU on food processing between India‘s LT Food Ltd
and Singapore-based DSM Nutritional Products.
PM Modi to launched ‗Startup India‘ campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‗Start-up
India‘ in New Delhi which is aimed at celebrating the
entrepreneurship spirit of country‘s youth.
The programme is aimed at promoting financing for the
start-ups
and
gives
incentives
to
boost
entrepreneurship.
―Start-up India, Stand-up India‖ programme will
connect bright minds and youth all over India who
have the talent and the capability to propel India‘s
growth.
Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate Hall of Nuclear
Power in New Delhi
Union Minister of State for Development of North
Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh inaugurated
the ―Hall of Nuclear Power‖ in New Delhi.
This is Northern India‘s first permanent exhibition on
nuclear power, built in the national capital which is
going to be opened to the public at the National
Science Centre (NSC).
Banking and Economy
Bank of India acquires 49% stake from BSE in
BOI Shareholding
Mumbai headquartered Bank of India (BOI) has
acquired 49% stake from BSE Ltd in their joint venture
BOI Shareholding Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
BOI Shareholding Ltd was established in 1989 as an
independent full-fledged clearing house of the
exchange with the public lender having 51% stake.
CEO – Vijayalakshmi R. Iyer
Tagline – Relationships beyond Banking
RBI raises shareholding in NHB by pumping in Rs
1,000 crore
Reserve Bank has increased its shareholding in
National Housing Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore
towards the paid capital from Rs 450 crore to Rs 1,450
crore.
The move is aimed at facilitating NHB to expand
financial operations given the demand for housing in
the country under the NHB Act, 1987.
GOI and WB sign agreement for Neeranchal
National Watershed Project
Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Birender
Singh signed a loan agreement with World Bank for the
Neeranchal National Watershed Project.
 The project to be implemented by the Ministry of
Rural Development over a six-year period (2016-21)
will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi
Yojana in hydrology and water management,
agricultural production systems, capacity building and
monitoring and evaluation.
 Neeranchal National Watershed Project :
 The Neeranchal National Watershed Project for India
seeks
to
support
the
Integrated
Watershed
Management Programme (IWMP) through technical
assistance to improve incremental conservation
outcomes and agricultural yields for communities.
China‘s Xi Jinping launches Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank
China-backed
Asian
Infrastructure
Investment
Bank(AIIB) in which India and 56 countries have joined
as founding members was formally opened by
President Xi Jinping.
 In all 57 countries have joined as founding members
while US and Japan stayed out. An Indian delegation
headed by Dinesh Sharma, additional Secretary in the
Ministry of Finance attended the opening ceremony.
 Chairman of the AIIB council: Chinese Finance
Minister Lou Jiwei China‘s First
 AIIB president: Former Finance Minister, Jin Liqun
 Authorised capital: $100 billion, Subscribed
capital: $50 billion
Chennai
Madurai
25
R. A. C. E
IndusInd Bank ties up with PayU India
IndusInd Bank has tied up with online payment
solution firm payU India. This will help provide
customers the full suite of consumer banking products
online as well as payment innovations.
Aim:
 To bridging the gap between conventional banking
and new online payment systems.
 The collaboration will help create co-branded digital
consumer banking products that will revolutionise the
way digital banking and payments have shaped up and
is expected to attract new customers across
demographies.
 IndusInd Bank HQ : Mumbai
 IndusInd Bank CEO: Romesh Sobti
Awards and Honours
Amritsar in Guinness Book of World Records
Amritsar in Guinness Book of World RecordsAn offbeat
message against drugs delivered through ‗largest
bollywood dance performance‗ of students held at
Khalsa College has earned Amritsar a place in Guinness
Book of World Records announced by Deputy
Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.
 The performance of students attired in the same
dress, on October 3, 2015 for an anti-drugs awareness
campaign has added another feather to the cap of holy
city.
 8,726 students from 40 schools danced to the
popular Bollywood song ―India Wale‖ created a new
record by beating the earlier feat by 4428 students in
Mumbai in the year 2012.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan
awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship in
Singapore for his contribution in development and
international harmony.
Chouhan will be fourth Indian to receive this
fellowship.
Science and Techonolgy
M-Health Services launched to Strengthen Public
Health Infrastructure
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda
launched m-Health initiatives which will make services
cost effective.
The services have been launched on the sidelines of
commitment to priorities public health and strengthen
Chennai
Madurai
citizen-centric health services by leveraging India‘s
expanding mobile phone penetration.
J P Nadda has launched 4 mobile health (mHealth)
services Kilkari, Mobile Academy, M-Cessation and TB
Missed Call initiative.
NASA‘s Juno became the farthest travelled solar
powered spacecraft
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
has declared that its spacecraft Juno has broken the
previous record of travelling farthest distance set by
Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency.
 NASA‘s Juno travelled 793 million kilometer to break
this record.
 Before this, Rosetta spacecraft of the European
Space Agency travelled till 792 million kilometers.
Second largest‘ black hole in the Milky Way
discovered
A team of Japanese astronomers has discovered an
enigmatic gas cloud just 200 light years away from the
centre of the Milky Way that can be the possible
missing link in the black hole evolution.
This may be the first detection of an intermediate mass
black hole (IMBH).
Astronomers already know about two sizes of black
holes: stellar-mass black holes, formed after the
gigantic explosions of very massive stars and
supermassive black holes (SMBH) often found at the
centres of galaxies.
A recent study suggested that there are 100 million
black holes in the Milky Way Galaxy but X-ray
observations have only found dozens so far.
Sports
Marat Safin Inducted Into International Tennis
Hall of Fame
Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia
has joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the
Russian Tennis Federation.
The official ceremony to induct the Russian tennis
player has been scheduled for July 16, 2016.
Safin is the older brother of former world No. 1 WTA
player, Dinara Safina. They are the first and only
brother – sister tandem in tennis history who has both
achieved no. 1 rankings.
Mesut Ozil named 2015 German Player of the
Year
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R. A. C. E
Mesut Ozil named 2015 German Player of the
YearMesut Ozil has been voted Germany national team
player of the year for the fourth time.
The 27-year-old played a big part in ensuring the world
champions reached Euro 2016 and played in all but one
international for his country.
Sania & Hingis Win Sydney International Title
2016
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis‘ are continued to lifted
their second trophy of the season with the WTA Apia
International title after clinching their 30th win a row in
Sydney .
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis‘ defeated Caroline
Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic win in one hour and
13 minutes.
It was the 11th title together for the Indo-Swiss pair as
continuing the good show from 2015 when they won 9
titles including the year-end WTA finale.
Passed Away
Rajesh Vivek, Lagan Actor passed away
Rajesh Vivek, Lagaan Actor passed away Television
actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay, who played the popular
character of Guran in Bollywood blockbuster, Lagaan
passed away following a heart attack in Hyderabad. He
was 66 years old.
President launches countrywide Pulse Polio
Programme for 2016
The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched
the Pulse Polio programme for 2016 by administering
polio drops to children less than five years old, at the
Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Around 4 crore children of less than five years across
the country will be given polio drops as part of the
drive of Government of India to sustain polio
eradication from the country.
In the first phase IPV has been introduced in six
States – Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Union government released draft for the right of
transgender person bill, 2015
The right of the transgender person bill, 2015 was
released in the 2nd week of January 2016 by the union
government for the overall development and the
welfare of the transgender persons over the whole
country.
Chennai
Madurai
Highlights of transgender person bill, 2015 :
 Transgender person should be proclaim as the third
gender and have choice to identify themselves as
either man or woman.
 The state level authority of the respective state and
authority should issue the certificate for the
identification of the transgender persons.
 This certificate is acceptable to all the authority for
the identification of the person for the official use like
birth certificate, ration card, aadhaar card etc.
Banking and Finance
Banks to issue 2nd tranche of gold bond scheme
The banks will ―shortly‖ issue the second tranche of
sovereign gold bonds. Reserve Bank had launched the
first tranche of gold bond scheme in November. The
subscription was for 915.95 kg amounting to Rs. 246
crore.
The Reserve Bank has fixed the public issue price at
2,600 per gram for the sovereign gold bonds.
About the Scheme
 The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for
gold in physical form by encouraging people to buy the
commodity in demat or paper form.
 The Gold Bond scheme will have an annual cap of
500 grams per person and such bonds would be issued
for a period of five to seven years.
 The gold bonds are issued in denominations of 5
grams, 10 grams, 50 grams and 100 grams for a term
of five years to seven years with a rate of interest to be
calculated on the value of the metal at the time of
investment.
World
Bank
to
extend
$20
million
for
reconstructing Visakhapatnam‘s IGZP
The World Bank is extending an assistance of USD 20
million to help reconstruct the Indira Gandhi Zoological
Park (IGZP), which got devastated during cyclone
Hudhud.
This is part of the USD 370 million Andhra Pradesh
Disaster Recovery Project for which the bank is
extending assistance of USD 250 million from 20152020.
 According to the Andhra Pradesh government,
Hudhud affected about 9.2 million people in over 7,285
villages in 4 coastal districts of the state.
 This unique one-of-its-kind push by the World Bank
where it is providing assistance to an Indian zoo will
add value to the 100 ―Smart City‖ initiatives.
27
R. A. C. E
 The Vizag zoo situated on the northern limit of the
Visakhapatnam houses 170 different species of animals
on its 250-hectare campus.
Flipkart, M&M in tie-up for online bookings of
KUV100
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has entered into an
arrangement with Flipkart for online booking of
Mahindra KUV100.This is the first time that Mahindra
has developed a petrol engine on its own. KUV100 will
compete with Maruti‘s Swift and DZire and Hyundai‘s
i10 Grand.
