Current Affairs Weekly PDF

This is Paid PDF provided by AffairsCloud.com, Our team is working hard

in back end to provide quality PDF. If you not buy this paid PDF
subscription plan, we kindly request you to buy pdf to avail this service.
Help Us To Grow & Provide Quality Service

CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF PLANS

Current Affairs PDF 2020: Weekly, Study, Pocket and Q&A PDF’s

Current Affairs PDF 2019: Study, Pocket and Q&A PDF’s

Current Affairs PDF 2018: Study, Pocket and Q&A PDF’s

CRACK HIGH LEVEL PDF PLANS

Crack High Level: Puzzle & Seating Arrangement Questions PDF 2019

Crack High Level: English Language Questions PDF 2019

Crack High Level: Data Interpretation Questions PDF 2019

Suggestions& Feedback are welcomed –

https://www.affairscloud.com/subscriber-feedback/

1|Page
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Meerut. Mansi, a Labrador breed dog who was awarded the highest honour of animals will top the list of
animals to be remembered.

IR sets up govt's 1st Waste to energy plant at Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Railway Board Member (Rolling Stock) Rajesh Agarwal inaugurated the East Coast Railway’s (ECoR)
waste to energy plant at Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar (CRW/MCS) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
It is the fourth waste to energy plant in the country and first plant manufactured by Government sector
and Indian Railways (IR). Total cost of the plant is Rs 1.79 crore and it can convert 500kg waste to light
diesel oil which can be used in light furnaces.

‘Vigyan Samagam’, India’s 1st global Mega Science Exhibition inaugurated at National Science
Centre in New Delhi by Dr. Jitendra Singh
Union Minister of State Independent Charge (I/C) Ministry of Development Of North Eastern Region,
Minister of State (Mos) Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pension,
Minister of State for Department of Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s
first global Mega Science Exhibition “Vigyan Samagam” at National Science Centre, New Delhi.The
exhibition is organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Council of
Science Museums (NCSM) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) & will be held from January
21, 2020, to March 20, 2020.

India, Bangladesh signed agreement to upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into 4-lane highway
India and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to upgrade the 50.58 kilometer long Ashuganj-Akhaura
road into a 4-lane highway. The road runs between Ashuganj river port and the Akhaura land port in
Bangladesh. The road project is part of the $2 billion second Line of Credit(LoC) extended by India to
Bangladesh in 2016. Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of Bangladesh and Afcons Infrastructure
Limited of India will upgrade 39 km long road between Ashuganj river port to Dharhar area of
Chattisgarh.

NIRDPR ties up with UNICEF, Hyderabad (Telangana) field office to establish 'communication
resource unit'
National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), an autonomous organization
under the Union Ministry of Rural Development has entered into the partnership with UNICEF (United
Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), Hyderabad (Telangana) field office to set up
'Communication Resource Unit' (CRU). At present CRU functions in 3 states of Andhra Pradesh (AP),
Telangana and Karnataka with the aim to help strategic communication needs of different government
departments. Dr. Gyanmudra, professor and head, Centre for Good Governance and Policy Analysis
(CGG&PA), NIRDPR is leading the CRU.

India supplies 30k doses of Measles and Rubella vaccine to Maldives within 72 hours
Government of India (GoI) has supplied 30,000 doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine within 72
hours on the emergency request of the Maldives government. These vaccines are supplied by Serum
Institute of India Private Limited, Pune, Maharashtra. In June 2019, during Prime Minister’s (PM) visit
to the Maldives, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India and Maldives on Health Co-
operation.

West Bengal leads in vegetable production, Andhra Pradesh tops in Fruits in 2018-19:
Horticultural production data
According to the State-wise horticulture production data released at a conference organised by the
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, the state of West Bengal (WB) has been at the forefront
of vegetable production in 2018-19 (3rd advance estimates), where the production of vegetables
was 29.55 million tonnes (MT). It was followed by Uttar Pradesh –UP (27.70 MT) and Madhya Pradesh
(17.77 MT). Andhra Pradesh (AP) continued to hold the top spot in fruits with 17.61MT in 2018-19.It
was followed by Maharashtra (10.82 mt) and UP (10.65 mt). Read full details here: West Bengal leads in
vegetable production, Andhra Pradesh tops in Fruits in 2018-19: Horticultural production data

3|Page
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

1st ever 2-day long “Innovation festival” was organised by Arunachal Pradesh govt at Itanagar,
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh state council for science & Technology (APSCS&T) in partnership with National
Innovation Foundation organised the 1st ever Innovation festival at science centre IG Park, Itanagar
Arunachal Pradesh. The two days festival aims to encourage the cultural innovation among the people
and students of Arunachal Pradesh. During the festival more than 50 innovations are displayed by the
innovators of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and other states and as a part of the festival Inspire Awards –
Manak state level event has also been organised.

Rajya Sabha panel submits report on child porn

An ad hoc committee of the Rajya Sabha (RS) headed by Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh
submitted its report on child pornography to Vice President (VP) and Rajya Sabha Chairman
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu. In it, 40 recommendations have been made to strictly prohibit the
promotion and access of child pornography and related content through social media. This includes
amendments to POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012 and IT (Information
Technology) act, 2000 & to control children’s access to such content containing generation and
dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

Overview of Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s 4-day Visit to India

The president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Messias Bolsonaro paid a 4-day official visit to
India from January 24-27, 2020. Brazil and India signed 15 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and
also signed an action plan to deepen strategic partnership.
Brazilian gunmaker Taurus Armas SA has signed for a joint Venture (JV) with Indian
steelmaker Jindal Group to manufacture and sell guns in India.
Bolsonaro was the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations and attended the Parade
ceremony at Rajpath in New Delhi.
Piyush Goyal addressed India-Brazil Business Forum in New Delhi- The forum was organised by
Industry Body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
The bilateral trade and work target of $15 billion between India and Brazil was set to be
achieved by 2022.
Read full details here: Overview of Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s 4-day Visit to India

