Today Current Affairs for Competitive Exams - Current Affairs 2019-2020 Online

If you are appearing for any Government Recruitment Exam, it is important that you are familiar with the happenings around the world. Current Affairs is an important part of your syllabus apart from English, Quantitative Aptitude or Logical Reasoning! Thus, we bring you the Important General Awareness in PDF. Now, Banking, SSC and Insurance aspirants can read the update containing all the Important Current Affairs 14th January 2019. You can also attempt yesterday's current affairs quiz:

Current Affairs Quiz – 13th January 2019

Important Current Affairs 14th January 2019

• Commemorative coin of Rs 350 introduced o Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin of Rs 350 to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh on 13 January 2019. o Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh Guru. o On January 5, 2017, commemorative postage was released during the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

Source Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/pm- modi-introduces-commemorative-coin-of-rs-350-to-mark-birth-anniversary-of-guru- gobind-singh-legacy-of-these-coins-in-indian-history-1429932-2019-01-13

1 | P a g e

• Robots introduced for traffic management o The Traffic Police inducted a road safety robot into service on 14 January 2019. o The name of the robot is 'ROADEO'. o The robot will help police in traffic management and assist pedestrians in Chennai roads. o It will also ease the work of traffic police, as these robots can be integrated with the traffic signals, as well as can be operated manually, through a Bluetooth app.

Source Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennai-traffic-police- introduces-robots-for-traffic-management/article25991434.ece?homepage=true

• Govt prepares Action plan on drug abuse o The government has drafted a five-year action plan to address the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country. o The 'National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction' (2018-23) aims to employ a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of drug abuse. o It involves education, de-addiction, and rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families.

Source Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/drug-abuse-national- action-plan-ministry-of-social-justice-5536336/

• Special weather services for Kumbh launched o A mobile application named 'Kumbh Mela Weather Service' has been developed to disseminate the live weather information. o It will provide information about the prevailing weather condition and forecasts to the people visiting Prayagraj during Kumbh Mela. o For this purpose, four Automatic Weather stations have been installed at four locations at Prayagraj.

2 | P a g e

Source Link: http://www.newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=358014

• Armed Forces Veteran Day observed on 14 Jan o The Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed every year on 14 January. o The day is celebrated as a mark of respect and recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal, who retired from service on 14 January 1953. o K.M. Cariappa was the first Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.

Source Link: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=187440

• HC forms committee to remove alien species o On 11 January 2019, the Madras High Court constituted an expert committee to suggest ways and means to remove the alien species from the Western Ghats. o The committee will be headed by Cherukuri Raghavendra Babu, the Chairman of the expert committee on invasive species in Chennai National Biodiversity Authority. o The committee will study all aspects related to the forests.

Source Link: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/hc-forms- committee-to-weed-out-invasive-plant-species-from-western-ghats- 119011200785_1.html

• WPI inflation at 3.80% in December 2018 o Inflation based on wholesale prices fell to an 8-month low of 3.80% in December 2018 due to reducing prices of fuel and some food items. o The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation stood at 4.64% in November 2018, and 3.58% in December 2017.

3 | P a g e

o The deflation in food articles stood at 0.07% in December 2018, against 3.31% in November 2018.

Source Link: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/wpi- inflation-at-8-month-low-of-3-80-pc-in-dec-on-softening-fuel-food-prices- 119011400282_1.html

• 's largest startup ecosystem inaugurated o India's largest startup ecosystem was inaugurated in Kerala on 13 January 2019. o The Integrated Startup Complex under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) includes the ultra-modern facilities of Maker Village that promote hardware startups. o It also includes the 'BioNest' that promotes medical technologies, BRINC which is the country's first international accelerator for hardware startups

Source Link: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/india-s- largest-startup-ecosystem-inaugurated-in-kerala-119011300480_1.html

• 1956 Olympian footballer Zulfiqar passes away o Former India footballer Mohammed Zulfiqaruddin passed away on 13 January 2019. o He was the part of the Indian football team which took part in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. o He represented India in the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games and the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia o He was the captain of Andhra Pradesh in the from 1955 to 1967.

Source Link: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/1956- olympian-footballer-zulfiqar-passes-away-119011300365_1.html

• Single-use plastics banned in Puducherry 4 | P a g e

o On 13 January 2019, the Puducherry government announced a total ban on manufacture, sale, and storage of single-use plastics in the Union Territory. o The ban on single-use plastics such as paper cups, disposable plates and straws would come into effect from 1 March 2019. o A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Puducherry's Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy.

