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5/9/2015
CurrentAffairsJanuary2015StudyMaterial|FreeJobAlert.com
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January2015CurrentAffairsStudyMaterial
INTERNATIONAL
PalestiniansToJoinInternationalCriminalCourt
PalestinewilljointheInternationalCriminalCourton1April2015,announcedUNSecretaryGeneralBanKi
moonon6January.ThePalestinianswillbeabletosueIsraelforwarcrimes,amovetheIsraeliadministration
has consistently opposed for decades.Along with the ICC application, the UN chief approved other sets of
documents,enablingPalestinetojoin16internationalagreements,conventionsandtreaties.
MaithripalaSirisenaElectedAsSriLankaPresident
Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (Maithiripala Sirisena) was elected as new President of
Srilanka.MithripalaSirisena,HealthMinisterinRajapaksagovernment,wonthe2015PresidentialElections
of Sri Lanka. The Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced the results on 9 January 2015.
FormerPresidentMahindaRajapaksafromUnitedPeoplesFreedomAlliancegot47.6percentandOpposition
candidate Maithripala Samisen from United National Party got 51.3 percent of the votes polled in the
Presidentialelectionsheldon8January2015.
AlexisTsiprasElectedAsNewGreecePrimeMinister
AlexisTsipras,leaderoftheSyrizaantiausterityparty,waselectedasthenewPrimeMinisterofGreece.In
Greece,antiausteritySyrizapartyhaswongeneralelection.InthiselectionSyrizapartyhaswonabouthalfthe
seats in Parliament.Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Syriza antiausterity party, was sworn in as the new Prime
MinisterofGreece26January2015.
SergioMattarellaElectedAsNewPresidentofItaly
Italys parliament has elected constitutional court judge Sergio Mattarella as the countrys President on 31
January.He will Italys 12th president and succeed Giorgio Napolitano who had resigned earlier in January
2015citingreasonofpoorhealthbeforehis2020expiryterm.
INDIA&WORLD
IndiaToHost2ndInternationalIndianOceanExpedition
Indiawillbehostingthe2ndInternationalIndianOceanExpedition(IIOE)inDecember2015,almost50years
afterithadhosteditsfirstedition,duringwhichtheparticipatingnationswillalsostudythechangesthathave
takenplaceintheIndianOceansincethe1960s.ThesecondIIOEwillhaveatleast20countiesparticipatingin
it. It will start in early December 2015 and will continue for next five years.The IIOE2 is a developing
initiativeunderUNESCOsIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission(IOC),whichaimsatprovidingan
exciting platform for knowledge transfer and capacity building, besides raising global awareness about the
importanceoftheIndianOcean.
IndiaToProvideUSD60millionLineofCreditToGuyanaForRoadProjects
India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and
passengerferryservice.ThedecisionofgrantingtheLoCwasmadebyPrimeMinisterNarendraModiduring
the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya
DivasinGandhinagar,Gujaraton8January2015.
EuropeanUnionLiftsBanOnImportOfIndianMangoes
TheEuropeanUnion(EU)on20JanuarydecidedtoliftabanontheimportofmangoesfromIndiaafterIndia
madeimprovementsinplanthealthcontrolsandcertificationsystems.TheEUhadimposedatemporarybanon
Indianmangoesthatcameintoeffectfrom1May2014.ThebanwastoremaineffectiveuntilDecember2015
andwasimposedaftertheauthoritieshadfoundconsignmentsinfestedwithfruitfliesthattheyfearedcould
damageEuropeansaladcrops.On20January2015aEuropeanCommissioncommitteevotedtolifttheban.
IndiaUStoSetUpTaskForceToDevelopThreeSmartCities
IndiaandtheUSon27JanuarydecidedtosetupataskforceforjointlydevelopingAllahabad(UttarPradesh),
Ajmer (Rajasthan) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) as Smart Cities with a mandate of preparing the
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roadmapwithinthreemonths.ThedecisionwastakenatameetingbetweenUrbanDevelopmentMinisterM
VenkaiahNaiduandvisitingSecretaryofCommercePennyPritzker,twodaysafterthetwocountriessigned
pactsunderwhichthethreecitieswillbedevelopedasSmartCitieswiththehelpofUnitedStatesTradeand
DevelopmentAgency(USTDA).