1st estimate of rabi crop released by NCML; record grain output to be witnessed in 2020
Agriculture post-harvest management company- National Collateral Management Services
Limited (NCML) has released its 1st estimate for 2019-20 rabi crop production. The year 2020 is
expected to make record food grain production led by the wheat crop along with corn and jowar while
Oilseeds and pulses may have lower production. This season which contributes 50% of foodgrain
production usually starts from the month of November and lasts till the following year’s April month.
The Rabi paddy production is also estimated to increase by 5% further. The pulse production may show
marginal decline by 2% from its previous year production. Indian Rabi pulses production for the year
2019-20 is estimated at 144.8 lakh tonnes as against 148 Lakh tonnes witnessed during 2018-19. Read
full details here: 1st estimate of rabi crop released by NCML; record grain output to be witnessed in
2020

India's first underwater metro, ‘Kolkata metro’ to be opened by March 2022

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is set to complete its East-West Project, which runs partly
under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022. It will be India’s first underwater metro. The new
metro rail is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily & will take less than a minute to cross a 520-
meter underwater tunnel. 74% of the East-West metro project is owned by India’s Railway & remaining
26% by the nation’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

Horticulture output to be 313.35 million tonnes in 2019-20: First advance estimates

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India (GoI) has presented the first
advance report for 2019-20 & as well as the final estimate for 2018-19 for Area and Production of
various Horticulture Crops.

5|Page
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

SC allows govt to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India

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 that has become almost extinct in India. According to a bench
comprised by Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, the court will monitor the
project where its committee will have to submit its report every 4 months.

Government to release the report of 100 Smarts Cities in June 2020

The Government of India (GoI) is to release the report card of 100 selected smart cities in June, 2020 as
the Smart Cities Mission completes its five year. This report will be released in three categories, namely
ease of living index, municipal performance index and climatic index. According to the Ministry, the
tender issued for Smart Cities Project is Rs 1,62,000 crore and the value of all completed projects is
more than Rs 25,000 crores.

World’s largest meditation centre opened in Hyderabad, Telangana

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.

PM Modi Addressed 3rd Global Potato Conclave held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 3rd edition of the Global Potato Conclave at
Gandhinagar, Gujarat through video conference. The 4-day conclave from January 28-31 is being
organised by Indian Potato Association (IPA) in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural
Research(ICAR), New Delhi, and ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and
International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru. The 3rd edition of the potato conference is based on 10
themes out of which 8 themes are based on basic and applied research. The previous two Global Potato
Conferences were organized in 1999, and 2008. Read full details here: PM Modi Addressed 3rd Global
Potato Conclave held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

10 more wetlands from India declared as Ramsar sites

In an effort to improve the conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of wetlands, the Ramsar
Convention has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of national importance. Ramsar
sites are those which are declared under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971 to preserve wetlands of
national importance. Thus India now has a total of 37 Ramsar sites covering an area of 1,067,939
hectares. The 10 newly added Ramsar sites are as follows:
Nandur Madhameshwar: This is the 1st Ramsar site of Maharashtra.
Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal: These 3 ramsar sites are newly added
to Punjab.
Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and SarsaiNawar: These 6 Ramsar sites have
been newly added to Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Read full details here: 10 more wetlands from India declared as Ramsar sites

Indian Navy launched 'Operation Vanilla' to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar

Indian Navy(IN) launched ‘Operation Vanilla’. The purpose of this operation is to support and provide
assistance to Tropical Cyclone Diane & 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 (IOR). The assistance has been provided in consonance with Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 'Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)'. It is also to be
noted that Madagascar is a member of the inter-governmental organisation Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA).

Overview of Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn’s 2-day visit to India

The Minister of Foreign & European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg H.E. Mr. Jean
Asselborn was on 2 day visit to India on January 27- 28, 2020.During his visit he met the External

7|Page
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Nagoba Jatra festival celebrated in Telangana

Nagoba Jatara tribal festival was celebrated in the state of Telangana. The festival is prominently
celebrated in Keslapur village, Indervelly Mandal, Adilabad district of Telangana. It is the 2nd biggest
tribal carnival which is celebrated by the tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa,
Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesaram clan of of Gond tribes. The Gusadi
Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is the main attraction during the celebration.

Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a department of the Ministry of Communications, has
taken over the process of issuing and managing IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), a
special 15-digit serial number of mobile phones in the country, from private body MSAI (Mobile
Standard Alliance of India). The MSAI operated system will be replaced by “Indian Counterfeited Device
Restriction (ICDR)”, which has been developed by Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the
Research and Development (R&D) unit of the DoT, for implementing the SOP (Standard operating
procedure).

12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi

Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the 12th edition of the South Asia Conference at the
Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) in New Delhi from January 28-29, 2020. The
conference deals with issues related to economic cooperation for development, changing political
context in India’s neighbourhood etc. The theme of the conference was India’s "Neighbourhood First"
Policy: Regional Perceptions. All members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
countries and Myanmar called for cooperation to end terrorism.

Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
The Central Government has aimed to achieve objective of Housing for all by 2022 (which coincides
with 75 years of Indian independence) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) scheme.
Under the 2nd phase of the scheme the eligible people will get one crore 95 lakh houses. Government
has set a target of 60 lakh houses for the current financial year-FY 20.

IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
Indian Railways (IR) undertook the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) project which aims for
automatic identification & data collection of rolling stock with focus on improving the safety and
reliability. Two works for the RFID project have been sanctioned by the Railway board worth Rs.112.96
Crores where coaches and wagons are to be RFID-tagged. The project is spearheaded by the Rolling
Stock Department of IR and will be implemented fully by 2021. Read full details here: IR Undertakes
RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock

Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India

As per the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India, India's youngest state
Telangana has emergered as Number 1 state in the ‘Decent work and economic growth’
category with the score of 82 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India index in 2019.
Telangana was followed by states of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka together with a score
of 72. However, in overall Telangana ranked 3rd after Kerala & Himachal Pradesh. Read full
details here: Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India

9th India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong,

Meghalaya
As part of ongoing defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, 9th edition of the joint Indo-
Bangladesh military exercise named SAMPRITI-IX will be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from
February 03-16, 2020. Both nations will work together in a counter terrorism environment under the
United Nations (UN) charter. A Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will
be conducted during SAMPRITI-IX.

9|Page
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Pakistan may be out of FAFT’s “Grey List” by February 2020

The Asia Pacific Joint Group, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) international cooperation review
group meeting was held in Beijing, China which states that Pakistan has 75 percent chances of exiting
‘Grey List’. In 2018 June, Pakistan was placed on the 'Grey List' by the FATF and it may exit from ‘Grey
List’ in the next FATF meeting which is to be held on February 16, 2020, in Paris, France. Pakistan
needs 12 votes out of 39 to exist from the ‘Grey List’. According to the last meeting of FATF, Pakistan
has got support from China, Malaysia and Turkey.

European Commission, Council Presidents sign Brexit agreement

The Presidents of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen & the European Council, Charles Michel,
have signed the Brexit deal agreed in the month of October 2019. It will be placed before the European
Parliament on 29 January, 2020 for written approval. This will ensure Britain's separation from the
European Union in the prescribed manner from midnight on 31 January, 2020. After Brexit, the 28
member states will come down to 27, but the withdrawal deal provides for an 11-month transition
period for Britain until the end of 2020. Brexit is the word coined by merging the words Britain and
exit. It is the shorthand way of saying that Britain is leaving the EU. Read full details here: European
Commission, Council Presidents sign Brexit agreement

Overview of External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s 3-day visit to Niger & Tunisia
External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has paid a visit to two
nations Niger & Tunisia. This was his 1st visit to the African continent after becoming Foreign Minister.
During the visit, India signs MoU with Tunisia to set up ‘India- Tunisia centre for innovation
in information and communication technologies (ICT)’ in Tunisia. Discussions were also held regarding
the 4th edition of India-Africa Summit 2020 (IAFS-IV), which scheduled to be held in India in September
2020. Read full details here: Overview of External affairs Minister Jaishankar’s 3-day visit to Niger &
Tunisia

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina launched e-passport in Dhaka; South Asia’s 1st and 119th e-
passport in the world
Prime Minister (PM) of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wazed has launched e-passport in Dhaka,
Bangladesh as Mujib Century year gift to the country. Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia and
119th countries in the world to have an e-passport facility. Malaysia is the first country in the world to
launch this facility in 1998. This e-passport consists of embedded chip which contains biometric data,
digital Photograph and signature of the passport holder which will help to control fake passports in the
country.

WEF: Survey on trust on climate science & 1st positive impact rating 2020 launched
The 50th edition of the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting was held in Davos-
Klosters, in Switzerland from January 21-24, 2020. During the summit two survey reports were
released.
World losing trust in climate science;Indians tops trust chart:
The new public opinion poll was published in the WEF for climate education and urgent
upskilling. As per the opinion poll, the global public started losing trust level in climate sciences.
In Contrast, Indians were the most trusting people in this regard. 86% of Indians trusted
scientists on climate science.
1st edition of Positive Impact Rating 2020 launched:
The 1st edition of Positive Impact Rating 2020 was launched at the WEF. As per the rating, 2
Indian business schools, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore in Karnataka
and XLRI (Xavier School of Management) in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand have been included in the
top 30 list.
Read full details here: WEF: Survey on trust on climate science & 1st positive impact rating 2020
launched

Highlights of 50th WEF annual meeting 2020 held in Davos, Switzerland

The 50th edition of the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting was held in Davos-Klosters
in Switzerland from January 21-24, 2020. The theme for the year 2020 was “Stakeholders for a
11 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

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.

Assam tops in best budgetary practices followed by Odisha, AP & Manipur at bottom: TII survey
According to the survey 3rd edition “Transparency In Budgetary Process Report” conducted
by Transparency International’s India (TII), Assam tops in the ranking of best practices followed by
states in budget formulation with a score of 70. Assam was followed by Odisha (2nd with the score of 66)
& Andhra Pradesh (AP) (3rd with the score of 64).While Manipur ranked bottom with the score of 25.
Read full details here: Assam tops in best budgetary practices followed by Odisha, AP & Manipur at
bottom: TII survey

Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared novel Coronavirus(nCoV) as a global health emergency
during the second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations
(IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 held in Geneva, Switzerland. The
outbreak which was more prominent in China has now continued to spread to other countries too. CoV
are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases
such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS-CoV).

9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world's worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10
list
Dutch multinational developer & creator of location technology and consumer electronics Tomtom has
released its 9th edition of Tomtom Traffic Index 2019. As per the index, Bengaluru (Karnataka)
emerged as the worst traffic congested cities in the world. The other Indian cities ranked in the top 10
places were Mumbai (Maharashtra), Pune (Maharashtra) and New Delhi in the 4th 5th and 8th places
respectively. Bengaluru was followed by Manila (Philippines) and Bogota (Colombia) in the 2nd and 3rd
places respectively. Read full details here: 9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world's
worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10 list

BANKING & FINANCE

New India Co-operative Bank (NICB) to be converted as Small Finance Bank
New India Co-operative Bank (NICB) has decided to convert into a Small Finance Bank (SFB) after being
agreed by its shareholders under Voluntary Transition of Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs)
into SFB. NICB will now approach the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Central Registrar of Societies for
further action. The decision for conversion comes after RBI made regulatory changes following the Rs
4500 crore PMC (Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank) bank scam and to ensure enhanced
regulations to lenders. A minimum of Rs.200 crore is needed to set up an SFB.

