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i s the
A ard
Raghura
Raja
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Pla
i g Co
at
The Government of India has launched an integrated women safety mobile app called
Himmat. It is a mobile application of Delhi Police that will allow women to send a distress
call to Police Control Room and their relatives in case of any emergency. It is an android
based mobile app, which aims to cater employed women who have smart phones and
travel alone late in the night. The app was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Operation Smile An Initiative to Trace Missing Children
As per the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Cyberabad (IT hub of Hyderabad)
Police has lau hed a a paig alled Operation Smile to es ue the issi g hild e . A
total of 11 teams have been formed to perform the task.
Union Cabinet Approves 2G Spectrum Auction
The Union Cabinet of India has approved the largest ever telecom second generation (2G)
spectrum auction that is targeted to fetch at least Rs.64,840 crore from the sale next
month. The frequency includes 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands at a reserve price
set by the Telecom Commission. The previous auction that took place in February 2014 had
earned the Centre close to Rs.62,162 crore.
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Government of India has commissioned I dia s first Hi-speed rural broadband network
using the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in the Idukki district of Kerala. The Hispeed rural broadband et o k o es u de the PM Na e d a Modi s Digital I dia
programme.
Buddha Heritage Walk
People f o
ou t ies ha ted Buddham Sharanam Gachchami a d alked th ough a
13 kilo meter long forest trail which Lord Gautama Buddha had once walked to reach Rajgir
from Bodh Gaya around 2,543 years ago. This is the first-ever Buddha Heritage Walk
introduced by the Bihar Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC). More than 500 people
were participated in this Heritage Walk in a very peaceful manner.
Union Government merges PIO and OCI cards
Union Government has merged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card-holders with Overseas
Citizens of India (OCI) card-holders. Union Home Ministry in this regard has issued
notification mentioning that all PIO card-holders henceforth are deemed to be OCI cardholders with effect from 9th January 2015.
Thus, withdrawing PIO cards with immediate an effect. Now only OCI cards facility with
enhanced benefits will exist to provide maximum possible benefits to Indian Diaspora.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley adopts four villages in Gujarat
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has adopted four villages in Vadodara district in Gujarat
as pa t of P i e Mi iste Na e d a Modi s Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana fo the Members
of Parliament. The villages are Karnali, Pipaliya, Valida, and Baglipura.
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th epu li Da o Ja ua
US President Barack Obama was the Chief Guest of this day. It was the first time that the US
President attended the Republic Day Function.
Theme for the 66th Republic Day Parade was Nari
Shakthi which means Women Empowerment.
Wing Commander Pooja Thakur has become the first
woman officer to lead the ceremonial Guard of
Honour at Rashtrapathi Bhavan. On 25 January 2015,
she led the ceremonial Guard of Honour which was
inspected by the U.S. President Barack Obama at
Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
Late Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh were awarded posthumously
the highest peacetime military honour, the Ashok Chakra, by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The two army personnel laid down their lives while combating militants in Kashmir Valley.
India and the United States have sig aled a new era i thei elatio s a d the leade s of
both countries have signed a number of new deals. Obama has announced $4 billion in
government-backed investments and lending to India.
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IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS
New Chairman for Airports Authority of India
Government of India has appointed IAS officer R K Srivastava as the new chairman of
Airports Authority of India (AAI). He is a 1984-batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer and he will
succeed Sudheer Raheja.
Railway Board gets new Chairman
Government of India has appointed A.K. Mittal as Chairman of Railway Board. He will
succeed incumbent chief Arunendra Kumar whose term had ended on 31st December
2014.
His name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by
Prime Minister.
Arvind Panagariya appointed as NITI Aayog vice-chairman
Arvind Panagariya, eminent free-market economist has
been appointed the first Vice Chairman of the newlycreated National Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog along with six members and three special
invitees. The NITI Aayog will be headed by the Prime
Minister, and comprises a vice-chairperson, besides
full-time and part-time members. Bibek Debroy and VK
Saraswat are full-time members.
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Indian origin Mathematics professor in US, Manjul Bhargava has consented for Narendra
Modi s edu atio p oje t Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN) programme to
rope in eminent scholars and scientists abroad to teach students at IITs and central
universities. Bhargava met HRD Minister Smriti Irani and ag eed to e uit s ie tists i the
US and across the world to participate in the GIAN.
