NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi inaugurates National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi in Gujarat on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary on 30 January. The memorial has statues of Mahatma Gandhi and 80 Satyagrahis who had marched with him during the historic Dandi Salt March. It also has 24-narrative murals depicting various events and stories from the historic 1930 Salt March.
India signs agreement with OECD for participation in PISA 2021
Human Resources Development Ministry signed an agreement with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for India’s Participation in Programme for International Student Assessment- Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2021.
- Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the format for the student assessment will be offline. The student assessment by PISA will ensure learning outcome through education. Students will be selected by PISA through random sampling.
- PISA is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate the education system worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. Learnings from participation in PISA will help introduce competency based examination reforms in the school system. The CBSE and NCERT will be part of the process and activities leading to the actual test.
- Extra info.:
OECD Headquarters: Paris, France
India improves global corruption index ranking by 3 points to 78 in 2018
India has improved its ranking on a global corruption index in 2018, while its neighbour China lagged far behind, according to the annual index released by an anti-graft watchdog.
- India rose by three points to 78 in the list of 180 countries in the world, while China ranked 87 and Pakistan 117 in 2018, the Transparency International said in its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2018.
- The top countries on the list are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88 and 87 respectively. Somalia, Syria and South Sudan are at the bottom of the list, with scores of 10, 13 and 13 respectively.
South India MSME Summit 2019 held in Bengaluru
Leading Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) associations of south India are coming together to organise the South India MSME Summit 2019 to be held at Bengaluru. The objective of the Summit is to discuss key issues with a view of finding solutions to them within a framework which provides the right environment for their growth and development.
- The India Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Report 2018 has been released Kochi based Institute of Small Enterprises and Development at the South India MSME Summit 2019 in Bengaluru. The report quotes RBI study which noted the share of credit extended to MSMEs in overall bank credit, declined steadily to around 14 per cent from about 17 per cent and within credit to the industrial sector and the share of medium enterprises has dropped significantly as compared to micro and small enterprises.
First Swadesh Darshan Project inaugurated in Sikkim
K.J. Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism has inaugurated the first project under the Swadesh Darshan Project of the Union Ministry of Tourism at the Zero Point, Gangtok, Sikkim. This project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in June 2015 for Rs. 98.05 crores.
- Under this scheme, the Government is focusing on the development of quality infrastructure in the country with the objective of providing better experience and facilities to the visitors and on fostering economic growth.
FSSAI asks food biz to comply with new packaging norms by July 1
Food businesses need to comply with new packaging regulations that bar use of recycled plastics and newspapers to wrap food articles by July 1. The new regulations prohibit packaging material made of recycled plastics including carry bags for packaging, storing, carrying or dispensing articles of food.
- The new norms will replace all provisions with respect to packaging requirements prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
International conference on 8th century sage held to mark 50 years of India-Bhutan ties
Celebrating 50-years of formalization of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan, a two-day international conference on 8th century Himalayan sage Guru Padmasambhava was held in New Delhi that saw the participation of distinguished scholars from both countries.
- The conference, organised by the Centre for Escalation of Peace (CEP) and titled 'Life and Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava', was held on January 29-30.
- Extra info.:
Capital: Thimphu
Currency: Ngultrum
Prime minister: Lotay Tshering
King: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Maharashtra govt launched special scheme to curb infant deaths
The Maharashtra government launched a special scheme to curb infant deaths. Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde distributed baby-care kits to the children born in primary health centres and government hospitals.
- The scheme is applicable only for the first child and will benefit around four lakh women across the state, Women. Each kit contains a blanket, a small mattress, a towel, a thermometer, baby oil, shampoo, toys, nail-cutter, gloves, socks, among other things. The cost of the kit is around Rs 2,000.