In a 1st, City Union Bank launches multilingual voice based ‘All-In-One’ app
For the 1st time India, the City Union Bank (CUB) Limited , one of the leading Indian banks in India, has
launched a multilingual voice-enabled mobile banking application. Now the CUB customers can
converse with the chat-bot ‘Ask Lakshmi’ of the app in Tamil, English, Hindi / Telugu language for their
general banking queries including transactions like Balance enquiry, mini statement, fund transfer over
voice/text instructions. The chat-bot Lakshmi operates on Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform.

RBI hikes short-term debt investments limit for FPI to 30% from 20%
With the aim to boost foreign inflows, India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
increased the short-term investments by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to 30 % from 20 % of the

13 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

waiver on charges, NPCI as well as banks, networks and PSPs will not earn anything from UPI and
RuPay transactions.

RBI increased Investment Limits Under Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) to Rs 1.5lakh crore
Based on the feedback received from the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) scheme introduced by the
Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in 2009, the central bank(RBI) in consultation with the govt. made certain
amendments in the scheme to increase its operational flexibility.As per the amendments, the
investment limit under VRR has now been increased to Rs 1,50,000 crores (1.5lakh crores) from earlier
Rs.75,000 crores. For fresh allotment, the investment limit will be Rs. 90,630 crores and will be allotted
under VRR- combined category.Read full details here: RBI increased Investment Limits Under Voluntary
Retention Route (VRR) to Rs 1.5lakh crore

Indian Bank launches credit products 'Corporate Loan' & 'Ind Surya Shakthi' for textile sector
Indian Bank has announced the launch of two tailor made credit products i.e., Corporate Loan and Ind
Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar which will be available across the country for the benefit of the textile
sector. The products were launched during a meeting with high officials of the textile industry under
the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Corporate Loan: Under it, the loans will be offered at affordable interest rates.
Surya Shakthi: It is a term loan to set up roof-top solar power plants for captive consumption to
boost the renewable energy utilisation culture in the textile sector.

ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24x7 self-service delivery facility , 'iBox’

ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank has launched first-of-its-kind 24x7
self-service delivery tool for customers called “iBox” at one of its branches in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The
bank has started it in over 50 branches in 17 cities. Under this facility, customers will now be able to
take their debit, credit card, check book and return check from the branch close to their home or office.
The iBox terminals are installed outside the premises of the bank's branches, which can be used even
after the bank closes.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

BSE signed licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed a licensing agreement with the Intercontinental Exchange
(ICE) Futures Europe. ICE is a global exchange and clearing houses operator. Through this pact, the ICE
Brent index will be used as a final settlement price for the rupee-denominated Brent future contract of
BSE.

Government of India has decided to sell 100 percent stake of Air India
Indian Government has decided to sell its 100 percent stake of Air India (AI) under the reconstituted
Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) for re-initiated strategic disinvestment of Air India. It
includes its 100 percent stake in low-cost airline Air India Express and 50 percent shareholding in joint
venture AI SATS Airport Services Private Limited.

NTPC to develop 300 MW solar power projects in West African country Togo
According to the Power Ministry, Government of India (GoI), West African country Togo has appointed
NTPC ( formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) as its project management
consultant (PMC) for about 300 MW (MegaWatt) of solar power projects in Togo. With this, Togo
become the 1st ISA (International Solar Alliance) nation to get the services of NTPC. The letter of
engagement in this regard was handed over in New Dehi by Kondi Mani, Charge d'Affaire, Embassy of
Togo, New Delhi to Gurdeep Singh, CMD (chairman-cum-managing director), NTPC. Minister of Power &
Renewable Energy (MNRE), Raj Kumar Singh was also present at the occasion. Read full details here:
NTPC to develop 300 MW solar power projects in West African country Togo

15 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Highlights of 62nd Annual Grammy Awards 2019 held in Los Angeles, US

The 62nd edition of the Annual Grammy Awards 2019 was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles city
of California in the United States (US). The awards were given in recognition for the best recordings,
compositions, and artists covering the period from October 1, 2018 till August 31, 2019. The event was
hosted by American musician, singer and composer Alicia Keys (original name Alicia Augello-Cook). The
awards were presented in 84 categories.
Former US first lady Michelle Obama was honoured with the best spoken word album of the
year award at the Grammy awards for the book “Becoming”.
American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell became the 1st artist to win
the Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist in the same
year itself since American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross in 1981. She also became the
youngest person to win all four top Grammys on the same night.
Lifetime Achievement Award honorees, who are Chicago, Roberta Flack, Isaac Hayes, Iggy
Pop, John Prine, Public Enemy, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Read full details here: Highlights of 62nd Annual Grammy Awards 2019 held in Los Angeles, US

ECI awarded National Media Award for print to “The Hindu Tamil”
Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded National Media Award for print to “The Hindu Tamil” as
part of the poll panel’s national awards for voter awareness and education campaign in 2019 on the
occasion of the 10th National Voters Day held at New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind presented
National Media Award for print to K.Ashokan, Editor, The Hindu Tamil for encouraging people for ‘Right
to vote based on the merit of candidates’ during Lok Sabha election 2019. ‘Best CEO for Accessible
Elections’ award presented to Sirra Karuna Raju of Punjab.

TN agri university Vice Chancellor N Kumar honoured 2019 Harit Ratna Award
Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU), Shri N Kumar was honoured
with Harit Ratna Award 2019 at the 5th National Youth Convention (NYC) at Indira Gandhi Krishi
Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) in Raipur, Chattisgarh by All India Agricultural Students Association (AIASA).
He was awarded for the dissemination of Rs 30-crore entrepreneurship project in agri-business.

