January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs 2018

(TNPSC, SSC, BANK, UPSC, RAILWAY)

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1. 15th January 2018: 70th Army Day

 The 70th Army Day is being celebrated today (15th January 2018). The day is celebrated to pay homage and salute to the courageous and brave Indian soldiers who have been sacrificing their lives for protecting the country.  Every year on this day, the ‘Army Day’ is celebrated to commemorate the day when General (later Field Marshal) K.M Carriappa took over the command of Army from General Sir F.R.R Bucher, the last British Commander-in- Chief in 1949 and became the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence.

Takeaways

1. Chief of the Army Staff- General Bipin Rawat. 2. The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. 3. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army.

2. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in India

 India and Israel have agreed to enhance co-operation in the areas of agriculture, science and technology and security.  Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the second Israeli PM to visit India after Ariel Sharon, was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The first one took place when PM Narendra Modi visited Israel in July 2017, becoming the first Indian leader to visit the Jewish state.

Takeaways

1. Capital of Israel- Jerusalem 2. Currency of Israel- Israeli new shekel

3. India contributes USD 50,000 to UN Youth Envoy's Office

 India has contributed USD 50,000 to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's Office of Envoy on Youth to help with its mission of involving young people in the world body's goals.  The contribution is voluntary with no strings attached and is in addition to the regular payments India makes to the UN's general and peacekeeping budgets. 2

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

Takeaways

1. Headquarters of UN- New York 2. The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. 3. It is currently made up of 193 Member States.

4. WEF Ranks India 30th on Global Manufacturing Index

 The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index - below China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa.  Japan has been found to have the best structure of production in the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’ and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10.  Among BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South Africa at 45th place.

Takeaways

1. WEF was established in 1971. 2. The WEF is the International Organization for Public- Private Cooperation. 3. President of the World Economic Forum- Borge Brende.

5. Federal Bank ties up with Hedge Equities

 Federal Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Hedge Equities Ltd for providing Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs. A formal agreement was executed in which Jose K Mathew (EVP & Head Retail Business, Federal Bank) and Alex Babu (MD, Hedge Equities Ltd) exchanged the MoU announcing the tie-up.  Federal Bank is authorised by the RBI to issue permission letter to NRIs on behalf of the RBI to transact in secondary market.

6. IDFC Bank, Capital First to merge in Share Swap Deal

 IDFC Bank and Capital First has approved a merger of Capital First with IDFC Bank. Pursuant to the merger which is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, IDFC Bank will issue 139 shares for every 10 shares of Capital First. 3

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

 The deal values Capital First - owned more than a third by private equity firm Warburg Pincus - at Rs. 938.25 a share based on the two companies' price and giving the company a market value of Rs. 9,278 crore ($1.46 billion), Reuters calculations showed.

Takeaways

1. Chairman and MD of Capital First- V Vaidyanathan 2. Headquarters of IDFC Bank- Mumbai 3. Founder, MD & CEO of IDFC Bank- Rajiv Lall

7. CIPAM-DIPP launches IP IPrism competition for college & university students

 Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) a professional body under Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has launched a one of its kind Intellectual Property (IP) Competition, ‘IPrism’ for college and university students.

Takeaways

1. CIPAM-DIPP has launched this competition in collaboration with Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and ERICSSON India. 2. The objective of this competition is to foster a culture of innovation and creativity among young students and provide an opportunity to gain national recognition for their creations. 3. To participate in this competition, students will have to submit films on piracy & counterfeiting under two categories of 30 and 60 seconds. 4. Competition is also being held in the category of a mobile gaming app on Intellectual Property. 5. Winning teams will be awarded cash prizes worth INR 4 lacs. Winners will also get mementos, certificates and recognition on the official CIPAM website.

8. PM Modi inaugurates Project commencement of Barmer refinery

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the commencement of the work of an oil refinery in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.

Takeaways

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

1. Foundation stone for this refinery was laid by the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi on September 22, 2013. It is the first such refinery in entire Rajasthan. 2. It is being set up by HPCL-Rajasthan Refinery Ltd (HRRL). HRRL is a Joint Venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Rajasthan State Government. 3. The entire project entails an investment worth over Rs 43000 crore. 4. Barmer Refinery and Petrochemicals Project of HRRL is expected to bring about infrastructure development, improvement of healthcare services and establishment of reputed education institutions in Western Rajasthan.

9. Ministry of Petroleum launches Saksham 2018 Campaign

 Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) has launched a month-long ‘Saksham-2018’ campaign.  PCRA (established in 1978, under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas) is engaged in promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of Indian economy.

Takeaways

Highlights of Saksham 2018:

 Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) is an annual flagship event of PCRA aimed at creating focused attention on fuel conservation through people centric activities. Activities undertaken under Saksham also create awareness among masses about conservation and efficient use of petroleum products, which consequentially leads to better health and environment.  People centric activities under Saksham 2018 would include Training Programs for Drivers,Fleet Operators, Group Talk with Ladies, Cooks, Maids on fuel saving & benefits of LPG/PNG over biomass, Fuel Efficient Driving Competitions, Educational Programs for Schools/Colleges/Universities, Awareness Programs for Farmers, Walkathons, Concerts, Exhibitions, etc.  PCRA has also planned to observe Cycle Day on January 21, 2018 throughout India and will organise Cyclothon events in various cities.

