CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2020

MISSION CAPF HUB BY SWAPNIL WALUNJ & TEAM

MOB NO.-7057227225/JOIN TELEGRAM @MISSIONCAPFHUB/ /[email protected] Page 1

CURRENT AFFAIRS

JANUARY 2020

FEATURES OF CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE

COVERAGE – THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS. PIB GKTODAY MONTHLY MAGAZINE VISION IAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE

CONCISE AND COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. STRICTLY BASED ON PREVIOUS YEARS UPSC CAPF CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTION TRENDS. TOPIC WISE SEGGREGATION OF CURRENT NEWS.

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INDEX OF CURRENT AFFAIRS SERIA

L NO.

SECTION/TOPIC PAGE NO.

1) AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE 4

2) REPORTS /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY 6

3) GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES 7

4) ECONOMY/BANKING 9

5) DEFENCE NEWS / MILITARY EXERCISE 11

6) ENVIRONMENTS 13

7) INTERNATIONAL NEWS 14

8) PERSONS IN NEWS 16

9) SPORTS 18

10) PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE 19

11) IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS 20

12) STATES IN NEWS 21

13) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 23

14) FESTIVALS/GI TAGS 24

15) BOOKS 24

16) MISCELLANEOUS 26-27



ANALYSIS OF CURRENT AFFAIRS PREVIOUS YEARS

QUESTIONS PAPERS (2015-2019)

SERIAL

NO.

SECTION/TOPIC NO. OF

QUESTIONS

1) AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE

14

2) REPORTS /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY

04

3) GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES

09

4) ECONOMY/BANKING

08

5) DEFENCE NEWS / MILITARY EXERCISE

10

6) ENVIRONMENTS

02

7) INTERNATIONAL NEWS

05

8) PERSONS IN NEWS

08

9) SPORTS

06

10) PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE

07

11) IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS

02

12) STATES IN NEWS

02

13) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

02

14) FESTIVALS/GI TAGS

02

15) BOOKS

03

16) MISCELLANEOUS

10



AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE

Swachh Survekshan League 2020 by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs+ Jamshedpur

1st both quarters( 1 lakh-10 lakh population category)+Indore (MP)- 1st both the quarters (10 lakhs +

population category)

Veteran actor-comedian Eddie Murphy wins Lifetime Achievement honour at the 25th Critics’

Awards (CCA) US.

Britain’s Prince William launches Earthshot Prize to encourage solutions to tackling climate

change.

Major Anoop Mishra felicitated with the Army Design Bureau (ADB) excellence award for

developing Sarvatra bulletproof jacket.

Launch of Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabhandan Puruskar in the field of Disaster

Management to Disaster Mitigation And Management Centre, Uttarakhand (institution category)

and IPS officer Kumar Munnan Singh (individual category).

77th Golden Globe Awards (California)= (two categories: Drama & Musical or Comedy)

+1=Drama category-Best Motion Picture: 1917+Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker’+ Best

Actress: Renée Zellweger in ‘Judy Garland’+2=Musical or Comedy category -Best Motion

Picture: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood+Best Actor: Taron Egerton in ‘Rocketman+Best Actress:

Awkwafina in ‘The Farewell’+Best Director: Sam Mendes for ‘1917’+Best Foreign Language Film:

‘Parasite’ (South Korea)+ Cecil B DeMille Award: Tom Hanks+Carol Burnett Award: Ellen

DeGeneres( compare with Oscar awards 2020 for easy remember)

Costa Children’s Award 2019 (UK) won by Jasbinder Bilan for novel named ‘Asha and the Spirit

Bird’.

Dr M S Swaminathan receives the first ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for

Excellence’.

Dr. Gutta Muniratnam receives the first ‘Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service

Crossword Book Awards-Business & Management=Anju Sharma For ‘Corporate Monk’+ Health

& Fitness -Dr Jaishree Sharad For ‘Skin Rules’ +Non-Fiction — Gaur Gopal Das For ‘Life’s

Amazing Secrets’ Children’s + Books — Sudha Murty For ‘The Upside-Down King’ + Fiction -

Twinkle Khanna For ‘Pyjamas Are Forgiving’+ Biography — Krishna Trilok For ‘Notes Of A

Dream: The Authorized Biography Of A.R. Rahman’

ICC Awards 2020=Virat Kohli: Captain of 2019 ODI, Test Teams of the Year & 2019 Spirit of

Cricket Award + Rohit Sharma: 2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year +Pat Cummins: Test Cricketer of

the Year +Ben Stokes: 2019 ICC’s Cricketer of The Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy)+ Marnus

Labuschagne: 2019 ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer

National Lata Mangeshkar Awards 2018= music director Kuldeep Singh

Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 in Chemical Sciences = Dr Sakya Singha Sen



Order of Australia (highest Australia civilian honour) to Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

5th Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Award to Poet Arvind Krishna Mehrotra -at Jaipur Literature

Festival

UNWTO’s Accessible Destination Award =won by Kerala Tourism for its disabled-friendly

‘Barrier-Free Tourism Project’

