1St January 2016 India, Pakistan Exchange Lists of Nuclear Facilities

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1st January 2016

India, Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear facilities

India and Pakistan have exchanged the list of their nuclear installations and facilities under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations. This exchange is done on 1st of January every year between the two neighbouring countries that bars them from attacking each other‟s atomic facilities. This is the 25th consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on 1 January 1992.

Union inks Financing Agreement with World Bank to fund education of minorities

The Union Government has signed a Financing Agreement of 50 million dollars with the World Bank for Nai Manzil Scheme- Education and Skills Training for Minorities. Under this agreement, the credit will be facilitated by the International Development Association (IDA), World Bank‟s concessionary lending arm. This credit will be in the form of loan which carries a maturity of 25 years, including a 5- year grace period. The loan funds will be used for interventions under this scheme improve the employability and performance of minority youth in the labour market. The total project size is 100 million dollars, out of which 50 million dollars will be available as IDA credit and the remaining balance funding from the Union Budget.

DAVA project bags 2015 eASIA award for trade facilitation

The Drug Authentication and Verification Application (DAVA) project of The Department of Commerce has won the 2015 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category. The award was announced by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation (APCTF) and Tehran based (Iran) Electronic Business. The eASIA award is administered by AFACT which aims to development and promotion of trade facilitation, electronic business policies and activities in the Asia Pacific region.

India’s Petronet LNG ink revised contract with RasGas of Qatar

India‟s biggest state owned gas importer Petronet LNG has signed a revised contract with RasGas of Qatar to import gas at a significantly lower price than earlier. Under the new contract, Rasgas will supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Petronet at 6-7 dollar per million British thermal units (mmBtu) from January 1, 2016. It would supply to 7.5 million tonnes of LNG India until the long-term contract ending in April 2028 The new rate is sharply lower than 12-13 dollar per mmbtu agreed earlier and has been revised after falling global prices of oil and gas, saving consumers around Rs.4,000 crore.

Indian-origin cancer expert Harpal Singh Kumar knighted

An Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar was honoured with a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer. Mr. Singh‟s name has appeared in the 2015 New Year‟s Honours list that includes several other Indian-origin individuals. Harpal Singh Kumar was born in India in 1965. He had founded Nexan Group, a venture capital-backed medical devices company in 1997. Later he had joined Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRTL) as chief executive in 2002 and was promoted as COO of Cancer Research UK in 2004. He is the chairman of the Board at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) and also chairman of the Cancer Outcomes Strategy Advisory Group (COSAG) in England. He has won the Mobil Prize, Metal Box Prize, and Hughes Prize.

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2nd January 2016

Government forms panel to study wage structure of gramin dak sevaks

The Union Government has constituted a committee to examine the wage structure, service conditions of the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) in the Department of Posts (DoP). It is one member committee comprising of Kamlesh Chandra, Retired Member of Postal Services Board. The Committee will be assisted by Senior Administrative Grade Officer T.Q. Mohammad who will act as Secretary to the GDS Committee.

Censor Board chief Nihalani on revamp committee

The Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has constituted a committee headed by noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal to look into revamp the film certification nuances by Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC). The committee is tasked to suggest recommendations provide a holistic framework and interpretation of provisions of Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983.

Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam conferred with 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award

Veteran South Indian classical vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam was on 1 January 2016 conferred with the 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award. The prestigious award was conferred upon him by mathematician Manjul Bhargava at 89th annual conference of the Madras Music Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. With this, Subrahmanyam became seventh artist to be conferred with this award before completing 50 years of age including Ariyakudi Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, GN Balasubramaniam, ML Vasanthakumari and M Balamuralikrishna.

Veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan passes away

Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, passed away in New Delhi. He was 91. 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. Born on September 25, 1925, in Sylhet, now in Bangladesh, he embraced Communism at the age of 15 after he moved to Nagpur. He joined All India Students‟ Federation (AISF) at Nagpur University in 1940.

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3rd January 2016

China creates 3 new army units to modernize military

China has created three new military bodies as part of reforms to modernize its military the world's largest standing force 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. At the ceremony, which took place Thursday, Xi and PLA officers and soldiers sang the national anthem. He has promulgated the idea of a "Chinese dream" involving "the great renewal of the Chinese nation" and sees a strong military as key to this.

PM’s inaugural address at 103rd session of Indian Science Congress

Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi set the tone for the 103rd Indian Science Congress which commenced in Mysuru. India had made giant strides in science and said that India‟s success spans from the core of the tiny atom to the vast frontier of space and the country was once again turning towards scientists and innovators to realize the goals of economic welfare and development of 1.2 billion people and address problems plaguing India. India was witness to another revolution in the present times, one of empowerment and opportunities in India.

Jayalalithaa launches ‘Amma seeds’ scheme for farmers

Implementing an announcement made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2014 for farmers‟ welfare, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has launched the scheme „Amma Seeds‟ which is aimed at providing quality seeds. She had proposed the scheme in 2014, saying quality, certified „Amma Seeds‟ would be available through „Amma Service Centres‟ across the state. Jayalalithaa, fondly addressed as Amma by her supporters, had earlier launched Amma Canteens providing subsidised food and Amma mineral water, among others.

President Mukerjee clears five legislation, gives more teeth to SC/ST Act

A law enabling setting up of commercial benches in select high courts and another on arbitration for speedy settlement of high value business disputes are among five legislations which have got nod from President Pranab Mukherjee. Besides, a law for stringent action against those involved in crimes against persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has also got the assent from Mukherjee. 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.

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 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. The bank also received two runner-up awards for National Financial Switch for its performance in acquirer transactions and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).

NABARD, NRSC sign MoU for web-based monitoring of watershed projects.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) for web-based monitoring of watershed projects. The web- based monitoring of Indo-German Watershed Development (IGWDP) projects will happen in three states, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Telangana. Under the MoU, Hyderabad-based NRSC, will create a separate 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.

New-age app and green PIN to push PNB's digital drive

State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched host of digital banking solutions including green PIN and an enhancement of its mobile app. The bank launched mobile apps enabling the customer to locate PNB ATM with PNB ATM Assist. The Android app facilitates the customer to use GPS and reach the nearest PNB ATM, it also assists customer to instantly lodge operational issues, reducing the resolution time considerably. ||<><><>||

4th January 2016

World Braille Day is observed on 4th January

Every year World Braille Day is being observed across the world on 4 January to mark the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, inventor of Braille script or Braille code. Observance of the day helps people to spread the importance of Braille language and also help people to produce works in this language to allow visually impaired people to read the works. To commemorate this day several NGOs as well as other organizations come together to raise awareness about the apathy towards blind people and to help them be equal among rest of the people.

Amputee mountaineer Arunima Sinha conquers Mt Aconcagua in Argentina

India‟s star amputee mountaineer Arunima Sinha has successfully scaled Mount Aconcagua in Argentina as part of her Mission 7 Summits. It was her 5th successful summit of the Mission 7 Summits that she had climbed on December 25, 2016 after starting on December 12, 2015. With this, she created World record by becoming First Female amputee to climb 5 Mountains of the World. These are Mt. Everest (Asia), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Mt.Kosizko (Australia) and Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina), Mt. Aconcagua (6,960.8 metres) is the highest mountain outside Asia and is also known as second Everest. By extension it is the highest point in both Western Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.

India beat Afghanistan 2-1 to lift SAFF Cup title for 7th time

Sunil Chetri scored one of the most important goals of his career when his 101st-minute strike snatched an unlikely win for India in the final of the SAFF Suzuki Cup football tournament against Afghanistan. The Indian skipper cashed in on some poor defending by the Afghans to squeeze the ball into net past goalkeeper Azizi in the 11th minute of extra-time. The Indians then withstood a barrage of attacks to lift the trophy for the seventh time, and after a gap of four years.

RK Mathur set to be new Chief Information Commissioner

Former defence secretary Radha Krishna Mathur has been cleared for the post of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). He will be serving for nearly three years, making him the second-longest serving CIC. Mathur‟s selection as the eighth CIC cleared by the high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and approved by President Pranab Mukherjee is a departure from the convention of appointing the most senior Information Commissioner (IC) as the CIC.

Wipro names Abidali Neemuchwala as new CEO

IT major Wipro, India‟s third largest IT services exporter with revenues of $7 billion, elevated chief executive officer (CEO) T K Kurien as its new executive vice-chairman (V-C) while appointing current chief operating officer (COO) Abidali Neemuchwala CEO and member of the board. Both changes will be effective February 1, 2016. Kurien who took over as the CEO in February, 2011, will now hold the executive vice- chairman position until March 31, 2017. Neemuchwala‟s appointment as CEO comes at a time when Wipro is struggling to hit double digit growth rate and has fallen behind peers like TCS, Cognizant and Infosys.

E-vahan bima launched in Telangana

E-Vahan Bima scheme, an online vehicle insurance scheme, has been launched by Telangana IT & Panchyat Raj Minister K.Rama Rao. This is the first such initiative anywhere in India. After launching the website of E- Vahan Bhima scheme, IT Minister KTR said the policy was initiated with the joint collaboration of Transport, Police and IT Departments under the directions of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). He also stated that the world‟s biggest „Global Delivery Centre‟ would be established in Hyderabad city by Fugistu Company with the partnership of Sify Technologies Ltd. Rs. 135crore would be spent for this venture and nearly 3,000 jobs would be created by the set up of Global Delivery Centre.

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5th January 2016

RBI imposes Rs 1 crore fine on State Bank of Travancore

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of one crore rupees on State Bank of Travancore, an SBI associate bank for violation of some of its instructions. The monetary penalty was imposed on State Bank of Travancore for violation of its instructions including reporting of data to Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). Prior to imposing the penalty, RBI had issued a show cause notice to the bank for not having complied with the directions issued by the bank on submission of accurate data to the CRILC. Finally RBI came to the conclusion that the bank had violated the instructions or guidelines issued from time to time after considering the bank‟s reply and information submitted and documents furnished.

Lodha panel submits report on BCCI reforms

Former Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha, submitted his report on the various aspects of reforms in the BCCI to the Supreme Court. The report culminates the panel‟s exhaustive investigations into how the game is run in the country and what could be done to ensure that transparency and accountability is the rule and not the exception in the administration of cricket in India.

India-Nepal friendship bus service resumes after gap of 27 years

A friendship bus service between India and Nepal was flagged off via Champawat district in Uttarakhand after a gap of 27 years. The resumed bus service has been regularised and will run between Kanchanpur in Nepal close to the Banbasa border in Champawat district and Anand Vihar in New Delhi. People travelling in these buses do not require any special documents to travel. These buses are air conditioned and provide free wi-fi connectivity to passengers. The India-Nepal friendship bus service was suspended 27 years back in the wake of the Indo-Nepal Trade and Transit Treaty. This bus service is mainly used by the people on both sides of the border as they have family as well as trade relations with each other.