Ministry of Home Affairs announces Padma awards 2020 ; Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj
honoured
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI) on the eve of 71st Republic Day, announced
the names of Padma awardees for 2020, which is the highest civilian Awards in the country. The Padma
Awards are conferred under 3 categorized viz- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
This time (2020) a total of list had 141 awards – 7 celebrities have been chosen for Padma Vibhushan,
16 celebrities for Padma Bhushan and 118 personalities for Padma Shri. They will be conferred by the
President of India, Ram Nath Kovind at ceremonial functions which will hold in Rashtrapati Bhawan,
New Delhi by March / April 2020. 33 of the awardees are women, 18 are from the category of
Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI & 12 Posthumous awardees. Read full details here: Ministry of Home Affairs
announces Padma awards 2020 ; Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj honoured

'Samvidhaan' named as Oxford Hindi Word of the Year for 2019

The Oxford University Press (OUP) has named ‘Samvidhaan’ (constitution) as the Oxford Hindi Word of
the Year (HWOTY) for 2019. This name received widespread attention in August 2019 with the
abrogation of Article 370 and article 35(A) of the Indian Constitution on August 05, 2019. The articles
removed special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.

Assam, Jal Shakti Mission & NDRF wins the best tableaux awards for 71st Republic Day Parade
2020
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh distributed the awards for best tableaux which were conducted on
January 26, 2020, during the 71st Republic Day event. There were a total of 22 tableaux including 16
from various states and union territories (UTs) and remaining 6 from various ministries and
departments. Assam’s tableaux won best tableaux for states and UTs, which displayed the theme ‘Land
of Unique Craftsmanship and Culture’, had showcased the Xattriya tradition in the form of Bhortal
Nritya. The second position was tied between Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Among tableaux from different
17 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Journalist & Hindu group chairman N Ram honoured with Kerala’s national media award
Popular journalist and Chairman of the Hindu Group of Publications Shri N Ram was honoured by
Kerala Media Academy’s National media award as part of its 40th anniversary of formation. He was
awarded for his outstanding contribution to journalism. The award carried a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a
citation and a memento.

English actor Andy Serkis to get BAFTA award for outstanding British contribution to cinema in
Feb 2020
Andrew Clement Serkis (55), an English actor and film director, will receive the Outstanding British
Contribution to Cinema Award 2020, one of the British Academy’s top honours from British Academy of
Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the 73rd EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony,scheduled to
be held on February 2, 2020 in London, UK (United Kingdom).

Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became 1st hockey player worldwide to win 2019 World
Games Athlete of the Year
Indian Hockey women’s team captain and 2020 Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became the 1st ever
hockey player to win the 2019 ‘World Games Athlete of the Year' award. The announcement was made
by the world games. Hailing from Haryana, Rani has obtained 1,99,477 votes from fans worldwide. The
award is an initiative of IWGA (International World Games Association) that recognizes and honours an
athlete or a team for their outstanding performance or for their social commitment or particularly, fair
behaviour.

Journalist Yusuf Jameel won 2019 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism’
Senior journalist Yusuf Jameel from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) won the 2019-20 PEN Gauri Lankesh
Award for Democratic Idealism for his outstanding contribution in journalism. This was the 2nd edition
of award instituted in 2018 by PEN South India and PEN Delhi in the name of editor late Gauri Lankesh,
who was assassinated in 2017. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a citation. The 1st edition
was given to cartoonist P Mahamood in September 2018. ameel was chosen for this award by a jury of
scholar Chandan Gowda, editor Vinutha Mallya and poet Asiya Zahoor.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Former IOB Executive Director A.D.M. Chavali appointed as CVC panel member
Central Vigilance Commission(CVC) has appointed former Indian Overseas Bank(IOB) Executive
Director as A.D.M Chavali as its new panel member of the Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF)
and will serve the board till August 20, 2021. The board headed by T.M Bhasin former Vigilance
Commissioner and former Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Indian Bank(IB), was formed in
2019 and aims to conduct examination of allegations against officials in General Managers (GM) ranking
involved in fraud cases of worth above Rs.50 crores.

CEC Sunil Arora takes over as the new chairman of FEMBoSA

India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora took over as the new Chair of the Forum of the
Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2020 during the 10th
annual meeting of FEMBoSA held in New Delhi. Sunil Arora succeeds K.M. Nural Huda, CEC of
Bangladesh. FEMBoSA is a regional association of Election Management Bodies (EMB) of SAARC (South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries and has 8 members.

WEF appoints IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and ARM chairman Patrice Motsepe to its board
of trustees
During the 50th edition of World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020, which was held on
January 21 to January 24, 2020, in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, the WEF has appointed International
Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva and African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) founder and
Executive Chairman, Patrice Motsepe to its board of trustees.

19 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

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 on the lines of Kotak's board constituted Nomination & Remuneration Committee chaired by
Mrs. Farida Khambata. The company also appoints Mr. Dinesh Nandwana, Executive Chairman as its
Managing Director (MD) and Group CEO, replacing Mr. Anil Khanna.

RBI appoints Janak Raj as member of the Monetary Policy Committee

Janak Raj has been appointed as the third internal member (ex officio member) of the Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during it's 581st meeting of the central board in
Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is the successor of Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra who was appointed as Deputy
Governor of RBI. ED Janak is the executive director in-charge of the monetary policy department. MPC
consists of 6 members which is headed by RBI governor.

Gita Sabharwal of India appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand

Gita Sabharwal of India was appointed as the UN (United Nations) Resident Coordinator (RC) of
Thailand by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The UN Resident Coordinator is the
highest ranking representative of the UN development system at country level and representatives of
UN Secretary-General. UN Resident Coordinator has the responsibility to guide UN country teams and
coordinate the support from other countries for smooth implementation of 2030 Agenda.