Free education for government college girls in Rajasthan
Free education will be provided to girls in state-run institutions in Rajasthan from July, Higher Education Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati said. Also, the female students in colleges will be given sanitary napkins free of cost.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Dubai Airport Retains its Position as World's Busiest in 2018
Dubai International Airport said it has retained its position as the world's busiest airport for the fifth consecutive year in a row in 2018 with Indian travellers emerging as the largest source of traffic for the airport which registered a record footfall of over 89 million.
- According to the latest figures, a total of 89,149,387 travellers used the airport in 2018. India remained the biggest source of traffic for the airport, accounting for more than 12.2 million travellers. Most of them coming from the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin.
- Saudis came second over 6.4 million passengers, overtaking travellers from the United Kingdom. About 6.3 million British nationals used the airport. Apart from these countries, 3.5 million flyers from China, 3.2 million from the United States and about 1.5 million from Russia arrived at Dubai airport.
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI to inject Rs 37,500 crore through OMO in February
The Reserve Bank of India said that it will inject Rs 37,500 crore into the system through purchase of government securities in February to increase liquidity. RBI stated that it has decided to conduct purchase of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 375 billion in the month of February 2019 through three auctions of Rs 125 billion each during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
FDI grew 18% in FY18 to Rs 28.25 lakh crore: RBI data
Foreign direct investment (FDI) during the previous fiscal grew 18 per cent to Rs 28.25 lakh crore. FDI increased by Rs 4,33,300 crore, including revaluation of past investments, during 2017-18 to reach Rs 28,24,600 crore in March 2018 at market value, according to RBI data on 'Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies, 2017-18'.
- The census showed that Mauritius continued to be the largest source of FDI in India (19.7 per cent) followed by the US, the UK, Singapore and Japan.
Singapore most liveable for Asian expats: Survey
Singapore has been rated as the most liveable location for Asian expatriates in 2019 for the 14th consecutive year, according to a survey by ECA International. Hong Kong dropped 12 places to become the 41st liveable city for Asian expatriates. Other cities in Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand have also seen higher ratings largely due to infrastructure improvement.
- The other top 20 locations included cities in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway, with several cities at the same place in the ranking, according to the survey.
SPORTS
South Korean footballer Ki Sung-yueng announces retirement
Midfielder Ki Sung-yueng announced his retirement from the South Korean national team. The midfielder had hinted at retirement after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but decided to compete in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, currently being held in the United Arab Emirates.
- Despite retiring from international soccer, Ki said he would continue working hard to give his best with English Premier League club Newcastle United.
APPOINTMENTS
Dilip Sadarangani Appointed Part Time Chairman of Federal Bank
Dilip Sadarangani has been appointed as Part Time Chairman of Federal Bank. The Bank obtained approval of Reserve Bank of India in this regard. He has been in the board of Federal Bank since 2013.
- He has played key roles in setting up of IT infrastructure in different banks in India, Australia and Kuwait. He was also a Core member of the team which automated the first 50 branches of State Bank of India.
Deepika Padukone appointed new chairperson of MAMI
Actress Deepika Padukone has replaced producer Kiran Rao as the chairperson of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), which organises the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star.
- Deepika was selected by the board members of MAMI, a non-profit organisation which was founded in 1997.
AWARDS
TN bags FSSAI award for Swasth Bharat Yatra
The Yatra, a cyclothon, which was appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address recently, saw the involvement of 10 lakh participants and reached to around 2.5 crore people across various States and UTs.
- Tamil Nadu was declared the ‘Best State Overall’ for exemplary participation in the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a 100-day consumer outreach programme of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which was launched to amplify its Eat Right India initiative.
- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were adjudged the Best States with population above 3 crore.
- Punjab, Goa and Delhi were recognised as the Best States having population less than 3 crore. Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand were given special awards for their participation despite their hilly and difficult terrain.
- Extra info.:
FSSAI Headquarters: New Delhi
Padma Awards 2019
Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced the name of 112 recipients of the Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards of the country on the eve of the country’s 70th Republic Day. This year’s awardees comprise 4 Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri recipients.
Here is the list of prominent personalities who were named for the conferment of Padma awards.
Click here to view the list
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