Jharkhand first state to sign MoU with Centre for power scheme UDAY

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 (discoms). The MoU is a tripartite agreement is between the state government, the power distribution companies and the Union ministry of power. 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.

Union Government reserves 33% posts of women constables in CAPFs

The Union Government has reserved 33 per cent posts of Constables for women in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to enhance their representation. The proposal in this regard was approved by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and shall come into effect with immediate effect. To begin with, 33 per cent of posts of Constables will be reserved for women in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). While, 14-15 per cent posts in the Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) will be reserved for women.

Former CJI SH Kapadia passes away

Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sarosh Homi Kapadia passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was He was 68. His funeral was held as per Parsi tradition at Tower of Silence at Kemps Corner, South Mumbai. Kapadia was born on 29 September 1947. He had graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai. In 1974, he was enrolled as an advocate at the Bombay High Court. Later he was elevated to the Bench as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in 1991 and was appointed as a Permanent Judge of HC in 1993. He was transferred to the Uttarakhand High Court in 2003 and for a short stint he had served as Chief Justice. He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court in December 2003. Later he was appointed as 38th Chief Justice of India (CJI) in May 2010 and retired in September 2012.

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6th January 2016

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. The IMPS has been enabled across all branches to provide inter-bank electronic fund transfer service “capable of processing person to account remittances.” Noting that there is a rising customer need for instant fund remittances, the bank counted the IMPS launch among customer-friendly IT initiatives.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan agree to expand FTA

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) by inclusion of services and investment. Statement in this regard was made by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his official visit to Sri Lanka. The expansion of FTA would help companies of the two nations to form joint ventures (JV) for exports to other nations. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif‟s official trip to Sri Lanka comes after eight months of President Sirisena‟s visit to Pakistan in April 2015.

Ganga Gram Yojana launched by Union Government

Union Minister of water resources, River development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti launched the Ganga Gram Yojana on January 5, 2016. The Ganga Gram Yojana was launched at Village Puth in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh under which 1600 villages situated along the banks of river Ganga will be developed under this scheme. In the first phase of the Ganga Gram Yojana 200 villages have been selected. In these villages open drains falling into river Ganga will be diverted and alternative arrangements for sewage treatment will be made. The villages will have toilets in every house hold. It is proposed to incur and expenditure of Rs. One crore on every village. These villages will be developed under the Sichewal model.

Reliance Capital gets nod to acquire Goldman Sachs’ Indian fund arm

Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM) has received nod from Competition Commission of India (CCI) to acquire Goldman Sachs‟s mutual funds and exchange-traded funds business in India. This approval comes after the boards of both the companies had approved the acquisition transaction. Now RCAM needs to get final nod of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to complete the takeover. Under the acquisition deal, RCAM will acquire all 12 onshore mutual fund schemes of Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) India with total asset under management of 7132 crore rupees. US based Goldman Sachs had entered the Indian mutual fund industry in 2011 with acquisition of Benchmark Mutual Fund for 120 crore rupees.

Union Government abolishes export duty on iron ore pellets

The Union Government has abolished export duty on iron ore pellets in order to make the commodity more competitive amid weakening prices due to subdued demand. In this regard Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) has issued a notification mentioning that export duty on iron ore pellets has been reduced to zero from 5 per cent. This decision will help improve capacity utilisation of pellet plants and give a necessary boost to the sector. Earlier in 2014, Union Government had levied a 5 per cent export duty on iron ore pellets. Iron ore pellets are value-added products of leftover material or low-grade iron ore and are mainly used in steel-making industry.

Mumbai’s Pranav Dhanawade hits 1,009 runs in 323 balls

Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history by becoming the first cricketer ever to notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten knock of 1,009 in an inter-school tournament. The 15-year-old‟s knock included 129 fours and 59 sixes during the match at the Union Cricket Academy ground in Kalyan. The effort helped his school declare on 1465/3, which is also a record for the highest ever team score. Dhanawade grabbed attention when he scored 652 runs, breaking the 117-year-old record for the most runs scored in an innings held by AEJ Collins, who smashed an unbeaten 628 in a club match in England in 1899.

Syed Kirmani conferred with 2015 Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award

Former Cricketer Syed Kirmani was honoured with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in Mumbai (Maharashtra) for his contribution to Indian cricket. He was presented with the award by the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Shashank Manohar at the BCCI‟s annual award function held in Mumbai. India‟s Test captain Virat Kohli was awarded with the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year. Mitali Raj was bestowed with Best Woman Cricketer Award in senior player category for the season 2014-15.

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7th January 2016

Indian government approves MoU on civil aviation between India and Singapore

The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Singapore on cooperation in the field of civil aviation. The MoU was signed in November 2015 between Airports Authority of India (AAI) on behalf of Union Government and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) on behalf of Government of Singapore) during Prime Minister‟s visit to Singapore.

Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passed away

Noted Gujarati writer and poet Labhshankar Thakar passed away after prolonged illness in Ahmedabad. He was 80. He was modernist author of Gujarati literature with influence of existentialism challenging traditional literature styles. Thakar was born on 14 January 1935 in Sedla village near Surendranagar in Gujarat. He was popularly known by his penname Punarvasu and Vaidya Punarvasu. Apart from being Gujarati poet, playwright and story writer he was also an Ayurvedic Practitioner. Some of his poems are Vahi Jati Pachhal Ramya Ghosha (1965), Manasni Vaat (1968), Mara Namne Darwaje (1972), Boom Kagalma Kora (1974), Pravahan (1986), Kalagranthi (1987).

Union Government decides to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission norms in 2020

Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has decided to implement the stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from 1st April 2020 in a bid to curb vehicular pollution. Government will directly switch over to BS-VI emission norms from the present BS-IV emission norms and completely skip BS-V emission norms altogether. Decision in this regard was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Unon Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed dead

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away of multiple organ failure in New Delhi after nearly a week- long hospitalisation. He was 79. He died due to multi-organ failure at 9:10 this morning despite our best attempts to resuscitate him. Under treatment at the hospital since December 24, Mr. Sayeed, was detected with sepsis, decreased blood counts and pneumonia and his condition took a turn for the worse. He has been on ventilator support since early this week. Earlier, doctors had maintained that though he was on essential medication and supportive therapy the leader was hemodynamically stable but required respiratory support.

Kate Atkinson wins Costa novel award for a God in Ruins

British writer Kate Atkinson on 4 January 2016 won the novel-of-the-year prize at Britain's Costa Book Awards 2015 for the second time in three years. She fetched the award for A God in Ruins, a story of war and its aftermath. With this, Atkinson became the first author to receive the Costa novel prize three times: for A God in Ruins in 2016, Life After Life in 2013 and Behind the Scenes at the Museum in 1995.

Sam Pitroda appointed Technical Advisor to Odisha government

Well-known telecom engineer and inventor Sam Pitroda has been appointed Technical Advisor to the Odisha Government. The appointment of Dr. Pitroda for development of IT sector in Odisha was announced by the State government. According to a press release issued by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik‟s Office, Dr. Pitroda will have a key role in Vision 2036 for Odisha. Dr. Pitroda will help provide the essential technological blueprint to write the IT story of Odisha.

Apurvi Chandela sets a world record to win gold at Swedish Grand Prix

Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela broke the world record on way to winning gold in the women's 10 metre air rifle event at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix. Chandela shot 211.2 in the event held to surpass the feat of Chinese Olympic gold medallist Yi Siling, who held the record with 211.The result marked a positive start for Chandela, who has already won an Olympic quota place for the Rio Olympics. The silver and bronze went to Swedish shooters Astrid Steffensen (207.6) and Stine Nielsen (185.0).

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8th January 2016

Government decides to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with MEA

Nearly 12 years after it was set up to improve engagement with the Indian diaspora, the government has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the External Affairs Ministry in sync with its broad principle of minimum government, maximum governance. As Minister for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, I realised that substantial work of MOIA is done through our missions abroad. Therefore, I proposed to Prime Minister that MOIA should be merged with Ministry of External Affairs

India-France military exercise Shakti-2016 begins

India and France have started their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency bilateral military exercise Shakti-2016 in Rajasthan. In this bilateral exercise, French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade are participating. Indian side is being represented by the 2nd Battalion of Garhwal Rifles which is part of the Sapta Shakti Command.

River Information System Launched to Facilitate Safe, Accurate Navigation

India‟s first River Information System (RIS) was launched by Union Government facilitate safe and accurate inland waterway navigation. It has been launched in phases and the first phase will cover 145-km stretch of National Waterways 1 (Phase I- Haldia to Farakka) on the Ganges River. Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI), a statutory body under the aegis of Union Ministry of Shipping is implementing the RIS in India.

ASW corvette INS Kadmatt to be commissioned at Vizag

'INS Kadmatt', the second indigenous stealth anti-submarine 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'. The ship has many state-of-the-art equipment which include the rail-less helo traversing system and foldable hangar door for the integral ASW helicopter which not only increases the strike capability of the ship

India to grow at 7.8% in 2016: World Bank

India is projected to grow by a robust 7.8 per cent this year and 7.9 per cent in the next two years, the World Bank forecast citing strong investor sentiment and the positive effect on real incomes of the recent fall in oil prices. In its latest Global Economic Prospect report which is released every six months - the World Bank marginally reduced India's growth rate 0.2 per cent in 2015 and 0.1 per cent in both 2016 and 2017.

Raghuram Rajan Conferred Central Banker of the Year Award

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has been felicitated with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for 2016 by The Banker, the Financial Times Group's monthly publication. RBI's focus on taming inflation - India is set to hit its 6 per cent target in 2016 - was key to this performance and reinforced foreign investors' confidence in India's currency and rupee-denominated assets.

ICICI Bank partners with FINO PayTech for payments bank space

India‟s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has partnered with FINO PayTech to foray into the payments bank space. With this partnership, ICICI Bank joins some of the leading lenders of the country that have partnered with payments banks. For example,

Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) and State Bank of India (SBI) have picked up stake in payments banks to be floated by Bharti Group and Reliance Industries respectively.

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9th January 2016

Government reappoints Urjit Patel as Deputy Governor of RBI for a second term

Urjit Patel, Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in-charge of the monetary policy department, has been re-appointed for a term of three years. Mr. Patel, 52, who will complete his three-year term on January 10, could become the longest serving deputy governor in recent times if he serves the full three-year term. Most of recent deputy governors served a maximum of five years.

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 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.