Source Link: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/puducherry-to-ban-single-use- plastic-from-march-1-1977115

• Youth Parliament Festival 2019 launched o The National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 was launched on 12 January 2019. o The themes for National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 are 'Be The Voice of New India' and 'Find solutions and contribute to policy'. o It is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. o The Festival will encourage the youth to engage with the public issue and understand the common man's problem.

Source Link: http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1559717

• Abhinav Shaw won gold medal in shooting o On 14 January 2019, 10-year old Abhinav Shaw became the youngest gold medallist in the shooting at the Khelo India Youth Games in . o He teamed up with Mehuli Ghosh to help West Bengal win the 10m air rifle mixed team event. o Delhi's Devanshi Rana bagged gold in Under-21 girls 25m pistol event.

5 | P a g e

Source Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more- sports/shooting/khelo-india-youth-games-ten-year-old-abhinav-shaw-becomes- youngest-champion/articleshow/67511767.cms

• win Premier League o Bengaluru Raptors won the (PBL) title on 13 January 2019. o They defeated Rockets in the final match. o Bengaluru Raptors consists of Kidambi Srikanth, , , Sai Praneeth, Mithun Manjunath, , Sanjana Santosh, , Vu Thi Trang, and Nguyễn Tiến Minh. o It is owned by Matrix Badminton Teamworks Pvt. Ltd

Source Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badminton/bengaluru- raptors-win-premier-badminton-league-mumbai-rockets-5536654/

• Gujarat implements new 10% quota law o Gujarat has become the first state to provide a 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions to the economically weaker sections in the general category. o It will be applicable from 14 January 2019. o The eligibility of the new quota will be applicable only for which the announcement for jobs and admissions have been made but the process has not yet begun.

Source Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gujarat- quota-law-reservation-vijay-rupani-5536451/

• Brahm Dutt appointed as non-executive Chairman

o The Yes Bank appointed Brahm Dutt as Non-Executive part-time Chairman on 12 January 2019. o The appointment is till July 2020.

6 | P a g e

o He has been on Yes Bank’s board since July 2013 as an Independent Director o He is a former IAS officer and was Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat and in the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Source Link: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/yes- bank-appoints-brahm-dutt-as-non-executive-part-time- chairman/article25978266.ece

• GoM constituted to look into revenue shortfall

o On 12 January 2019, the GST Council had decided to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM). o The GoM will be headed by Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. o The GoM will look into the revenue shortfall being faced by states following the rollout of Goods and Services Tax (GST). o The committee will suggest steps for increasing the revenue of states.

Source Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/sushil- modi-to-head-gom-on-gst-revenue-shortfall-faced-by- states/articleshow/67509588.cms

• Lt Gen JS Nain is Rising Star Corps Commander

o On 12 January 2019, Lt Gen JS Nain took over as the 14th Corps Commander of the strategic Rising Star Corps. o He took over from Lt Gen YVK Mohan. o The Rising Star Corps was raised in 2005 and is the Indian Army’s youngest corps. o It has its area of operation in three districts of Jammu region including Jammu, Samba, and Kathua.

Source Link: http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/nain-is-new-goc-9-corps/

• IDFC Bank renamed as IDFC First Bank

7 | P a g e

o Private sector lender IDFC Bank's name has been changed to 'IDFC First Bank Ltd' with effect from 12 January 2019. o IDFC Bank and Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) 'Capital First' completed their merger on 18 December 2018. o V Vaidyanathan, Founder of Capital First Ltd, was appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the IDFC First Bank Ltd.

Source Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking /idfc-bank-re-named-idfc-first-bank/articleshow/67502933.cms

• Namita wins Sushila Devi Literature Award

o Writer Namita Gokhale won the 'Sushila Devi Literature Award' for her novel 'Things to Leave Behind' on 12 January 2019. o She was awarded in the 'Best Book of Fiction Written by a Woman Author' category at the inaugural edition of Bhopal Literature and Art Festival (BLF). o The literary event was attended by over 70 writers and artists.

Source Link: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/namita- gokhale-wins-sushila-devi-literature-award-119011300210_1.html

• 'One Family One Job' scheme launched in Sikkim

o Sikkim's Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling launched the 'One Family One Job' scheme on 12 January 2019. o The scheme envisions employment to a member of every family which does not have a government job in the state. o Under this scheme, all loan debts in the farming and agriculture sector would be revoked.

Source Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current- affairs/story/sikkim-launches-one-family-one-job-scheme-1430035-2019-01-13

Attempt Daily Current Affairs Quiz

8 | P a g e