NATIONAL
UnionGovtEstablishedNITIAayogToReplacePlanningCommission
TheUnionGovernmenton1JanuaryestablishedNITI(NationalInstitutionforTransformingIndia)Aayog,as
replacement for the Planning Commission. This comes after extensive consultation across the spectrum of
stakeholders,includingstategovernments,domainexpertsandrelevantinstitutions.NITIAayogwillseekto
provideacriticaldirectionalandstrategicinputintothedevelopmentprocess.NITIAayogthatreplacedthe65
yearoldPlanningCommissionwillbeheadedbyPrimeMinister.Itwillhaveagoverningcouncilcomprising
ChiefMinistersofallthestatesandLt.GovernorsofUnionTerritories.Apartfromthis,theNITIAayogwill
also have a ViceChairperson and a Chief Executive Officer (fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the
GovernmentofIndia),whowillbeappointedbythePrimeMinister.
PMNarendraModiReleasesCoinInHonourOfJamsetjiTata
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 January released a commemorative coin in honour of Jamsetji Tata,
popularlyknownasfatherofmodernIndianindustry,onhis175thbirthanniversaryinNewDelhi.Jamsetjiis
the first industrialist felicitated by the Indian government in such a manner.He founded Tata Group, Indias
largest business conglomerate. He was born on March 3, 1839 in Navsari, a small town in south
Gujarat.JamsetjiTatafoundedtheTatagroupin1868.
PMNarendraModiLaunchedSukanyaSamridhiYojanaUnderBBBPcampaign
PrimeMinisterNarendraModion22JanuarylaunchedasmalldepositschemeSukanyaSamridhiYojanafor
girlchildundertheBetiBachaoBetiPadhao(SavetheDaughter,TeachtheDaughter)campaign.Thescheme
waslaunchedatPainpatinHaryana,astatewithoneofthepoorestsexratiointhecountry.Theschemewill
ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources and savings of a family in which she is generally
discriminated against a male child. Sukanya Samridhi Yojana will enable parents to open bank accounts of
girlswhoareunder10yearsofage.SukanyaSamridhiAccountwillfetchaninterestrateof9.1percentand
provideincometaxrebate.
UnionGovernmentReleasedCommemorativePostageStampsOnSwachhBharatMission
Union Government has released set of three Commemorative Postage Stamps on Swachh Bharat Mission
(Clean India Mission). This set of 3 stamps was released by Union Ministry for Communications &
InformationTechnologyandissuedbyDepartmentofPosts.Thesestampswerereleasedtoinordertoachieve
thevisionofCleanandHealthyIndia.DepartmentofPostshasselectedthedesignforthestampsthrougha
competition among the children on the theme of Swachh Bharat Mission. Swachh Bharat Mission was
launchedbythePrimeMinisteronthe2ndOctober,2014ontheoccasionofBirthAnniversaryofFatherofthe
NationMahatmaGandhi.ThismissionseekstoachieveCleanIndiaandaimstoprovideaccesstotoiletstoall
householdsinthecountry.
STATES
PMNarendraModiLaunchedSchemeForLEDbulbDistributionInDelhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 January launched a scheme for distribution of LED bulbs under the
DomesticEfficientLightingProgrammeinDelhiandaNationalProgrammeforLEDbasedHomeandStreet
Lighting.Underthescheme,consumersinDelhiwouldbeabletorequestforLEDbulbsundertheDomestic
EfficientLightingProgrammethroughanewWebsitelaunchedbyNarendraModi.
PresidentialRuleImposedInJammuandKashmir
PresidentsrulewasimposedonJammuandKashmiron9January.PresidentPranabMukherjeeapprovedthe
recommendationoftheGovernorofJammuandKashmirNNVohra.GovernorNNVohrahadrecommended
for President Rule in light of deadlock over the formation of the new government continued in Jammu and
Kashmir.
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DimaHasaoDistrictOfAssamGotItsFirstBroadGaugeRailwayTrack
Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track on 12 January. A goods train with 43
wagonsreachedthemainrailwaystationoftheDimaHasaodistrictusingthisbroadgaugetrack.Thetrainin
itsfirsteverjourneycovered98kmfromPatharkhulastationtoNewHaflongstationwhilecrossing9tunnels,
15 stations, 15 major bridges and 135 minor bridges.The passenger trains will also be commissioned on the
routefromPathakhulatoNewHaflongonthetrackthatisextendeduptoSilcharaftertheapprovalofRailway
SafetyCommission.