President promulgates Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee has promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The Ordinance was promulgated by President as per provisions of Article 123 of Constitution of India that gives him legislative powers in consultation with Council of Union Ministers. The proposed amendments in the parent Act seeks to deal with the loopholes in the existing law.

Governor’s rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir

Governor‟s rule has been imposed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for sixth time as the process of formation new government following the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is taking some time. It was imposed after President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the recommendations forwarded by Union Home Ministry on the basis of a recommendation from J&K Governor NN Vohra.

Sania, Martina start off 2016 with Brisbane title

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis carried the dominance of 2015 into the new season, winning their sixth consecutive title by lifting the WTA Brisbane trophy, in Brisbane. The top seeds quelled the challenge of German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5, 6-1 in mere 69 minutes. Sania and Martina, the world number one team, have now stitched a 26-match winning streak together, which has brought them six titles in a row at the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, WTA Finals and now.

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10th January 2016

PACL boss Nirmal Singh Bhangoo arrested over alleged $6.8 billion investment scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the founder of PACL Ltd over allegations the property company cheated investors of $6.8 billion, in what local media is calling the country's biggest financial scandal. The arrest of Nirmal Singh Bhangoo comes 17 months after markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) ordered PACL to return money to millions of investors, saying the company was running an illegal investment scheme. The scheme promised depositors returns on investments in agricultural land.

Hindi writer Ravindra Kalia passes away

Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away at a private hospital. He was 78. Kalia had been suffering from liver cirrhosis, according to family sources. Known for his works like 'Nau Saal Chotti Patni' and 'Ghalib Chutti Sharab', the former Bharatiya Jnanpith director was also the editor of several literary magazines, including Naya Gyanodaya.

Stan Wawrinka clinches third consecutive Chennai Open title

Stan Wawrinka dismissed Borna Coric 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 26 minutes of clinical tennis. Now, the total match hours both players have been out on court here this week makes for an interesting little anecdote. With his first round bye, the top-seeded Wawrinka spent just three hours and 16 minutes in total to earn his final berth. His quickest outing lasted just 53 minutes. Coric, on the other hand, made it to the final after four matches nine hours and 16 minutes of gruelling competitive tennis.

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. The Italian started three grand prix races in a privately entered Maserati 250F, finishing a best place of 10th at Spa- Francorchamps in 1958. The Naples-born driver had earlier tried to qualify for that year‟s Monaco Grand Prix, failing in her efforts along with another debutant, the future F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Both were too slow to qualify but there was no cut-off in Belgium, allowing De Filippis to qualify in last place.

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11th January 2016

NASA mission finds 100 new alien planets

NASA‟s revamped planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has discovered more than 100 confirmed planets orbiting other stars. Kepler, which recently got crippled by a mechanical malfunction, discovered the alien planets during its second-chance K2 mission. The spacecraft finds planets by the “transit method,” noting the tiny brightness dips caused when a planet crosses its host star‟s face from Kepler‟s perspective. This technique requires extremely precise pointing, anability Kepler lost in May 2013 when the second of the observatory‟s four orientation-maintaining reaction wheels failed. However, the Kepler team quickly figured out a way to keep the telescope stable, using solar radiation pressure as a sort of third wheel.

Author Balkrishna Garg awarded H K Devsare Baalsahitya award

Veteran poet Balkrishna Garg was honoured with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015 for his collection of poems for children, titled 'BaalGeet'. Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma conferred the award comprising a cash prize of Rs 75,000, a shawl and a citation on Garg at a function here. The jury, which chose Garg for the award, said his "poems while adopting the modern poetic forms also retain the simplicity and lucidity of traditional style of poetry written for children."

Sailesh appointed new Registrar General, Census Commissioner

Senior IAS officer Sailesh was appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner. Sailesh, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is presently Additional Secretary in Home Ministry. He has been appointed in place of C Chandramouli, who completed his tenure. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sailesh as Registrar General and Census Commissioner for a period till July 28, 2017.

Milos Raonic wins 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy

World No. 14 Milos Raonic from Canada has won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the men‟s single category. In the final match played at Brisbane (Australia), he defeated Roger Federer (world No. 3) from Switzerland by 6–4, 6–4 score. It is Milos Raonic overall 8th career title and 1st of the 2016 season. Henri Kontinen (Finland) and John Peers (Australia) have won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the men‟s double category. In the final match, they defeated Australian team of James Duckworth and Chris Guccione by 7–6, 7–4, 6–1 score.

Telangana becomes first State to make gender education compulsory at graduate level

Telangana has become the first State in the country to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level. In this regard, state government has introduced bilingual textbook titled „Towards a World of Equals‟ on a pilot basis in engineering colleges. These engineering colleges are affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU-Hyderabad). Discusses gender in its composite form without limiting itself to crime against women without repeating gender stereotypes. Touches upon complex subjects like male-female relationships and female-centric history. It has been structured into simple language to suit under-graduates.

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12th January 2016

India-Australia Social Security Agreement Comes Into Operation

A new social security agreement signed between India and Australia has come into operation enabling people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's country, a pact likely to boost bilateral business linkages. Commonwealth government wanted to make sure people who live and work in more than one country are not disadvantaged. The Agreement signed in November 2014 came into operation on January 1, 2016. This agreement will give people more freedom to move between Australia and India, knowing their pension rights will be recognized and protected.

National Youth Day is observed on January 12

In India, January 12 is being observed as National Youth Day. This day marks birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. On this day, numbers of functions are being organized nationwide to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. This year it is the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Government constitutes Arvind Panagariya committee to fast-track bullet train project

Union Government has constituted a committee to fast track the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for connecting two cities with bullet trains. The committee is tasked to interact with the Japanese counterpart for taking further steps in implementation of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. The committee will be headed by Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog. It will also include Railway Board chairman, foreign secretary and secretary (industrial policy) and secretary in the department of expenditure as its members.

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. The 28-year-old Argentine had 41.33% of the vote, with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76%) second and Barca's Neymar (7.86%) third. Either Messi or Ronaldo, who became a three-time winner last year, have won the past eight awards. 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, who was born in Portsmouth.

David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69

Music Legend David Bowie passed away on 10 January 2016 in New York, United States following a battle with liver cancer. He was 69. He was one of the most influential musicians of 1970s and was famously known for his creative musicianship to break pop and rock boundaries. David Bowie was born as David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in London, England. His career spanned around 51 years and since his first album release in 1967, around 140 million albums were sold. He became international fame in 1972 after the release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. He has 111 singles and 51 music videos to this credit in his 5 decades career.

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13th January 2016

President gives assent to The Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015

President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to raise the ceiling of a cess as an excise duty on the production of sugar. The bill was first passed by Lok Sabha after it was declared a money bill. President gave his assent as per provisions of Article 111 of Constitution after the bill was not returned by the Rajya Sabha to the Lok Sabha within 14 days of its consideration as per constitutional provisions.

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. It is heartening to know that the e-initiatives of EPFO are getting recognised by the Union government as well. Our ultimate goal is to deliver services as smooth as an e-bank.

SC stays Centre’s notification lifting ban on Jallikattu

The Supreme Court has stayed the Union Government‟s notification lifting ban on traditional bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. In this regard the apex court rejected the plea of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Tamil Nadu Government. This decision was taken by a SC bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana on petitions filed by various bodies including Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) seeking striking down of the MoEF‟s notification.

IMD changes language in weather forecasting

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has changed the languages and also re- defined terms that are not scientifically precise in weather forecasting. In this regard, IMD has issued official notification to do away with outdated language to avoid communication gap with the civil administration so they can be more realistic in case of upcoming weather events. IMD has reviewed the terminology and factors determining each of these terms based on supporting observational data.

RDL inks MoU with AP Government to set up naval facility at Visakhapatnam

Reliance Defence Ltd (RDL) has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh Government to set up a world class naval facility in the state. It was announced by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the CII Partnership Summit titled „Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Investment Meet‟ in Visakhapatnam. The proposed naval facility will be established at Rambilli, 70 kilometers south of Visakhapatnam on the East Coast of India with an initial investment of 5000 crore rupees. It should be noted that RDL is subsidiary of Anil Ambani led Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. It had acquired the Pipavav shipyard on West Coast in Gujarat earlier in March 2015. ||<><><>||

14th January 2016

Union Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, a new crop insurance scheme to boost farming sector in the country. It is farmers‟ welfare scheme that aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claim for the full insured sum. Farmers will pay uniform premium of 2 per cent for all Kharif crops and 1.5 percent for all Rabi crops. In case of annual horticultural and commercial crops, farmers will pay 5 per cent premium. These premium rates are very low.

India to join the International Energy Agency – Ocean Energy Systems

India has decided to become member country of the International Energy Agency – Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) to boost for country‟s quest for tapping ocean energy sources. Proposal for signing the Implementing Agreement (IA) in this regard was approved by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. By becoming a member India will have access to advanced Research & Development (R&D) teams and technologies across the world. India will also become partner in developing test protocols along with other countries which will in turn help in testing Indian prototypes as per international requirements and norms.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives for Health

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of Health. The MoU was signed in January, 2014 for facilitating greater cooperation between both the nations and to develop human resources in healthcare. Enhanced cooperation in the field of health will also foster great friendship and relations between the two South Asian countries.

Union Government inaugurates Second Liquid Chemical Berth of Mumbai Port Trust

Union Government has inaugurated Second Liquid Chemical Berth of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) at Pir Pau, Mumbai. The facility was inaugurated by Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari. The berth is a modern state- of -art facility built at an expense of 127 crore rupees. It is equipped with Quick Release Mooring Hooks ( QRMHs) and also with 4 mooring dolphin. It is designed to handle 55000 DWT (deadweight tonnes) vessels carrying liquid bulk chemicals and POL (Petroleum, Oil, & Lubricants) products. It has been designed keep in view the safety standards conforming to the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) norms.

HRD Ministry inaugurates permanent campus of IISER in Thiruvananthapuram

Union Government has inaugurated the first phase of permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) at Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It was inaugurated by Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani in presence of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The IISER Thiruvananthapuram is dedicated to scientific research and science education of international standards. It had started functioning in the state in August 2008 with a transit campus at the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET).

WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in West Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa after all known chains of transmission have been stopped. WHO‟s announcement came with declaration of end disease in Liberia after no positive case was reported in last 42 days (two 21- day incubation cycles of the virus). Liberia was worst hit in Western Africa by this deadly outbreak which has killed around 4809 people. It also had completely shattered its economy, health and education sectors.

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15th January 2016

Indian Army Day is observed on 15th January

Indian Army Day is being observed every year on 15 January in India. This year it will be the 68th Indian Army Day. On this day in 1949, Lt. General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in- Chief of the Indian Army (of the independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher (last British Commander-in-Chief of India.). This day inspires the troops to continue to enrich the glorious traditions of the Indian Army with their dedication and sacrifice.