Flipkart CEO: Binny Bansal
M&M CEO: Anand Mahindra
FIPB clears 5 FDI proposals worth Rs 6,050 cr,
Cadila gets nod
The Government approved five foreign investment
proposals involving an inflow of Rs. 6,050 crore,
including a Rs. 5,000-crore plan of Cadila Healthcare
for fresh equity infusion.
Accepted Proposals:
Cadila will infuse equity of up to Rs. 5,000 crore
through issue of shares to QIBs through Qualified
Institutional Placement for expansion. Recipharm
Participation BV, Pharma firm‘s proposal ,Buimerc Core
Investments Pvt, Health Media Publishing Pvt Ltd.
Economic Affairs Secretary: Shaktikanta Das.
About FIPB:
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is a
national agency of Government of India, with the remit
to consider and recommend foreign direct investment
(FDI) which does not come under the automatic route.
It provides a single window clearance for proposals on
FDI in India.
HPCL gets green nod for Rs 18,400 cr Vizag
refinery expansion
State-run HPCL has received the environmental
clearance to expand its refinery at Visakhapatnam in
Andhra Pradesh from 8.33 million tonne per annum to
15.0 MTPA.
 The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), under the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, in its meeting
held last month cleared the Rs 18,400 crore expansion
plan which was earlier rejected in 2013, citing
moratorium on industrial expansion in some of parts of
Visakhapatnam.
Chennai
Madurai
 HPCL has two refineries, located in Mumbai (West
coast) and Visakhapatnam (East coast), with capacities
of 7.5 MMTPA and 8.3 MMTPA, respectively.
 Chairman & MD: Nishi Vasudeva.
Awards and Honours
2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
conferred upon Anuradha Roy
The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 has
been conferred upon Anuradha Roy for her novel
Sleeping on Jupiter at the Fairway Galle Literary
Festival in Sri Lanka.
Her novel sleeping on Jupiter, deals with violence
against women with story revolving around girl named
Nomi and is set in Jarmuli, a city of temples.
Appointments
Tsai Ing-wen chaired as the Taiwan‘s first Female
President
Taiwan has elected its first female president in a
landmark election that could unsettle relations with
Beijing.
Tsai Ing-wen defeated Eric Chu, the Nationalist Party‘s
Presidential candidate for Taiwan‘s presidential
election. She will succeed Ma Ying jeou as President of
Taiwan.
HSBC appoints Ravi Menon as CEO of Indian asset
mgmt arm
HSBC has appointed Ravi Menon as the chief executive
of its asset management arm in the country, after the
elevation of Puneet Chaddha as business head for
South East Asia.
About Ravi Menon:
 Menon joined the group in 1998.Currently serves as
the head of strategy and planning for HSBC India and
was appointed as a director on the board of HSBC
Asset Management India last year.
 HSBC Bank plc is one of the largest banking and
financial services organisations in the world. HSBC‘s
international network comprises around 7,500 offices in
over 80 countries.
 HSBC HQ: London, UK
 HSBC CEO: Alan Keir
China to land probe on dark side of moon in 2018
China has begun preparations for a new lunar mission
in 2018 when it plans to send a probe to the dark side
of the moon not explored by humans so far, in a bid to
create a new landmark in space exploration.
28
R. A. C. E
Notes:
By 2022, China also plans set up its own space station
rival to Russia‘s space station Mir that is jointly
operated with the U.S.
Mangalyaan stole a march over China in 2015, making
India the first Asian country to orbit the red planet. The
U.S. has sent more than 20 spacecraft to Mars since
1964, among which several probes have landed on the
surface of the red planet.
Sports
Virat Kohli breaks De Villiers‘ record to reach
7000 ODI runs
Indian batsman Virat Kohli broke AB de Villier‘s record
to become the fastest batsman to reach 7000 runs in
One Day Internationals.
Kohli made history during India‘s third ODI against
Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
About Kohli
 Kohli also registered his 24th ODI century on the
day, thus becomes the quickest batsman in the world
to reach the milestone.
 The 27-year-old smashed six boundaries and a six
to reach the record during the third ODI, Few days
back, Virat Kohli will be presented with Polly Umrigar
Award for BCCI cricketer of the year.
Passed Away
Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy dead
Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy passed away at
the age of 82.
About Gopal Krishna Roy:
 Roy worked with news agency UNI for several years.
 Roy was known for his proximity to late legendary
actress Suchitra Sen and journalists would often fall
back on him for information about her as she had lived
in seclusion since her last film in 1978.
 Roy had also written a biographical book on Sen
named ―Suchitra-r kotha―.
903 girls in sex ratio at birth recorded in Haryana
For the first time in 10 years, sex ratio in Haryana has
shown a mounting crossing the 900 mark with 903 girls
per 1,000 boys as compared to earlier 879 females per
1,000 males.
12 districts have recorded sex ratio above the 900
mark in which district Sirsa tops the list with sex ratio
of 999 girls per 1,000 boys.
Note
Chennai
Madurai
 Sirsa district, sex ratio at birth increased from 948
in October 2015 to 978 in November and to 999 in
December.
 CM – Manohar Lal Khattar
NITI Aayog collaborated with IDFC for Enterprise
Survey of Manufacturing Firms
NITI Aayog and IDFC Institute will jointly conduct a
survey of manufacturing companies, including startups,
across India.
Objective of the Survey,
The objective of the survey is to assess the business
regulatory environment in each state and union
territory (UT).
The NITI Aayog-IDFC Institute Enterprise survey will
complement the government‘s ―Make in India‖ initiative
by taking stock of issues faced and providing impetus
for state-level reforms that will make it easier to do
business in India.
BHEL commissions 660 MW supercritical thermal
unit in UP
BHEL has commissioned the second 660 MW
supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal Power
Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh.
About Lalitpur STPP :
 Lalitpur STPP is being developed by Lalitpur Power
Generation Company Limited (LPGCL)-promoted by the
Bajaj Hindustan group.
 Besides, the balance 660 MW super-critical Units,
two each at Lalitpur and Bara, BHEL is also executing a
500 MW units at Anpara ‗D‘ TPS of Uttar Pradesh
Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) in Uttar Pradesh.
 Last month BHEL has successfully commissioned the
first unit of 3×660 MW Prayagraj Super Thermal Power
Project (STPP) at Bara in Allahabad district of Uttar
Pradesh.
 BHEL CEO: Atul Sobti
Exim Bank, Andhra Pradesh sign MoU to promote
exports
Exim Bank of India and the Andhra Pradesh
government
have
signed
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding (MoU) singed by Exim Bank chairman
and managing director Yaduvendra Mathur and Andhra
Pradesh‘s industries secretary Shamsher Singh Rawat
for promoting exports in the state.
Benefits of MoU:
 Exim Bank would support the exporters having
operations in Andhra Pradesh in achieving higher
exports by facilitation of market linkages through its
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R. A. C. E
market advisory services, which include identification
of suitable partners.
 About Exim Bank : Export-Import Bank of India is
the premier export finance institution in India,
established in 1982 under the Export-Import Bank of
India Act 1981.
 HQ: Mumbai
 Chairman & MD : Yaduvendra Mathur
Kalraj Mishra releases Laghu Udyog Samachar
Magazine
The Start-up issue of Laghu Udyog Samachar was
released by Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister of MSME
at the 13th Meeting of the National Board for Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises.
About Laghu Udyog Samachar Magazine:
Different schemes and campaigns of Government of
India namely, Start-up India, Stand-up India, Make in
India, Digital India will be focused in Laghu Udyog
Samachar.
The next issue of Laghu Udyog Samachar February
2016 is based on Make in India theme.
India marked as 2nd largest fruit producer in
Global List
According to the handbook, published by the Oxford
University, the upswing in fruit production makes India
the second largest global producer behind China.
Though horticulture has seen fruit production grow
faster than vegetables but still latter constitute the
largest segment of this sector of agriculture.
Grapes occupy the premier position in exports with
107.3 thousand tonnes valued at Rs 1,086 crore in
2014-15. Other fruits which attained significant
position in exports are banana and mango.
US lift nuclear sanctions on Iran
The United States removed a wide range of sanctions
against Iran after International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) confirmed that Tehran has met its commitments
to roll back its nuclear programme, under an
agreement with China, France, Russia, UK, U.S and
Germany on July 14, 2015.
It was announced after the meeting of Secretary of
State John Kerry with Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad
Zarif.
Banking and Finance
Somnath Temple to invest in Gold Monetisation
Scheme
Chennai
Madurai
The Somnath Temple is all set to become Gujarat‘s first
temple to deposit its idle gold in the Gold Monetisation
Scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have given their nod to
invest the yellow metal reserves in the scheme.
The trust has around 35 kg of gold and will deposit the
gold which is not in day-to-day use of the temple.
Appointments
India‘s Dinesh Sharma elected to board of
directors of china backed AIIB
Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of
Finance has been elected to the 12-member board of
directors of AIIB.
India is one of the founding members of the AIIB has
been elected to the board of directors of the Chinasponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which
is expected to begin loan approvals before the end of
this year.
Note
 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated
governor of the AIIB from India.
 Earlier former Chinese Finance Minister Jin Liqun
was elected to head the bank based in Beijing after
Russia withdrew its candidate.
Tata Motors appoints CEO & MD
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors announced
appointment of ex-Airbus COO Guenter Butschek as its
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director for two
years after the death of its former MD Karl Slym.
About Guenter Butschek:
Prior to Airbus, Butschek had worked atDaimler AG for
more than 25 years in international automotive
management, leading functions like production,
industrialisation and procurement.
