Current Affairs January 2016 PDF – Week Three

In General Knowledge PDF
January 21, 2016

CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY WEEK THREE

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Awards and Honors

How many children have been selected for the National Bravery Awards for 2015 – 25 (3 girls and 22 boys).
Indian author Anuradha Roy on 16 January 2016 won the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter at the Galle Literary Festival in – Sri Lanka
The startup that has come up with an innovation to help cardiac patients in rural India access critical care through a wearable device, came out triumphant at a live contest hosted by tech firm Google at the Startup India event – Cardiac Design Labs based in Bengaluru

Appointments

Taxi booking app Ola appointed who as its Chief Marketing Officer on 18 Jan 2016 – Raghuvesh Sarup
India, one of the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), elected who as the board of directors of the China-sponsored AIIB – Dinesh Sharma
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors has announced appointment of ex-Airbus COO as its Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, two years after the death of its former MD Karl Slym – Guenter Butschek
PayU, one of the world’s largest payment services platforms, has appointed who as its new global CEO – Laurent Le Moal
Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra will replace Aamir Khan as new ambassadors of the Incredible India campaign to market the country to tourists abroad.

National Round-up

The government of India launched four mobile health services, which reaches out to those who want to quit tobacco through text messages on mobile, they are – Kilkari, Mobile Academy, M-Cessation and TB Missed Call initiative
The Juvenile Justice Act, has finally comes into force with law to be treated as adults in cases of heinous offences which allows children aged – 16 to 18 years
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the Hall of Nuclear Power in – New Delhi
The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart which held off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu – ‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the Start-up India initiative in New Delhi with Start-up fund worth – 10,000 crore
The World Bank will be funding Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh which was heavily damaged by the cyclone Hudhud in 2014, the zoo will be funded with – seven million dollars
Which temple is all set to become first temple from Gujarat to deposit its idle gold in the Gold Monetization Scheme – Somnath Temple Trust
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is set to participate in the World Economic Forum annual summit to be held for three days in – Davos, Switzerland
The Department of Posts (DoP) plans to open one thousand ATMs and bring all 25 thousand departmental post offices under core banking system by – March 2016
Who launched an innovation centre to promote the culture of innovation among its undergraduate students right from their first year – IIT Kharagpur
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced to institute a new award category under the National Film Awards titled – The Most Film Friendly State/UT
Tamil Nadu Chief J Jayalalithaa on January 19 launched a round-the-clock for ensuring fast response to grievances, aimed at quick delivery of government services – Amma call centre
Which stock exchange launched a new service for algorithm trading test environment in partnership with Symphony Fintech Solutions Pvt Ltd – Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd
The Ministry of Shipping has started a project which will help in making the Major Ports across India cleaner and greener – ‘Project Green Ports’
In order to boost Delhi government’s tax collection and bring in transparency, deputy chief minister Manish Siodia has launched – ‘DVAT BILL’ app
India deployed its latest long-range maritime patrol aircraft as well as spy drones at its forward military base in the – Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Tinystep, India’s first parenting social network has raised seed capital from – Flipkart
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs given its approval for development of the six laning of Aurangabad – Bihar/Jharkhand Border – BarwaAdda section on National Highway-2 in – Bihar and Jharkhand
A team of experts discovered ancient Buddhist caves at Mumbai National Park in India and they found a total of seven caves that they assume to be at least – 2,000-years old
The heavy civil infrastructure business of L&T Construction, along with its joint venture partner, Daewoo E&C of South Korea, has won an order worth Rs 3,115 crore from the Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL) for the – Ganga Bridge Project
GOI will start three new major ports As part of its plan to develop ports and boost maritime trade at – Colachel in Tamil Nadu, the second at Sagar in West Bengal and third at Dahanur, Wadhwad in Maharashtra
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the 19th National Conference on e-Governance to be held in – Nagpur
In the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) for the year 2015-16, India ranked at which position in the list of 109 countries – 89^th
Ratan Tata has invested in online cashback and coupons venture –com
Nasscom has partnered with the Telangana government and other entities to create a “startup warehouse” that will provide an affordable co-working space to the young entrepreneurs in – Hyderabad
India is home to the fourth largest population of millionaires in the Asia Pacific region, with 2.36 lakh high net worth individuals (HNWIs), who topped the list – Japan with 12.60 lakh people
Fulfilling a key election promise of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar cabinet gave the green signal to how much per cent reservation for women in state government jobs – 35
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the results from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16 on January 19, 2016 and as per the survey findings for the 13 States and two Union Territories show promising improvements in – maternal and child health and nutrition
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, IRCTC has taken a slew of measures to facilitate hassle-free booking by genuine ticket seekers with waiting time for online booking – 35 seconds
The high court which has asked Maharashtra government to strictly follow its commitment of demolishing illegal shrines in the state which have come up after 2009 – Bombay high court
The process of dismantling the Bus Rapid Transit, BRT corridor in – New Delhi
The state government which will prepare a roadmap for integrated development of scheduled castes – Madhya Pradesh
The government has increased import duty on certain specified medical device to 7.5 per cent from – 5 per cent earlier
TRAI alleged Facebook that it did not convey its text as per its consultation paper to Facebook users on – Free Basics Service
The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for the approach adopted by India at the Tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO held during December 15-19, 2015 in – Nairobi, Kenya
The approval for setting up of over 5,000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects was received from Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the estimated cost of Project is about – Rs 30,000 crore
Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers decided to set up 100 Central Institutes for Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in India and currently, CIPETs are present at how many locations in India – 28
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued closure orders to 150 grossly polluting industrial units for not installing Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) along – River Ganga
The International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank signed an agreement on January 20, 2016 to finance the Kosi river basin development project in – Bihar
The Financing Agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of US$ 250 million for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project was signed between Government of India and the World Bank on January 20, 2016 at – New Delhi
According to the annual report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Foreign Direct Investment flows into India nearly doubled in 2015. Global FDI flows “unexpectedly” increased significantly by 36%.
In the past 10 years, the sex ratio has significantly decreased in nine out of eleven states of India, whereas women’s literacy has gone up in each of those states, according to the first phase of the latest national family health survey.
Hundreds of endangered Olive Ridley turtles, besides a bottlenose dolphin, were found dead on Puri beach in Odisha.
Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya celebrated their Foundation days on January 21.
Government of India decided to set up 100 Central Institutes for Plastic Engineering and Technology.

