1. Uttar Pradesh joins UDAY scheme
i. Uttar Pradesh became the fourth state to join the Centre’s scheme to
revive state electricity distribution utilities on Saturday. The state
government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre and the
Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd, the holding company of the various
electricity distribution utilities in the state.
ii. Under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), the state government
will take over Rs. 39,900-crore of debt of the electricity distribution
utilities. The balance Rs. 13,300-crore of debt will be issued as state
guaranteed DISCOM bonds at coupon rates that are 3 per cent lower than
the current interest cost. This would help save the distribution
utilities Rs. 1,600 crore annually.
iii. Efficiency measures including reduction of AT&C losses will
help bring additional revenue of Rs. 17,700 crore to the distribution
utilities.
iv. The four states – Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar
Pradesh – which have signed MoUs for joining UDAY, account for about 35
per cent of the outstanding loans of state electricity distribution
utilities in the country.
v. Uttar Pradesh expects to start issuing the bonds by the second week
of February. “There is very good investor appetite for the bonds. We
have had discussions with insurance companies, provident fund
organisations and liquidity does not appear to be a problem,” Goyal
added.
2. Cabinet of Somalia agreed on Election Model outlined by Mogadishu Declaration 2015
i. Cabinet of Somalia on 28 January 2016 agreed on Election Model
outlined by the Mogadishu Declaration. The declaration, which was
adopted in December 2015, calls for the electoral process in Somalia to
establish a new, bicameral Federal Parliament in 2016, based on
inclusivity and representation.
ii. The election model paves the way for formation of new government as
the term of non-elected Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is set to
expire in 2016 after serving for about four years.
iii. The new electoral model envisioned a 275-member lower house which
maintains a power-sharing formula among clans and a 54-member upper
house based on equal representation of existing, emerging and
prospective federal states plus additional seats for Puntland and
Somaliland.
iv. It also requires that a minimum of 30 percent of seats be reserved for women.
v. Mogadishu Declaration established 7 key principles and actions basing
on which the precise details of a final electoral model and the plan
for implementing that model to be evolved for formation of new
government in Somalia in 2016.
vi. As per the declaration, representation in the country’s next federal
parliament will be based on a balance between constituencies and clan
affiliation. It stipulates that the representation of women in the
legislative branch shall be increased by guaranteeing them a minimum
number of reserved seats in both the upper and lower houses of the
federal parliament.
3. Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh launched MITRA app for women safety
i.
Lt Governor of Puducherry AK Singh on 28 January 2016 launched the
MITRA mobile application to ensure safety and security of women in the
Union Territory. The app was launched in the presence of the Chief
Minister N Rangasamy in Puducherry.
ii. The Android based application can send emergency SOS messages when in danger or emergency.
iii. To launch the application, the person in danger need only press the power button of his/her mobile three times.
iv. At present, it is available only in smart phones.
v. It is an initiative of the Puducherry Police and can be used with
ease and without anyone noticing it. Though the app can be used by
anyone, it will be more useful to women, children and the aged.
4. Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank sets up cell to monitor govt schemes
i. The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has set
up a separate cell for monitoring progress under all the
government-sponsored schemes, according to Ashok Reddy, Chairman of the
bank.
ii. According to a press release from the bank here on Saturday, Reddy
received the ‘runner-up’ award of the ‘ASSOCHAM Social Banking
Excellence Award 2015’ under the ‘regional rural banks’ category in
Mumbai on Friday. The Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, gave
away the award to Reddy.
iii.
The cell at the head office in Dharwad monitors the progress of
government-sponsored schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY), the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), the Atal Pension Yojana
(APY), the Credit Guarantee Fund and the MUDRA Yojana.
iv. The bank has opened 10.30 lakh accounts covering all households with
a bank account in its area of operation under PMJDY. He said 9.80 lakh
RuPay cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders, and around 4,000
PMJDY account holders have been provided overdraft facility.
v. The bank has canvassed 2.80 lakh policies under PMJJBY, 8.90 lakh
policies under PMSBY and 1,500 under APY schemes. It has financed 15,813
accounts under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana amounting to Rs. 125
crore during the campaign period, he said.
5. Goa launches project tracking portal
i.
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today launched Goa e-Suvidha
Portal, an online project tracking mechanism to fast track projects.
ii. It aims at resolving a variety of issues in setting up
infrastructure and other large projects , both in the public and private
sectors, with targeted investment between ₹50 crore and ₹1,000 crore.
iii. The system is designed to enhance efficiency, bring transparency,
boost investor confidence, and improve the communication between the
industry and the government.
6. Prince Mahidol Award 2015 conferred in Bangkok
i. Prince Mahidol Award 2015 was conferred upon Professor Morton Mower
and Sir Michael Marmot for outstanding achievements in medicine and
public health worldwide.
ii. The award was presented on 29 January 2016 at the Grand Palace in
Bangkok by the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on behalf of the King of
Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, who couldn’t attend the ceremony due to ill
health.
iii.
