January 25 Current affairs

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Gayathri
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1. PM Modi Holds Bilateral Ttalks With 3 Asean Leaders

  • On the eve of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had separate bilateral meetings with leaders of three ASEAN nations – Myanmar, Vietnam and Philippines in New Delhi.
  • The PM first met his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and held talks with on issues of mutual interest. Next, he met the Philipino President Rodrigo Duterte and covered a wide range of subjects. Myanmar’s State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi also met the PM later in the evening.
 Takeaways 
  1. Myanmar Capital- Naypyidaw.
  2. Vietnam Capital- Hanoi.
  3. Philippines Capital- Manila

2. 8th National Voters’ Day- 25th January

  • The Election Commission of India celebrated the 8th National Voters’ Day across the countryon 25th January for enhanced participation of citizens in the electoral process. The National level function was held in New Delhi.
  • President Ram Nath Kovind gave away awards for best electoral practices to District Collectors, Superintendents of Police and other functionaries involved in election management.
 Takeaways 
  1. 1st Chief Election Commissioner of Independent India- Sukumar Sen.
  2. 21st Chief Election Commissioner of India- Achal Kumar Joti.
  3. Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed as the next (22nd) chief election commissioner (CEC) of India.

3. Vodafone, Flipkart Tie Up For 4G Smartphones

  • Vodafone India has partnered with e-commerce marketplace Flipkart to provide a range of entry-level smartphones at an effective price of Rs999.
  • As part of the tie-up, Vodafone has rolled out cash-back offers on select range of entry-level 4G smartphone models available under Flipkart’s #MyFirst4GSmartphone campaign. For the offer, customers have to a recharge least Rs150 per month for 36 months

 4. NSIC Inks Pact With Malaysia’s SME Corporation 

  • National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed an MoU with SME Corporation Malaysia for exchange of information and cooperation in areas such as policies to aid development of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the two countries.
  • Besides, three other agreements were also signed between Indian and Malaysian entities to strengthen cooperation among smaller businesses in these countries. Bilateral trade (between India and Malaysia) was registered at $12.02 billion in 2015.

 Takeaways 

  1. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister- Giriraj Singh

 5. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Signs  MoU With IL&FS For Construction Of Zojila Tunnel 

  • An MoU was signed between National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, and M/S IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd for construction of the 14.150  km long,  2-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir.
  • This would be India’s longest road tunnel and the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia. The construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh. The total capital cost of the project is Rs 6808.69 crore. The construction period of the project is seven years.
 Takeaways 
  1. Minister of Road Transport & Highways- Nitin Gadkari

6. Maharashtra bans sale of Tobacco at shops selling FMCG items

  • The Maharashtra Government has banned the sale of Tobacco in shops selling Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) items in the state. The move aims to ensure that youngsters do not get addicted to tobacco products.

7. India, Vietnam sign MoU for cooperation in I & B Sector and space

  • India and Vietnam on 24th January 2018 exchanged Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) for cooperation in the field of Information and Broadcasting and space.
  • The agreement were exchanged in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnam counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc

8. Environmental Performance Index 

  • India ranks 177 among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2018,according to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum. India ranked 141 in 2016 report.
  • The report was released on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Switzerland leads the list, followed by France, Denmark and Malta.
 Takeaways 
  1. Capital of Switzerland- Bern, Currency- Swiss franc.
  2. The founder and Chairman of WEF- Klaus Schwab

9. India Ranks 81st On Global Talent Competitiveness Index

  • India has moved up on a global index of talent competitiveness to the 81st position in the report that was released in the first day the 48th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.Switzerland has topped the list.
  • India has improved its position from 92nd in 2017 on the index that measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent. Among BRICS countries, China has topped with 54th position. Among the countries, Switzerland is followed by Singapore and the US.

10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presents National Bravery Awards to 18 children

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored 7 girls and 11 boys with the National Bravery Awards. Praising the resolve of the awardees.
  • The children felicitated by him in the past hailed from “rural and simple background”. The awardees include a 14-year-old Karnataka girl who died while trying to save two boys from drowning.

11. Government To Infuse Over Rs88 Thousand Crore In 20 PSB

  •  The government has announced 88,139 crore rupees capital infusion in 20 public sector banks, PSBs, during the current fiscal ending 31st March to boost lending and revive growth. IDBI Bank will get the most- Rs10,610 crore followed by State Bank of India 8,800 crore rupees.
  • The 20 banks that will receive the capital infusion during this phase include Bank of India, UCO Bank and Punjab National Bank. In October last year, the government had announced over two lakh crore rupees bank recapitalization plan spread over spread over two financial years  2017-18 and 2018-19.
 Takeaways 
  1. Till now, 11 PSBs have been included under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA).

12. Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palanichamy receives UNESCO Award

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli.
  • The award of merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities undertaken in the temple without in the least affecting its traditional splendor and Vedic rituals.
  • It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams)

 Takeaways 

  1. TamilNadu CM – Edappadi K Palanichamy
  2. TamilNadu Governor – Panwarilal Purohit

13. Full list of Padma awards 2018

This year (2018) 85 recipients have been selected for the prestigious awards including two duo cases. This includes 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri awards. Fourteen of the awardees are women, while 16 persons are foreigners and three are being awarded posthumous.  list of Padma awards 2018