Vinay Mohan Kwatra designated as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal

As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Vinay Mohan Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service
(IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal replacing Manjeev Singh
Puri. Priorly, he was serving as India's ambassador to France. He also worked as a Joint Secretary in the
office of the Prime Minister (PM)of India from October 2015 - August 2017.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

World’s oldest ever mushroom fossil discovered in Congo, Africa
The researchers from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France have discovered the world’s oldest
ever mushroom fossil in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. The detail of fossilised
remains of microscopic mushroom called mycelium in rocks dates between 715 and 810 million years
ago and is published in the journal ‘Science Advances’.

1st unmanned mission will be launched in December 2020 as a preparation for 'Gaganyaan':
ISRO
According to the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), chairman Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan, ISRO
would launch 2 unmanned missions in December 2020 and June 2021 in view of the launch of India’s
first manned spacecraft “Gaganyaan” in December 2021. For this, ISRO has prepared women
robot ‘Vyom Mitra’ (means a friend in Sky) for sending into space. It is designed & developed by the
ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) in collboration with Indian Institute of
Science (IIsc) Bengaluru, Karnataka, is half-humanoid and its body stops at the torso (the part of the
human body where the limbs are attached) and without legs. France to train Indian flight surgeons for
Gaganyaan expedition. Read full details here: 1st unmanned mission will be launched in December
2020 as a preparation for 'Gaganyaan': ISRO

Nitin Gadkari launches ‘GATI’ web portal to monitor Rs 3 lakh crore rupees project
Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has launched an online web
portal ‘GATI’, on the pattern of portal 'PRAGATI', the portal used by the Prime Ministers' Officer (PMO)
for monitoring projects, during the two-day long review meeting of National Highways Authority
(NHAI)-Ministry projects in Manesar, Haryana. GATI will be used to monitor around 500 projects of Rs
3 Lakh Crore.

21 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Missing Person Search:The citizens can search for their missing child/person in the national
database in order to recover the unidentified person.
Generate Vehicle NOC:It helps the buyer to know the status of the vehicle before its second hand
purchase (suspicious or clear from police records).

Qualcomm launches 3 new chipsets – Snapdragon 720G, 662 &460 with Indian GPS system
NavIC
In a major step to Made in India GPS (Global Positioning System) alternative, Qualcomm, an american
multinational chipset manufacturer, has launched 3 chipsets in India – Snapdragon 720G, 662 and 460,
along with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). All 3 chipsets feature Wi-Fi 6 connectivity
and Bluetooth 5.1 support &the most important thing is that these 3 chipsets of Qualcomm have been
developed with support for ISRO’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), a technology
considered an advanced location positioning and navigation system than the GPS technology currently
in use. Apart from NavIC, these chipsets will also support the widely used GNSS (Global Navigation
Satellite System).

OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI

Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd (commonly referred as OPPO signed an
MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H), Telangana for research on new
technologies such as 5G (5th Generation) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It was signed by Mr. Tasleem
Arif, Vice President and Head (R&D), OPPO India and Dr. Sumohana S. Channappayya, Dean (Research
and Development), IIT Hyderabad.

ENVIRONMENT
ZSI documents another new snake eel species “Ophichthus kailashchandrai” in Odisha
The new snake eel species residing in the Bay of Bengal has been discovered and documented by the
Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at Gopalpur-on-sea in
Odisha. The new marine species have been named as Ophichthus kailashchandrai to honour the vast
contributions of Dr. Kailash Chandra (Director of Zoological Survey of India) to Indian animal taxonomy.
Ophichthus kailashchandrai is the 8th species of the Ophichthus genus found in the Indian coast and the
5th new species discovered by Gopalpur ZSI in the last 2 years. The study has been published in journal
Zootaxa.

New meat-eating Dinosaur species Allosaurus jimmadseni found in Utah, US

Paleontologists discovered a new meat-eating dinosaur species at Natural History Museum of Utah,
United States (US) that lived in the food plains of western North America during the Late Jurassic
period, between 157-152 million years ago. The new species named as Allosaurus jimmandseni evolved
at least 5 million years ago and published in open-access scientific journal PeerJ. The species belongs to
the allosauroids (a group of small to large-bodied, 2 legged carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the
Jurassic & Cretaceous period).

SPORTS
World Archery lifts suspension on AAI
World Archery (WA) removed suspension imposed on the Archery Association of India (AAI) which ahs
enabled Indian archers to compete in World Archery Events from 23 January 2020 onwards. The
decision to remove suspension was taken by World Archer’s executive Board postal vote. Now, AAI is
required to send a progress report every 3 months to World Archery as the federation instructed to
update the constitution for athlete membership. As per article 2.2.1 of the World Archery rule book, it's
essential for athletes to be affiliated with the AAI directly or indirectly.

23 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

India opener Kannur Lokesh Rahul retained 6th position in the first ICC Men’s T20I Player
Rankings of the season while Virat Kohli moved up a place to 9th.
Read full details here: India won the T20 series during '2020 Sri Lanka tour of India' held in Indore,
Guwahati and Pune

Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal loses in Pittsburgh Open 2020 final held in US
Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal missed out on winning his first title in the Professional Squash
Association (PSA) World Tour event 2019-20. He suffered a 7-11, 4–11, 9–11 defeat to Fares Dessouky
of Egypt in the finals of the Men's Pittsburgh Open 2020 held in Rivers Club, Pittsburgh, United States
(US). Saurav became the 1st Indian squash player to reach the quarterfinals of the World Championship
held in 2013. In 2014, he won the silver medal (individual singles) in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon,
South Korea, first Indian squash player to do so. He is also the first Indian to be ranked junior World
No.1.

For the 2nd straight year, India to host Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific 2020 in Gurgaon,
Haryana
For the 2nd time, India to host Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific 2020, hosted by Barca Academy,
scheduled to be held in Gurgaon, Haryana from January 30 -February 2, 2020, which will see the
participation of more than 650 football players from 7 countries (India, Australia, Turkey, China,
Singapore, Japan and Spain).