DRDO successfully test-fired anti-tank missile Nag in Rajasthan

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the second week of January 2016 successfully test-fired Nag anti- tank missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. The test was conducted during a night trial to validate the enhanced 4-km range capability of Imaging-Infrared seeker, which guides the missile to the target after its launch. During the test, the Thermal Target System (TTS) was used as target for the missile. The TTS simulated a target similar to an operational tank as thermal mapping from tank to TTS was carried out for generating thermal signature.

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 Rajasthan on top with 1,264.35 MW capacity followed by Gujarat. The total grid-connected solar power generation capacity in the country is 5,129.81 MW. According to the statement, Rajasthan has the maximum grid-connected capacity, followed by Gujarat (1,024.15 MW) and Madhya Pradesh (678.58 MW). The other leading states are Tamil Nadu (418.94 MW), Maharashtra (378.7 MW), Andhra Pradesh (357.34 MW), Telangana (342.39 MW), Punjab (200.32 MW) and Uttar Pradesh (140 MW). The major states which are lagging behind are West Bengal (7.21 MW), Uttarakhand (5 MW) and Haryana (12.8 MW).

SBI opens first dedicated banking branch for startups

India‟s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched dedicated specialized branch for start-ups called „SBI InCube‟ in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It was announced by BI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The „SBI InCube‟ branch will cater to the specific financial needs by providing advisory services to the budding entrepreneurs under one roof It will assist start-ups in cash management, regulations, taxation, mentoring, foreign exchange and remittances and other financial services. InCube in its current form will not fund start-ups i.e. it will not provide loans.

India, Japan conduct joint exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ off Chennai coast

Ships and aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard came together to train for the 15th edition of „Sahyog-Kaijin‟ joint exercise in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast. This is the second time in three months a ship from the Japanese military forces is participating in a military exercise along with India. In October last year, Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force‟s ship FS Fuyuzuk participated in exercise „Malabar‟ with ships and aircraft of the Indian and the United States navies. ||<><><>||

16th January 2016

Union Government inks loan agreement with World Bank for Neeranchal National Watershed Project

Union Government has signed a loan agreement with World Bank for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project to improve watershed management in rural rain fed areas. The loan credit will support the watershed activities of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in selected sites in 9 states. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

Amended Juvenile Justice Act comes into force

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, which provides for strengthening of provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law, came into force on Friday, replacing the Juvenile Justice Act 2000. The Rajya Sabha had on December 22 cleared, the Bill, which was already passed by the Lok Sabha on May 7. One key provision in the Act is change in nomenclature from 'juvenile' to 'child' or 'child in conflict with law' to remove the negative connotation associated with the word 'juvenile'.

Tsai Ing-wen elected Taiwan's first female president

Tsai Ing-wen has been elected Taiwan's first female president. Ms Tsai, 59, leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that wants independence from China. In her victory speech, she vowed to preserve the status quo in relations with China, adding Beijing must respect Taiwan's democracy and both sides must ensure there are no provocations. China sees the island as a breakaway province - which it has threatened to take back by force if necessary.

PM Narendra Modi launches ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ action plan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the „Start-up India, Stand-up India‟ action plan in New Delhi to boost startup ventures in the country. The main aim of action plan is to give impetus to innovation and encourage the talent among young people and remove onerous government regulations and red tape. Start-up profits to be tax- free for 3 years and also no labour inspections for 3 years of launch of the venture. Compliance regime based on self-certification for labour and environmental laws. Easy exit policy for start-ups with 90 days. Tax exemption to be provided on capital gains if money is invested in another start up. Government to create Rs. 10,000 crore corpus fund for development and growth of innovation driven enterprises. It will be Rs. 2500 crore a year for four years.

Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis win 2016 WTA Apia International title of Tennis

Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis have won the 2016 WTA Apia International title in the women‟s doubles category. In the final match played at Sydney (Australia), the top seeded duo defeated French pair Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic by 1–6, 7–5, [10–5] score. It was their overall 11th title together from 2015 when they had won 9 titles and second title of season 2016. It was also their 30th match win together in a row.

Marat Safin to become 1st Russian in International Tennis Hall of Fame

Retired star Marat Safin will become the first Russian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 35-year-old is a former world number one and claimed 15 ATP men‟s singles titles and two Grand Slams over the course of a glittering career. Safin was nominated as a possible Hall of Fame inductee alongside Belgium‟s Justine Henin and the Czech Republic‟s Helena Sukova last October, with the Russian‟s inclusion now confirmed. Becoming a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame is deemed the highest honor in the sport, and Safin is set to take his place alongside some of the game‟s greats.

Anuradha Roy wins DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

India‟s Anuradha Roy has won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel, Sleeping on Jupiter, which deals with the subject of violence against women. At the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Galle, about 130 km south of Colombo, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented her the prize, which carried a cash award of $50,000 and a trophy. Other authors and novels in contention for this year‟s prize were: Akhil Sharma (Family Life); K.R. Meera (Hangwoman) [translated by J. Devika]; Mirza Waheed (The Book of Gold Leaves), Neel Mukherjee (The Lives of Others) and Raj Kamal Jha (She Will Build Him A City). Now in its sixth edition, the DSC Prize received 74 entries this time with participation from publishers from the South Asian region as well as from countries such as the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Winners of 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards

The grand Annual 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Bajirao Mastani with 8 awards was the film wining highest number of awards.

RD Burman Award: Armaan Mallik

Best Actor: Ranveer Singh for 'Bajirao Mastani'

Best Actress: Deepika Padukone for 'Piku'

Best Film: 'Bajirao Mastani'

Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for 'Bajirao Mastani'

Lifetime Achievement: Moushumi Chatterjee

Best Debut Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for 'Massan'

Best Debutant (Male): Sooraj Pancholi for 'Hero'

Best Debutant (Female): Bhumi Pednekar for 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha'

Critics Award for Best Film: Piku

Critics Award for Best Actor (Male): Amitabh Bachchan for 'Piku'

Best Actor Female Critics Choice (Female): Kangana Ranaut for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Anil Kapoor for 'Dil Dhadakne Do'

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Priyanka Chopra for 'Bajirao Mastani'

Best Story: V Vijayendra Prasad for 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'

Best Music: Ankit Tiwari, Meet Bros. Anjjan and Amaal Mallik for 'Roy'

Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil - 'Agar tum saath ho' (Tamasha)

Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh for 'Sooraj dooba' (Roy)

Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shreya Ghoshal for 'Deewani mastani' (Bajirao Mastani) ||<><><>||

17th January 2016

China launches new AIIB development bank as power balance shifts

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a new international development bank seen as a rival to the U.S.-led World Bank at a lavish ceremony, as Beijing seeks to change the unwritten rules of global development finance. Despite opposition from Washington, U.S. allies including Australia, Britain, German, Italy, the Philippines and South Korea have agreed to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in recognition of China's growing economic clout.

Irani releases literary calender of NCPUL

Union Minister Smriti Irani released the literary calendar of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) depicting famous Urdu poets and writers. 'The Literary Calendar 2016' is adorned with the photographs of the legendary Urdu poets and writers of the last two hundred years along with the depiction of their dates of

birth and demise. This really is a magnum opus of the Council. Such a startling calendar of the legendary poets and writers of Urdu language should be preserved by the Urdu departments of all the universities

Jitendra Singh inaugurates Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Hall of Nuclear Power. This is Northern Indias first permanent exhibition on nuclear power, built in the national capital which is going to be opened to the public at National Science Centre (NSC). While inaugurating the Hall, Dr Jitendra Singh said that is a historic day not only for the Department of Atomic Energy, but for the whole India, since the DAE is one of the few departments whose Head quarters are not placed in national capital.

Andhra Bank to launch gold bond scheme

Andhra Bank has announced the launch of the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme Tranche-II, sponsored by the Centre, for public subscription for five days from January 18 to 22 at all its 2,755 branches. Under the Gold Bond Scheme, eligible persons (individuals, joint persons, associations and trusts) can apply for gold bonds (minimum 2 gm and maximum of 500 gm). The tenor of the bonds is eight years with provision for premature cancellation after five years. RBI had notified a rate of interest of 2.75 per cent per annum and a rate of Rs. 2,600 per gm for subscriptions under SGB Tranche-II. The Gold Bond Scheme enables people to

invest in gold without physically buying the gold and receive money equivalent to the market value of gold as determined by the RBI at the time of redemption and the interest on the invested amount would be paid semi-annually.

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18th January 2016

Iran Complies With Nuclear Deal; Sanctions Are Lifted

The United States and European nations lifted oil and financial sanctions on Iran released roughly $100 billion of its assets after international inspectors concluded that the country had followed through on promises to dismantle large sections of its nuclear program. The moves came at the end of a day of high drama that played out in a diplomatic dance across Europe and the Middle East, just hours after Tehran and Washington swapped long-held prisoners.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket successfully launches Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite. It was launched from California‟s Vandenberg Air Force Base and the satellite has been successfully inserted it in the desired orbit. Jason-3 is the 4th mission in the joint US-European series of satellite missions that measure the height of the ocean surface.

India’s Dinesh Sharma elected to board of directors of AIIB

India‟s Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). He has been elected to the 12-member board through a secret ballot. This is the first board of directors of AIIB in which 57 nations are founding members including India. The inaugural meeting of the board of the governors of the AIIB also held in Beijing after its formal launch. The meeting approved by-laws, rules and codes of conduct for the bank. It should be noted that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated governor of the AIIB from India. However he was represented by Mr. Sharma at the meeting. Presently, Dinesh Sharma is serving as Additional Secretary of Union Ministry of Finance.

Chinese scientists develop new bio-artificial liver

Chinese scientists have developed a new bio-artificial liver that can help patients to survive from liver failure long enough for an organ transplant. It has been developed by team of researchers from the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and doctors from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The bio-artificial liver is based on human liver cells and has been designed to be attached outside a patient‟s body. This liver device is based on cells taken from human fat, skin or other tissues and is reprogrammed into liver cells. It can help to prolong lives of patients with liver failure by recovering patients‟ liver functions till suitable donor livers for a transplant is found.

Madhya Pradesh selected for Krishi Karman Award for year 2014-15

Madhya Pradesh has been conferred the Union Government‟s prestigious Krishi Karman Award in maximum food grains production category for year 2014-15 for the 4th consecutive year. MP has been shortlisted for the award in the Integrated Agri Production category for the year 2014-15. It has produced record 328 lakh tonnes in the mentioned period compared to 280 lakh tonnes 2013-14 periods. Earlier the state had won this award in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The state will get an amount of five crore rupees along with Krishi Karman award.

Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passes away

Well-known filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya, 84, died in Bengaluru after a battle with throat cancer. Geethapriya was born Lakshman Rao Mohite on June 15, 1932, and Marathi was his mother tongue. He started to work in the Kannada film industry in the mid-1960 and pretty soon took to direction. He has directed over 40 films and written about 250 songs. He was christened 'Geethapriya' meaning 'lover of songs' as a result of his work as a song-writer. Geethapriya directed many top stars in the Kannada film industry like Rajkumar and worked in the film industry for over five decades. Some of his best works include Yaava Janmada Maithri (1972), Beluvalada Madilalli (1975), Besuge (1976), Hombisilu (1978), Putani Agent 123 (1979), Preethisi Nodu (1981) and Mouna Geethe (1985). He directed his last film Shravana Sambhrama in 2003.

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19th January 2016

Sikkim becomes India’s first fully organic state

Sikkim has formally become India‟s first fully organic state after it successfully implemented organic farming practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land. Formal declaration in this regard was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 in Gangtok, Sikkim. PM also handed the Organic Certificate to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. The Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 has been organised on the sidelines of the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. On this occasion, PM also launched three new orchid species developed in Sikkim which is also known as the Land of Flowers viz. Cymbidium Sardar (named after Sardar Patel), Cymbidium Deen Dayal (named after Deen Dayal Upaddhyay) and Cymbidium Namo (named after Narendra Modi).

BSE launches algo trading test facility

Leading stock exchange BSE today launched an algorithm trading test facility for investors on its equity and derivatives platform. The new service is free of cost for market participants. Algorithmic trading or algo trading refers to orders on bourses that are generated using high-frequency, automated execution logic. The new service for algorithm trading test environment has been launched in partnership with Symphony BSE -0.70 % Fintech Solutions Pvt Ltd. This service will enable all market participants to test their trading algorithms in equity, equity derivative and currency derivative segments free of cost

Easwar panel on Income tax for raising threshold for TDS deduction

A high level panel on simplification of income tax laws recommended raising the threshold limits for deduction of tax at source (TDS) as also slashing the rate of withholding tax. The Justice (rtd) R V Easwar Committee in a 78- page draft, nearly 65 per cent of the personal income-tax collection in India was through tax deducted at source (TDS) and TDS provisions need to be made more tax friendly and not as 'tedious' as they have remained over the years.

Journalist Aroon Tikekar passes away

Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar, who authored over 20 books, passed away due to breathing- related complications. He was 72. Tikekar, who worked as a college teacher for some years, had also been a Language and Literature Expert and Acquisitions Specialist at the US Library of Congress Office, New Delhi. He was the reference chief of the Times of India and a senior assistant editor for Maharashtra Times. He was the Editor of Loksatta, Marathi newspaper of the Indian Express Group Newspaper, for over a decade (1992-2002). Tikekar was also a former Group Editor of Lokmat and Editor Director of Sakal group of newspapers.

Gunter Butschek is Tata Motors chief

Gunter Butschek has been appointed Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Tata Motors, ending a long search for a suitable candidate for the post. The country‟s largest auto maker across segments has been leaderless since the death of its former chief Karl Slym in Bangkok in January 2014.Butschek, who is expected to join the company by February 15, joins Tata Motors after his last assignment at Airbus Group where he served as CEO and Member of the Group Executive Committee. He will lead all operations of Tata Motors in India and in international markets, including South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa.

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20th January 2016

ISRO successfully launches IRNSS-1E satellite

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India‟s fifth navigation Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1E satellite. It was launched on board of PSLV-C31 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The IRNSS-1E weighs 1425 kilogram and has the mission life of 12 years. It equipped with two types of payloads viz. navigation payload and ranging devices. The navigation payload will be operating in L5-band and S-band along with and highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock. It will be mainly used to transmit navigation service signals to the users.

India ranks 89th in Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2015-16

India has ranked 89th globally in Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2015-16 list of 106 assessed countries in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital. This GTCI list was compiled by INSEAD business school in partnership with Adecco and Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI). This index measures a nation‟s competitiveness based on the quality of talent it can produce, attract and retain.

Bihar Government approves 35 per cent job reservation for women

Bihar Government has formally approved 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in the state. Decision in this regard was taken by state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna. This 35 per cent reservation for women will be applicable to in all government jobs including reserved and unreserved category. Presently state is already providing 35 percent reservation for women in recruitment as police constables and sub-inspectors. There is also 50 percent reservation for women as primary school teachers and in the Panchayati Raj system.

World Economic Forum meeting starts in Davos, Switzerland

The World Economic Forum is about to start, with politicians and business leaders descending on the resort of Davos in the Swiss Alps. The meeting looks set to be exceptionally busy, as fears of the return of a global recession abound after the worst start to a new year ever for many stock markets around the world. Besides the market turmoil, those present will probably discuss big themes such as how to tackle unemployment, the rise of geopolitical tensions, the challenges that increased automation and artificial intelligence pose to the workforce, the commodities price crash and climate change.

CCEA approves six-laning of NH-2 in Bihar and Jharkhand

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved development of the six laning of National Highway-2 from Aurangabad- BarwaAdda section in Bihar and Jharkhand. Decision in this regard was taken in the CCEA meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The six laning work approximately length of 222 kms will be under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-V. It will be undertaken on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (BOT/DBFOT) basis with an estimated cost of Rs.4918.48 crore. Project‟s main object is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in Jharkhand and Bihar and also in reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic.

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21st January 2016

Union Cabinet approves amendments of Power Tariff Policy to promote clean energy

The Centre unveiled a new power tariff policy which allows 100 percent expansion by existing power plants, passing on levies to consumers and purchase of 100 percent electricity produced from waste. The Union cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for amendments in the tariff policy. A holistic view of the power sector has been taken and comprehensive amendments have been made in the Tariff policy 2006. Our aim is to achieve the objectives of Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the focus on 4 Es: Electricity for all, Efficiency to ensure affordable tariffs, Environment for a sustainable future, Ease of doing business to attract investments and ensure financial viability.

Cabinet approves MoU between ISRO and Kuwait’s ISR for outer space cooperation

The Union Cabinet has apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) on cooperation in the exploration of outer space and use of outer space technology for peaceful purposes. This MoU will enable cooperation between both countries for pursuing potential interest in both cooperative and commercial areas. It will include KISR to use data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites for initiating a few research and application

projects. Building and launching of remote sensing and communication satellites of Kuwait on commercial terms and Training purpose.

CCEA approves 5000 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects

Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) has approved setting up over 5,000 Mega Watt of Grid-Connected Solar Photo Voltaic Power Projects on build, own and operate (BOOT) basis. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. These projects will be Set up in four trenches of each 1,250 MW capacity during four succeeding financial years from 2015-16 to 2018-19. Implemented by Solar Power Developers with Viability Gap Funding under Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). Cost is five thousand fifty crore rupees over five years and the total investments expected under the JNNSM scheme is about 30,000 crore rupees.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and UK in the field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms

The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United Kingdom for Cooperation in the field Public Administration and Governance Reforms. This MoU was signed between both countries in November, 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra‟s official visit to UK. Under this MoU the co-operation will be in areas like sharing good governance practices in public administration, reducing bureaucracy in service delivery and user led service design. It will also be in areas like Government Process Re-engineering, Public Grievance Redress Mechanism,

Building and developing staff capability, Local Government Reforms. Cooperation in Reforms towards strengthening of social security, Collaboration in strategies for promotion of ethics in Government will be also part of it.

Union Government, World Bank signed Financing Agreement for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project

The Union Government and World Bank on 20 January 2016 signed the Financing Agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of 250 million US dollars for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project. The Financing Agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Union Government and Onno Ruhl, Country Director in India, World Bank. It is a loan for an implementation period of 5 years. Bihar Government will be the implementing agency.

Union Cabinet approves Policy on Promotion of City Compost

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to Policy on Promotion of City Compost. This policy will help in circulating compost produced from city waste for the purpose of farming and agriculture. For increasing production and consumption of City Compost, provision for Market development assistance of Rs. 1500 per tonne of city compost has been added. Farmers will be benefitted from lower MRP of city compost as result of Market development assistance. To ensure that environment friendly quality city compost, eco-Mark standard has been made mandatory. Fertilizer companies will co-market City Compost along with chemical fertilizers. For promoting the use of compost, these companies will adopt villages.

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22nd January 2016

4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference begins in New Delhi

The fourth edition of India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference (IAHC) has begun on January 21, 2016 in New Delhi. The two day conference aims at enhancing greater cooperation between India and African continent in the field of Hydrocarbons. It also seeks to explore opportunities, bridge boundaries and boost bilateral trade between India and Africa. 22 African nations have participated of which 9 are represented by their Ministers. These 9 countries are Morocco, Algeria, Liberia, Mauritius, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and Senegal. Provide a global forum and common platform to African Countries to share their vision and chart out the road map for extended energy cooperation. Bring together African leaders in and also CEOs from India and abroad to exchange expert insights and develop strategies for enhancing energy cooperation.

Atulesh Jindal appointed as new chairman of CBDT

Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officer Atulesh Jindal has been appointed chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). His appointment was cleared by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Atulesh Jindal will succeed Arun Kumar Jain who has completed his term. He will have tenure of six-months till he retires in July 2016.

He is a 1978 batch IRS officer and currently working as member (revenue) in the CBDT.

IBM, NRSC team up to monitor mining activities

In a significant development, the Indian Bureau of Mines has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Department of Space for monitoring mining activity through satellite technology. As part of the MoU, the IBM would set up an exclusive remote sensing cell under the technical guidance of NRSC at its offices in Nagpur and Hyderabad. The cell will in turn utilise Bhuvan based services for monitoring mining activities as also for development of mobile app for field data collection to verify ground realities with respect of approved proposals.

19th National Conference on e-Governance begins in Nagpur

The nineteenth edition of National Conference on e-Governance has begun on 21 January 2016 in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh. This edition of conference has been organised by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in in association with the Government of Maharashtra.

AP Government launches Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme for tribal people

Andhra Pradesh Government has launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to support the tribal women in their quest for livelihood. It was launched by Minister for Social Welfare Ravela Kishore Babu. The scheme seeks to reduce rampant infant mortality and child marriages among tribal people. The scheme is designed to provide a onetime financial assistance of 50,000 rupees to each tribal woman who gets married. The amount will be directly disbursed to the bank accounts of the beneficiary through District Tribal Welfare Office. To avail the benefits of this scheme, each beneficiary would have to fulfill some mandatory conditions.

