1. Union Government announced 1st batch of 20 smart cities from 11 States and Delhi
i. Union Ministry of Urban Development on 28 January 2016 announced the
1st batch of 20 smart cities from 11 States and Union Territory of Delhi
under the Smart Cities Mission. The 20 cities were selected through the
Smart City Challenge competition that saw the participation of 1.52
crore citizens from 97 cities and towns.
ii. 23 States and Union Territories who could not make to the list of
winners will be given an opportunity to participate in a fast track
competition. Among the 20 cities and towns, 3 cities are from Madhya
Pradesh, two each from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from the remaining five made it
to the winning list.
iii. The 20 winning cities and towns have proposed a total investment of
50802 crore rupees over five years with all the cities proposing
Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) as a major vehicle of resource
mobilization. A total area of 26735 acres has been identified by these
cities for making them smart through necessary interventions.
iv. These 20 cities account for a total population of 3.54 crore and 5
have population below 5 lakhs each, 4 in the range of 5-10 lakhs, 6 in
between 10-25 lakhs, 4 between 25 and 50 lakhs and only Ahmedabad has
above 50 lakhs.
2. Commemorative Coin of 150 rupees & Circulation Coin of 10 rupees on Lala Lajpat Rai released
i. Ministry of Culture on 28 January 2016 released a commemorative coin
of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on Lala Lajpat Rai.
The Commemorative Coin of 150 rupees is made of Quaternary alloy with
diameter of 44 mm and weight of 35 grams.
ii.
The Circulation coin of 10 rupees is made of bi-metallic material with
diameter of 27 mm and weight of 7.71 grams. The coin was released by Dr
Mahesh Sharma, Minister of state (Independent charge) Minister of
Tourism & Culture at New Delhi on the occasion of 150th birth
anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai. Ministry of culture has been celebrating
the 150th birth anniversary of Rai from 28 January 2015 to 28 January
2016.
iii. During the year long celebrations a number of programmes were held
in his memory in different parts of the country. Union Government
released funds to Rastra Gaurava Samrakshna Parishath, Bengaluru (an
NGO) for conducting 501 lectures in schools & colleges.
iv. The Servants of the People Society, founded by Lalaji brought out
Hindi translation of 15 volumes of Collected Works of Lala Lajpat Rai.
Punjab National Bank (PNB), founded by Lalaji undertook a variety of
activities throughout the country, with special focus on Punjab.
v. Besides, the Punjab government sanctioned an amount of 5 crore rupees
for construction of an Auditorium and 3 crore rupees for installation
of Astroturf Flooring in Hockey Stadium at Lalaji’s Birth Place.
3. $80-m ADB loan to improve infra in Agartala, Aizawl
i. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $80-million loan
agreement with the Centre to help continue improving infrastructure in
the two North-Eastern cities of Agartala and Aizawl. The loan is the
third tranche of $200-million financing facility under the North Eastern
Region Capital Cities Development Investment Program.
ii. This will be used for investments in water supply, solid waste
management and sanitation in the two cities. The loan will also support
urban reforms, benefiting nearly a million people.
iii. Previous program tranches have provided assistance to five other
cities in the Northeast-Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima
(Nagaland), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Agartala (Tripura), an official release
said.
iv. The loan agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary
(Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance on behalf of Government of India and Ms Teresa Kho, Country
Director, ADB’s India Resident Mission on behalf of Asian Development
Bank (ADB).
4. Kerala to host global skill summit
i. Kerala will host a three-day ‘Nypunyam International Skill Summit and
Skill Fiesta 2016’ next month with a view to bridging the gap between
the job market requirement and the skill level of available workforce.
ii.
The event will unfold on February 5, according to Tom Jose, Additional
Chief Secretary, Department of Labour and Skills, Kerala. The focus will
be on improving the skill levels and bringing them up to world
standards in tune with the Prime Minister’s initiative for skilling 500
million young people by 2020. The skill summit will gather an array of
top industry leaders, key government officials, policy makers and
analysts functioning in the sector.
iii. The Nypunyam summit will be jointly organised by Directorate of
Employment and Training and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence, Jose
pointed out.
iv. At least 70 contestants will take part in the skill fiesta
representing trades as varied as welding, plumbing, catering, restaurant
service, mobile robotics, fashion technology, fitter, electrical,
automobile technology, bakery and confectionery, carpentry,
computer-aided design (Civil) and electronics.
5. Iran, Airbus signed deal to buy 118 Airbus planes
i. Iran and Airbus on 28 January 2016 signed two agreements covering new
aircraft orders and a comprehensive civil aviation co-operation
package. The agreement includes purchase of 118 new Airbus aircrafts.
ii. The agreement for 118 new aircraft includes 21 A320ceo family, 24
A320neo family, 27 A330ceo family, 18 A330neo (-900), 16 A350-1000 and
12 A380. The agreements were signed at the Elysee Palace, Paris, during
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s official visit to France with French
President Francois Hollande.
iii.
Iran Air and Airbus signed an agreement for the acquisition of the full
range of new Airbus airliners (73 wide-bodied and 45 single aisles).