Padma Vibhushan 2020= George Fernandes (posthumous), Arun Jaitley (posthumous), exPM of

Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth, boxer M. C. Mary Kom, Hindustani classical singer Chhannulal

Mishra, Sushma Swaraj (posthumous), Sri Vishveshateertha Swamiji Sri Pejavara Adhokhaja Matha

Udupi (posthumous)

Padma Bhushan 2020 = badminton player P. V. Sindhu, industrialists Venu Srinivasan and Anand

Mahindra, former Nagaland Chief Minister S. C. Jamir, architect Balkrishna Doshi, Hindustani

classical vocalist Ajoy Chakrabarty, former Bangladeshi diplomat Syed Muazzem Ali

(posthumous), former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar (Posthumous), legal education pioneer N. R.

Madhava Menon (posthumous), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig

Army Gallantry Awards = Shaurya Chakra (6): Lt Col. Jyoti Lama, Major Konjengbam Bijendra

Singh, Naib Subedar Narender Singh, Naib Subedar Sombir (posthumous), Naik Naresh Kuma, and

Sepoy Karmdeo Oraon

J&K journalist Yusuf Jameel wins 2019-2020 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for democratic idealism



REPORTS/COMMITTEEG /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY

Henley Passport Index 2020= Japan topped+ Afghanistan last +India – 84th (Serbia only European

country where Indians are allowed to travel without visa)

Global Economic Prospects report=world bank.

Malappuram (first), Kozhikode (fourth) and Kollam (tenth) (all 3 Kerala) = in top-10 of ‘world’s

fastest-growing urban areas’Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’ launched by Power Ministry+ developed by Bureau of

Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).

Committee to draft National Water Policy (NWP)=Chairman -Dr Mihir Shah

IMD’s State of Climate Report: 2019 the seventh warmest year since 1901

India’s Energy Policy Report by International Energy Agency (IEA) in collaboration with NITI

Aayog.

State Energy Efficiency Index, 2019 by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

Centre accepts Justice Dhingra committee report on Delhi Police’s role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots

‘Nature Risk Rising Report- WEF

Global Investment Trend Monitor report by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development) + US largest recipient of FDI (India in top 10)

‘Time to Care’ report by Oxfam

Social Mobility Index by WEF+ Denmark-top+ India ranked 76th out of 82

Democracy Index 2019 by Economist Intelligence Unit+ topped by Norway, Iceland and Sweden

+India was classified in the ‘flawed democracy’ category +India ranked 51st (down 10 places)out

of 165 countries

Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2020=Launched by INSEAD+ Switzerland topped,

US and Singapore + India ranked 72nd (up 8 places) in 2020

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI-2019) = by Transparency International+ New Zealand and

Denmark are least corrupt, Somalia most corrupt+ India’s ranked 80th rank.

The World Social Report 2020, published by UN-DESA (UN Department of Economic and Social

Affairs)

The World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) report by ILO (International Labour

Organization)



Climate Summary Report = released by IMD

Commission to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) = was appointed

in 2017 + the commission is headed by the G. Rohini

GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES

Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) = (25 sept.2018 on birth

anniversary of Deendayal upadhyay)+aims to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families(*family

as a unit)+ providing coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary

care hospitalization+ world largest healthcare scheme+ identification of beneficiary on basis of

socio economic caste census+ National Health Agency (NHA)-apex implementing body. +funding

60:40 centre: state(centrally sponsored scheme)+ it allow national portability (treatment anywhere in

India)+ Aadhar card not mandatory+ benefit cover pre & post hospitalisation expenses in both

public &private hospitals.

Institution of national importance (INI) status-cluster of Ayurveda institutions at Gujarat

Ayurved University campus, Jamnagar.

Yashaswini Scheme for Women entrepreneurship launched in Panaji, Goa.

Ministry of External Affairs creates “NEST” (New and Emerging Strategic Technologies) to

increase investment coordination among the states & foreign countries.

Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana= (launched in July 2019)+aimed at

benefitting 3 crore small traders, Self-Employed persons and shopkeepers+ target beneficiaries-18 to

40 age+ get monthly pension of Rs 3000 after the age of 60+implemented by Ministry of Labour

and Employment+ to enrol GSTIN is required only for those whose turnover is above Rs 40 lakhs+

the participant of the scheme should not be an income tax payer.

Cabinet approves India-Mongolia Agreement on exploration of outer space for civilian and

peaceful purposes.

India-Germany sign MoU on Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)+ chemical-free agricultural

farming practice+ subhash palekar father of ZBNF+ ZBNF first adopted by Karnataka+ Andhra

Pradesh first state to plan of 100% of natural farming in the state by 2024

Ministry of Steel to be launch “Purvodaya”, a world class steel hub to accelerate Eastern India

Development.

I4C portal (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre)- to deal cyber crime.

Saksham a fuel conservation campaign under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

First digital exhibition on Indian Heritage=new delhi.



Agreement signed to settle 34,000 Bru-Reang refugees from Mizoram in Tripura+ Second largest

ethnic group in Mizoram +speak Katuic language+Belongs to schedule tribe (ST) & PVTG.