The last role he held in the firm was President and
Chief Executive Officer of Beijing Benz Automotive Co.
Tata Motors Brand Ambassadors: Lionel Messi
Ola appoints Raghuvesh Sarup as Chief Marketing
Officer
Taxi aggregator Ola has appointed Raghuvesh Sarup as
its chief marketing officer from February. At Ola,
Raghuvesh will lead marketing across the brand and
P&L for all categories
Prior to this, Sarup was marketing director at Microsoft
India.
Ola CEO : Bhavish Aggarwal
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R. A. C. E
SPACEX
Launching
NASA
Jason-3
Ocean
Surveillance Satellite
SPACEX Launching NASA Jason-3 Ocean Surveillance
SatelliteA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched
the
planet‘s
newest
oceanographic
satellite,
NASA/NOAA/European Jason-3 from Vandenberg Air
Force Base, California into a polar orbit around the
Earth.
The satellite will provide oceanographic data for
everything from tide forecast to continue monitoring
decadal variability in ocean heights.
Chinese scientists develop new bio-artificial liver
Scientists in China have developed a new bio artificial
liver that can help recover patient‘s liver functions and
prolong their lives so they can wait for suitable donor
livers for a transplant.
 Based on human liver cells, the bio artificial liver has
been designed to be attached outside a patient‘s body.
 The research was published in the new issue of
international science magazine, Cell Research.
 The first bioartificial liver device was developed by a
US doctor, Kenneth Matsumara and was named an
invention of the year by Time magazine in 2001.
Sports
2016 Apia international title of tennis
The 2016 Apia International Sydney was a joint 2016
ATP World Tour and 2016 WTA Tour tennis
tournament, played on outdoor hard courts in Sydney,
Australia.
It was the 123rd edition of the tournament.
Note
 Men‘s Singles – Viktor Troicki of Serbia defeated
Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.
 Women‘s Singles – Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia
defeated Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.
 Men‘s Doubles – Jamie Murray of UK/Bruno Soares
of Brazil defeated Rohan Bopanna of India/Florin
Mergea of Romania.
 Women‘s
Doubles
–
Martina
Hingis
of
Switzerland/Sania Mirza of India defeated Caroline
Garcia of France/Kristina Mladenovic.
Popov claims 14th Delhi International Open chess
title
Popov claims 14th Delhi International Open chess title
Russia‘s Ivan Popov has bagged the title 14th
Parsvnath Delhi International Chess Festival with prize
money of Rs. three lakh. The event was held in New
Delhi.
Chennai
Madurai
Hungarian Attila Czebe stood as runner up (2 lakh) and
Ukraine‘s Valeriy Neverov (Rs. 1 lakh) placed at third
position.
Passed Away
Former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama
Rao passes away
Former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao
passes awayFormer Sikkim Governor and senior
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ventrapragada Rama Rao
died at a private hospital at the age of 81.
About Ventrapragada Rama Rao:
 Rao was a lawyer and practised at the Andhra
Pradesh High Court.
 He was twice State unit chief in united Andhra
Pradesh from 1992-96. He also was a member of the
BJP national executive and more recently a member of
the core committee of the Telangana BJP.
 He served as Sikkim Governor from October 25,
2002 to October 25, 2007.
Punjabi singer Manpreet Akhtar dies
Punjabi singer Manpreet Akhtar diesNoted Punjabi folk
singer Manpreet Akhtar passed away due to brain
hemorrhage at a local hospital in Patiala. She was 55.
About Manpreet Akhtar:
Manpreet was the sister of famous Punjabi singer
Dilshad Akhtar.
Manpreet was known for her classical style of singing
and she sang songs in Punjabi and Hindi movies.
PM
appreciates
state's
progress,
clean
environment
Branding the state as a 'model' for the world by
achieving new heights of development & ensuring
conservation of environment at the same time, Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
appreciated
Sikkim's
progress in farming and declared it as the first
'organic state' of India.
Sikkim CM – Pawan Kumar Chamling
Capital – Gangtok
Solar power installed capacity in the country
crosses 5000 MW
The total installed capacity of solar power in India has
crossed the milestone of 5,000 MW. The target for the
current year is 2,000 MW and the next year 12,000
MW.
Target:
31
R. A. C. E
 The Government has set the ambitious target of
generating 100 GW of solar power by 2021-22 under
the National Solar Mission.
 It is envisaged to generate 60 GW of ground
mounted grid-connected solar power and 40 GW
through the roof-top grid interactive solar power to
fulfil the requirement of 100 GW of solar power.
NOTA option for ZP, TP polls
When elections to 26 zilla panchayats and 175 taluk
panchayats will be held on February 13 and February
20, voters will have the option of NOTA (None of the
Above) for the first time in rural local body polls.
Although the Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Amendment)
Act 2015 had made provision for NOTA in rural local
body elections, the option could not be introduced in
the gram panchayat elections held in May.
State Election Commissioner - P.N. Srinivasachari
China launches first online database on monks‘
authenticity
The system was put in place to counter fake Living
Buddhas, who have been found cheating believers for
money.
The first list of 870 verified Tibetan monks, also known
as ‗Living Buddhas‘, was published on the official
website of the State Administration for Religious
Affairs.
It is the first time information on the country‘s religious
leaders is accessible via the Internet.
RCom-RJio in a ₹4,500-cr spectrum trading deal
The billionaires have come together yet again for a
deal that will see Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio
buying spectrum from Anil Ambani‘s Reliance
Communications across nine circles.
While the financials of deal were not disclosed, sources
said RCom will get an immediate payment of ₹4,500
crore from RJio.
Uber, Airbus to join hands for on-demand
helicopter rides
California-based Uber has said that it will be
partnering with France-based Airbus on a test
programme to provide helicopter rides on demand
through its application just as it currently does with car
rides.
Chennai
Madurai
For Uber, helicopters could prove to be a big ticket
item that expands its reach beyond taxi rides and helps
justify its lofty USD 62.5 billion valuation.
WhatsApp to go ‗free‘ globally
The service also said it will not introduce any thirdparty ads for monetisation.
Popular messaging app WhatsApp it will stop charging
$1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for
its users across the world.
Awards and Honours
Six children from Kerala State among bravery
award winners
Eight children from the southern part of the country,
including six from Kerala and two from Telangana, are
among the 25 National Bravery award winners this
year.
The winners will receive the award, a medal, a
certificate and cash price from Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Note:
 One of the six winners from Kerala is Aromal SM
(12), who saved two children from drowning in a 14feet deep pond. Aromal has been honoured with the
Bapu Gaidhani award.
 Another winner from Kerala is Nithin Philip Mathew
(13), who braved fire to save his neighbour‘s family
after their house caught fire in a cylinder blast.
 Beedhovan (14), who saved a boy from
electrocution, is also one of the six winners from
Kerala.
 Other winners from the State are Anandu Dileep
(14), Abhijith K.V. (15) and Muhammad Shamnad (14)
who saved people drowning.
Sports
BCCI bans Ajit Chandila for life; Hiken Shah for 5
years
Haryana off-spinner Ajit Chandila was slapped with
a life ban for his involvement in the 2013 IPL spotfixing scandal, while Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah
was handed a five-year suspension for making a
corrupt approach to a fellow player as the BCCI
disciplinary committee sealed their fate after a meeting
.
Note
The 32-year-old Chandila, an off-spinner who was
found guilty of spot-fixing during his stint with
Rajasthan Royals, was handed a tougher punishment
for violating the codes pertaining to accepting bribes,
32
R. A. C. E
fixing, under performing, trying to induce a fellow
player and betting.
India slips to 89th rank in global talent
competitiveness
Reflecting an acute shortage of skilled labour force and
difficult business conditions, India has slipped 11
places to rank 89th on a global index of talent
competitiveness, a list which has been topped by
Switzerland.
Switzerland is followed by Singapore, Luxembourg, the
US and Denmark in the top five positions on the annual
GTC released by INSEAD business school.
Note
Last year, India was ranked 78th on the index that
measures a nation‘s competitiveness based on the
quality of talent it can produce, attract and retain.
India's Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji & two
others among world's 62 super-rich
The wealth of the world's 62 richest individuals is half
of the rest of the world. Among those affluent 62 are
four Indian names: Industrialist Mukesh Ambani,
IT titan Azim Premji, pharma boss Dilip Shanghvi
and business magnates, Hinduja Brothers.
Banking and Economy
YES Bank formalises $500-m green bond plan
Private sector YES Bank looks to open a branch in the
UK later this year, as part of plans to extend its
international reach.
The initial focus would be on institutional banking, but
longer term the bank hopes to expand UK operations
into retail banking too, CEO Rana Kapoor said during
a visit to London to formalise a previously agreed
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the LSE for
the listing of a $500-million green bond, and global
depository receipts.
IMF retains India growth forecast at 7.5% for
2016-17
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained
India‘s growth projection at 7.3 per cent in the current
fiscal and 7.5 per cent for the next, even as it cut world
economic outlook to 3.4 per cent for 2016.
RBI to inject liquidity of Rs 10,000 cr via OMOs
The Reserve Bank will purchase government securities
for a total Rs 10,000 crore to inject liquidity into the
market.
Chennai
Madurai
As part of the OMO, RBI will purchase government
securities maturing in 2019 (bearing interest rate of
7.28 per cent), 2023 (8.83 per cent), 2025 (7.72 per
cent) and 2030 (7.88 per cent).
IIMB partners with Wipro on sustainability
The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB)
has entered into a partnership with Wipro Limited,
where the latter will support the Wipro Sustainability
Fellowship and the Wipro Sustainability Grant for
doctoral students at the institute.