UNChiefInauguratesGujaratsSecondCanalTop10MWSolarPowerProject
UnitedNations(UN)SecretaryGeneralBanKimoonon11JanuaryinauguratedGujaratssecondcanaltop
10MWsolarpowerproject.Itislocatedon5.5kmstretchofVadodarabranchofSardarSarovarprojectcanal.
The plant is constructed by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited and is the first of its kind in the
country.ItisimplementedbyHyderabadbasedMeghaEngineeringandInfrastructureLimited(MEIL).
CONFERENCES
13thPravasiBharatiyaDivasHeldInGandhinagar
The 13th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held on 7 9 January 2015 at Gandhinagar,
Gujarat.Thethemeof2015PBDwasBharatkojanoandBharatkomano.Thechiefguestofthe13thPBDwas
GuyanaPresidentDonaldRamotar.PrimeMinisterNarendraModion8Januaryinauguratedastateoftheart
museum Dandi Kutir opposite Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.Narendra Modi also released
CommemorativePostageStampstomark100YearsofMahatmaGandhisReturnfromSouthAfricatoIndia.
Thecoinsareofdenominationof100rupeesand10rupees,whilethestampsareofvalueof25rupeesand5
rupees.TheeventconcludedwithgivingawayPravasiBharatiyaSammanawardsto15membersoftheIndian
DiasporabytheVicePresidentHamidAnsari.PBDconventionsarebeingheldeveryyearsince2003andare
celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the
development of India.The 13th edition of PBD marked the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhis return to India
fromSouthAfrica.
AWARDS&HONOURS
15NRIsAwardedwithPravasiBharatiyaSamman2015
VicePresident Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to 15
prominentNonResidentIndians(NRIs).Theawardswerepresentedontheconcludingdayof13thPravasi
Bharatiya Diwas at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The recipients were Mala Mehta, Australia Donald
Rabindernauth Ramotar, Guyana Dr. Rajaram Sanjaya, Mexico Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, New Zealand
Rajmal Parakh, Oman Duraikannu Karunakaran, Seychelles Essop Goolam Pahad, South Africa Shah
BharatkumarJayantilal,UAEAshrafPalarakunnummal,UAEMahendraNanjiMehta,UgandaProf.Nathu
Ram Puri Lord Raj Loomba, Britain Satyanarayana Nadella, USA Dr. Lulla Kamlesh, US Dr.Nandini
Tandon,USA.
ISROMarsOrbiterMissionTeamWonSpacePioneerAward2015
TheMarsOrbiterMission(MOM)TeamofIndianSpaceResearchOrganization(ISRO)on12Januarywon
the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category. The Mars Orbiter Mission team is
located in Bangalore and is headed by Mylswamy Annadurai. This prestigious award is be given by the
NationalSpaceSociety(NSS),anAmericaneducationalandscientificorganization.
KamalKishoreGoyankaSelectedForVyasSamman2014
WellknownHindischolarandwriterDr.KamalKishoreGoenkawason13JanuarychosenforVyassamman
2014.HehasbeenchosenforthisawardforhisresearchworkPremchandKeeKahaniyoKaaKaalkramanusar
Adhyayan.Itwaspublishedin2012.ThisawardisinstitutedbytheK.K.BirlaFoundation.Itwasstartedin
1991.
JammuandKashmirWonNationalEGovernanceAward201415
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been selected for National eGovernance award 201415 for its best district
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level initiative in the country.J&K state has been selected on 16 January for this award by Department of
AdministrativeReformsforitsePanchayatproject.
PadmaAwards2015Announced
ThePresidentofIndiaPranabMukherjeeon25JanuaryapprovedtheconfermentofPadmaAwards2015to
104personthisyear.Thelistoftheawardeescomprisesof9PadmaVibhushan,20PadmaBhushanand75
Padma Shri. The list also features 17 women as awardees and includes 17 persons from the category of
foreigners,NRIs,PIOsand4Posthumousawardees.PadmaAwardsareoneofthehighestcivilianAwardsof
thecountry,conferredinthreecategoriesPadmaVibhushan,PadmaBhushanandPadmaShriandgivenin
variousdisciplines.