National Startup Advisory Council=headed by Commerce & Industry Minster

‘GATI’ portal = to enable contractors to raise project related issues+ launched by Road transport

and highways ministry

Chandauli = (UP) tops list of 112 aspirational districts ranked by NITI Aayog

India-World Bank sign agreement to implement Assam Inland Water Transport Project

Centre of Block Chain Technology in Bangalore by National Information Centre(NIC)

Census 2021= first time, the Census will collect data of transgender headed houses + first time

enquire about “Main cereal consumed + The Census 2021 to be conducted through mobile phone

application+ The questions decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Earth Science launched Seismic Hazard Microzonation project- to minimize

earthquake disasters

India to set up Maritime Research Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka

National Data and Analytics Platform released by NITI Aayog

GoI signs “Historic Accord”, Bodo Agreement=Area Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD)

renamed as Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) + villages dominated by Bodos that were presently

outside the BTAD would be included and those with non-Bodo population would be excluded+

General amnesty to criminals - the criminal cases registered against members of the NDFB factions

for “non-heinous” crimes shall be withdrawn + Compensations - The families of those killed during

the Bodo movement would get Rs. 5 lakh each.+Special Development Package of Rs. 1500 Crore

would be given by the Centre

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 approved by Cabinet=

termination of pregnancy is to be extended to 24 weeks(earlier 20 weeks)+ extension is only for

special category of women

Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) = under the Bureau of Immigration + Owned by

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India

Shatrughan Chauhan case = (2014)unexplained delay in carrying out an execution would lead to

commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment



ECONOMY/BANKING National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) =

Investment of Rs.100 lakh crore in infrastructure over the next five years (2020-2025)+ Aim- help

make India a $5 trillion economy by 2025+ NIP includes economic and social infrastructure projects

+ Task Force under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs + Funding

patters-39:39:22 Centre, states and the private sector respectively + introduced in railways, power,

urban, irrigation, health and education.

RBI launches ‘MANI’ (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) app-to help visually challenged persons to

identify denomination of notes.

Finance Minister launches ‘eBkray’ platform to enable online auction of attached assets by bank.

Services sector-highest recipient of FDI at $4.4 billion +Singapore-largest source of FDI for India

( $8 billion).

Unit of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) listed on NSE + ETF will invest only in

AAA-rated bonds of public sector companies.

PSU Container Corporation of India (Concor) incorporates wholly-owned arm Last Mile Logistics.

‘Residential builder finance with buyer guarantee’ (RBnceBG) scheme by SBI to improve

homebuyers’ confidence.

‘Mission Purvodaya’ to develop steel sector in eastern India.

National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) report by RBI.

India- fifth largest economy in the World after US, China, Japan and Germany. In 2019, India

overtaken France and to reach rank 5.

India’s Foreign Exchange touches all time high of 457.468 billion USD

AI powered National Stock Exchange Knowledge Hub inaugurated in New Delhi

Economic Survey 2020= Theme-Wealth Creation, Promotion of pro-business policies,

strengthening of trust in the economy+ The Inflation declined from 3.2% in April 2019 to 2.6% in

December 2019+ Women employment between 2011-12 and 2017-18 has increased by 8%+

Service sector accounts to 55% of the Indian Economy+ India has become the second largest

emerging Green Bond Market after China+ Out of Pocket Expenditure on Helath has declined from

64.2% in 2013-14 to 58.7% in 2016-17+ Fiscal Growth is 5%+ industrial growth(2019-20) -2.5%

Ecowrap report = by SBI-recommends unconditional cash transfer to farmers to alleviate agrarian

distress rather than Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme



Farmer Innovation Fund to be set up = Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Prompt corrective action(PCA) framework = by RBI imposing certain restrictions on expansion

of branches and dividend distribution by banks

Supervisory action framework (SAF) =(RBI) impose restrictions on urban cooperative banks

(UCBs) for deterioration of financial position, in line with the prompt corrective action (PCA)

framework that is imposed on commercial

Laspeyres Index = Laspeyres Index is a methodology to calculate the consumer price index(CPI)



DEFENCE NEWS/SECURITY/MILITARY EXERCISE Flight Information system (FIS) Dornier aircraft formally inducted into No 41 Squadron, the

‘Otters’, at Air Force Station Palam.

New Young Scientists Laboratories of DRDO at Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and

Mumbai.

India’s second spaceport after Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh - Thoothukudi(TN).

Naseem-Al-Bahr=Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise at Goa.

CISF -2020 as ‘year of mobility’ for troops’ welfare, housing.

Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC)+ISROS astronaut training hub at Challakere (the science

city) in Karnataka set up by ISRO.

‘Operation Sankalp’ by Indian navy to ensure safety of Indian Flag Merchant Vessels transiting

through the gulf region.

Milan 2020 exercise = organised by Indian navy - Visakhapatnam+ theme: ‘Synergy Across the

Seas’.

Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas make arrested landing on INS Vikramaditya+

becomes 1st indigenous fighter aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.