This is a part of the Wipro-earthian programme, an
overarching charter on sustainability in education.
Amazon to start grocery delivery by April
Amazon India plans to launch grocery delivery before
April, a move that may threaten the survival of socalled hyperlocal start-ups and provide a boost to its
prospects in an intense market share battle with
Flipkart and Snapdeal.
Microsoft donates cloud computing 'worth $1
billion'
Microsoft said it will put a billion dollars' worth of cloud
computing power in the hands of non-profit groups and
university researchers free of charge.
A philanthropic arm of the US software colossus will
make the donation during the coming three years to
70,000 non-profit groups and researchers, chief
executive Satya Nadella.
ISRO'S PSLV-C31 places IRNSS-1E satellite in
orbit
India in the company of select nations which have their
own navigation systems, the Indian Space Research
Organisation (Isro) successfully placed in orbit IRNSS1E, the fifth of the seven satellites that would form a
constellation of navigation satellite network.
About PSLV-C31
PSLV-C31 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) carrying
1,425kg IRNSS-1E (Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System) lifted off from the second launch
pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota.
This was PSLV's 33rd flight. As in the previous four
launches, Isro used an XL version of the rocket.
Passed Away
Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey, 67, dies
33
R. A. C. E
Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67.
He died in New York City from complications arising
from rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and pneumonia.
About Glenn Frey
The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of
the 1970s, with multiple hit singles, including Hotel
California in 1976.
The Eagles notched up more than 150 million album
sales worldwide, with Hotel California and their
greatest hits among the best selling in history.
Central Government approves MoU with UK and
Kuwait
The
Central
Government
approved
different
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)s with United
Kingdom and Kuwait.
While with UK, the MoU was for public administration
and governance reforms, the MoU between Department
of
Space/Indian
Space
Research
Organisation
(DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research
(KISR) was on cooperation in the exploration and use
of outer space for peaceful purposes.
2015 was hottest year worldwide since 1880
Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880,
it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the
widest margin ever observed.
During 2015, the average temperature across global
land and ocean surfaces was 1.62 Fahrenheit (0.90
Celsius) above the 20th-century average.
This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2015
record.
NOAA
National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric
Administration.
Maharashtra first state to grant 180 days
maternity leave in surrogacy cases
Maharashtra will be the first state in the country where
women employees in government jobs can avail up to
180 days‘ maternity leave while having a baby
through surrogacy.
The women employees will have to apply in advance to
the authority concerned who will decide on the
applications.
The women employees will need to furnish certificates
provided by the authorities according to the surrogacy
guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Solar projects get Rs 5,050 crore boost from
Centre
Chennai
Madurai
The government approved a ‗viability gap funding‘
(VGF) of Rs 5,050 crore for setting up over 5,000 MW
of grid-linked solar power projects under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
The total investment expected under this scheme is
about Rs 30,000 crore. It said that the estimated
requirement of funds to provide VGF for 5,000 MW
capacity solar projects is estimated to be Rs 5,050
crore.
Cabinet panel okays six-laning of NH2 in Bihar
and Jharkhand
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved
six laning of Aurangabad Bihar and Jharkhand border
Barwa Adda section of National Highway 2 in Bihar and
Jharkhand.
The work falls under National Highways Development
Project (NHDP) Phase-V.
The cost is estimated to be Rs 4,918.48 crore including
cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation
and other pre-construction activities.
Japanese agency to lend Rs 4,000 crore for two
northeast highway projects
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has
pledged a loan for around Rs 4,000 crore for two major
highways projects in Mizoram and Meghalaya.
The bilateral funding agency approved this loan
immediately after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
visited India last month.
These two projects will be implemented by National
Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation
(NHIDCL), an entity set up by the government to
execute works in hill and border states.
New U.S. visa rules for some Europeans
The new rule is designed to make it harder for
Europeans who have fought for the Islamic State to
enter the United States.
The Obama administration will announce as early as its
plan to introduce new visa requirements for European
travellers who are dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan
or Syria, or who have visited any of these countries in
the last five years.
Banking Awareness
Telangana
Grameena
Bank‘s
new
branch
inaugurated
The Telangana Grameena Bank (TGB) opened its 343rd
branch at Chinna Mulkanoor village in the district.
34
R. A. C. E
The MP called upon the elected representatives and
village development committees to ensure that all the
villagers had bank accounts and availed several
benefits from the Union Government such as insurance
coverage etc. He distributed cheques of Rs. 2.40 crore
to women self-help groups.
MRF pads up for partnership with ICC
MRF Ltd has become a global partner of the
International Cricket Council (ICC) by signing four
deals with the council that includes this year‘s ICC
World Twenty20 in India, next year‘s ICC Champions
Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019.
Cabinet clears policy on promotion of city
compost
The Union Cabinet cleared a policy on promotion of city
compost. Under the policy, the Centre will provide
market development assistance worth Rs 1,500 per
tonne on the sale of city compost made out of
municipal solid waste.
The compost, made out of city garbage, is targeted at
not just providing carbon and primary and secondary
nutrients to soil but also help in keeping the city clean.
Maharashtra cities submit proposals worth Rs
29,647 crore for 'Smart City' plan; Mumbai's
lowest
Ten major cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai,
have submitted their estimated proposals worth Rs
29,647.45 crore for the Central government-funded
'Smart City' project.
However, the Mumbai proposal estimate of just Rs
1,118 crore is the lowest among all the ten cities.
Note: The Thane Municipal Corporation's proposal with
an estimate of Rs 6,630 crore tops the list, followed by
Amravati worth Rs 5,305 crore and Nagpur - Rs 3,409
crore.
Appointments
Prashant Kishor becomes Advisor to Bihar CM
Prashant Kishor appointed as an advisor (Policies and
Programme implementation) to Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar.
Note
Prashant Kishor, who played a key role in strategising
for the Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance to register an
impressive win in the last Bihar state assembly
elections
Chennai
Madurai
His status will be of a State cabinet minister.
Banking Awareness
World Bank loan to develop Kosi basin
India and the World Bank signed a $250 million
financing agreement for Bihar Kosi Basin development
project.
Objective of the Project
The objective is to enhance resilience to floods and
increase agricultural production and productivity in the
targeted districts in the Kosi River Basin, and to
enhance Bihar‘s capacity to respond promptly and
effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.
Improve the,
The project would have five components improving
flood risk management; enhancing agricultural
productivity
and
competitiveness;
augmenting
connectivity; contingent emergency response; and
implementation support.
Tuneful song reveals new species of Himalayan
thrush
Scientists have described a new species of bird in
northern India and China, called the Himalayan
forest thrush. They then discovered physical and
genetic differences as well, and have now declared the
known "plain-backed thrush" to be two distinct species.
Passed Away
Mrinalini Sarabhai passes away
Noted danseuse and Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini
Sarabhai passed away in Ahmedabad. She was 97.
About Mrinalini Sarabhai:
 Trained
in
Bharatnatyam,
Kathakali
and
Mohiniyattom, she was educated at Shantiniketan
under Rabindranath Tagore. Besides being a classical
dancer, she was a poet, writer and environmentalist
and played a leading role in the social and art scene in
Ahmedabad.
 She was one of the first classical dancer to turn to
choreography.
Social worker Nirmala Gajwani passes away
Reputed social worker and one of the leading lights of
the Sindhi community, Nirmala Gajwani, passed away.
She was 87.
About Nirmala Gajwani:
Born in Rohri Sindh (now in Pakistan) on December 28
1928, she married Dr. Hassanand Gajwani at 16 and,
due to the partition of India and Pakistan, was forced
35
R. A. C. E
to flee as a refugee with her 10-month old infant son in
1947.
Interest rates on small savings schemes like PPF
may be reset every quarter
Interest rates on popular small savings schemes such
as Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings
Certificate (NSC) and the Kisan Vikas Patra could soon
be reset every quarter as part of the government's
plan to peg them closer to market rates to reduce
market distortions and help the cause of lower interest
rates.
MSDE and DoT sign MoU for national action plan
for skill development in telecom sector
MoU with DoT, a department under Ministry of
Communications & IT, to develop and implement
National Action Plan for skill development in telecom
sector, utilising PSUs under DoT with a common
objective of fulfilling skilled manpower requirement of
the telecom sector and at the same time providing
quality
opportunities
for
employment
/
entrepreneurship.
MSDE
Ministry
of
Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship
DoT - Department of Telecommunication
Made in India: Locally developed Maruti Suzuki's
Vitara Brezza to be sold abroad
The Vitara Brezza is going to be a major milestone for
Maruti Suzuki, as the locally developed vehicle will be
sold abroad as well, showcasing the technological
capabilities of the nation's top car maker.
Note
The compact SUV is the first vehicle to be conceived,
designed, developed and validated in India by Maruti.
It will be unveiled at next month's Auto Expo in Greater
Noida. "Vitara Brezza was given as a challenge to the
Indian R&D team," .
Sri Lanka tops South Asia in human development
Sri Lanka has been placed at the 73rd rank with an HDI
value of 0.757. In the previous year‘s report, it
occupied the 74th place.
Sri Lanka has maintained its high ranking in human
development. But the country‘s performance in terms
of average annual human development index (HDI)
growth rate during 1990-2014 was lower than many
other South Asian countries.
Chennai
Madurai
India submits climate action performance report
to UN body
India submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR)
to a UN climate body highlighting that the country is
well on course to fulfil its global commitment by
voluntarily cutting its carbon emission intensity
(emission per unit of GDP) by about 12% between
2005 and 2010.