Jehan Daruvala wins 2016 Lady Wigram Trophy motor race

Indian Formula Car driver and Sahara Force India Academy racer, Jehan Daruvala has won the 2016 Lady Wigram Trophy in New Zealand. It was Daruvala‟s maiden victory in Formula car race since he had switched from karting in 2015. Earlier he had won Rookie of the Year title at the Renault 2.0 NEC series championships held in the Netherlands in August 2015

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23rd January 2016

India’s largest and tallest tricolour hoisted at Ranchi

India‟s largest tricolour was hoisted atop the tallest pole at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi, by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. This flag will remain hoisted for 24 hours and shall be illuminated with the help of twenty sodium vapour lights at night. It is world‟s largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag.

Dimensions of flag: It measures 66 feet in height and 99 feet in width in the proper ratio 2:3. It was hoisted on pole with height of 293 feet. It weighs 80 kg.

TranServ launches India’s first social mobile wallet Udio

India‟s digital payment startup company TranServ has launched country‟s first Social Mobile Wallet named Udio. The digital wallet seeks to address the gap between real and virtual modes of payment as it has more social experience. It integrates a social, community-driven aspect with anytime, anywhere accessibility to digital P2P (peer-to-peer) transactions. These transactions take place via seamless and secure payment structure that creates a ubiquitous ecosystem for both consumers and brands. It is relatively easy to use and is a more casual approach for making cashless payments similar to mobile banking. It enables users to do squaring of dues, sharing dinner bills or a cab ride and also to pay electricity and gas bills and make DTH & mobile recharges.

India submits first Biennial Update Report to UNFCCC

India has submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) towards fulfillment of the reporting obligation. The BUR has been submitted as per the provisions of the UNFCCC Convention which is obligatory on countries to periodically provide national information. BUR has been prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (UNFCC) under its NATCOM project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF). Contains national inventory of Green House Gases (GHG) for 2010 and has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

India to be fastest growing economy in 2016

As per recently released United Nations (UN) World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 Report, India will be the fastest growing big economy in the world in 2016. The report has projected India‟s growth rate by 7.3 % in the year 2016 and 7.5 % in 2017 slightly up from an earlier estimated 7.2 % rate in 2015. The highest growth rate in India has been attributed to improvement in the macroeconomic environment with the help of sharp decline in the prices of oil, food and metals. Even the investor and consumer confidence has risen even after Indian government facing difficulties in implementing its wide-ranging economic reform agenda.

Government inks MoU to implement Action Plan for skill development in Telecom

The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed MoU with Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for Skill Development in Telecom Sector. The MoU has signed to implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector. Both signatories will make concerted joint efforts towards skill development by facilitating mobilization of financial support for various activities. The financial mobilization will be under the National Ecosystem for Development of Telecom. National Institute for Policy Research Innovation and Training (NTIPRT) will be also developed for training and skill upgradation in Telecom. The Ministry also has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) Rupay ATM Cum Debit card of Bank of India (BoI).

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24th January 2016

National Girl Child Day is observed on 24th January

National girl child day is celebrated every year on 24th of January as a national observance day for the girl child. This celebration was started to offer more supports and new opportunities to the girls in the country. It is celebrated to increase the awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in the society. Inequality about girl child is a vast problem which includes many areas like

inequality in education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection, honour, child marriage and so many.

Banks to get 2.5 per cent commission under gold monetization scheme

Government will pay banks a 2.5 percent commission for mobilizing gold under the gold monetization scheme and depositors will be permitted premature withdrawal of the deposited metal. Under the modified rules, government will pay the participating banks fees for their services gold purity testing charges, refining, and storage and transportation charges, among others on medium and long term gold deposits. Effectively, the banks would be getting a 2.5 percent commission for the scheme which will include the charges payable to the collection and purity testing Centers/Refiners

25 children get bravery awards from PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the National Bravery Awards to 25 children. He congratulated the children along with their parents for their bravery to help “fellow human beings in distress”. He added that presence of mind, quick thinking, selfless determination and sensitivity for fellow human beings in distress were the most important elements of the acts of bravery of these children. For the award winners, this act of bravery should not become an end in itself. Life must continue to evolve and the children should continue to develop their careers and continue to serve society to the best of their abilities.

Sourav Kothari pockets National Billiards title

Reigning national champion Sourav Kothari pocketed his maiden Asian Billiards Championship title after getting past compatriot Alok Kumar 6-3 in the finals. Sourav, 29, started off well to gain a 3-0 lead. Alok was lucky to win the fourth game but Sourav had no interest in giving any loose strings as he returned with two more breaks win to widen the gap to 5-1. Alok though tried to put some pressure on Sourav by winning two more games, but Sourav sealed victory with a 99-point break.

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25th January 2016

EC celebrates 6th National Voters’ Day across India

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has celebrated the 6th National Voters‟ Day across the country. Theme for year 2016 is Inclusive and Qualitative Participation. Observances to mark this day, ECI have organized National level function in New Delhi in which President Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi also released the book titled Belief in the Ballot and presented the first copy to the President. President also gave away Awards for Best Electoral Practices to Chief Electoral Officers, District Electoral Officers and other Officers involved in election management. Civil society organizations and Media houses were also given awards for best campaign in Voters‟ Education and Awareness.

First Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum held Manama

The first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum was held Manama, capital city of Bahrain. The meeting was inaugurated by Bahrain‟s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and was attended by representatives of 22 Arab League nations. Indian side was represented by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and also Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. The forum seeks to provide platform for India‟s bid to reach out to West Asian nations (22 Arab League nations) to further strengthen the economic, trade and financial cooperation.

PV Sindhu wins 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title

Ace Indian Shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (World No.12) has won the 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title. In the final match played at Penang she defeated Scotland‟s Kirsty Gilmour (World No.20) by 21-15, 21-9 score. This was Sindhu‟s second title in Malaysia Masters Grand Prix which an earlier she had won in 2013. It was overall fifth career Grand prix gold title and first title of the season 2016. Sindhu‟s other four titles are Malaysia Masters (2013) and hat-trick Macau Open won in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

ONGC gets environmental clearance for project in Krishna-Godavari basin

State owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has received environmental clearance for a project in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin in Andhra Pradesh. Under this clearance, ONGC project has been allowed to drill 45 development wells and other related infrastructure will cost over 53,000 crore rupees at offshore KG-DWN-98/2 block. ONGC also has been asked to obtain Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, approval from Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) for commencement of drilling. It also has been asked to comply with all recommendations and conditions specified by Andhra Pradesh Coastal Zone Management Authority.

Tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh passes away

Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal following a prolonged illness. He was 80. He was amongst the most well- known tabla players in the country and followed the Farukhabad gharana of Hindustani classical music. He had started learning training taleem in 1953 under the guidance of legendary Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh. Ustad Feroz Khan, Pandit Sudarshan Adhikari and Pandit Anath Nath Bose were his other teachers. He had taught tabla to a large number of students not only in India but also in Europe. He was the mentor of Bickram Ghosh. He had performed with vocalists such as Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Girija Devi, Pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan and Akhtari Bai.

Maharashtra’s first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissioned

The first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant of Maharashtra was commissioned in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district. It will facilitate villagers to get pure water supply for a very low cost which can easily be borne by the Gram Panchayat. The unit has been installed in the village on experimental basis by private company Rite Water Solutions under the supervision of the Zilla Parishad authorities. The system delivers 10,000 Litres of purified water every day and runs completely on solar power for which 1800 Watt panels. It purifies the water by removing nitrate content in order to prevent the ill effects on the health of villagers.

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26th January 2016

India celebrates 67th Republic Day

India celebrated 67th Republic day 26th January 2016 by displaying its cultural diversity, economic progress and military might were on display at Rajpath, New Delhi. In the national Capital, President Pranab Mukherjee unfurled the national flag and took salute of the parade at Rajpath. French President Francois Hollande was chief guest of Republic Day function. With this he became 5th highest dignitary from France to be Chief Guest of Indian Republic Day parade. The Parade was led by Lieutenant General Rajan Ravindran. In the parade, women empowerment was seen as women contingent of CRPF participated in the parade.

India, France ink 14 pacts for cooperation various fields

India and France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) for purchase of 36 Rafale planes which basically talks about the intention to buy the planes from the French Government without specifying when and for how much. In all, 14 agreements were signed covering civil nuclear energy, education, renewable energy, space and Information Technology between the two countries during French President Francois Hollande‟s ongoing visit to India.

Govt launches online payment facility for LPG cylinders

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the online payment facility for consumers at the time of booking their LPG refill cylinder. This will avoid leaving cash with their family members or attendants while taking delivery of the cylinder. The payment facility can be availed at www.mylpg.in which can be accessed in 13 Indian languages. Earlier, only online booking facility was available for customers of oil marketing companies (OMCs) namely Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum and consumers were required to pay cash to vendor on delivery of cylinders.

President Mukherjee approves 11 gallantry awards

President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the award of one Ashok Chakra, two Kirti Chakras and eight Shaurya Chakras to the Indian Army personnel on the occasion of Republic Day 2016.

The list of awardees:

Ashok Chakra

Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (Posthumous), 9 PARA (Special Force)

Kirti Chakra

Subedar Mahendra Singh, Sena Medal, 9 PARA (Special Force)

Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous), 546 DSC Platoon

Shaurya Chakra

Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik (Posthumous), Sena Medal, 41 Rashtriya Rifle (PARA)

Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj, 12 PARA (Special Force)

Major Anurag Kumar, 9 PARA (Special Force)

Major Sandip Yadav, 55 Rashtriya Rifle (Armed)

Lieutenant Harjinder Singh, 3 KUMAON

Naik Satish Kumar (Posthumous), 21 Rashtriya Rifle (Guards)

Naik Kheem Singh Mehra, 21 KUMAON

Sepoy Dharma Ram (Posthumous), 1 Rashtriya Rifle (MAHAR)

List of Padma awardees 2016

Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai, actor Rajinikanth, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar and tennis player Sania Mirza are on the list of 112 Padma awardees.

The awards will be given across three categories: the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. These awards are given on Republic Day, for the over six decades now, to people who the government recognizes have excelled in their fields.