Country’s first Cyber Crime Prevention Unit AASHVAST & VISWAS (Video Integration and

StateWide Advance Security) project launched in Gandhinagar.

DRDO manufactured = ASLESHA, ASTRA missile, Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile

(QRSAM), Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM), Bharani, Prithvi missiles, NAG missiles,

Akash, Helina, Nirbhay, Bukhari.

Project NETRA=ISRO Signs pact with Indian Institute of Astrophysics to set up optical Telescope

NETRA (Network Traffic Analysis) of DRDO=a software network used to analyse internet

traffic.

ISRO- launch GSAT-30 satellite on the launch vehicle Ariane-5 at Kourou French Guiana+

GSAT-30-communication satellite to replace INSAT-4A.

Sahyog-Kaijin exercise = conducted at Chennai coast by Coast Guards of India and Japan+

Shinyuu -Maitri = joint Air Force Exercise+ JIMEX=India-Japan Maritime Exercise+ Dharma

Guardian= indo –Japan army military exercise.

K-4 Missile= Nuclear capable intermediate range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by

DRDO +range 3500km(only US, Russia, China have submarine launched ballistic missile of

3500km range)+launched platform-arihant class submarines+ K-series missiles are named after



former president APJ Abdul Kalam

IAF inducts its first squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft equipped with BrahMos missiles at its

airbase in Thanjavur (TN)-named ‘Tigersharks’ 222 squadron.

‘Vyommitra’= ISRO to send lady unmanned robot to Gaganyaan

‘Operation Vanilla’ by Indian Navy to help cyclone-hit Madagascar

‘SAMPRITI-IX’= India-Bangladesh joint military training exercise at Meghalaya.

Winged Raider= Indian Army’s largest airborne exercise

S-400 missiles = Russia announced production of S-400 air defence missile system for India.

Bhuvan Panchayat 3.0 (satellite application) launched by ISRO+ to help village development

planning process under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

War Memorial built by Assam Rifles in Nagaland

First indigenous bio-jet fuel powered IAF aircraft (AN-32 aircraft)lands successfully in Leh

Check post at jogbani- biratnagar = India & Nepal

AK-203 assault rifles = to be manufactured locally by an India-Russia joint venture (JV)

AK-103 assault rifles = India and Russia are close to concluding an Inter-Governmental Agreement

(IGA)+ to replace the indigenous INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) rifles

SIG716 assault rifles = India inks contract for 72,000 assault rifles with Sig sauer of USA +

effective range of 500 m + rifles will replace INSAS)

Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) = India plans to bring in its own era of space-to-

space tracking and communication system+ IDRSS satellites of the 2,000 kg + launched on the

GSLV launcher to geostationary orbits around 36,000 km away.



ENVIRONMENTS The Wildlife Institute of India (WII)= to conduct Asiatic Lion Census in May 2020+ Asiatic Lions

in Gujarat are restricted to Gir National Park+ lions- “Endangered” IUCN Red List +category of

Pantherine cats.

India State of Forest Report(ISFR) 2019 published by FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA+ 21.4% of

Indian forests are prone to forest fires+ Mizoram recorded the highest fire.

ISFR 2019 = increase in forest cover (top three) Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala+ Sharpest

declines in forest cover in the north eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram+

Largest forest area Madhya Pradesh ,Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh +Higher proportion of

forest to total area than most States — Mizoram (85.4%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%) and

Nagaland(75%)+ Tree and forest cover together made up 24.56% of India’s area. In the last

assessment it was 24.39%+is short of the National Forest Policy, 1988, which envisages 33% to be

under such cover.

Turtle Rehabilitation Centre in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest -First of its kind.

Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park Census = Increase in Salt Water Crocodiles+ Ramsar site+

second largest mangrove ecosystem in India

New species of tiny frogs (‘Liurana himalayana’, ‘Liurana indica’ and ‘Liurana minuta’) discovered

in Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) ,arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal becomes first state to sign MoU with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of

Nature)- to start red-listing of orchids.

Greenpeace India report on air pollution-Jharia (Jharkhand)- India’s most polluted city+ Lunglei

(Mizoram) least polluted

India completes phasing out of ozone-depleting chemical Hydro chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-

141b

Supreme Court ruled that African Cheetah permitted to be introduced into the Palpur Kuno

sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh+ Cheetah only mammal being hunted to extinction in India+

“Critically Endangered” under the IUCN Red List

10 more Wet lands declared Ramsar Sites= (27+10=37)= Maharashtra’s first Ramsar site-Nadur

Madhameshwar+(3) Punjab -Beas Conservation Reserve, Keshoupur-Miani and Nangal+ Uttar

Pradesh(6)-Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar

Siberian gulls = Least Concem + Every winter, flocks of Siberian seagulls migrate through Delhi

making atemporary home in the Ganga andYamuna

Irrawaddy dolphins = inhabiting in the bhitarkanika wildlife sanctumy and gahirmatha marine

sanctuary(Odisha) + vulnerable + it has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers- ganges and

the mekong, aswell asthe inawaddy river from which it takes its name + its habitat range extends



from the bay of bengal to new guinea and the Philippines + Endangered + Appendix I of CITES

Dahiman = a threatened indigenous species of tree + Madhya Pradesh

One Trillion Trees Initiative = WEF launches initiative to grow one trillion trees by 2030

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Taiwan’s legislature passes the Anti-Infiltration Law aimed at blocking political interference from

China.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo wins presidential election in Guinea-Bissau.