International Round-up

The World Economic Forum released its report titled ‘The Global Risks Report 2016’ on January 14, 2016, was which edition of the report – 11^th
Who declared the militant Islamic State group’s Afghanistan-Pakistan wing as foreign terrorist organization – United States
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was formally opened for business on January 16, 2016 at its headquarters in – Beijing, China
For the first time, which country on 18 Jan 2016 has launched an online system to check the “authenticity” of top Tibetan Buddhist monks, amid growing incidents of fraud involving religious leaders – China
United States (US) has removed a wide range of nuclear sanctions against – Iran
After over three years of being told to ‘Surf Safely’, Internet users in which country were able to access the popular video-sharing website, YouTube – Pakistan
The popular messaging service is dropping its subscription fees to access – WhatsApp
The French President declared what he called “a state of economic emergency” and says it’s time to redefine France’s economic and social model – Francois Hollande
China’s economy grew by 6.9% in 2015, compared with 7.3% a year earlier which is slowest in – 25 years
The United Nations has revealed details of the “staggering civilian death toll in Iraq” over the past two years and estimated how many Iraqis continue to be held captive as “slaves” – 3500
India has emerged as one of the five most promising MARKETS for businesses globally, says a survey released at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting at – Davos, Switzerland
International tourist arrivals grew by what per cent in 2015 to reach a record total of about 1.2 billion, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer –4%
China and which country have agreed to forge a comprehensive strategic partnership, eyeing more cooperation in terms of industrial capacity – Saudi Arabia
In a global survey of more than 16,000 people, Singapore was named the second most “up-and-coming” economy among 60 countries, after top-ranked India and ahead of China in third.
The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting has started in Davos, Switzerland with participation of political leaders and business persons from around the world.
New figures from Brazil show a further rise in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads to mothers infected with the Zika virus.
Satellite images confirm that the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been destroyed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS). – St Elijah
Adele, the singer-songwriter’s music track ‘Hello’ has achieved a ten-digit viewcount on YouTube.

