Current Affairs Daily Digest – January 07 2020
1. Oman ships arrive to participate in Indo-Oman bilateral Naval Exercise “Naseem Al-Bahr”
Two Oman ships arrived in Goa to participate in “Naseem-Al-Bahr”, the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise. RNOV are Royal Navy of Oman Vessels. RNOV al Rasikh and RNOV Khassab arrived at Goa. Along with these ships, Indian Naval Ships Shubhadra and Beas will also participate in the exercise. The Indo-Oman Naval Exercises are being conducted since 1993.
2. Yoga Science Meet, Farmers Science Congress held at Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru
The Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by PM Modi on January 3, 2020. On the sidelines of the event, the Farmers Science Congress was conducted for the first time. The event also witnessed the Yoga Science Meet.
3. Zo Kutpui Festival organised in Mizoram
The Mizoram State Government is organising Zo Kutpui festival across 10 states in the country and also in countries such as Myanmar, US and Bangladesh. By conducting such as festival, the Mizoram Government is trying to unify the Mizo population in the country and also across the world. The event will host performances of several Mizo tribes.
4. 2020 observed as Year of Mobility by CISF
The CISF observes 2020 as the “Year of Mobility” for the welfare of the troops. It will focus on construction of residential units and implementation of welfare measures.
It will also aim at focusing on sports and physical fitness leveraging modern gadgetry. It is essential to equip the forces with modern instruments as the force plays major role in the security system of the country.
5. Global Drosophila Conference held at Pune
On January 6, 2020, the fifth Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference was held at Pune. It was organized by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. The conference is held twice a year. The event is the largest meet of Drosophila researchers in the whole world.
6. ICMR releases report on Sugar Intake of India, Report first of its kind
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released its report on sugar intake of India. The intake was measured in grams per day. According to the study, sugar intake was the highest in Mumbai. Mumbai reported 26.3 g/day followed by Ahmedabad at 25.9 g/day.
The other counter parts of the metropolitan cities that have high intakes include Delhi (23.2 g/day), Bengaluru at 19.3 g/day, Kolkata at 17.1 g/day and Chennai at 16.1 grams per day.
7. BEE sets new standards for ACs: Default temperature set to 24 Degree Celsius
The Government of India has released new performance energy standards for the performance of air conditioners after consulting Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The BEE operating under Ministry of Power develop strategies and policies with primary objective of reduction in energy usage.
According to BEE, the total air conditioner capacity of India is 80 million tonnes of refrigeration. It is estimated that this will increase to 250 million by 2030.
8. Lt Gen Prem Nath Hoon passed away
Former Western Army Commander Lieutenant general Prem Nath Hoon passed away on 6 January 2020. He was 90 years old. Lt Gen Hoon was admitted to Command Hospital, Chandimandir, Panchkula due to illness.
9. Zoran Milanovic won Croatias presidential election
Zoran Milanovic won Croatia’s presidential election. He Croatia’s center-left former prime minister. He defeated center-right incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in a second-round vote. The presidential election was held on 22 December 2019. He belongs to the Social Democrats (SDP). Milanovic won 52.7% of the vote and Grabar-Kitarovic of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 47.3%.
10. Jai Ram Thakur launched MyGov portal, CM app
Himachal State government unveiled the Himachal MyGov portal on 6 January 2020. The portal was launched by the Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. This is expected to strengthen public participation in the Governance process. He also launched the CM App on the occasion. With this launch, the State has become 11th State to have this facility.
11. Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar appointed as an advisor to the Lt Governor of JK
IPS officer Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar has been appointed as an advisor to the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He recently retired as the Director-General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The position in the paramilitary force remained vacant for nearly two months after the retirement of K Durga Prasad on 28 February 2019.
12. Sucheta Satish won the 2020 Global Child Prodigy Awards
Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish, who can sing in 120 languages, won the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020. The 13-year-old known is as the Dubai Indian High School’s nightingale. Along with Sucheta Satish, 100 other Global Child prodigies across the world were honoured at the award ceremony in different categories.
13. Ravindra Nath Mahto elected as Jharkhand Assembly Speaker
In Jharkhand, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Ravindra Nath Mahto from Nala constituency was unanimously elected as the new Assembly Speaker on the second day of the Assembly session today. Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi administered the oath to the newly elected Speaker of the State Assembly.
14. RBI issues its first licence to an UCB to convert into Small Finance Bank
In a first, the Reserve Bank of India granted an “in-principle” approval to UP head-quartered multi-state urban co-operative bank (UCBs) -Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Limited- to transition into a Small Finance Bank.
Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank, which has business operations in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh has a total business size of Rs 1766 crore crore and a net worth of Rs 77 crore as of March, 2019, according to the annual report placed on the bank’s website.
15. Amazon inks a deal with Future Group
In a bid to strengthen its India presence in the wake of an upcoming Reliance Retail competition, Amazon India and the Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd (FRL), part of the Future Group, announced long-term agreements to expand the reach of Future Retail stores and consumer brands through the Amazon India marketplace.
16. 2019 7th warmest year recorded in country since 1901: IMD
The year 2019 was the seventh warmest recorded in the country since 1901, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. However, warming during 2019 was substantially lower than the highest warming observed over India during 2016, it added.
17. Govt announces first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’
The Government of India has announced first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’ for several media houses. This award was conferred on January 7, 2020, to 30 media houses. The objective behind this award is to bring positivity and acknowledge the role of media in the outreach of Yoga in the world.