Australia: Emergency declared in New South Wales state because of forest fires.

Pacific island nation Palau-world’s first country to ban sun cream that is harmful to corals and

sea life+ it is UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Iraq- resolution for ending foreign military presence in the country.

Iran designates US armed forces and Pentagon as ‘terrorist entities’.

Selfie museum called Selfie Kingdom (TSK)-Dubai

Pedro Sanchez = new Prime Minister of Spain.

Zoran Milanovic = new president of Croatia.

Sea Guardians-2020 = China-Pakistan bilateral naval exercise(at Arabian Sea)

US-passes resolution limiting President’s ability to carry out military actions against Iran without

the prior approval of Congress .

Taal volcano= Philippine capital Manila

Robert Abela = new Prime Minister of Malta

United States removes ‘currency manipulator’ label it imposed on China in 2019

Iran withdraws from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA )deal completely.

Australian Koalas become endangered from vulnerable (IUCN Status) in bush fires.

Qatar scraps mandatory exit permits for migrant domestic staff and others.

US Census= Sikhs included as a separate Ethnic Group for the first time

Mikhail Mishustin= new Prime Minister of Russia



Ukraine: Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk resigns after less than six months in office.

Tropical Cyclone Tino= Fiji

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to give up their royal titles of Duke and Duchess of

Sussex

Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou = Greece’s first elected woman president.

India delivers 30,000 doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine to Maldives

World Holocaust Forum = Jerusalem

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Ghaznavi’ of 290-km range

Mahatma Gandhi’s bust= set up at IMO (International Maritime Organisation) headquarters in

London

First Ganga-Volga Dialogue of Civilizations held in New Delhi +India and Russia participate

India, Bangladesh sign agreement to upgrade 50 km Ashuganj (river port)-Akhaura (land port) road

in Bangladesh into 4-lane highway.

UK launches Innovation Challenge Fund (4-mn pound) in India to support collaborative research

into emerging technologies

China is the second-largest arms producer in the world, behind the US

STOXX 600 = a stock index of European stocks

Bangladesh Government has planned to accommodate 100,000 Rohingya refugees in its Bhasan

Char Island by fortifying Regularly submerging this Island .

United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) at World Economic Forum+ Theme: Access for all:

Leveraging Innovations, Investments and Partnerships for Health +India participate

Britain releases new 50 pence coin marking BREXIT+ coin inscription “Peace, Prosperity and

Friendship with all nations”

Sukhoi Su-57 = is a stealth, single-seat, twin-engine multirole fifth-generation jet fighter being

developed since2002 + Russia

Kuala Lumpur summit 2019 = international platform for Muslim leaders, intellectuals and

scholars from around the world to discuss and exchange ideas about the issues revolving in the

Muslim world + In 2014, when the first Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur + NOT Related to OIC

‘Phase one’ trade deal = between USA and China

Al-Asad air base and Erbil = Iraq



East Asian Observatory(EAO) = Formed by EACOA (East Asian Core Observatories

Association) for the purpose of pursuing joint projects in astronomy within the East Asian region+

India in talks to be part of Asian observatory.

Ahmadiyyas, Zikris, Baha’I, Kalasha = Pesecuted Minorities in areas like Pakistan

Blue Corner Notice = by Interpol

Sagarmatha Dialogue inNepal = Global meet to focus on threat of climate change+ invited the Prime

Ministers of India and Pakistan.

Hulhumale = Reclaimed island located in the south of North Malé Atoll, Maldives

China is the president of the FATF and co-chair for Asia pacific joint group

Horizon 2020 = It is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme



PERSONS IN NEWS ITBP Director General SS Deswal to hold additional charge of the CRPF DG following retirement

of CRPF DG RR Bhatnagar.

K. Yadav retained as the Chairman of Railway Board for a period of one year.

General Bipin Rawat takes charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); demitted the office

of Army Chief.

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (CDS) = Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister

+Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff committee (COSC)+head the Department of Military

Affairs(DMO) to be created within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and function as its Secretary+

Member of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the Defence Minister and Defence Planning

Committee chaired by the NSA +In the strategic domain, the CDS would function as the “Military

Adviser to the Nuclear Command +Authority” chaired by the Prime Minister+ It come under right

to information RTI) + CDS will be rank of 4 star general with salary equivalent to a service chief.

Appoints lawyer Rohan Shah as India’s Representative and Governor on the board of Economic

Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

Malala Yousafzai= the most famous teenager in the world’ in UN ‘Decade in review’ report.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch creates-longest single spaceflight (International Space Station) by

a woman.