India and the world

Singapore inked four pacts with which state government in various sectors including one Rs of 7,000 crore to produce nearly 1,000 MW non-conventional energy in two phases – Madhya Pradesh
The Nepal government has proposed formation of a four-member Eminent Persons’ Group to review the existing bilateral agreements with – India
Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and which country has been rescheduled – Pakistan
India, one of the founding members of the AIIB, has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored – Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
India and which country face challenges of terrorism, the two countries on January 19 agreed to intensify coordination to deal with the menace – Israel
India and which country agreed to strengthen their economic cooperation in infrastructure and financial services as they vowed to address cross-border tax evasion and avoidance – UK
GOI has initiated a probe into alleged dumping of rubber variants used for leather goods by – the EU, South Korea and Thailand
India and the United Kingdom held the 8^thIndia-United Kingdom Economic and Financial Dialogue at – London, United Kingdom
The Union Cabinet has been apprised of the MoU between Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organization (DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) on – cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes

Business and Economy

The Bank which unveiled a dedicated advisory services branch for startups and wealth management service for high net worth individuals (HNIs) – State Bank of India (SBI)
Who increased its shareholding in National Housing Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore towards the paid capital – Reserve Bank
The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog united with which Bank to conduct an enterprise survey of manufacturing firms – IDFC Bank Ltd
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has kept India’s growth projection unchanged at 7.3 per cent in the current fiscal and how much per cent in the next fiscal –5
India and Oman will hold a joint naval exercise in the Arabian sea, focusing on greater interoperability to counter maritime security challenges with the 10th edition of the exercise which will take place from January 22 to January 27 – ‘Naseem Al-Bahr’
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November, 2015 between India, and United Kingdom for – Cooperation in Public Administration and Governance Reforms
Ratan Tata has invested in baby care eCommerce platform FirstCry, continuing the slew of investments he has made in various startups globally.

Science and Technology

DRDO has test fired its indigenously developed, fire-and-forget anti-tank missile, Nag. It successfully hit the target 4 km away during a night trial in – Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan
The NASA’s SpaceX has launched an international ocean research mission on 17 Jan 2016 via its Falcon 9 rocket, the final F9 to fly in the v1.1 configuration, from – California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base in the USA
The first flower has finally bloomed in outer space which was tweeted by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly along with the photo of the first ever flower grown in space named – Zinnia
Who developed a new bio artificial liver that they say will help people suffering from organ failure to live longer – Chinese scientists
Indian space agency ISRO is all set to make its first rocket launch of the year and the fifth satellite of India Regional Navigation Satellite System IRNSS-1E, on board PSLV-C31 rocket from – Sriharikota
An unmanned rocket which exploded on landing after successfully delivering an ocean monitoring satellite to orbit – SpaceX Falcon
Who announced that it will donate cloud computing resources worth $1 billion to global nonprofits over the next three years – Microsoft
The US scientists have announced that a previously unknown giant planet may have been discovered lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system and the nicknamed Planet Nine, the object has a mass about how many that of Earth and follows a bizarre, highly elongated orbit in the distant solar system – 10 times.

Sports

Which pair lifted their second trophy of the season with the WTA Apia International title after clinching their 30th win a row – Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis’
The Australian Cricket team won the 2^ndOne Day International cricket match played against – India
Delhi Acers notched up a thrilling 4-3 victory over Mumbai Rockets in the summit clash to clinch the Premier Badminton League title on January 17, 2016 in – New Delhi
Australia posted a 3 wicket win over India in the 3rd international cricket one dayer at Melbourne and took an unassailable lead in the – 5 ODI series
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 10 wickets in the 2nd Twenty20 cricket international at – Hamilton
Indian off-spinner R Ashwin lost his top position in the ICC Test rankings to an England pacer – Stuart Broad
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for South Asian Games launched the – torch relay of games in New Delhi
India’s Gopi T and Kheta Ram have qualified for the Rio Olympics by finishing second and third respectively, among the Indian runners in the – Mumbai Marathon
Who won the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the 66th Senior National Basketball Championship – Services and Railways
Russian who suffered a surprise last-round loss but was not to be denied the 14th Delhi International Open chess title – Ivan Popov
Which team led by Virat Kohli has climbed to the top of the International Cricket Council ’s Test Rankings after South Africa crashed to a 0-2 series defeat against England in Johannesburg – Indian Test
Who became the fastest to register 24 hundreds and pile up 7,000 runs in one-day cricket, surpassing the twin milestones in just his 161st innings – Virat Kohli
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has imposed a life time ban on which Haryana off-spinner bowler considering his involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal 2013 – Ajit Chandila
Who eased to win the Dafabet Masters title 2016. He defeated Barry Hawkins on January 17 in the final at London’s Alexandra Palace – Ronnie O’Sullivan
Which West Indian opener went out with a bang in the Big Bash League, smashing the equal-fastest 50 in Twenty20 history – Chris Gayle
Who was recently named the best footballer on the planet set his sights on an even bigger prize – the end of poverty – Lionel Messi
The Australian Cricket Team won the 4^thOne Day International cricket match against India scored a total of – 348 runs
Indian motor racer who won New Zealand’s Lady Wigram Trophy 2016 on January 17, 2016 – Jehan Daruvala
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and MRF Tyres has announced a four-year deal which confirms the tyre maker as a Global Partner for – ICC events from 2016