Sunil Sood Vodofo es e I dia CEO
Sunil Sood, the current chief operating officer of Vodofone is now named as the new India
CEO of the telecom giant. He will succeed Martin Pieters, a longest serving chief of any
Indian telecom company (since 2009). Pieters is also referred as crusader for the telecom
industry. The Vodafone India doubled the revenues and added more than 100 million
customers during his leadership.
Indian diplomat Atul Khare named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support
Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under
Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of
Field Support (DFS). It was announced by SecretaryGeneral of United Nations Ban Ki-moon. He will
su eed Ba gladesh s Ameerah Haq. This
appointment makes him as one of the highest
ranking Indian officials in UN.
Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki sworn in as the Governor of Punjab
Haryana governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solani took over the additional charge of 34th
Governor of Punjab. He was given the additional charge, as the tenure of Shivraj V Patil as
Punjab governor ends. Solanki signed separate charge reports, both as Governor of Punjab
and Administrator of Chandigarh (UT).
Divya Prakash Sinha appointed as Security Secretary
Divya Prakash Sinha has been appointed as the Security Secretary in the Union Cabinet
Secretariat. The post had been lying vacant since November 2013. The post was previously
held by Yashovardhan Azad, the u e t i fo atio o
issio e . DP i ha s
appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
DP Sinha was a 1979 batch IPS officer of the Manipur-Tripura cadre. He has been with the
IB for many years and handled operations in North-East and also in Delhi.
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HDFC Bank is the only Indian bank a o g the o ld s 50 most valued lenders in 2014 with a
market capitalization (M-Cap) of $41 billion. The State Bank of India (SBI) has been ranked
at 51st position with M-Cap of $36.40 billion and ICICI Bank is at 55th position with M-Cap
of $33.42 billion.
I dia to upstage Chi as gro th rate y
: IMF
According to the International Monetary Fund, India is expected to grow at 6.3% in 2015
a d . %i
, ossi g Chi a s p oje ted g o th ate. The ai easo IMF uoti g as
p o isi g go e
e t s efo s.
I
, I dia s g o th ate as . % agai st Chi a s . %, as pe the Wo ld E o o i
Report update released by the IMF. I
ho e e , I dia s g o th ate as % agai st
Chi a s . %.
The report also added that there will be a boost in global growth as the oil prices are
getting lower. Global growth in 2015- 16 has been estimated at 3.5 and 3.7 per cent.
I dias Gro th to rise . % i
: UN WEP Report
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est e t Ba k
%i
: UNCTAD
According to the Global Investment Trend Monitor Report released by United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the FDI flows to India increased by 26%
in 2014 to an estimated US$ 35 billion, with maximum growth in services sector especially
in electricity, gas, water, waste management and information and communication.
The report points out that the Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows declined by
8% in 2014 to an estimated 1.26 trillion US dollars due to the fragility of the global
economy, political uncertainty and geopolitical risks.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
J Y Pillay reappointed as advisor to Singapore President
Indian-origin J Y Pillay was re-appointed as the top advisor to i gapo e s P eside t To
Tan Keng Yam. The 80-year-old Pillay was sworn in and re-appointed as the Chairman of the
Presidential Council of Advisers (CPA) for a period of four years.
Mr Pillay was first appointed to the CPA on Jan 2, 2001. He has served as Chairman of the
CPA since Sep 2, 2005. As Chairman of the CPA, Pillay will exercise the functions of the
P eside t s offi e i the a se e of P eside t.
Sri Lankan Elections Rajapaksa concedes defeat
In 2015 Presidential election at Sri Lanka, President Mahinda
Rajapaksa conceded defeat to his opposition challenger
Maithripala Sirisena of United National Party after a bitterly
fought presidential election. Rajapaksha have been ruling Sri
Lanka for a decade.
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e t had e o e i
assador to I dia
Nepal Government named Nepali Congress leader Deep Kumar Upadhyay as Nepal s e
ambassador to India. This post has been lying vacant for more than three years. Rukma
Shukshere Rana, Nepali Congress leader, held this post lastly in August 2011. Deep Kumar
Upadhyay hails from Kapilvastu district in southern Nepal.