Suresh Chandra Sharma appointed as the first Chairman of National Medical Commission

(NMC).

India’s Malavath Poorna scales Mt. Vinson Massif, Antarctica’s highest mountain peak (4,987 m).

CRPF’s Ex-DG Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar appointed as an advisor to the Lt Governor of J&K

Akbar Padamsee (painter & sculptor) dies in Coimbatore + won Padma Bhushan and Lalit Kala

Akademi Fellowship

Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) appoints A Sakthivel as its new Chairman.

Lt Col Yuvraj Malik appointed new Director of the National Book Trust (NBT).

IPS AP Maheshwari= New Director-General of CRPF

Captain Tania Shergil = 1st woman parade adjutant on Army Day Parade on January 15

Michael Debabrata Patra= NEW Deputy Governor of RBI

Lieutenant General SK Saini= new Vice Chief of Army Staff



Ngangom Bala Devi-first Indian woman to earn a professional football contract abroad after

signing for Scottish club Rangers FC

SPORTS World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Moscow: Kateryna Lagno (women’s) of Russia

and Norway’s Magnus Carlson (men’s) win titles.

ESPN Cric info nominates MS Dhoni as captain of ODI and T20 teams of past decade & Virat

Kohli for Tests.

Senior National volleyball championship in Bhubaneswar-winner Tamil Nadu (men’s), Kerala

(women’s) .

Irfan Pathan= announced retirement.

P. Magesh Chandran wins Hastings International Chess Congress tournament in England.

1st edition of Khelo India University Games 2020 to be held in Bhubaneswar.

3rd Khelo India Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati+ Maharashtra - Khelo India Youth Games

champions trophy.

7th National Ice Hockey Championship Women trophy (Leh) won by Ladakh.

Rohan Bopanna & Wesley Koolhof win men’s doubles title at ATP Qatar Open tennis

tournament in Doha.

Serena Williams (US) wins women’s singles title at ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland,

New Zealand

Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) wins women’s singles title at Brisbane International tennis

tournament

Japan’s Kento Momota (men’s) and China’s Chen Yufei (women’s) win Singles titles at the

Malaysia Masters Badminton

Jasprit Bumrah won BCCI’s Polly Umrigar Award for the best international cricketer in 2018-19

+ Poonam Yadav was best international women cricketer.

Indian GM Abhijeet Gupta wins Delhi Open International Grand Masters Chess Championship.

All India Council of Sports (AICS) formed in 2015 - AICS is an advisory body to the Ministry of

Youth Affairs+ Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and Paralympian Deepa Malik among new inductees +

Sachin Tendulkar and chess wizard Viswanathan Anand omitted + V K Malhotra - President of

AICS.

Rowing Federation of India (RFI) de-recognised by the Sports Ministry for violating the Sports

Code during polls in Dec 2019



World Archery lifts suspension on the Archery Association of India (AAI)

Chennai Open international GM chess tournament- won by Russian Grand Master Pavel

Ponkratov.

Anil Khanna nominated Life President of Asian Tennis Federation

Pankaj Advani wins Senior National Billiards Championship in Pune

World Games Athlete of the Year, 2019-Title won by Rani Rampal(called Queen of Indian

Hockey)+ first hockey player in the world to receive the title.

Bahadurpur= India 1st model sport village

PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE

14th Global Healthcare Summit in Visakhapatnam (AP)+ organised by American Association of

Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).

Whole of Nagaland declared as a ‘disturbed’ area under AFSPA.

The Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) = Pune by the Indian Institute of

Science Education and Research (IISER).

Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) = Ottawa,

Canada+ Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attend it.

ASCEND 2020 Global Investors Meet= Kochi

Raisina Dialogue(New Delhi) a Geo-political conference by the Ministry of External Affairs and

the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)+ Theme: ’21@20: Navigating the Alpha Century’

World Future Energy Summit= Abu Dhabi (UAE) + theme: Rethinking Global Consumption,

Production, and Investment.

Global Drosophila Conference organised by Indian Institute of Science Education and Research

(IISER)held at Pune.

The Pulses Conclave 2020 to be held in Lonavala, Maharashtra+ India largest producer, consumer

& importer of pulses in world.

World Economic Forum (WEF)Annual meeting= Davos, Switzerland+ theme-“Stakeholders for

a Cohesive and Sustainable World”

International Summit on Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in New

Delhi by Department of Biotechnology + theme- “Visualizing the Future: New Skylines”

3rd Global Potato Conclave= Gandhinagar



World Sustainable Development Summit by TERI in New Delhi + theme: ‘Towards 2030:

Making the Decade Count’

“Globalizing Indian Thought”, an International Conclave held at Kozhikode (Kerala)

‘Wings India’=Asia’s largest Civil Aviation Event at Bangalore+ Theme-Flying for All

12th South Asia Conference = organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses+

Theme was “India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy: Regional Perceptions

IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS

Pragati Maidan metro station renamed as Supreme Court station

2020 to be observed as Susashan Sankalp Varsh: Haryana CM.

WHO observing 2020 as International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

World Braille Day= January 4+ birth anniversary of Louis Braille.

‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’= January 10

Wings India 2020= event of Indian Civil Aviation industry at Begumpet Airport(Hyderabad)+

theme: ‘Flying for All’

January 12-National Youth Day+ 23rd National Youth Festival-Lucknow + Theme: Fit Youth Fit

India

4th Armed Forces Veterans Day-January 14(retirement day of Field Marshal KM Cariappa in

1953)+ Field Marshal KM Cariappa- first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Force.

WHO Designated 2020 as “Year of Nurse and Midwife” In the honour of 200th birth anniversary

of Florence Nightingale (English Social reformer-called as “The Lady with the Lamp) +

International Nurse Day(12 may) celebrated in her honour +World Nursing Report by WHO +

WHO is partner of The State of the World’s Midwifery Campaign.

January 10: World Hindi Day+ Hindi- fifth largely spoken language in the world+ National

Hindi Day-September 14.

National Immunization Day= January 19

International Day of Education= January 24+ theme: ‘Learning for people, planet, prosperity and

peace’

10th National Voters’ Day = January 25 to mark the foundation day of Election Commission+

theme-‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy’

International Customs Day (ICD) by the World Customs Organisation (WCO)= January



26+theme-“Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet”

STATES IN NEWS

Kerala-1st state to passed anti- Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) resolution+ west Bengal also

passed anti CAA.

Jammu & Kashmir = announces abolition of toll posts from January 1, 2020.

UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) launches dedicated helpline, ‘Damini’ for

women’s safety.

Maharashtra launches ‘Cyber Safe Women’ initiative-to organise cyber safety awareness camps in

all districts.

Kolkata Police starts 3rd edition of ‘Sukanya’ project for girls’ self-defence training.

Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC)- Gujarat.

New logo of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly-consists national emblem and foxtail

orchid ( the state flower).

AP Govt. launched ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme- annual assistance of Rs. 15,000 each to poor mothers to

educate their children.

UP to set up zoological garden named after freedom fighter Ashfaqullah Khan (1900-1927) in

Gorakhpur.

Himachal Pradesh Tourism department-Guinness Record by preparing largest quantity of Khichdi

(1995 kg)

First Silk Processing plant in Gujarat to boost “PATOLA SAREE” production+ first “Patola

Saree” production unit.

MECOS-3rd (Marine Ecosystems-Challenges and Opportunities) 2020: Global Marine Ecosystem

Meet in Kochi +by the Marine Biological association of India

AP three capitals = Visakhapatnam: executive capital, Kurnool: judicial capital and Amaravati:

legislative capital.

Uttarakhand = first state to implement agricultural land leasing policy.

Daman designated as headquarters of newly-carved out Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar

Haveli and Daman and Diu

Gujarat tops SKOCH State of Governance 2019 ranking

MP, Maharashtra make reading of Preamble of Constitution mandatory in schools



Mumbai open for 24 hours; bars and pubs excluded

Election Commission successfully tests facial recognition technique = Telangana

Andhra Pradesh - resolution to abolish the state Legislative Council

Assam- top state in terms of best practices followed in budget formulation by Transparency

International

Z-Morh tunnel=Jammu & Kashmir

India’s first Super Fab Lab (laboratory that offers digital fabrication) inaugurated in Kerala

Shiv Bhojan Tali Scheme launched in Maharashtra- r meals at Rs 10

India’s first underwater Metro(2020)=Kolkata

Telangana tops sustainable development goals (SDG) performer list according to UN

Development Programme.

SDG India Index2019 India by NITI Aayog +first country to release SDG index+ Kerala top+

Bihar last



SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Swarna Jayanti Fellowships by the Ministry of Science & Technology.

107th Indian Science Congress (ISC) = University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore+ The

Kolkata-based ISCA has been the organiser of ISC+ Funded by the Union Department of Science

and Technology + theme - ‘Science and Technology: Rural Development’+ 9th women science

congress & Farmers Science Congress & Children Science Congress held at ISC + Pride of India-

Science Expo-2020 held at ISC+ The Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map

(I-STEM) launched.

NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) discovers an Earth-sized world within the

habitable range of its star.

Facial recognition technology installed at Bengaluru, Manmad and Bhusawal stations to identify

and nab criminals.

Indian Pompano fish cultivation in pond-First such Scientific Experiment in India

Corona Virus(COVID)=A new stain of virus found in Wuhan China+ virus named corona-

Microscopic image resemble like corona of sun+ Corona viruses are zoonotic, transmitted between

animal(bat, snake) and humans+ first case in Kerala in India+ WHO Declared public health

emergency of international concern (PHEIC) (1st PHEIC-H1N1,EBOLA & ZIKA)+Symptoms -

respiratory symptoms, fever, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even

death.

TrueNat test =a new molecular test that can diagnose Tuberculosis in one hour+The test uses

polymerase chain reaction to detect bacteria.

Genome of Indian cobra(Naja naja) sequenced = this can lead to production of more potent anti-

venom



FESTIVALS/GI TAGS

National Tribal Dance Festival - Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Odisha’s Dhanu Yatra, known as world’s largest open-air theatre festival, being held in Bargarh

town.