This includes pilot and maintenance training and support services to
help the entry into service and efficient operations of these new
aircraft.
iv. A comprehensive co-operation agreement to modernize the civil
aviation sector of Iran was inked. The agreement was signed to support
the development of Air Navigation Services (ATM), airport and aircraft
operations, regulatory harmonization, technical and academic training,
maintenance, repair and industrial cooperation.
v. The deal to buy 118 Airbus planes is one of the biggest deals signed
since western sanctions against Tehran were lifted. The sanctions were
over Iran's nuclear programme.
6. Gurdeep Singh appointed as CMD of NTPC
i. Gurdeep Singh on 28 January 2016 was appointed as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of NTPC Ltd. Singh will be the first person to
be appointed to the top job at a Maharatna company through a search
committee route.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the appointment of Singh for a
period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post.
iii.
The post of chairman and managing director at NTPC fell vacant after
Arup Roy Choudhury completed his five year term on 31 August 2015.
iv. Gurdeep Singh is currently serving as the managing director of
Gujarat State Electricity Company Limited (GESC). He started his career
in NTPC in 1987.
v. He was earlier associated with Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation,
Powergen and IDFC Projects in different capacities. During his tenure at
GESC, Singh spearheaded several key reforms in Gujarat, the major being
innovative solar power programmes such as the solar power plant over
the Sardar Sarovar canal.
7. Nisid Hajari won 2016 William E. Colby Award for Best Military Book
i. Nisid Hajari on 28 January 2016 won the 2016 William E. Colby Award
for his book, Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition.
ii. Hajari will be presented with the award and honorarium at Norwich University, the USA in April 2016.
iii.
The Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition covers
the 1947 partition of India and the violence that surrounded that event.
Hajari oversees Asia coverage for Bloomberg View, the editorial page of
Bloomberg News.
iv. Prior to working at Bloomberg, he spent 10 years as a top editor at
Newsweek International and Newsweek magazine in New York, during which
the magazine won over 50 awards for its international coverage.
v. From 1997 to 2001, he helped to create TIME’s first Asian edition in
Hong Kong, winning two General Excellence Awards from the Society of
Publishers in Asia. He helped edit the best-selling essay collection,
Reimagining India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia’s Next Superpower. He
has appeared as a commentator on foreign affairs for CNN, BBC, and
National Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign
Relations.
8. India successfully test fired Akash missile at Chandipur
i. India on 28 January 2016 test fired its indigenously-built
surface-to-air Akash missile from complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range
(ITR).at Chandipuri in Odisha. It was as part of a user trial mission.
Three rounds of test were carried out by Indian Air Force (IAF)
personnel aiming at para-barrel targets.
ii.
The Akash (sky) is a mid-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. It
is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of
India under the integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP).
iii. IGMDP is also involved the development of the Nag, Agni and Trishul
missiles and Prithvi ballistic missile. The first missile was delivered
to the IAF in March 2012. The missile was formally inducted into the
IAF in July 2015.
iv. The missile can fly at supersonic speeds ranging from Mach 2.8 to
3.5 and can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25
kilometers.
9. Justice Sanjay Mishra appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh
i. Justice Sanjay Mishra was on 28 January 2016 appointed as Lokayukta
of Uttar Pradesh. His appointment was approved by the Supreme Court. The
apex court bench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Prafulla C
Pant recalled the earlier order dated 16 December 2015 appointing
Justice Virendra Singh for the post following the objections raised
against Singh's appointment.
ii.
The Supreme Court in December 2015 passed order appointing Justice
Virendra Singh as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh. It was the first time that
apex court exercised its powers to appoint a Lokayutka, after repeated
orders to the constitutional authorities of state that it must appoint a
new person in the position.
iii. The apex court utilised its extraordinary powers under Article 142
of the Constitution to enforce its own orders to do complete justice.
iv. However, Singh's appointment aroused objections as Chief Justice had
received serious complaints against Justice Singh during his tenure as
Chairman of Consumer Redressal Forum in November 2012.
10. Navneet Kaur, Santosh Kadale won gold in Senior National Rowing Championship
i. Punjab’s Navneet Kaur on 28 January 2016 won two gold medals in the
34th Senior National Rowing Championship at Hussainsagar Lake,
Hyderabad. It was her maiden gold at the country’s highest level in the
senior category.
ii.
Kaur took 8:26.83 seconds to take the first place in the 2000mts Open
Single Scull. Later, Navneet and Harpreet Kaur won the women’s doubles
sculls timing 7:42.94 seconds.
iii. In the men single scull, Nasik’s Santosh Kadale won his maiden national gold.
iv. Host Telangana men team had to be contended with a silver in the
Open Men’s Coxless while K Tejeshwar Reddy bagged a bronze medal for
Andhra Pradesh in single scull.
11. Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis won 2016 Australian Open women's doubles tennis title
i. Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis on 29 January 2016
won the 2016 Australian Open title of tennis in the women’s doubles
category.
ii. To win the title, the top seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated seventh
seeded Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6, 6-3 at the
Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. With the win over the Czech
duo, they extended their unbeaten run to 36.
iii. For Sania-Hingis pair, it was their maiden Australian Open title
and the third successive Grand Slam doubles title after their victories
in the 2015 Wimbledon and US Open.
iv. In the 2016 season, it was their second title. Earlier, they won the
2016 WTA Apia International Sydney title on 15 January 2016. In a semi
final of the tournament, the duo created a world record by winning their
29th women’s doubles match in a row.