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. Known as ‘Canterbury stalwart’, Astle made his Test
Debut in 2012, played five tests for nations team in which he claimed 7 wickets at 52.57 and scored 98
runs at 19.60 overs.

71st International Boxing tournament Strandja 2020 held in Sofia, Bulgaria ; India bags 3
medals
The 71st edition of International Boxing Tournament "Strandja"2020 was held in Sofia, Bulgaria from
January 19-26, 2020. India ranked 9th in the medal tally with 3 medals (1 Silver, 2 Bronze). The list was
topped by Ukraine with 10 medals (4 Gold, 1 silver, 5 Bronze). Indian winners are:
Mohammed Hussamuddin- 57kg- Silver
Sonia Lather- 57kg- Bronze
Shiva Thapa- 63kg- Bronze

Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
Christine Margaret Sinclair, 36 years old, Canadian soccer player, became the all-time top scorer with
185 goals in international soccer. Sinclair surpassed the record of American Abby Wambach (original
name Mary Abigail Wambach) who scored 184 goals. She scored her 185th goal against St. Kitts & Nevis
national football team.She achieved this feat during 5th CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying
Championship 2020 at H-E-B Park (stadium in Edinburg), Texas, United States (US).

Bala Devi: 1st Indian woman to sign up for foreign football club, 'Rangers FC' of Scotland
Ngangom Bala Devi, 29 years old from Manipur, has become the first Indian woman footballer to get a
professional contract from Scotland's Women Premier League club Rangers (Football Club) for 18-
months and to play for jersey No.10 after a successful trial in November, 2019. The formal
announcement was made by Rangers FC and Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru,
Karnataka. She is the Ranger’s first-ever Asian footballer and current top-scorer for India.

25 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Assamese linguist Golok Chandra Goswami passed away at 96

Eminent linguist Golok Chandra Goswami passed away at the age of 96, in Guwahati, Assam due to old
age ailments. Golok Chandra Goswami was born in Morigaon, Assam in 1923. In 1985 he retired from
Gauhati University as head of the Assamese department. In 2018, he was awarded with Hemchandra
Barua Bhasha Sahitya Sadhana award by the Sadin-Pratidin group. Golok Chandra Goswami well-known
books are An Introduction to Assamese Phonology, Structure of Assamese, Assamese-Its Formation &
Development, Dhvani Bigyanor Bhumika, Asomiya Bornoprakash, anddAsomiya Akhor Jotoni.

JDS leader and former Karnataka Minister Kodman Amarnath Shetty passes away at 80
Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) leader and former Minister of Karnataka Kodman Amarnath Shetty passed
away in Mangaluru, Karnataka at 80. He hailed from Moodbidri, Mangaluru, Karnataka. He was the
trustee of Alva's Education Foundation and also served as the Minister of Tourism and Labour in the
government of Karnataka.

American basketball legend Kobe Bean Bryant and his daughter dies in a helicopter crash
American basketball legend Kobe Bean Bryant has died along with his 13-years-old daughter Gianna in
a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crash near Calabasas in Southern California. He was 41. Seven others,
including the pilot, were killed in the crash. Bryant is the fourth-leading scorer in National Basketball
Association (NBA) history and selected to the all-star 18 times and earned a Most Valuable Player
(MVP) award in 2008. He was one among the several high-profile nominees for the NBA's 2020 Hall of
Fame class.

Netherland’s football player Robbie Rensenbrink passes away at 72

Pieter Robert Rensenbrink, a dutch football player passed away at the age of 72 in Brussels, Belgium, as
he was suffering from muscular atrophy for a number of years. He was born on 3rd July 1947 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands. In his club career, he became famous at Royal Sporting Club (R.S.C)
Anderlecht, Belgium where he won the league title in 1972 and 1974 as well as four Belgian cups in
1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976. He was nicknamed as “Snake Man.”

Veteran film producer Vinay Sinha passed away at 74

Vinay Kumar Sinha, veteran film producer passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age of 74. He
was a producer of famous film ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ featuring Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in lead roles
which released in 1994. Born in 1946, he also served as the Vice President (VP) of Indian Motion
Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA).

Arjuna awardee & former Indian women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passed away at
76
Sunita Chandra 76 years old, passed away in her hometown Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She was an
Arjuna awardee, who played for the Indian women’s hockey team from 1956 to 1966. She had served as
team’s captain from 1963 to 1966.

Veteran south actress Jameela Malik passed away at 73

Veteran actress Jameela Malik, passed away at the age of 73 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala due to age-
related ailments. Jameela Malik was the first Kerala woman who graduated from the Film & Television
Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Maharashtra. She was born in Kollam, Kerala.

Ex Bihar minister and RJD MLA Abdul Ghafoor passed away at 60

Abdul Ghafoor, former Bihar minister & RJD party (Rashtriya Janata Dal) MLA (Member of the
Legislative Assembly), passed away at the age of 60 in New Delhi due to liver ailment. He was born on
5th May 1959 in Saharsa district, Bihar. Gafoor represented Mahishi constituency in Bihar assembly for
4 times (1995, 2000, 2010 and in 2015). He was the former Minister of Minority Welfare in Nitish
Kumar Government of Bihar.

Former Kerala Minister M. Kamalam passed away at 93

Former Kerala Minister & Senior Congress leader M.kamalam passed away at the age of 93 in
Kozhikode, Kerala due to age-related ailments. She was born on August 14, 1926. Kamalam was elected
27 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

Stronger Democracy”. “Belief in the Ballot-II” developed by ECI in collaboration with Publications
Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and book “The Centenarian Voters: Sentinels of our
Democracy” were launched by Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and
Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad during the ocassion.