Lai Haraoba festival (observed by Manipuri Meitei community)- organised in Agartala Tripura.

Zo Kutpui (festival) = Mizoram

31st International Kite Festival = Ahmadabad

National Youth Festival 2020 = Lucknow+ theme: ‘Fit Youth, Fit India’.

Karavali Utsav =coastal festival at Mangaluru,KN

Chapchar Kut festival= Mizoram

Science Film Festival of India= Panaji (Goa)

Indian Heritage in Digital Space & International Heritage Symposium-organised in New Delhi

by DST (Department of Science & Technology) & IIT-Delhi.

Vigyan Samagam = organised in New Delhi by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and DST.

Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav 2020= organised by Petroleum Conservation Research

Association (PCRA) in New Delhi to promote conservation of petroleum products

34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad + Himachal Pradesh is ‘theme state’+

Uzbekistan participating country.

Bharat Parv, a festival of culture at Red Fort+ Theme- Celebrating 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi

& Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

Mandu Festival = Madhya Pradesh

Dhanu jatra = odisha

BOOKS ‘Pax Sinica: Implications for the Indian Dawn = by Samir Saran & Akhil Deo.

The Winning Sixer’, book by W.V. Raman (former Indian batsman)



MISCELLANEOUS

RPF (Railway Protection Force) renamed as Indian Railway Protection Force Service

BHEL commissions India’s first lignite-based 500 MW thermal unit at Neyveli in Cuddalore

district of Tamil Nadu.

Mastercard acquires cyber-security solutions provider RiskRecon.

National Fire Service College (NFSC) = Nagpur (new opening).

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Academy = Nagpur (new opening).

28th New Delhi World Book Fair to be held in New Delhi- organised by National Book Trust

(NBT) in association with ITPO.

UNICEF = 2019 concludes a ‘deadly decade’ for children in conflict.

World 2nd tallest 50-foot tall bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ahmadabad+ made

by sculptor Ram Sutar.

Bharat Darshan Park= New Delhi.

Room air conditioners to now have default temperature of 24 0c: Bureau of Energy Efficiency

(BEE)

IRCTC= start 2 Bharat Darshan Special tourist trains from Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu)

Mahashivratri Nava Jyotirlinga Special Express & Ramayana Yatra Special Express.

PM dedicates 4 refurbished heritage buildings in Kolkata to the nation= Old Currency Building,

the Belvedere House, the Metcalfe House and the Victoria Memorial Hall.

Island Development Agency (IDA) chairman= Union Home Minister.

India’s Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel included in the list of eight wonders of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)+The 182-metre-tall Statue of Unity is located near

the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river Narmada in Kevadiya, Gujarat+ seven wonders of SCO:

Daming Palace in China, Navruz Palace in Tajikistan, Mughals Heritage in Pakistan, Tamgaly

Gorge in Kazakhstan, Po-i-Kalan Complex in Uzbekistan, The Golden Ring of Russia and Lahore,

the Mughals heritage in Pakistan.

Commemorative stamps released on 150th celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust

Reliance Jio is largest mobile service company with 36.9 crore mobile subscribers: TRAI

‘Fit India Cyclothon’ = Panaji, Goa

India opens first Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre = Niamey ( Niger)



Republic Day Parade 2020 Chief Guest= Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro

Sanjna Kapoor to get ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ from French government for her

outstanding contribution to theatre

Oxford University = Samvidhaan (Constitution) as its Hindi Word of 2019

Indian Railways installed country’s first governmental waste to energy plant in Bhubaneswar

“APNA UREA-Sona Ugle” brand of HURL(Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited) launched-To

increase Urea Production+ HURL a joint venture of Indian Maharatna companies -IOCL (Indian Oil

Corporation Limited), NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) and Coal India Limited.

ELECRAMA= flagship events of Indian electrical industry organised at noida

Indian Railway’s first Waste to Energy Plant uses “PolyCrack” Technology- waste is processed

and reformed in 24 hours

Tangi Application=launched by Google+ AI Model for Killer Whales; 1 million USD Grant

#MeToo campaign and #Timesup campaign = to fight sexual harassment

"Biplabi Bharat" Museum = Announced by PM + for showcasing India's Freedom fighters

ominins = are classified as a tribe (Hominini) of primates, a type of mammal.

Zemdri, Xerava and Baxdela = Antibiotics

DevNi Mori = Gujarat government’s plan to build the world’s second tallest statue of Gautam

Buddha(108 metres) +highest - Spring Temple statue in China (153 metres)

Yazidis = Kurdish religious minority

Indias first transgender university =kushinagar,UP

India’s 1st war memorial =meerat

2 days Innovation Festival = Arunachal Pradesh

India’s 1st and biggest “walk through” aviary for birds+ India’s 1st air conditioned enclosure for

Humboldt penguins at veermata jijabai bhosale zoo, Mumbai.

Bangalore =worst traffic in the world according to report tomtom



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CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2020