Note
The result appears encouraging as it shows that the
country is in line to reach its 20-25% reduction target
by 2020 and subsequently the 33-35% emission
intensity reduction goal by 2030 as promised by it in
the country's climate action plan to the UN body.
Google‘s free Wi-Fi service arrives at Mumbai
Central
RailTel has announced the launch of free high-speed
public Wi-Fi service in partnership with Google at
Mumbai Central.
Note
 Google and RailTel will expand the network to cover
100 of the busiest stations by this year-end and will
eventually roll out the service in 400 railway stations
across India.
 This is expected to be the largest public Wi-Fi
project in India and among the largest in the world in
terms of number of potential users.
 The next four stations going online will be
Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur and Ranchi.
China‘s richest man plans $10bn project in India
Billionaire Wang Jianlin's Dalian Wanda Group
agreed to spearhead a $10-billion project to build an
industrial park in India, in what could become one of
the biggest development projects in the country.
About the project
The first phase of 'Wanda Industrial New City', the
construction of which may begin this year, will span 13
sq km and house companies in industries ranging from
software to cars and healthcare.
The Wanda agreement is the result of talks between
Wang, Modi and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal
Khattar that began in June of 2015. A 'Wanda Cultural
Tourism City' and a residential district may also be
developed as part of the project.
36
R. A. C. E
Retail giants Amazon, Walmart to invest more
than Rs 2,000 crore in India
Two of the world's largest retailers, Walmart Stores Inc
and Amazon, will invest more than Rs 2,000 crore to
build their networks and gain a share of the Indian
retail market that's expected to cross $1 trillion by
2020.
Note
Amazon will inject Rs 1,696 crore through a rights
issue into Amazon Seller Services, making it the
biggest infusion of capital since entering the country
three years ago. The investment takes Amazon's total
investment in Amazon Seller Services in the past year
to aboutRs 4,800 crore.
Andhra Pradesh govt to introduce `priest at your
doorstep'
The AP endowments department has decided to
introduce a novel scheme, "Bhaktuni Chentaku
Bhagvantudu" (God visiting the devotee), from the
Telugu new year Ugadi. As part of the programme, the
priest of the local temple will visit families to bless
them on seven special occasions related to birth and
marriage.
In case of death, the priest from the local Shiva temple
will visit the family concerned. This is a free service‖.
Union Defence Minister unfurls India's largest
and tallest Tricolour in Ranchi
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hoisted
India's tallest and largest Tricolour atop the famous
Pahari Mandir in Ranchi on the occasion of 119th birth
anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose.
The Pahari Mandir is one of the holiest Hindu
pilgrimage sites in Jharkhand. The Tricolour is 66 feet
in height, 99 feet in width and it is hoisted on a 293
feet tall pole.
French president Francois Hollande to arrive in
India for Republic Day visit
French President Francois Hollande will arrive in India
hoping to seal a drawn-out defence deal between the
two countries as well as hold talks with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on global security.
Hollande will be chief guest at Republic Day parade as
part of his three-day visit, after accepting an invitation
that is viewed as one of the biggest honours New Delhi
can bestow on a foreign leader.
Chennai
Madurai
Last Year Chief Guest: Barack Obama
Appointment
Paranjoy Thakurta appointed EPW Editor
The Sameeksha Trust, which runs the Economic and
Political Weekly has appointed senior journalist
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta editor of the journal from
April 1. This follows the resignation of Rammanohar
Reddy from the post early this month.
About EPW:
The EPW, headquartered in Mumbai, is widely
recognised as a unique journal-cum-magazine that
combines popular commentary with academic research
articles in the social sciences.
About Mr.Thakurta:
Mr, Thakurta will be only the fifth editor of the journal,
which began initially in 1949 as the Economic Weekly
edited by Sachin Chaudhuri and adopted the present
name in 1966. An independent journalist, he is well
known for his commentary on India‘s political
economy.
Google to pay $185 m back taxes to U.K.
Google has agreed to pay 130 million pounds ($185
million) in back taxes to Britain, prompting criticism
from opposition lawmakers and campaigners who said
the ―derisory‖ figure smacked of a ―sweetheart deal‖.
Reason: Google, now part of Alphabet Inc, has been
under pressure in recent years over its practice of
channelling most profits from European clients through
Ireland to Bermuda, where it pays no tax on them.
Ola launches social ride-sharing platform in
Chennai
Cab aggregator Ola announced the launch of Ola
Share, its social ride-sharing platform in Chennai.
Users who travel on the same routes can now use this
service to share their cab rides with other users from
social groups.
Ola Share has been designed to enable people to share
cab rides, and it makes for economical fares, since a
ride can now be shared by up to three people at any
point in time.
Amazon chief Jeff Bezos' space company
successfully re-launches
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space transportation
company, Blue Origin, successfully launched and
37
R. A. C. E
landed a suborbital rocket for a second time, a key
step in its quest to develop reusable boosters.
About Rocket
The New Shepard rocket and capsule, which is
designed to carry six passengers, blasted off from a
launch site in West Texas.
Blue Origin and SpaceX are among a handful of
companies working to develop rockets that can fly
themselves back to Earth so they can be refurbished
and flown again, potentially slashing launch costs.
Sushma Swaraj Arrives In Bahrain For First
India-Arab Ministerial Meet
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in
Manama for the first ministerial meeting of the
India-Arab League Cooperation Forum to deepen
the country's ties with the 22-member grouping amid
tensions between regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia
and Iran.
Ms Swaraj, who is Manama on a two-day visit, will also
hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of a
number of Arab League countries, including her
Bahraini counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Maha ATS blocks 94 sites linked to ISIS
Amid the national crackdown on terrorists and terror
suspects, the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS)
has blocked 94 websites linked to Islamic State of Iraq
and the LevantS.
The multi-city raids that had begun across six states
wound up with the arrest of Imran Mozzam Khan
Pathan of Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra gets first Mini-Water Supply Plant
through solar plant in Mouda Taluka of Nagpur
In Maharashtra, the first Solar Power operated MiniWater Supply Plant in the state has been commissioned
in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district.
The Solar Pump Unit has been installed on
experimental basis by Rite Water Solutions under the
supervision of the Zilla Parishad authorities. The village
with six hundred households is now getting pure water
for a very low cost which can easily be borne by the
Gram Panchayat.
Cabinet
recommends
President's
Rule
in
Arunachal Pradesh
The Union Cabinet recommended imposition of
President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, which is facing a
political turmoil.
Chennai
Madurai
Reason for President Rule,
Up in arms against Congress Chief Minister Nabam
Tuki, 21 rebel party MLAs, including 14 disqualified a
day before, with the help of BJP and independent
legislators, congregated at a community hall after the
state Assembly complex was 'sealed' by the local
administration, and 'impeached' Rebia in an impromptu
session chaired by deputy speaker T Norbu Thongdok.
About 27 MLAs in 60-member Assembly, including the
Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues, boycotted
the proceedings.
Fin min approves buying 14 lakh new electronic
voting machines
The Election Commission has moved a step forward
towards procuring nearly 14 lakh new electronic voting
machines(EVM), with the Finance Ministry giving inprinciple approval for buying the new devices which are
required ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Sources in the government said an estimated Rs 1,872
crore would be required in 2016-17 for the new EVMs,
but final figures will be available when the EC issues
tender.
Francois Hollande visits India: Chandigarh,
Puducherry, Nagpur on France's smart city radar
French President Francois Hollande began the economic
leg of his three-day visit to India, offering his country's
assistance in the development of at least three
smart cities Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagpur.
The businesses of the two sides also signed 16 pacts
mainly in urban development and clean energy, but
also covering one agreement on aerospace between
the French giant Airbus and India's Mahindras.
China, Iran agree to expand trade to $600 bn in a
decade
China and Iran mapped out a wide-ranging 25-year
plan to broaden relations and expand trade during the
first visit by a Chinese leader to the Islamic republic in
14 years.
President Xi Jinping met with his counterpart Hassan
Rouhani, a week after the lifting of international
sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The
Chinese leader is the first head of state of the sixcountry bloc that negotiated the historic deal to visit
Iran.
The two countries signed 17 documents and letters of
intent, IRNA reported, including treaties on judicial,
commercial and civil matters. Iran is seeking to attract
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R. A. C. E
$50 billion annually in foreign investment for the
country's ailing $400 billion economy.
Appointments
Alice Vaidyan, new CMD of GIC Re
Alice Vaidyan has been appointed Chairman and
Managing Director of General Insurance Corporation of
India (GIC Re), the National Reinsurer. She will hold
office till July 31, 2019. GIC Re is the 14th largest
reinsurer globally and is presently the only reinsurance
company in India.
Vaidyan belongs to the 1983 batch of direct recruit
officers of general insurance industry. She has been
the General Manager and CFO of GIC Re from October
2012.
Get ready for 5 eclipses this year
Astronomy enthusiasts and sky gazers will be able to
watch five eclipses this year, but only two of these will
be visible in India.
The celestial events will start with a total solar eclipse
on March 9, which will be partially visible in North East,
Ujjain based Jiwaji Observatory‘s Superintendent
Rajendraprakash Gupt.
Later, a penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on March
23, but it would not be visible in India. Another
penumbral lunar eclipse will take place on August 18
and an annular solar eclipse will occur on September 1,
both of which will again not be visible. However, lunar
eclipse will occur on September 16 and will be visible.
n-gage messaging app launched in India
Instant messaging app n-gage launched its service in
India to allow users to share content with competing
platforms like WhatsApp and Viber, a move aimed at
tapping into the booming mobile Internet user base in
India.