Britain and US join hands to counter Cyber Threats
The US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced joint
measures in combating cyber threats in the bilateral summit held in Washington DC. The
e -age ts of oth ou t ies a e goi g to joi fo es to p ote t the UK s iggest a ks,
transport systems and energy supplies. A new joint cyber task force will be created for
better threat information sharing.
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Ed ar Lugu is Za
ias e Preside t
Edwar Lugu of Patriotic Front sworn in as the new President of Zambia. He secured 48.3%of
the allot i )a ia s
o stitue ies. His oppo e t Hakai de Hi hile a of U ited Party
for National Development received about 46.7% of the votes.
Mr. Lungu headed both the Justice and Defense Ministries in the previous government. He
ill se e out the e ai de of P eside t Mi hael ata s died o O to e
te u til
new elections in the fall of 2016.
V General Assembly of IRENA
The V General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has began
in Abu Dhabi. Nearly 1,000 international participants from 171 IRENA member countries
attended the Assembly.
The meeting seeks to address global issues like enhancing the share of renewable energy in
the overall energy mix and to tackle global challenges like climate change, energy access
and energy security.
New Trade and Travel relation between US and Cuba
The US and Cuba have come into effect in the biggest policy Changes between the two
countries in more than 50 years. Measures include allowing US citizens to use credit cards
in Cuba and for US businesses to export latest technologies.
Americans will be able to take home up to $100 (66) in alcohol and tobacco from Cuba.
The move implements last month's agreement to re-establish ties severed since 1961.
Italys Preside t Giorgio Napolita o Resig s
Giorgio Napolitano, Ital s lo gest-serving president, resigned on 14 Jan, creating a
challenge for Prime Minister Matteo Renzi s pla s to o e haul the atio s e o o a d
political system.
The 89-year-old Napolitano, widely respected outside Italy as a guarantor of stability during
the euro zone crisis, had always been expected to step down before the end of his second
term in office because of his advanced age.
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SPORTS
Andy Murray wins ATP World Tennis Championship
Andy Murray won his first title of 2015 after Novak
Djokovic withdrew from the Mubadala World Tennis
Championship final in Abu Dhabi because of illness.
Djokovic, the world number one, said he was unfit to
play ahead of the final of the exhibition event.
Chennai Open Tennis Title Winners
itze la d s Stanislas Wawrinka won the Chennai Open title of tennis by defeating the
Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4. This was second consecutive ATP Chennai Open
title for Wawrinka and third time since 2011. With this win, Wawrinka won 73400 US dollar
and earned 250 ranking points.
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Coa h
Former Dutch national coach Paul van Ass has been named as the new coach of the Indian
e s ho ke tea . Ne )eala d s Anthony Thornton was named as the coach of the
o e s ho ke tea . Both of the ha e ee a arded a three-year contract till 2018.
They will be replacing Walsh and Hawgood.
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OBSERVED DAYS
January 09
Remembered Day: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (NRI Day)
Organized: India
Purpose: To Mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development
of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in
Bombay on 9 January 1915.
January 10
Remembered Day: World Hindi Day
Organized: India Ministry of External Affairs
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January 12
Remembered Day: National Youth Day
Organized: India
Purpose: To Mark birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami
Vivekananda
January 15
Remembered Day: 67th Army Day
Organized: India
Purpose: Our Lieutenant General K.M Cariappa take over as the first Commander-in-chief of
the Indian Army from Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India.
January 18
Remembered Day: National Immunization Day (Polio Day)
Organized: India
Purpose: Focusing national efforts on promoting and crying out specific immunization
campaigns, such as that for Poliomyelitis.
January 23
Remembered Day: 118th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose / National Day
of Patriotism / Desh Prem Divas
Organized: India
January 24
Remembered Day: National Girl Child Day
Organized: India
Purpose: The National Girl Child Day is celebrated to increase the awareness among people
about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in the society.
Theme: Adolescent Girls: Issues and Challenges
January 25
Remembered Day: National Voters Day
Organized: India
Purpose: To encourage young voters to take part in political process & to mark the Election
Co
issio s fou datio da .
2014 Theme: Easy Registration, Easy Correction
Remembered Day: National Tourism Day
Organized: India
Purpose: To aimed at increase awareness about tourism through a range of activities.
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a ifest as OU
ig i itiati e.
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