PadmaVibhushan
1.LKAdvaniPublicAffairsGujarat
2.AmitabhBachchanArtMaharashtra
3.PrakashSinghBadalPublicAffairsPunjab
4.DrDVeerendraHeggadeSocialWorkKarnataka
5.MohammadYusufKhanaliasDilipKumarArtMaharashtra
6.JagadguruRamanandacharyaSwamiRambhadracharyaOthersUttarPradesh
7.ProfMalurRamaswamySrinivasanScienceandEngineeringTamilNadu
8.KottayanK.VenugopalPublicAffairsDelhi
9.KarimAlHussainiAgaKhan(Foreigner) TRADE andIndustryFrance/UK
PadmaBhushan:
1.JahnuBaruaArtAssam
2.DrVijayBhatkarScienceandEngineeringMaharashtra
3.ShriSwapanDasguptaLiteratureandEducationDelhi
4.SwamiSatyamitranandGiriOthersUttarPradesh
5.NGopalaswamiCivilServiceTamilNadu
6.DrSubhashCKashyapPublicAffairsDelhi
7.Dr(Pandit)GokulotsavjiMaharajArtMadhyaPradesh
8.DrAmbrishMithalMedicineDelhi
9.SudhaRagunathanArtTamilNadu
10.ShriHarishSalvePublicAffairsDelhi
11.DrAshokSethMedicineDelhi
12.RajatSharmaLiteratureandEducationDelhi
13.SatpalSportsDelhi
14.ShivakumaraSwamiOthersKarnataka
15.DrKharagSinghValdiyaScienceandEngineeringKarnataka
16.ProfManjulBhargava(NRI/PIO)ScienceandEngineeringUSA
17.DavidFrawley(Vamadeva)(Foreigner)OthersUSA
18.BillGates(Foreigner)SocialWorkUSA
19.MelindaGates(Foreigner)SocialWorkUSA
20.SaichiroMisumi(Foreigner)OthersJapan
PadmaShri:
1.DrManjulaAnaganiMedicineTelangana
2.SArunanScienceandEngineeringKarnataka
3.KanyakumariAvasaralaArtTamilNadu
4.DrBettinaSharadaBaumerLiteratureandEducationJammuandKashmir
5.NareshBediArtDelhi
6.AshokBhagatSocialWorkJharkhand
7.SanjayLeelaBhansaliArtMaharashtra
8.DrLakshmiNandanBoraLiteratureandEducationAssam
9.DrGyanChaturvediLiteratureandEducationMadhyaPradesh
10.Prof(Dr)YogeshKumarChawlaMedicineChandigarh
11.JayakumariChikkalaMedicineDelhi
12.BibekDebroyLiteratureandEducationDelhi
13.DrSarungbamBimolaKumariDeviMedicineManipur
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14.DrAshokGulatiPublicAffairsDelhi
15.DrRandeepGuleriaMedicineDelhi
16.DrKPHaridasMedicineKerala
17.RahulJainArtDelhi
18.RavindraJainArtMaharashtra
19.DrSunilJogiLiteratureandEducationDelhi
20.PrasoonJoshiArtMaharashtra
21.DrPrafullaKarArtOdisha
22.SabaAnjumSportsChhattisgarh
23.UshakiranKhanLiteratureandEducationBihar
24.DrRajeshKotechaMedicineRajasthan
25.ProfAlkaKriplaniMedicineDelhi
26.DrHarshKumarMedicineDelhi
27.NarayanaPurushothamaMallayaLiterature&EducationKerala
28.LambertMascarenhasLiteratureandEducationGoa
29.DrJanakPaltaMcGilliganSocialWorkMadhyaPradesh
30.VeerendraRajMehtaSocialWorkDelhi
31.TarakMehtaArtGujarat
32.NeilHerbertNongkynrih(Art),Meghalaya
33.ChewangNorphelOthersJammuandKashmir
34.TVMohandasPai TRADE andIndustryKarnataka
35.DrTejasPatelMedicineGujarat
36.JadavMolaiPeyangOthersAssam
37.BimlaPoddarOthersUttarPradesh
38.DrNPrabhakarScienceandEnggDelhi
39.DrPrahaladaScienceandEnggMaharashtra
40.DrNarendraPrasadMedicineBihar
41.RamBahadurRaiLiteratureandEducationDelhi
42.MithaliRajSportsTelangana