The platform ensures security of users through the
various features and at the same time, availability of
the desktop version ensures that those without
smartphones can use the platform," n-gage founder
and CEO Ajit Patel.
Regulators Recall Another 5 Million Vehicles Due
To Faulty Air Bags
Prompted by a recent death in South Carolina, federal
regulators have recalled five million vehicles with
defective Takata air bags, which have injured more
Chennai
Madurai
than 100 U.S. drivers.The brands recalled include
Ford, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes Benz.
In one of the largest such actions in history, 24 million
vehicles equipped with the Japanese company's air
bags have been recalled in the United States.
Passed Away
Tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh passes
away
Eminent Tabla Player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed
away at a private city hospital. He was 80 years old.
About Ghosh:
The legendary classical exponent, who is the father and
mentor of new age percussionist Pt Bickram Ghosh,
had been at the ICU of the super-speciality hospital on
E M Bypass, since mid December and underwent
angioplasty on December 14.
January 26, 2016: Important days
International Customs Day
On 26 January every year the Customs administrations
of 180 Member States of the World Customs
Organisation organize various national events to
celebrate the first session of the Customs Co-operation
Council.
Theme
―Digital
Customs
–
Progressive
Engagement‖
National Affairs
India‘s 67th Republic Day
India commemorated and honoured the 67th birth
anniversary of its Constitution as Republic day. The
main Republic Day celebration was held at the Rajpath
in New Delhi.
Indian, Chinese troops meet on LAC, commit to cordial
ties
About the Act
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act came into
force.
The Central Government will enforce the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of
Atrocities Amendment Act, 2015 for prevention of
Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes with effect from January 26, 2016. The Lok
Sabha on August 04, 2015 and Rajya Sabha on
December 21, 2015, had already passed the Bill. After
framing the rules for performance, now it will be
enforced by the Central Government with effect from
January 26, 2016.
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R. A. C. E
Centre approved Rs 11,370 crore Mumbai Trans
Harbour Link
Centre issued a fresh coastal regulation zone (CRZ)
clearance to the ambitious 22 km Mumbai Trans
Harbour Link project. Outlay of Rs 11,370 crore.
The proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project will
be implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan
Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
It envisages construction of six lanes Road Bridge to
ease congestion and reduce pollution in Mumbai. The
Maharashtra government plans to complete the link by
2019.
India gifted ambulances and buses to Nepal
In a bid to strengthen the education and health
services in the Himalayan nation, India has donated 40
ambulances and 8 buses to various hospitals, nonprofit
charitable
organisations
and
educational
institutions in Nepal at a function at the Indian
embassy in Kathmandu on 67th Republic day of India.
 Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae hoisted the
national flag in the embassy premises.
 Bhu Puu (ex-army men) 2015 Magazine was
unveiled, which is published by the Defence Wing of
the Embassy.
Books and Authors
Union Minister of Human Resource Development
Launches Veer Gaatha Series of Books
‗Veer Gaatha‘ a series of books on Param Veer Chakra
awardees was launched by the Union Minister of
Human Resource Development. The five books in the
series of 21 Param Veer Chakra Awardees were
released.
Minister of Human Resource Development– Smt. Smriti
Zubin Irani
Mamata
Banerjee
released
her
book
on
―tolerance‖
While inaugurating the 40th Kolkata International Book
fair, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
released ten books including a book on ―Tolerance‖
which is penned by her. Banerjee has dealt with
religion in her book and explained that religion cannot
be ―white or black‖.
Theme country for the Kolkata international book fair –
Bolivia
Three Indian B-schools in top 100 on FT‘s global
MBA list
Chennai
Madurai
s per the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking for 2016
three of the India‘s top business schools are outline
among the 100 best schools globally. France‘s INSEAD
is at the top of the list of the Business (B)-schools is
also known as the ―business school for the world‖
Pakistan plans its first mega nuclear power plant
Pakistan is all set to initiate a country‘s first mega
nuclear power plant with power generation capacity of
2,000 megawatts.
Pakistan faces about 5,000 MW energy shortages and
the government has launched several projects to
bridge the gap.
Capital – Islamabad, Currency – Pakistani rupee , PM
– Nawaz Sharif , President – Mamnoon Hussain
Awards and Honours
Gallantry Awards 2016
On the eve of the 67th Republic Day Celebrations,
President Pranab Mukherjee has approved 365
gallantry and other defence awards to honour
extraordinary bravery and courage as well as
distinguished service of the armed forces personnel
and others. These awards were established in 1952.
Sports
2015 FIH Awards Netherland made Big Win
International Hockey Federation (FIH) has named
Netherland players Robert Van der Horst in Men‘s
category and Lidewij Welten in women‘s category as
the 2015 Players of the Year.
Since 1998, FIH Player of the Year Awards are awarded
annually to the male and female field hockey players to
recognize their performances in the events, that are
held in the corresponding year, as best in the world.
Team India return to No.1 Test spot
Indian Test team return to the top of the International
Cricket Council (ICC‘s) Test Rankings after South Africa
packed up to a 0-2 series beat against England in
Johannesburg.
 India lost its top ranking to England after losing by
0-4 since August 2011.
 Australia is at 2nd position with one point less than
the Indian team; England is at 3rd position while
Pakistan got 4th
 Caption of Indian Test team -Virat Kohli
Pranab gives assent to Central rule in Arunachal
Pradesh
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R. A. C. E
President Pranab Mukherjee approved the Union
Cabinet‘s recommendation for the imposition of
President‘s rule on Arunachal Pradesh.
Sources at Rashtrapati Bhavan said Mr. Mukherjee
signed on the dotted line after being satisfied that the
law and order situation in the border State was
sensitive to this uncertainty in government.
Note
The Ministry of Home Affairs appointed two retired civil
servants G.S Patnaik and Y.S Dadwal as advisers to
the Governor.
India's first blind-friendly train flagged off
India‘s first blind-friendly train, from Mysuru to
Varanasi, made its maiden journey.
All reserved coaches of the Mysuru–Varanasi Express,
which leaves Mysuru, have metallic Braille signages
indicating the location of toilets, emergency windows
and berth numbers.
Passport first, verification later for first-timers
Police Verification (PV) has been an integral part of
Passport issuance process since its inception.
Under the Passport Seva Project, the Ministry of
External Affairs has streamlined Police Verification
System for passport issuance by digitally integrating
685 of 731 Police Districts in the country.
This has led to overall reduction in the number of days
taken to complete police verification process to 34 days
in 2015, as against 42 days in 2014 and 49 days in
2013.
‗Mumbai, Delhi among top Asia Pacific cities for
millionaires‘
India‘s financial hub Mumbai, which is home to 41,200
millionaires, and national capital Delhi, which houses
20,600 high net worth individuals, have been named
among the top Asia Pacific cities for HNIs.
According to the Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report, by
New World Wealth, Tokyo is the top Asia Pacific city for
the ultra-rich with 2,64,000 millionaires, while Mumbai
and Delhi got featured in the 12th and 20th rank
respectively.
High Net Worth Individuals or HNWIs (millionaires)
were defined as those individuals with net assets of
USD 1 million or more.
French soldiers become first foreign military
contingent at R-day parade
French Army soldiers created history by marching down
the Rajpath during the Republic Day parade, becoming
Chennai
Madurai
the first foreign military contingent to take part in the
celebrations.
Oil PSUs to invest Rs 1.5 lakh crore for setting up
biggest refinery in Maharashtra
Public sector oil marketing companies Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited (HPCL) along with Engineers India Limited
(EIL) will invest Rs 1.5 lakh crore for setting up the
country's biggest refinery with a capacity of 60 million
tonnes (MT) per annum on the western coast.
The refinery will produce petrol, diesel, LPG, jet fuel
and feedstock for petrochemical plants to cater for the
plastic, chemical and textile industries in Maharashtra.
Oil minister - Dharmendra Pradhan
Paytm all set to go global through Aliyun
Paytm, run by One97 Communications Ltd, has signed
an exclusive commercial partnership with Alibaba‘s
cloud computing arm AliCloud, and will be spending
about Rs.120 crore to deploy Alipay‘s technology via
AliCloud (also known as Aliyun).
The agreement will allow the payment instruments of
the two firms to be integrated in their existing
platforms. The two firms will operate on a commission
model.
Coca-Cola to enter dairy drinks segment in India
Beverages major Coca-Cola announced its foray into
value-added dairy drinks segment in the Indian market
with Vio brand, which will make its debut across the
country next month. The company has tied up with
Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Pvt Ltd which will
manufacture the product.
Vio will be available in 'Kesar Treat' and 'Almond
Delight' variants, priced at Rs 25 per 200ml pack.
Science and Techonology
Opera Mini adds supports for 13 Indian
languages
Popular mobile browser Opera Mini just got a new
update that adds support for 90 global languages,
including 13 from India. With the update, Indian users
can browse on Opera Mini in Assamese, Bengali,
Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam,
Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
The new update also adds support for QR code reader
and generator for Opera Mini.
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R. A. C. E
Users can download the latest version of Opera Mini
from the PlayStore.
Appointment
Twitter names AmEx executive Leslie Berland as
CMO
Twitter Inc named American Express Co executive
Leslie Berland as its chief marketing officer.
About Berland
Berland, who joined AmEx in 2005 and is currently
executive vice president of global advertising,
marketing and digital partnerships at American
Express, confirmed her new job via a tweet.
Awards and Honours
Rekha honoured with 3rd National Yash Chopra
Memorial Award
Veteran actress Rekha was honoured with the Yash
Chopra Memorial Award for her contribution to the film
industry.
The award has been instituted by the T.S.R.
Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of
the producer-director, who died in 2012.
Sports
Team India beat Kangaroos by 37 runs in 1st T20
clash
India defeated Australia by 37 runs in the first cricket
Twenty20 International to take a 1-0 lead in the threematch series. Virat Kohli was declared as man of
the match.
After having asked to bat first, the visitors posted
188/3, aided by strong middle-order partnership of 131
runs between Kohli and Suresh Raina. The Indian vicecapitain remained not out and scored 90 runs from 55
deliveries. Raina scored 41 before getting dismissed for
41.
Note:
India return to No.1 Test spot in ICC Rankings
India's Deborah Herold seals historic Track
Cycling World Championships berth
The 20-year-old cyclist from the Andamans created
history again by qualifying for the 2016 Union Cycliste
Internationale
(UCI)
Track
Cycling
World
Championships for the first time in India's history,
ahead of South Korea and Japan in the main draw.
In December, Deborah had become the first
Indian female cyclist to reach the heights of fourth
place in the UCI individual world ranking.
Chennai
Madurai
All India Radio Launches New App-Based Channel
for Classical Music Lovers
A new app-based audio channel of All India Radio (AIR)
was launched which will dish out some of the best
compositions in the classical music domain.
Named 'Raagam', the channel was launched by
Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash and it will be
uplinked from AIR Bengaluru station as it will get
regular software updates from 13 other stations of the
AIR from across the country.
India ranks 76 in Corruption Perception Index
The Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency
International (TI) has put India at rank 76 out of 168
countries in its latest Corruption Perception Index.
India shares its rank along with six other
countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Tunisia and
Zambia. China fared worse than India and Brazil at
rank 83 with a score of 37.
The country‘s 2015 corruption perception score
remains the same as last year‘s 38/100 showing lack of
improvement.
Rajasthan Govt. signs MoU to join UDAY
The Rajasthan Government and its power distribution
companies or discoms signed a pact with the Centre
under the UDAY aimed at relieving the debt burden of
the most indebted discoms in the country.
UDAY - Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana
CERT In signs cyber security pacts with 3 nations
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-In) has signed cooperation pacts with its
counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan for
cyber security.
The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) will promote
closer cooperation for exchange of knowledge and
experience in detection, resolution and prevention of
security-related incidents between India and the three
countries.
CERT-In is the nodal agency responsible for dealing
with cyber security threats.
Cognizant acquires KBACE Technologies
US-based Cognizant said it has acquired KBACE
Technologies, a global consulting and technology
services company for an undisclosed amount.
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R. A. C. E
KBACE Technologies specializes in cloud strategy,
implementation and integration and is a leading Oracle
Cloud partner.
About the acquisition,
The
acquisition
strengthens
and
expands
Cognizant‘s digital capabilities as more clients
move critical business applications to cloud-based IT
infrastructures to reduce costs and complexity and
improve business agility.
HCL acquires UK-based Point to Point for around
$11M
HCL Technologies Ltd, India's fourth-largest software
services firm, has agreed to acquire UK-based Point to
Point Ltd and Point to Point Products Ltd (jointly
referred to as Point to Point or P2P) for £8 million
(around Rs 78 crore or around $11 million).
The firm is a Microsoft, Citrix and Google Chrome
partner and provides support to over 250 organisations
in sectors such as media, finance, travel, public sector
and automotive.
Persons in News
Bill Gates Is Once Again the Richest Person in the
World
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and one the richest
people in human history, once again comes out on top,
with a net worth of $87.4 billion.
Gates crushes the second place finisher, Spain‘s
Amancio Ortega, by more than $20 billion. Ortega,
founding chairman of clothing retailer Inditex, is
pegged at a net worth of $66.8 billion (though forgive
us for not feeling more sympathetic).
Note
 Potential presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg
ranks as the ninth wealthiest person on earth, with
a net worth north of $42 billion.
 Three Indians Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji and
Dilip Shanghvi have made it to a global list of 50
wealthiest people that is topped by Bill Gates.
 Alice
Walton,
Walmart
heiress,
is
the
wealthiest woman, ranking #15 overall with a net
worth of $33.2 billion.
Ghulam Ali music launch event in Mumbai called
off
Film-maker Suhaib Illyasi claimed that the music
launch of his film Ghar Wapsi by ghazal singer Ghulam
Ali scheduled has been cancelled after there was no
confirmation from Maharashtra government that it will
provide security for the programme.
Chennai
Madurai
Vodafone deploys Cisco‘s SON technology to
reduce call drops
At a time when telecom companies are under fire for
call drops, Vodafone India said it has deployed Cisco‘s
Self Optimising Network (SON) technology to
deliver superior mobile experience, improve voice call
quality and reduce dropped calls.
Vodafone India has already deployed SON over a third
of its network. Deployment will continue until the entire
network is SON-enabled.
Facebook to expand beyond its 'like' button
'pretty soon'
The new reactions will include symbols for "angry,"
"sad," "wow," "haha," "yay" and "love."
After four months of testing outside the U.S, Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that ―pretty soon‖ six new
emotions will be added to the social network
throughout the world.
Facebook has been testing the different reactions in
Chile, the Philippines, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Japan
and Colombia.
Sports
Heena Sidhu shoots her way to Rio Olympics
2016 with gold in Asian qualifiers
India's top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu secured an
Olympic quota for the country after she led from start
to finish and claimed the gold medal in women's 10-m
air pistol on day one of competition at the Asia Olympic
Qualifiers for Shooting.
The current world record holder and former world
number one, Heena shot 199.4 in the eight women
finals to finish ahead of Chinese Taipei's Tien Chia Chen
(198.1) and Gim Yun Mi (177.9) of Korea at the Dr.
Karni Singh Shooting Range.
20 cities set for ₹50,802-cr makeover
The Centre announced the list of cities which have
bagged the coveted ‗smart city tag‘ under the
government‘s flagship mission.
The proposals have been judged on credibility of
implementation, city vision and strategy, economic and
environmental impacts, cost effectiveness, innovation
and scalability and processes followed, including citizen
implementation.
The Cabinet had approved an outlay of ₹48,000 crore
for the Smart Cities Mission in April last year.
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R. A. C. E
Note
The 20 cities are Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat,
Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Solapur,
Dhavangiri, Indore, New Delhi Municipal Corporation,
Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belgaum, Udaipur, Guwahati,
Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal.
IRCTC restricts ticket booking to six per month
In an attempt to prevent possible misuse, Railway
Ministry has introduced new checks on booking of eticket and i-ticket through IRCTC website.
Under the new provisions a maximum of six tickets
can be booked online by an individual user in a
month on IRCTC website. This new provision will come
into effect from February 15, 2016.
Customs launches mobile app to inform people all
about rules
A mobile-based application was launched by the
customs to inform people about all Indian customs
rules including those related to import of pets and
goods.
About the App
It is a first-of-its-kind mobile application in the world
which contains a ready reckoner of the customs
baggage rules and entitlement of passengers coming
from various countries.
The application provides information to users as per
their need. After installation of app on smart phones, it
works in offline mode.
It also provides 24x7 contact details of customs officers
in major Indian airports.
Zika could infect 4 mn people
The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the Zika
virus, which is spreading through the Americas, to
affect between three million and four million people.
The WHO‘s director-general said the spread of the
mosquito-borne disease had gone from a mild threat to
one of alarming proportions.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a
close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes
mild fever, rash and red eyes.
'Indians 3rd biggest investor in US realty market
at $8 bn'
Indians are the third biggest international investor
community with $8 billion investment in the US realty
market after Canadians and Chinese, brokerage firm
Sotheby's International Realty said today.
Chennai
Madurai
Besides, 25 per cent of the international real estate
market in London also belongs to Indians with
investments around 1 billion pounds while they also
invested more than $2 billion in the Dubai real estate
market in the first half of 2015 only.
Firstsource acquires BPO biz of ISGN
Firstsource Solutions Ltd announced the acquisition of
BPO unit of ISGN, a full service provider of mortgage
technology and services.
Over 700 employees from ISGN‘s BPO division in the
United States and India will become a part of
Firstsource through this acquisition.
Jaguar Land Rover launches updated XJ saloon in
India at Rs. 98.03 lakh
The Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on
launched an updated version of its luxury saloon
‗Jaguar XJ‘ in India, with prices starting from Rs. 98.03
lakh (ex-showroom, pre-octroi in Mumbai).
With a combination of technology, craftsmanship and
sporting vehicle dynamics, the new Jaguar XJ is ―a
blend of power and beauty‖, available with a range of
distinctive new features, JLR said in a statement
Books and Authors
The second volume of President Pranab Mukherjee‘s
memoirs The Turbulent Years (1980-1996) was
released even as the author himself said that ―some
facts are to be buried with me‖.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari released the first
copy of the book, with a fairly eclectic audience of
Indian Council for Cultural Relations chief Karan Singh.
Awards and Honours
Pharmacist Purushotham Rao gets IAPST award
for 2015
K. Purushotham Rao, eminent pharmacist and head of
the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society‘s College
of Pharmacy, has bagged the prestigious Indian
Association
of
Pharmaceutical
Scientists
and
Technologists (IAPST) Pharmaceutical Professional of
the Year Award for 2015.
The award, carrying a gold medal, citation and a
certificate, was presented to Prof. Purushotham Rao at
a national seminar of IAPST at Jadavpur University in
Kolkata on January 16.
Banking and Economy
Agartala, Aizawl get $80 mn ADB loan
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R. A. C. E
India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed
an $80 million loan agreement for improving the
infrastructure in the two North-Eastern cities of
Agartala and Aizawl.
