APPOINTMENT

1. Dushyant Chautala is new TTFI president

Dushyant Chautala was elected as president of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) at the annual general body meeting held at Gurugram. M.P. Singh and Arun Kumar Banerjee will be the new secretary general and treasurer respectively.

2. Anushka appointed ambassador of Swachh Bharat campaign

Anushka Sharma has been chosen to be the face of PM Modi’s initiative, the Swach Bharat Abhiyaan along with Mr Amitabh Bachchan for the same. She is the female ambassador of this massive country wide campaign, and has been picked for her popularity with youth across rural and urban India, particularly women.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

3. Bombay Natural History Society launches climate change programme in Central Himalayas

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched climate change programme under which the first study funded by Oracle and facilitated by CAF-India, will assess the status, distribution and conservation of pheasants and finches in the Central Himalayas.

The Himalayas hold a rich natural heritage with diverse flora and fauna enhancing the beauty of the region. The study will focus on their conservation in the context of climate change with the help of community participation.

4. Karnataka Govt Approves Amending Laws to Lift Ban on Kambala & Bullock Cart Race

The Karnataka government has decided to amend laws legalising Kambala, a traditional annual buffalo race held in Mangalore and Udupi. Bullock cart race, another popular sport held in the Uttara Kannada district, will also be legalised through amendments.

• The amendment comes in the wake of a growing clamour to allow traditional sports that are prevalent in the coastal Karnataka regions, after protests and social media campaigns demanded the revival of these sports, despite a court ban.

5. Priyanka Chopra among 150 most fashionable women

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, who has been turning heads on the red carpet with her elegant choice of outfits, has made it to the list of Harpers Bazaars 150 most fashionable women. The 34-year-old “Quantico” star features on the list under the section of “New Guard”.

6. UberMOTO launches service in Hyderabad

Cab-hailing firm Uber has launched two-wheeler aggregation service UberMOTO in Hyderabad. The firm, which has signed an agreement with the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd recently, formally launched the services.

Using the app, people can hire two-wheelers for short-distance commute at cheaper rates. The agreement was aimed at providing the last-mile connectivity from and to the upcoming Metro railway stations. Uber Founder and CEO Travis Kalanick came to Hyderabad last month to seal the deal.

7. Finance Ministry to aid Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh for rail safety

The Finance Ministry has agreed to contribute partially to a new dedicated railway safety fund in the upcoming Budget to be presented on February 1. Train derailments have increased to a six-year high of 74 till January 23 this year compared to 65 in 2015-16 and this may prompt the Railways to bring back a cess on railway tickets to fund safety efforts.

8. Government Constitutes Task Force to prepare Action Plan for Next three Olympic Games

Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel has said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the constitution of the Task Force committee for preparing action plan for next three Olympic Games 2020, 2024 and 2028.

BANKING AND FINANCE

9. RBI lifts ATM withdrawal limits from Feb 1, 2017

RBI has announced lifting of restrictions on daily withdrawal of money from ATMs and from current accounts but the weekly limit of Rs 24,000 on savings bank accounts will continue. The Reserve Bank also promised to review the weekly limit in the near future depending on the pace of remonetisation.

RBI has also removed all limits on cash withdrawals from current accounts/ cash credit accounts/ overdraft accounts with immediate effect.

10. India Post Payments Bank starts pilot services

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has kicked off its operations by rolling out pilot services in Raipur and Ranchi. The bank will offer an interest rate of 4.5% on deposits up to Rs.25,000; 5% on deposits of Rs.25,000-50,000 and 5.5% on Rs.50,000-1,00,000, its Chief Executive Officer A.P. Singh said. The paid up equity of the new bank is ₹800 crore, of which the government has already infused Rs.275 crore

11. FGII Enters Into Bancassurance Tie-Up with Bank Of Maharashtra

Future Generali India Insurance Company Ltd (FGIL) has entered into a corporate agency tie-up for its products with Bank of Maharashtra (BOM), a public sector bank.

• With this tie-up, BOM’s customers will be able to avail of motor, home, shopkeeper and rural insurance products at any of the 1,896 branches of the bank.
• Anurag Sinha, Senior Vice President -Bancassurance and Zonal Manager-West, FGIL, exchanged the corporate agency agreement with Ravindra Prabhakar Marathe, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Maharashtra.

INTERNATIONAL AFFARIS

12. Trump Bans 7 nations from Entering US on Security Issues

American President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to temporarily ban visas for refugees belonging to seven Muslim-majority countries namely as Trump Bans 7 nations from Entering US on Security Issues Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.The decision aims at protecting United States from the entry of foreign terrorists to keep the nation safe. The ban is not aimed at restricting Muslim countries from entering US.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

13. Atomic clocks of Satellite IRNSS-1A Develops Technical Snag

NavIC, the indigenously built satellite- based positioning system, has developed a technical snag in the atomic clocks on its first satellite.

• In the NavIC, a constellation of seven satellites, one of the three crucial rubidium timekeepers on IRNSS-1A spacecraft failed six months ago. The other two followed subsequently.
• Kiran Kumar, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, confirmed the glitch in the clocks but clarified that the satellite was otherwise all right, and the rest of the satellites were performing its core function of providing accurate position, navigation and time.

SPORTS

14. Abul Hossain of Siliguri won Kolkata Marathon

Siliguri lad Abul Hossain won the Kolkata Marathon as amateur runners from north Bengal and Northeast India dominated the first edition of the meet. Hossain won the race with a timing of two hours 34 minutes and two seconds to leave Kolkata lad Biswanath Pal second, five minutes behind. Paritosh Roy finished third with a timing of two hours, 52 minutes 48 seconds.

OBITUARY

15. Veteran journalist Devdutt passes away

Noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, who was a part of the three-member interlocutors group for Jammu and Kashmir in 2008, passed away in Pune. 72-year-old Padgaonkar, a former editor of The Times of India, was unwell for past several weeks and died at a hospital in Pune.

• He began his career in journalism at an early age and joined the Times of India as its Paris correspondent after receiving a doctorate in Humanities in 1968.
• He served the paper in various capacities before he was appointed its editor in 1988, a post he held for six years. In between, from 1978 to 1986, he also worked with UNESCO in Bangkok and Paris.