Highlights of India’s 71st Republic Day

On January 26, 2020, India celebrated its 71st Republic Day. The day honours the date on which the
Constitution of India came into effect i.e. on 26 January 1950. The brief highlights of the republic day
functions are as follows:
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attended Replublic day celebrations as a chief guest at
Rajpath in New Delhi. This is the 3rd time a Brazilian president attended as a chief guest of the
republic day.
16 States and UTs along with 6 central ministries participated. Jammu & Kashmir participated in
the parade for the 1st time as a union territory.
Captain Tania Shergill led Corps of Signals Contingent: She became the 1st woman officer as
Parade Adjutant on Army Day Parade (15 January, 2020).
Dhanush gun system Army Air Defence marching contingent took part for 1st time along with
Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile from Mission Shakti and Air Defence Tactical Control Radar
(ADTCR) of the DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation).
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi paid homage to the fallen soldiers at the newly-
built National War Memorial in New Delhi, for the 1st time.
‘Abide With Me’, the Christian hymn played in republic day.
The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha
Padak Series of Awards-2019 on 54 persons.
Service Medals/Gallantry Medals awarded: The maximum gallantry awards (108) were given to
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police.
Indian Army’s (IA) Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) based 15 corps commander Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet
Singh Dhillon was awarded with Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM).
Indian Navy’s commodore Jyotin Raina was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (gallantry).
6 Shaurya Chakras, total of 151 sena medals, 8 Yudh Seva Medals were awarded in the republic
day ceremony. 19 Indian Army officers, including Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir
Singh, have been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
IAF adjudged best marching contingent among 3 services and CISF first among paramilitary
forces at R-Day parade
Read full details here: Highlights of India’s 71st Republic Day

International Customs Day observed on January 26, 2020

International Customs Day (ICD) is celebrated on January 26 every year. The theme of International
Customs Day 2020 was “Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet”. The
day celebrated to encourage and recognize the role of Customs officers in maintaining border security.
ICD was celebrated to mark the anniversary of the formation of the Customs Co-operation Council
(CCC) in 1953. At present 183 countries are members of WCO including India.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed on Jan 27,2020

On January 27, 2020 United Nations (UN) Department of Global Communications (DGC), New York,
United States (US) observed International Holocaust Day all over the world commemorating the
tragedy of the Holocaust (in which 1.1 million people were murdered) during World War II. 2020 marks
75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War & ending of the
holocaust (1941-1945) with theme “75 years after Auschwitz- Holocaust Education & Rememberance
for Global Justice”. Holocaust or 'the Shoah' was a genocide attack on the six million Jewish men,
women, and children and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II
which led to the state-sponsored killing.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases day 2020 was observed on Jan 30

On January 30, 2020 World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) was observed officially for the first time
to create awareness & also to control the diseases. NTDs are caused by pathogens such as viruses,

29 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com
 Current Affairs Weekly PDF

system & and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act (Repeal) Bill) in the upper
house of the legislature.

Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launched 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme

The Shiv Sena party led Maharashtra launched ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme, with the aim of providing a meal to
the poor for Rs.10, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day. The district guardian Minister Aslam
Shaikh inaugurated the “Shiv Bhojan Thali” canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital, Mumbai,
Maharashtra. The Rs.6.4 crore pilot ‘Shiv Bhojan’ thali project started at district headquarters will run
for 3 months & will be expanded, based on feedback.

Flipkart signs MoU with GSHHDC to promote artisans and craftsmen

Flipkart Private Limited, an Indian e-commerce company, has entered into an MoU (memorandum of
understanding) with the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd
(GSHHDC) for the promotion of local handicrafts by bringing on board thousands of artisans, weavers
and craftsmen. The agreement is a part of Flipkart's “Samarth” initiative & was signed in the presence
of Gujarat chief minister (CM) Vijay Ramniklal Rupani at an event held in Rajkot, Gujarat.

Delhi airport gets a new women-only cab service namely "Women with Wheels"
‘Women with Wheels’ cab service has been started at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New
Delhi by ‘Sakha cabs’ for the safety of women. The taxis are operated by women drivers and the
services are provided only to women or men with family. Sakha Consulting wings also provide women
cab service in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur (Rajasthan), and Kolkata (West Bengal). All
the women drivers have been trained by Azad foundation, partner of Sakha Consulting Wings Pvt Ltd.

Reading preamble of constitution made mandatory in schools of Madhya Pradesh

The govt of Madhya Pradesh has made it mandatory for schools to read the preamble of the
constitution every Saturday under the name sovereignty of constitution. This has been done to make
the students understand the basic principles of justice, equality, liberty & brotherhood. The order has
been issued by the department of school education of Madhya Pradesh.

CM Naveen Patnaik launches Odisha Police's transformational projects including state's 1st
virtual police station
The Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the state's 1st virtual police station
at State Crime Record Bureau in Bhubaneswar, which will facilitate online registration of FIR (first
information report) in unknown motor vehicle theft cases. If a case remains undetected for 21 days, the
final form will be automatically reflected at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems
(CCTNS). With an aim to reduce human interface with government offices, the Road Accident Case
Documents Module and Medico-Legal Opinion System was alo launched.

CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN

Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced a new scheme for 63
types of green category industries, “Direct Consent to operate (CTO) scheme for green industries” to
get faster clearances from government, during the 125th year celebrations of the Confederation of the
Indian Industry (CII) held in Chennai, TN. Now they just need permission for establishment purpose &
need not wait for final approvals for starting construction work. Apart from this an initiative for land
use reclassification in non-plan areas was also announced where the approval will be given within 50
days in comparison to earlier 6 months to 2 years.

AC Bytes
Nepal, the 1st South Asian Nation to mediate between India and Pakistan
Nepal became the first South Asian nation, which has offered to "mediate" between India and Pakistan
over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism, as the 2020 SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation) Summit to be held in Islamabad, has been Postponed since 2016.

31 | P a g e
Follow Our Current Affairs for Banks, SSC & Railways Copyright 2019 @ AffairsCloud.Com