The loan is the third tranche of a $200 million financing
facility under the North-Eastern Region Capital cities
Development Investment Program and will be used for
investments in water supply, solid waste management
and sanitation in Agartala and Aizwal.
Bank of Japan adopts negative interest rate
policy
The Bank of Japan blindsided global financial markets
by adopting negative interest rates for the first time
ever, buckling under pressure to revive growth in the
world's third-largest economy.
In a move that was signaled by the Nikkei business
daily minutes ahead of the decision, the BOJ said it
will apply a rate of negative 0.1 percent to excess
reserves that financial institutional place at the bank,
effective February 16.
The BOJ left its program to buy government bonds and
exchange traded funds (ETFs) unchanged.
BlackBerry‘s first Android smartphone Priv
launches in India
The Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry has finally
launched its much awaited Android smartphone
BlackBerry Priv in India. The company has priced the
device at Rs 62,990.
About the Phone
On the specifications front, the BlackBerry Priv has a
5.4-inch QHD display with 1440x2560 pixels resolution
protected with a coating of Corning Gorillas Glass 4 on
top. Powering the handset is a 1.8GHz dual-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with
3GB RAM. It's on board storage stands at 32GB which
can be expanded up to 200GB using a microSD card.
January 30, 2016: International Affairs
Strong 7 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern
Russia
A strong 7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern
Russia. The earthquake struck in an area close to the
"Ring of Fire", an arc of fault lines that circle the Pacific
Ocean which is prone to frequent earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions.
The quake struck 109km (67 miles) north of
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.
It struck at a relatively deep 153km.
Chennai
Madurai
Banking and Finance
SBI, BoB and other PSBs creating anti-money
laundering framework for overseas branches
In what appears to be a reaction to stricter norms by
banking regulators across the world, India's public
sector banks, including State Bank of India and Bank of
Baroda are creating a separate and stronger antimoney laundering (AML) framework for their branches
outside India.
While the priority is to have AML framework in place in
Europe and the United States, in the framework is also
being created in Dubai, South Africa, Mauritius and
Singapore, where there is a high risk.
India to provide 300 MW to power-starved Nepal
in 18 months
India agreed to supply 300 MW of electricity to energy
starved Nepal in the next one-and- a-half year as the
two sides decided to expedite construction of crossborder transmission
lines
and
boost
bilateral
cooperation including in power trade.
Energy secretaries of the two countries agreed that
Nepal will import 80 MW electricity from India through
Muzaffarpur- Dhalkebar transmission line in the next
three weeks.
Fiscal deficit at 88% of annual target
The government has Rs.70,000 cr of unpaid bills to the
FCI due to the food subsidy.
The government‘s fiscal deficit for the first nine months
(April-December) of this financial year stood at 88 per
cent of the annual target comparable with 100.2 per
cent of the target it managed during the same period
in the previous financial year.
The April-December fiscal deficit the difference
between government revenue and expenditure stood at
Rs.4.88 lakh crore, which is 88 per cent of the Rs.5.55
lakh crore target for the full year set by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget.
The 'Stang' arrives in India
American car maker Ford unveiled its ‗muscle car‘
Mustang in India. It will go on sale in the second
quarter of this year.
Currently in its sixth generation, Ford first launched the
Mustang in 1964 and has since sold more than 90 lakh
units.
The car will come with a 5–litre V8 engine.
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R. A. C. E
Iran, Airbus sign deal for 118 planes
billion
Iran agreed to buy 118 Airbus jets
billion at list prices, including a dozen
jumbos, after international sanctions
against Tehran this month.
worth $27
worth $27
A380 super
were lifted
Appointments
New Secretaries to steer Telecom, Agriculture
Among the most significant changes was the move to
replace Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg with Uttar
Pradesh cadre IAS officer J.S. Deepak, who is at
present Secretary in the Department of Electronics and
Information Technology.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved 10 Secretary
level shifts, including four appointments made to fill
vacancies arising as the incumbents are about to retire.
Sports
AB de Villiers appointed full-time captain of South
Africa Test team
AB de Villiers has been appointed as the full-time
captain of South Africa's Test side, Cricket South Africa
(CSA).
Having served as the stand-in-skipper during the
recently-concluded series against England, following
Hashim Amla's resignation, de Villiers has agreed to
take up the position full-time.
Second IND-SL T20I moved from Delhi to Ranchi
Jharkhand State Cricket Association International
Cricket Stadium in Ranchi will now be the venue for the
second game of the three-match bilateral T20I series
between India and Sri Lanka, starting on February 9.
Ayonika clinches India's 11th Olympic quota with
silver
In the Asia Olympic Qualifying Competition match,
where the gold match was decided after a shoot-off,
Ayonika won India's 11th quota place for Rio Olympics
and a silver with 205.9 in the final and 9.9 in the
shoot-off, while Najmeh won the gold. Ghatkar, who
was a gold contender till the 17th shot, shot an 8.8 in
the 18th round to finish third with 184.5 points.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis win Australian
Open women's doubles title
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner
Martina Hingis beat seventh seeded Czech combination
Chennai
Madurai
of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka to win
Australian Open women's doubles title.
Zimbabwe appoint Hamilton Masakadza as new
captain
Batsman Hamilton Masakadza has been appointed
Zimbabwe's new cricket captain, replacing Elton
Chigumbura who resigned on the recent tour of
Bangladesh.
Masakadza will captain in both Tests and limited overs
games, with Zimbabwe deciding to do away with
separate captains for the different formats.
Patna Pirates name Manpreet as captain, Sanjeev
head coach
Patna Pirates named raider Manpreet Singh as their
captain and Sanjeev Kumar as the head coach for the
third edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
Vice President Hamid Ansari on 5-day visit to
Brunei, Thailand
Vice President Hamid Ansari five-day tour of Brunei and
Thailand beginning 1st Feb, 2016 to carry forward
India's bilateral engagements with the two South
East Asian countries as part of its Act East policy.
He will go to Brunei first at the invitation of crown
prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. This will be the first
high level visit from India since the establishment of
diplomatic relations with Brunei in May, 1984.
India ranks 4th in number of thinktanks, after
US, China and UK
India ranks fourth on the list of nations with the most
number of thinktanks, with nearly 100 new ones taking
the country's total to 280 in 2015.
Last year, India ranked fifth with 192 thinktanks.
The US tops the list for 2015 with 1,835 thinktanks,
followed by China and the United Kingdom with 435
and 288, respectively, according to the 'Global Go To
Think Tank Index Report (GGTTI) 2015'.
PM Modi to address nation on 16th edition of
'Mann Ki Baat' today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation in
the 16th edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on
jan 31st.
Prime Minister shares his thoughts with the nation in
this monthly radio programme. The first edition of the
programme was aired on October 3, 2014.
46
R. A. C. E
Persons in News
Rajapaksa‘s son arrested in corruption case
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, a lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy
and the second son of the former President, Mahinda
Rajapaksa, was arrested by the Financial Crimes
Investigation Division after interrogation for nearly
seven hours in a case under a law on money
laundering.
Reason,
Among the others arrested were Rohan Weliwita,
media secretary to the former President, and the
chairman of the Carlton Sports Network (CSN) that
runs a television channel, and Nishantha Ranatunga,
former senior executive in the company, and two
directors.
Mobile phone production in India reaches 100
million benchmark
Mobile phone production in India has reached 100
million with leading companies setting up their
manufacturing base in the country.
Indian Cellular Association founder and President
Pankaj Mohindroo said that in terms of value, mobile
phone production in the country has increased by 95
per cent in the ongoing financial year as compared to
the previous fiscal.
Telecom Minister - Ravi Shankar Prasad
Sports
Akshay-Pranaav stun World No. 7 pair
Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra performed way
over their World ranking of 36 to stun two-time World
championship bronze medallist Korea‘s Kim Gi Jung
and Kim Sa Rang and gate-crashed into the final of the
$120,000 Syed Modi International badminton
championship.
Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to win
Australian Open title
Angelique Kerber became the first German to win
a Grand Slam title since her childhood idol Steffi Graf in
1999 when she upset world number one Serena
Williams to clinch the Australian Open.
The 34-year-old American had been seeking her
seventh Melbourne Park title and 22nd overall, which
would have moved her into a tie with Graf for the most
Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.
Vera Lapko wins Australian Open girls singles
title
Chennai
Madurai
Vera Lapko has followed in Victoria Azarenka's
footsteps by becoming just the second Belarusian to
capture the girls' singles trophy at the Australian Open.
The 17-year-old Lapko upset defending champion and
No. 2-seeded Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia.
About the Title
Azarenka was the last Belarusian to capture the title
back in 2005.
Lapko has risen up the junior rankings to No. 12 after
reaching the semifinals of the girls event at Wimbledon
and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2015.
Shardul Gagare becomes India's latest chess
Grandmaster
Top seed Shardul Gagare of Maharashtra became
India's latest Grandmaster after registering his third
successive win by defeating B Sekar in a third-round
match of the IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Open
Chess Tournament.
About Gagare
The 18-year-old Gagare from Ahmednagar district
commenced the tournament with an International ELO
rating of 2497, needing precious three rating points to
touch the magical mark of 2,500, which he achieved
with a convincing third-round win over Sekar.
Passed Away
Former Army Chief Gen K V Krishna Rao passes
away
Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao, who
played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation
War, died at the military hospital following a cardiac
arrest. He was 92.
About Rao
Rao also served as the Governor of Jammu and
Kashmir at a time when militancy was at its peak in the
state.
Rao was the 14th Chief of the Army Staff of Indian
Army and had an illustrious career spanning over four
decades in the force.
****
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