Below is the full list:

Padma Vibhushan

1. Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi Art- Classical dance Delhi 2. Shri Rajinikanth Art-Cinema Tamil Nadu 3. Smt. Girija Devi Art-Classical Vocal West Bengal 4. Shri Ramoji Rao Literature & Education-Journalism Andhra Pradesh 5. Dr. Viswanathan Shanta Medicine- Oncology Tamil Nadu 6. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Others-Spiritualism Karnataka 7. Shri Jagmohan Public Affairs Delhi 8. Dr.Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre Science & Engineering Karnataka 9. Shri Avinash Dixit (Foreigner) Literature & Education USA 10.Late Shri Dhiru Bhai Ambani (Posthumous) Trade & Industry Maharashtra

Padma Bhushan

11.Shri Anupam Kher Art-Cinema Maharashtra 12.Shri Udit Narayan Jha Art-Playback Singing Maharashtra

13.Shri Ram V. Sutar Art-Sculpture Uttar Pradesh 14.Shri Heisnam Kanhailal Art-Theatre Manipur 15.Shri Vinod Rai Civil Service Kerala 16.Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad Literature & Education Andhra Pradesh 17.Prof. N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya Literature & Education Maharashtra 18.Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard Literature & Education - Journalism Punjab 19.Prof. D. Nageshwar Reddy Medicine-Gastroenterology Telangana 20.Swami Tejomayananda Other-Spiritualism Maharashtra 21.Shri Hafeez Contractor Others-Architecture Maharashtra 22.Shri Ravindra Chandra Bhargava Public Affairs Uttar Pradesh 23.Dr.Venkata Rama Rao Alla Science & Engineering Andhra Pradesh 24.Ms. Saina Nehwal Sports-Badminton Telangana 25.Ms. Sania Mirza Sports-Tennis Telangana 26.Ms. Indu Jain Trade & Industry Delhi 27.Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati (Posthumous) Others-Spiritualism Uttarakhand 28.Shri Robert Blackwill (Foreigner) Public Affairs USA 29.Shri Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO) Trade & Industry Ireland

Padma Shri

30.Smt. Prathibha Prahlad Art- Classical Dance Delhi 31.Shri Bhikhudan Gadhvi Art- Folk Music Gujarat 32.Shri Sribhas Chandra Supakar Art- Textile Designing Uttar Pradesh 33.Shri Ajay Devgn Art-Cinema Maharashtra 34.Ms. Priyanka Chopra Art-Cinema Maharashtra 35.Pt. Tulsidas Borkar Art-Classical Music Goa 36.Dr. Soma Ghosh Art-Classical Vocal Uttar Pradesh 37.Shri Nila Madhab Panda Art-Film Direction and Production Delhi 38.Shri S.S. Rajamouli Art-Film Direction and Production Karnataka 39.Shri Madhur Bhandarkar Art-Film Direction and Production Maharashtra 40.Prof. M. Venkatesh Kumar Art-Folk Artist Karnataka

41.Ms. Gulabi Sapera Art-Folk Dance Rajasthan 42.Smt. Mamta Chandrakar Art-Folk Music Chhattisgarh 43.Ms. Malini Awasthi Art-Folk Music Uttar Pradesh 44.Shri Jai Prakash Lekhiwal Art-Miniature Painting Delhi 45.Shri K. Laxma Goud Art-Painting Telangana 46.Shri Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe Art-Photography Madhya Pradesh 47.Shri Naresh Chander Lal Art-Theatre & Cinema Andaman & Nicobar 48.Shri Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah Literature & Education Assam 49.Shri Prahlad Chandra Tasa Literature & Education Assam 50.Dr.Ravindra Nagar Literature & Education Delhi 51.Shri Dahyabhai Shastri Literature & Education Gujarat 52.Dr.Santeshivara Bhyrappa Literature & Education Karnataka 53.Shri Haldar Nag Literature & Education Odisha 54.Shri Kameshwaram Brahma Literature & Education -Journalism Assam 55.Prof. Pushpesh Pant Literature & Education-Journalism Delhi 56.Shri Jawaharlal Kaul Literature & Education-Journalism Jammu & Kashmir 57.Shri Ashok Malik Literature &Education Delhi 58.Dr.Mannam Gopi Chand Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery Telangana 59.Prof. Ravi Kant Medicine-Surgery Uttar Pradesh 60.Prof. Ram Harsh Singh Medicine- Ayurveda Uttar Pradesh 61.Prof. Shiv Narain Kureel Medicine- Paediatric Surgery Uttar Pradesh 62.Dr.Sabya Sachi Sarkar Medicine -Radiology Uttar Pradesh 63.Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale Medicine-Cardiac Surgery Andhra Pradesh 64.Prof. T.K. Lahiri Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery Uttar Pradesh 65.Dr. Praveen Chandra Medicine-Cardiology Delhi 66.Prof. (Dr) Daljeet Singh Gambhir Medicine-Cardiology Uttar Pradesh 67.Dr.Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva Medicine-Gastroenterology Tamil Nadu 68.Dr. (Mrs.) Anil Kumari Malhotra Medicine-Homeopathy Delhi 69.Prof. M.V. Padma Srivastava Medicine-Neurology Delhi

70.Dr. Sudhir V. Shah Medicine-Neurology Gujarat 71.Dr. M. M. Joshi Medicine-Ophthalmology Karnataka 72.Prof. (Dr) John Ebnezar Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery Karnataka 73.Dr. Nayudamma Yarlagadda Medicine-Paediatric Surgery Andhra Pradesh 74.Shri Simon Oraon Other -Environment Conservation Jharkhand 75.Shri Imitiaz Qureshi Other-Culinary Delhi 76.Shri Piyush Pandey Others-Advertising & Communication Maharashtra 77.Shri Subhash Palekar Others-Farming Maharashtra 78.Shri Ravinder Kumar Sinha Others-Wildlife Conservation Bihar 79.Dr. H.R. Nagendra Others-Yoga Karnataka 80.Shri M. C. Mehta Public Affairs Delhi 81.Shri M. N. Krishna Mani Public Affairs Delhi 82.Shri Ujjwal Nikam Public Affairs Maharashtra 83.Shri Tokheho Sema Public Affairs Nagaland 84.Dr. Satish Kumar Science & Engineering Delhi 85.Dr.Mylswamy Annadurai Science & Engineering Karnataka 86.Prof. Dipankar Chatterji Science & Engineering Karnataka 87.Prof.(Dr.) Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav Science & Engineering Maharashtra 88.Smt. (Prof.) Veena Tandon Science & Engineering Meghalaya 89.Shri Onkar Nath Srivastava Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh 90.Ms. Sunita Krishnan Social Work Andhra Pradesh 91.Shri Ajoy Kumar Dutta Social Work Assam 92.Shri M. Pandit Dasa Social Work Karnataka 93.Shri P. P. Gopinathan Nair Social Work Kerala 94.Smt. Madeleine Herman de Blic Social Work Puducherry 95.Shri Srinivasan Damal Kandalai Social work Tamil Nadu 96.Shri Sudhakar Olwe Social Work Maharashtra 97.Dr. T.V. Narayana Social Work Telangana 98.Shri Arunachalam Murugantham Social Work Tamil Nadu 99.Ms. Deepika Kumari Sports-Archery Jharkhand 100. Shri Sushil Doshi Sports-commentary Madhya Pradesh

101. Shri Mahesh Sharma Trade & Industry Delhi 102. Shri Saurabh Srivastava Trade & Industry Delhi 103. Sh Dilip Sanghvi Trade & Industry Maharashtra 104. Dr. Keki Hormusji Gharda Trade & Industry Maharashtra 105. Late Shri Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous) Art -Classical Music Rajasthan 106. Late Shri Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/PIO/Posthumous) Art-Cinema UK 107. Shri Michael Postel (Foreigner) Art-Archaeology France 108. Shri Salman Amin Sal Khan (NRI/PIO) Literature & Education USA 109. Smt. Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner) Others-Yoga China 110. Shri Predrag K. Nikic (Foreigner) Others-Yoga Serbia 111. Dr.Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO) Social Work UAE 112. Shri Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO) Trade & Industry USA

Malayalam actress Kalpana passes away in Hyderabad

Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani, known as Kalpana, died in Hyderabad on Monday (January 25) morning due to heart attack. She was 51. Kalpana, who had acted in 300-odd films in South Indian languages, had won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in a Malayalam film in 2012. Sister of film actresses Urvashi and Kalaranjini, Kalpana was known as a comic actress in the industry. She had made her debut in the film industry as a child artiste in 1983. Since then, she grew along with the South Indian film industry to become a leading actress. Among her other Malayalam hits are “Ennum Eppuzhum”, “Karnavar”, “Dolfins”, “Bangalore Days” and “Spirit”. “Kakki Sattai”, “Idhaya Thiruda”, “Sathi Leelavathi” and “Chinna Veedu” are among her Tamil films.

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27th January 2016

India and Russia sign agreement on scientific research

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised about signing of an agreement between India and Russia in May 2015. The Agreement provides for competitive research grants to Indian and Russian researchers for joint implementation of research projects in areas of Basic and Exploratory Sciences. The Agreement is valid for a period of six years and could be extended through mutual consent between Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Russian Science Federation (RSF).

India ranks 76 in 2015 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. The country‟s 2015 corruption perception score remains the same as last year‟s – 38/100 – showing lack of improvement. 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. TI has also noted that Pakistan is the only country among the SAARC countries, to have improved its score this year, though its rank remains poor at 117.

Australia’s highest civilian award for 3 PIOs

Three Indian-origin persons have been awarded Australia‟s highest civilian honour for their contribution in the fields of physics, engineering and medicine.

Chennupati Jagadish, an eminent professor at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Jay Chandra, an eye doctor in New South Wales, and Sajeev Koshy, a dentist in Melbourne, received the Order of Australia medal for the year 2016 announced on the Australia Day. Mr. Jagadish was conferred with the award for his eminent service to physics and engineering, particularly in the field of nanotechnology, to education as a leading academic, researcher, author and mentor, and through executive roles with national and international scientific advisory institutions.

Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot launches National Job Portal for persons with disabilities

Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot launched an exclusive job portal for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The PwDs can avail the different facilities such as self employment loan, education loan, skill training, link to scholarships and information about jobs in a single window platform through this National Job Portal. Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Vijay Sampla were also graced the occasion.

Abe Vigoda, Sunken-Eyed Character Actor, Dead at 94

Character actor Abe Vigoda, whose leathery, sad-eyed face made him ideal for playing the over-the-hill detective Phil Fish in the 1970s TV series "Barney Miller" and the doomed Mafia soldier in "The Godfather," died at age 94. Vigoda worked in relative obscurity as a supporting actor in the New York theater and in television until Francis Ford Coppola cast him in the 1972 Oscar-winning "The Godfather."

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28th January 2016

India and Armenia sign Protocol amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention

India and Armenia has signed a Protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) to curb instances of tax evasion. The Protocol amends the Article on Exchange of Information for tax in the bilateral DTAC signed between India and Armenia and has been in existence since September 2004. It has been amended to bring it in line with the updated provisions in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Model.