Mower, a citizen of the USA, received the award in the category of
medicine for invention of the Automatic Implantable Cardioverter
Defibrillator. The device helps in monitoring heart rate and rhythm and
delivers electrical current when abnormality is detected.
iv. Marmot, a citizen of the UK, won the award in public health category
for his evidence-based evaluation of the role of Social Determinants of
Health, a concept that was adopted by the government of the UK and the
World Health Organisation (WHO) to eliminate health inequalities.
v. Mahidol Award was established in 1992 to commemorate the 100th
birthday anniversary of Prince Mahidol of Songkla, who is recognized by
the Thais as the father of modern medicine and public health of
Thailand. The award is presented by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation
that was established under the Royal Patronage of the King Bhumibol
Adulyadej.
vi. It is bestowed upon individuals or institutions that have made
outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of medical,
and public health and human services in the world. It is conferred upon
by the King of Thailand with prizes worth a total of 100000 US dollars.
7. KK Jalan is now MSME Secretary
i. In a bureaucratic reshuffle, the government has transferred Central
Provident Fund Commissioner KK Jalan as Secretary, Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). “The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet has approved the appointment,” said an official release on
Friday. A 1982 batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, Jalan will take
over from current incumbent Anup K Pujari on his retirement.
ii. Also, Shobhana K Pattanayak, a 1982 Karnataka cadre officer, has
been appointed as Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and
Farmers Welfare, following the retirement of Siraj Hussain, a 1979 batch
Uttar Pradesh cadre officer.
iii.
Avinash K Srivastava, (UP-1982), at present Special Secretary,
Department of Agriculture, will now be Secretary, Ministry of Food
Processing Industries, following the retirement of Ranglal Jamuda
(Odisha-1981).
iv. Vinod Agrawal, (Jharkhand-1980), at present Secretary, National
Commission for Scheduled Castes, will take over as Secretary, Department
of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment, following the retirement of Lov Verma, (Uttar
Pradesh-1978).
v. Shyam S Agarwal, (Rajasthan-1980), Secretary, National Commission for
Scheduled Tribes, will be the new Secretary, Ministry of Tribal
Affairs.
8. JS Deepak replaces Garg as Telecom Secretary
i. Amid the high-decibel debate around Net neutrality, call drops and
the upcoming mega spectrum auction, Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg on
Friday was moved to the low-profile Minority Affairs Ministry, as part
of a bureaucratic reshuffle.
ii.
JS Deepak, a UP cadre officer from the 1982 batch, who is currently
Secretary, Department of IT (DeitY), will replace Garg. This will be
Deepak’s second innings in the Department of Communications (DoT).
iii. As Joint Secretary, DoT, he was among those who had played a lead
role in ensuring the smooth auction of 3G and broadband wireless access
spectrum in 2010, which fetched the government revenue of ₹1.06 lakh
crore.
iv. Following this, Deepak was asked to handle the 2G spectrum auction
in 2012 after the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of 121 licences
for 2G during the tenure of A Raja as Telecom Minister. Deepak, an MSc
in electronics from Bangalore University and MBA from IIM-Ahmadabad, was
then Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce.
9. Leslie Berland appointed as Chief Marketing Officer of Twitter Inc
i. Leslie Berland was on 26 January 2016 appointed as the Chief
Marketing Officer (CMO) of Twitter Inc, an online social networking
site. Before Berland’s appointment, the marketing operations was
overseen by the Twitter’s CFO Anthony Noto.
ii. Prior to this appointment, she was working at American Express
(AmEx) as an executive vice-president of global advertising, marketing
and digital partnerships.
iii. Berland joined the American Express (AmEx) in 2005 and had overseen
its advertising, sponsorships, media, content and brand identity.
iv. She also helped to create AmEx’s first social media strategies.
Leslie Berland was placed at 6th position in Fast Company’s 100 Most
Creative People in Business issue and also was included in Advertising
Age’s Creativity 50 list.
10. Former Army Chief Gen K V Krishna Rao passes away
i. Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao, who played a key role in
the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, died here today at the military
hospital following a cardiac arrest. He was 92.
Rao also served as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir at a time when militancy was at its peak in the state.
ii. Rao was the 14th Chief of the Army Staff of Indian Army and had an
illustrious career spanning over four decades in the force. He was
commissioned into the Army on August 9, 1942. As a young officer, he had
served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during the Second
World War.
iii. During extensive Punjab disturbances in the run up to the partition
in 1947, he served both in East and West Punjab. He also participated
in the 1947-48 war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. He was a
founder Instructor of the National Defence Academy during 1949-51.
iv. Rao had commanded a brigade in the forward area of Ladakh during
1965-66, an infantry division in Jammu Region during 1969-70 and a
Mountain Division engaged in counter insurgency operations in Nagaland
and Manipur during 1970-72.
v. Rao was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time from
July 11, 1989 to January 19, 1990 and the second time from March 13,
1993 till May 2, 1998.
11. Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to win Australian Open
i. Angelique Kerber became the first German to win a Grand Slam title
since her childhood idol Steffi Graf in 1999 when she upset world number
one Serena Williams 6-4 3-6 6-4 to clinch the Australian Open on
Saturday.
ii. The 34-year-old American had been seeking her seventh Melbourne Park
title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Graf
for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.
iii. The seventh-seeded Kerber, however, was not overawed by the
occasion of her first Grand Slam final, breaking twice in the first set
to take it in 39 minutes as Williams made 23 unforced errors.
iv. Both players suffered early breaks in the third set but the
championship appeared to have tipped in the German's favour in a
marathon sixth game when she finally converted her fifth break point to
take a 4-2 lead.
v. She extended that to 5-2 and was serving for the title at 5-3 before
Williams fought back, though the inspired German was able to clinch her
first Grand Slam and then collapse onto the court in jubilation.
