National Affairs
Dr Jitendra Singh launches Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0 Web portal
The Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Bhuvan Panchayat V 3.0 web portal in Bengaluru. This web Portal will enhance network application of gram panchayats. The Portal will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO.
About ISRO:
- ISRO Director: k. Sivan;
- Headquarters: Bengaluru
- Established: 1969.
Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Vanilla’ to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar
The Indian Navy(IN) launched ‘Operation Vanilla’. The purpose of this operation is to support and provide assistance to Tropical Cyclone Ava & flood hit Madagascar. The Indian Navy Ship(INS) Airavat has been deployed to this mission. Indian Navy is the first responder for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indian Ocean Region.
About Madagascar:
- Capital- Antananarivo (also the largest city).
- Currency- Malagasy ariary.
- President- Andry Nirina Rajoelina.
- Prime Minister- Christian Louis Ntsay.
Supreme Court allows Centre to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India
The Supreme Court(SC) has allowed the govt. to introduce African Cheetah in a suitable wildlife habitat in India including Kuno-Palpur (Kuno National Park) in Madhya Pradesh. The decision was taken after a petition was filed by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to introduce the African Cheetah from Namibia as the rare Indian Cheetah has become almost extinct in India.
About National Tiger Conservation Authority(NCTA):
- Founded- December 2005.
- Chairperson- Prakash Keshav Javadekar
International Affairs
Oxford Hindi Word of the Year 2019 is Samvidhaan
Oxford University has named ‘Samvidhaan’ in the Oxford Hindi Word – 2019. The Oxford Hindi Word of the Year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of attention and reflects the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the past year.
Samvidhaan is the Hindi translation for the word ‘Constitution’. The term means, ‘A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.’
Sheikh Khalid appointed as new Prime Minister of Qatar
Qatar’s Aamir(Ruler) Sheik Tamim bin Hmad al-Thani appointed trusted adviser Sheik Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani as prime minister of the country. Sheik Khalid is a close associate of Qatar’s ruler.
He has been chosen for the influential role to ensure that the emir’s writ runs throughout the Gulf State’s administration. He was sworn in during a ceremony at the Diwan in downtown Doha.
UK Govt launches £4 Million pound Innovation challenge fund in India
The government of UK (United Kingdom) has launched a £4 Mn (about Rs 37 crore) ‘Innovation Challenge Fund’ in India at an event in Pune, Maharashtra. The fund is focused on 2 main tech platforms including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in Karnataka and future mobility in Maharashtra.
The fund, which is one of several new initiatives of the UK-India Tech Partnership, is aimed to boost industry and academia to collaborate & develop tech solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges in India.
About UK:
- Capital– London
- Prime Minister– Boris Johnson
- Head of the UK-India tech partnership– Karen McLuskie
State Affairs
Maharashtra:
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray inaugurates Nagpur Metro’s Aqua line
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the 11-km Nagpur Metro line between Lokmanya Nagar-Sitabuldi interchange, also known as the Aqua Line. The 24.50 km Aqua Line’s six stations have become operational, while another five stations are likely to be operational by April. The event was attended by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri.
Country’s 1st and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary inaugurated at Byculla Zoo in Maharashtra
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the country’s first and biggest ‘walk-through’ aviary in Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo also known as Byculla Zoo in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The aviary is spread over in 18,234 sq ft, is 44 feet tall and consists of 100 species of Indian and exotic birds.
The special enclosures for animals like bears, hyenas, leopards, fox, barasingha and antelope are completed and Asiatic Lion, tigers will be included soon.
About Maharashtra:
- Chief Minister- Uddhav Thackeray
- Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- Capital City- Mumbai
Telangana:
World’s largest meditation centre to be inaugurated in Hyderabad
The World’s largest meditation centre was inaugurated at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, Telangana to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Heartfulness Institute. The center is dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness Lalaji Maharaji. It can accommodate 1 lakh practitioners at a time.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary, special sessions will be addressed by President Ram Nath Kovind on February 2, 2020 and social activist Anna Hazare on February 8, 2020.
About Telangana:
- Chief Minister- K. Chandrashekar Rao
- Governor- Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan
Odisha:
Govt of Odisha launches virtual police station
The State Government of Odisha has launched a virtual police station where people can lodge complaints from their respective districts without visiting Police Station. The e-police station will function from the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar.
About Odisha:
- Utkal Divas or Odisha Day falls every year on 01st April.
- CM of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik;
- Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.
Awards & Honors
Abhijit Banerjee conferred D Litt by alma mater Calcutta University
Nobel Prize winner in economics Abhijit Vinayak Bannerjee conferred with the honorary D Litt (Doctor of Literature) by his alma mater Calcutta University in Kolkata, West Bengal.He was awarded Nobel Prize in 2019 for “Experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”.He is one of the directors of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), United States of America (USA) founded in 2003.
Astrophysicist J V Narlikar was conferred Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Medal.Scientists Samir K Brahmachari, Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri and Partha Pratim Majumder were bestowed the Sir Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Medal.
Assam tableau wins first prize at 71st Republic Day Parade
Defence Ministre Rajnath Singh gave away Best Tableaux awards for Republic Day Parade, 2020 in New Delhi. Assam’s tableau has been chosen as the best tableau, followed by Odisha and Uttar Pradesh who were tied for the second position.
Odisha’s tableu depicted Lord Lingaraja’s Rukuna Rath Yatra whereas the tableau of UP showcased the state’s cultural and religious heritage. Central Public Works Department got the Special Prize for their tableau which based on the theme – Kashmir se Kanyakumari.
Appointments & Resignations
Vakrangee appoints Ramesh joshi as its Non-Executive chairman as per Kotak committee recommendations
Vakrangee Limited, a technology company, has appointed Mr. Ramesh Joshi (EX-RBI (Reserve Bank of India & EX-SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) ED- Executive Director) as its Non-Executive Chairman.The company also appoints Mr. Dinesh Nandwana, Executive Chairman as its Managing Director (MD) and Group CEO, replacing Mr. Anil Khanna.
About Vakrangee Limited:
- Founded– 1990
- Headquarters– Mumbai,Maharashtra.
Sports
Alastair Cook, Ricky Skerritt appointed to MCC’s World Cricket Committee
Former England opener Alastair Cook and ex-West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt were appointed as the new members of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), World Cricket Committee. .In 2018 Alastair Cook has announced his retirement. He was England’s leading Test match run-scorer with 12,472 runs in his 162 matches.
About MCC:
- Founded- 1787
- Headquarters- London, United Kingdom (UK)
New Zealand Spinner Todd Astle Announces First-class Retirement
Todd Duncan Astle, 33 years old from New Zealand, Wellington, leg-spinner had announced his retirement from first-class cricket to focus on the limited-over cricket (one day cricket). Astle scored more than 4000 runs in his 119 first-class matches.
He made his Test debut in 2012, played a mere five Tests for the national team, claiming seven wickets at 52.57. With the bat, he scored 98 runs at 19.60.
Obituary
Veteran South actress Jameela Malik passes away
Veteran South actress Jameela Malik passed away. She was the first Keralite woman to graduate from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. she played notable roles in around 50 films, including Pandavapuram, Adyathe Katha, Rajahamsam and Lahari.
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