Rajasthan signs MoU to join UDAY scheme

Rajasthan has become the third state to sign a memorandum of understanding for joining the central government‟s state electricity distribution utility revival scheme. The MoU was signed between the central government, Rajasthan government and the three electricity distribution utilities in Rajasthan – Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd, Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd and Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd. Under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme, the Rajasthan government will take over Rs. 60,500 crore of the debt on the books of the electricity distribution utilities. The remaining Rs. 20,000 crore will be issued as state guaranteed DISCOM bonds at coupon rates of around 3 per cent lower than the average existing interest rate.

India successfully test fires Akash missiles

India test fired its indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile as part of a user trial from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur. Three rounds of test were carried out by IAF personnel aiming at para-barrel targets. The missiles, with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kg, were test fired from 11 AM to 2 PM from the launch complex-3 of the ITR. Akash, which aimed at a para-barrel target during the trial, is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

CERT-In signs cyber security pacts with 3 nations

CERT-In is the nodal agency responsible for dealing with cyber security threats. 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. The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apprised of the three MoUs which were signed last November and December. An agreement between CERT-In and CyberSecurity, Malaysia, was signed on November 23, 2015, in Kuala Lumpur during Mr.Modi's visit to Malaysia, while the MoU with Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT), Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of the Republic of Singapore was signed on November 24, 2015 during the Prime Minister‟s visit to Singapore.

India overtakes Thailand as World’s largest Rice exporter

India has overtaken Thailand as the world‟s largest rice exporter in the year 2015 by shipping (exporting) 10.23 million tonnes of rice. It was announced by the Bangkok based Thai Rice Exporters Association Chairman Charoen Laodhammatas. The south-east Asian country ranked second on the list of the world‟s largest rice exporting countries. It has exported 9.8 million tonnes of rice to the world market in year 2015 compared to 10.9 million tonnes in year 2014.

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29th January 2016

India gets more voting rights in IMF reforms

India‟s voting rights increase to 2.6 per cent from the current 2.3 per cent, and China‟s, to six per cent from 3.8, as per the new division. Russia and Brazil are the other two countries that gain from the reforms. More than six per cent of the quota shares will shift to emerging and developing countries from the U.S. and European countries. The combined quotas or the capital countries contribute doubles to about $659 billion from about $329 billion. The significant resource enhancement will fortify the IMF‟s ability to respond to crises more effectively. These reforms will reinforce the credibility, effectiveness, and legitimacy of the IMF.

Govt. announces list of first 20 smart cities under 'Smart Cities Mission'

The list of 20 smart cities out of the 98 shortlisted for the 'Smart Cities Mission' was released. These 20 cities will be the first to receive funds, thus kick starting the process of developing them into 'smart cities'. The next two years will see the inclusion of 40 and 38 cities, respectively. A 'smart city' is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres.

Gurdeep Singh appointed as CMD of NTPC

Gurdeep Singh, managing director of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSEC), has been appointed as chairman and managing director of central PSU National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). Mr. Singh was instrumental in GSEC's turnaround, the power generation entity of the Gujarat government. According to sources, there were more than 100 candidates in the fray for the top job in NTPC. PM Modi himself picked up Gurdeep Singh because he wants to put the power sector on track as part of his ambitious plan to electrify all villages

Twitter appoints AmEx executive Leslie Berland as new CMO

Micro blogging site Twitter has appointed Leslie Berland as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the company. Prior to this appointment, she was working at American Express (AmEx) as executive vice-president of global advertising, marketing and digital partnerships. She had joined AmEx in 2005 and had overseen its advertising, sponsorships, media, content and brand identity. She also helped to create AmEx‟s first social media strategies. Leslie Berland was placed at 6th position in Fast Company‟s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue and also was included in Advertising Age‟s Creativity 50 list.

Navneet Kaur, Santosh Kadale won gold in Senior National Rowing Championship

Punjab‟s Navneet Kaur won two gold medals in the 34th Senior National Rowing Championship at Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad. It was her maiden gold at the country‟s highest level in the senior category. Kaur took 8:26.83 seconds to take the first place in the 2000mts Open Single Scull. Later, Navneet and Harpreet Kaur won the women‟s doubles sculls timing 7:42.94 seconds. In the men single scull, Nasik‟s Santosh Kadale won his maiden national gold. Host Telangana men team had to be contended with a silver in the Open Men‟s Coxless while K Tejeshwar Reddy bagged a bronze medal for Andhra Pradesh in single scull.

Justice Sanjay Mishra appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh

Justice Sanjay Mishra has been appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh after his appointment was approved by the Supreme Court. In this regard, the apex court recalled its earlier order of appointing Justice Virendra Singh as Lokayukta of UP after objections were raised against Singh‟s appointment. Earlier in December 2015, SC in its ruling had passed order appointing Justice Virendra Singh as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh using its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. Court‟s order came after repeated failure of the state government to comply with the court‟s directives in the appointment of Lokayukta.

Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis win 2016 Australian Open title of Tennis

Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis have won the 2016 Australian Open title of tennis in the women‟s doubles category. In the final match played at Melbourne (Australia), the top seeded duo defeated seventh seeded Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka by 7-6 (1), 6-3 score. It was overall there 12th title together after they had teamed from 2015. It was also their 36th match win together in a row. It is their and their maiden Australian Open title. Their 11 WTA doubles titles are: Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and the WTA Finals in 2015 and followed by Brisbane (2016) and Sydney (2016).

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30th January 2016

Naresh Bedi awarded V Shantaram Life Time Acheivement Award at MIFF

Veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi was honoured with the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award as the 14th edition of the Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF 2016) got underway. The festival was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore in the presence of veteran film maker Shyam Benegal, MIFF brand ambassador Jackie Shroff, Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) President Mike Pandey and Festival Director Mukesh Sharma.

Australian Open 2016: Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to win title

Angelique Kerber from Germany has won the 2016 Australian Open Title of Tennis in the women‟s singles category. It was her maiden Grand Slam Tennis title. In the final match played at Melbourne, Australia she defeated defending champion Serena Williams (World No. 1) in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 score. With this win, Kerber became the first German women tennis player to win a major Grand Slam Tennis title since Steffi Graf in 1999.

Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey appointed as Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities

Union Government has appointed Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) for a period of three years. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Pandey was associated with NGO Saksham working in the field of disability. He is a Science Graduate from University of Allahabad and Medical Graduate from Agra University in 1990. He was also associated NGO with Sewa Bharti and there he had worked in rehabilitation of slum dwellers. He was also associated with NGO Akhil Bhartiya Dristihin Kalyan Sangh which is working for visually challenged persons.

Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao passes away

Former Jammu and Kashmir governor and retired chief of Army staff, General K V Krishna Rao, passed away. He was 93. General Rao was commissioned in the Army in August 1942 and served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during the Second World War. He was part of Lord Mountbatten‟s Punjab Boundary Force during Partition, which saved lives in both East and West Punjab during extensive rioting. He saw action as a Company Commander with 3 Mahar, the infantry battalion he later commanded, in the Jammu and Kashmir operations of 1948.

Nisid Hajari wins 2016 Colby Award for Best Military Book

Nisid Hajari has won the 2016 William E. Colby Award for his book, “Midnight‟s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India‟s Partition.” Now in its 17th year, the Colby prize is awarded annually by Norwich University to a first-time author in recognition of a work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations or international affairs. Hajari spent 10 years as a top editor at Newsweek International and Newsweek magazine in New York, during which the magazine won over 50 awards for its international coverage.

Prince Mahidol Award for 2015 announced

The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation has named an American professor as the winner of the Prince Mahidol Award 2015 in the field of medicine and a British researcher as the winner in the field of public health.

Morton M. Mower

The award winner in medicine is Professor Morton M. Mower from the United States. He co-invented the Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator, a device that helps monitor the heart rate and rhythm and deliver electrical current when abnormality is detected. The device is implanted in the bodies of up to 200,000 people each year due to its proven effectiveness in saving the lives of patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmia.

Sir Michael Gideon Marmot

Meanwhile, Sir Michael Gideon Marmot from the United Kingdom won the award in public health for his evidence-based evaluation on the Social Determinants of Health, the concept of which has been adopted by the British government and the World Health Organization to eliminate health inequities and ensure better well- being for people.

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31st January 2016

Kidambi Srikanth wins Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold title

Top seed Kidambi Srikanth made a rollicking start to the new season as he clinched the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold with a convincing win over China's Huang Yuxiang in the men's singles final. World No. 9 Srikanth, who had reached the summit clash in the last edition as well, prevailed over 73rd ranked Huang 21-13, 14- 21, 21-14 to lay his hands on the crown and take home a cheque of $9000. It was his fifth title having won the 2013 Thailand Grand Prix Gold, 2014 China Super Series premier and Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold and India Super Series last year.

Tamil Nadu to set up 800MW supercritical coal-based power plant

Tamil Nadu government has set the ball rolling for establishing the state's first 800MW supercritical coal-based power plant, with chief minister Jayalalithaa laying the foundation stone for the Rs 6,000 crore project. Public sector unit BHEL has been awarded contract for the Rs 6,376 crore project which will come up at Athipattu in Tiruvallur district over 250 acres of land. Jayalalithaa laid the foundation stone for the project. This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that a 800MW unit is being established under the supercritical technology. The project will be completed in August 2019 and 19.2 million units of power a day will be generated

Nasa to Test First Integrated-Photonics Modem

A Nasa team is working to build a new communications modem that will employ a revolutionary technology to transform everything from telecommunications, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing to national defence. The space agency's first-ever "integrated-photonics" modem will be tested aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2020 as part of Nasa's multi- year Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

Djokovic thrashes Murray to claim sixth Australian Open title

Top-ranked Djokovic maintained his perfect streak in six Australian Open finals with a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) victory, equaling Roy Emerson‟s record for Australian titles. Murray continued his unwanted streak, too, slumping to 0-5 in championship deciders Down Under. The 28-year-old Murray had his share of distractions in Australia. His wife, Kim, is due to have their first child in February and stayed in Britain. Kim‟s father, Nigel Sears, traveled to Australia as coach for Ana Ivanovic, and had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance while Murray was on court in his third-round match. Nigel Sears spent a night in a nearby hospital last weekend but was well enough to return home, which meant Murray could stay in Australia and try to refocus on winning the title.

Malayalam actor Kollam G K Pillai passes away

Veteran cinema-television actor G Krishna Pillai has died. He was 82. A theatre-turned cinema-television actor, Pillai is known for his character and comedy roles in dramas, movies and TV serials. Popularly known as Kollam G K Pillai, he began his acting career through theatre. He had been active in theatre since 1960s and enacted a handful of memorable roles in noted dramas of that time including “Neetipeedham”, “Kunjali Maraykkar” and “Ezharaponnana”.