Obituary

Noted filmmaker who passed away at his residence after a brief illness aged 82 – Anil Ganguly
The Bollywood actor, mainly known for his roles in superhits like ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Swades’, who passed away – Rajesh Vivek
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Sikkim Governor who passed away on 17 January 2016 in Hyderabad after prolonged illness – Ventrapragada Rama Rao
Punjabi folk singer who died due to brain hemorrhage at a local hospital in Patiala – Manpreet Akhtar
The world’s oldest man who died at the age of 112 in the Japanese city of Nagoya – Yasutaro Koide
Eagles guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who passed away on January 18 – Glenn Frey
Famous Sandalwood film-maker and lyricist, who straddled Kannada cinema in late 1960s and 1970s, has died at the age of 84 due to throat cancer – Geethapriya
Senior journalist and scholar who authored over 20 books, including The cloister’s pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai, passed away due to breathing-related complications – Aroon Tikekar
Legendary Bharatnatyam dancer, Mrinalini Sarabhai, has died from complications related to old age. She was 97.
ISIS has confirmed the death of “Jihadi John” — aka Mohammed Emwazi, aka Abu Muharib al-Muhajir — in the latest issue of its – Dabiq magazine

Important days

Indian Army Day – January 15

Tit-bits

The country’s first ‘water tourism’ named as ‘Jal Mahotsav’, the 10-day extravaganza will be inaugurated on February 12 in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam in – Madhya Pradesh
IndusInd Bank has tied up with online payment solution firm – PayU India
An offbeat message against drugs delivered through a dance performance by 8,726 students from 40 schools in which city earned a place in Guinness Book of World Records – Amritsar
The former Barcelona and AC Milan player Ronaldinho was announced as the Brand Ambassador of the Nagjee International Club Football Tournament will be held at the Corporation Stadium in – Kozhikode, Kerala
Manpreet Singh Badal’s People’s Party of Punjab, PPP has merged with – Congress
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) reprimanded the Union and Uttar Pradesh Government over pollution in the river Ganga on January 18, 2016, the bench headed by Chairperson – Swatanter Kumar
In Madhya Pradesh, the Pradhan Mantri Sinchai Yojna will be implemented in – 51 districts
In which state, over 16 lakh 44 thousand children were administered polio drops on the first day of the National Pulse Polio Immunization campaign – Punjab
Indian Oil Corporation’s latest refinery, the first in over a decade for the nation’s largest fuel major, started production of petrol from the Rs. 34,555-crore facility on 18 Jan 2016 in – Paradip, Odisha
The two-day National Conference on “Sustainable Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare” held in – Sikkim
Tourists travelling to Uttarakhand will now be able to enjoy the aerial view of the Himalayas as the first helicopter service between the city of – Haldwani and Munsiyari town
DD Direct Plus, which is now FreeDish, is India’s only free to air digital direct-broadcast satellite television will increase the channels available under FreeDish to 112 by – March end
British oil explorer Cairn Energy said it would seek over $600 million from India in damages for the loss of value of its holding because of a retrospective taxation claim of – Rs 10,247 crore
The Maharashtra government and Tata Trust has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a skill training programme for the youth in the state where the programme has been undertaken under the state governments – “Kushal Maharashtra, Rojgaryukt Maharashtra”