10. UIDAI allows face recognition for Aadhaar authentication

 The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) approved authentication based on facial recognition in combination with fingerprint or iris scan for Aadhaar users.  Facial recognition based authentication for Aadhaar users: 5

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 This move will benefit persons who have difficulty with other biometric authentications like fingerprint and iris. The facial recognition-based authentication will come into act from 1st July 2018.  The facial recognition-based authentication will be allowed only in fusion mode combined with fingerprint or iris or OTP (One Time Password) to authenticate Aadhaar user.  Also, this facial recognition based-authentication will be permitted “on need basis”. Since photos of users are already available in the UIDAI database collection of new data is not required.

Takeaways

♦ Chairman – J. Satyanarayana ♦ CEO – Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey

11. Punjab inks MoU with IOC to set up biogas, bio-CNG plants

 Punjab State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up bio-gas and bio-CNG plants in the state. Details about Punjab-IOC MoU:  The MoU with IOC was signed by Punjab Bureau of Industrial Promotion (PBIP) and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) in presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.  This agreement is in line with Punjab State Government’s efforts to find sustainable solutions to paddy straw burning, which has emerged as a major cause of air pollution in North India.  Initially 42 plants will become operational in 2018. Over the next 3-4 years, total 400 such plants will become operational.  Setting up these plants would entail investment of Rs 5000 crore, and will generate 4000 employment opportunities for people of Punjab.

Takeaways

♦ Founded in – 1964 ♦ Headquarters – New Delhi ♦ Current Chairman – Sanjiv Singh

12. NASA discovers farthest known galaxy in the universe “SPT0615-JD”

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists have discovered “SPT0615-JD”, the farthest known galaxy in the universe.SPT0615-JD:  “SPT0615-JD” galaxy is a cluster of 500 million year-old stars. The image of SPT0615-JD was captured by NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.  The images were captured through gravitational lensing. SPT0615-JD was found in Hubble’s Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) and companion S-RELICS Spitzer programme.  According to preliminary analysis SPT0615-JD has a weight of 3 billion solar masses. It is nearly 2,500 light-years away.

Takeaways

♦ John F. Kennedy Space Center – Florida ♦ Ames Research Center – Moffett Field, California ♦ Armstrong Flight Research Center – Edwards, California

13. Assam wins 8th Sub-junior National Hockey Championship

 Assam Hockey won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division), at Hojai Hockey stadium, in Assam.  Assam Hockey won 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division):  Assam Hockey beat Hockey Rajasthan 3-2 in the final and won the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division).  Hockey Rajasthan had a good start by scoring five goals. Assam Hockey recovered in the second half of the match. The Championship was hosted by Assam.

Takeaways

♦ Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland ♦ President – Narinder Batra ♦ Membership – 125 national associations

14. Goldberg to be inducted into WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

 WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) announced that Goldberg will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class at a ceremony in 6th April 2018, in New Orleans.  Goldberg – WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class:  Goldberg retired from in-ring competition in 2017. He is the first to be listed in the WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class.  He is 51 years old. He made his debut in WWE in 2003. Earlier, he was associated with the World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Takeaways

♦ Headquarters – Stamford, Connecticut, United States ♦ Chairman & CEO – Vince McMahon

15. BSE's India International Exchange Lists IRFC's First Green Bond

 The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)'s India International Exchange listed the first bond on its Global Securities Market.  The bonds issued by Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) are one of the highest credit rated bonds issued by an Indian corporate and has been IRFC's first foray into the Green Bond market.

Takeaways

♦ IRFC is a finance arm of the Indian Railway.

♦ S K Pattanayak is Managing Director of IRFC.

♦ IRFC was set up on 12th December 1986.

16. Johnson & Johnson Partners with Maharashtra Govt. on Health Interventions

 Maharashtra’s mine workers who face an increased risk of tuberculosis will be part of awareness programmes on the illness, as part of a partnership that the Maharashtra Government recently formalized with Johnson & Johnson. Other interventions under the ambit of the agreement include hospital acquired infections and maternal and infant mortality.

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 The collaboration would also look at infection prevention, diabetes, obesity and menstrual hygiene and support healthcare professionals and nurses in the State to develop skills in these areas.

Takeaways

♦ Governor of Maharashtra- Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao.

♦ Chief Minister of Maharashtra- Devendra Fadnavis.

♦ Johnson & Johnson is US based company.

17. Goa celebrates Opinion Poll Day

 On 16th January 2018, Goa celebrated the Opinion Poll Day as Asmitai Dis (Identity Day).  ♦ 16th January is celebrated as Opion Poll Day to mark the historic poll in 1967 in which people of Goa voted not to merge with Maharashtra. ♦Recently Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced that 16th January will be celebrated as ‘Asmitai Dis’. ♦ Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) celebrated the 51st Opinion Poll Day at North Goa District Office in Mapusa, Goa. The Goa Forward Party held a public meeting at Lohia maidan, Margao, Goa.

Takeaways

♦ President – Vijai Sardesai ♦ Secretary-General – Mohandas Lolienkar

18. Veteran Actress Charu Rohatgi Passes Away

 TV actress Charu Rohatgi, known for her roles in serials like 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?' and 'Uttaran', passed away.  She reportedly passed away after a cardiac arrest. While Charu had played Parineeti Chopra's mother in the film 'Ishaqzaade', she had also starred in films like '1920: London'.

January 15 & 16 Current Affairs

19. Ex-Union minister Raghunath Jha passes away

 Raghunath Jha, former Union minister, passed away at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, in Delhi. Death of Raghunath Jha:  Raghunath Jha was 78 years old. He was suffering from kidney ailment. He is a former Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise.  He was associated with various political parties like the Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Socialist Party and Samajwadi party.

Takeaways

1. President – Lalu Prasad Yadav 2. Founded – 1997 3. Headquarters – New Delhi

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