43.PVRajaramanCivilServiceTamilNadu
44.ProfJSRajputLiteratureandEducationUttarPradesh
45.KotaSrinivasaRaoArtAndhraPradesh
46.ProfBimalRoyLiteratureandEducationWestBengal
47.ShekharSenArtMaharashtra
48.GunvantShahLiteratureandEducationGujarat
49.BrahmdevSharmaLiteratureandEducationDelhi
50.ManuSharmaLiteratureandEducationUttarPradesh
51.ProfYogRajSharmaMedicineDelhi
52.VasantShastriScienceandEnggKarnataka
53.SKShivkumarScienceandEnggKarnataka
54.PVSindhuSportsTelangana
55.SardaraSinghSportsHaryana
56.ArunimaSinhaSportsUttarPradesh
57.MaheshRajSoniArtRajasthan
58.DrNikhilTandonMedicineDelhi
59.HThegtseRinpocheSocialWorkArunachalPradesh
60.DrHargovindLaxmishankerTrivediMedicineGujarat
61.HuangBaoshengOthersChina
62.ProfJacquesBlamontScienceandEnggFrance
63.LateSyednaMohammadBurhanuddinOthersMaharashtra(Posthumous)
64.JeanClaudeCarriereLiteratureandEducationFrance
65.DrNandrajanRajChettyLiteratureandEducationFrance
66.GeorgeLHartOthersUSA
67.JagatGuruAmrtaSuryanandaMahaRajaOthersPortugal
68.LateMeethaLalMehtaSocialWorkRajasthan(Posthumous)
69.TriptiMukherjeeArtUSA
70.DrDattatreyuduNoriMedicineUSA
71.DrRaghuRamaPillarisetti(Medicine),USA
72.DrSaumitraRawatMedicineUK
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73.ProfAnnetteSchmiedchen(LiteratureandEducation),Germany
74.LatePranKumarSharmaaliasPranArtDelhi(Posthumous)
75.LateRVasudevanCivilServiceTamilNadu(Posthumous)
SPORTS&GAMES
AndyMurrayWonATPWorldTennisChampionship
BritainsAndyMurrayAndyMurraywontheATPWorldTennisChampionshipatZayedSportsCityinAbu
Dhabion4January.HewonthetitleaftertheSerbiasNovakDjokovicwithdrewfromthefinalmatchciting
illness.Thiswasthefirsttitleofyear2015forAndyMurray.
BrisbaneTennisTournamentWinners2015
WomensSingles : Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Brisbane International womens singles title on 10
January.ShedefeatedSerbiasAnaIvanovicinthefinal.Itwasher34thcareertitle.
Mens Singles : Switzerlands Roger Federar won the Mens singles title. He defeated Milos Raonic of
Canadainthefinal.Itsagrandnumberfora17timeGrandSlamchampion,makinghimtheonlyplayerafter
JimmyConnors(1,253)andIvanLendl(1,071)towin1,000timesonthemensprofessionaltour.Itsthe83rd
careertitleforthis17timeGrandSlamchampion.
SouthAfricasABdeVilliersScoresFastestOnedayInternationalCentury
SouthAfricasbatsmanABdeVilliershitthefastestcenturyinOneDayInternational(ODI)cricket.ABde
Villiers scored the century in just 31 balls. He achieved the feat in second ODI match of the 5match ODI
seriesplayedon18JanuaryattheWanderersinJohannesburgagainstWestIndies.Thepreviousrecordwas
heldbyNewZealandsCoreyAndersonwhoscoredacenturyin36ballsagainsttheWestIndieson1January
2014.Onthewaytomaketheworldrecordoffastestcentury,Villierswenttofiftyoff16balls,oneballless
thanSanathJayasuriyas19yearoldrecordofthefastestODIhalfcentury.Jayasuriyascoredthefiftyin17
ballsforSriLankaagainstPakistanin199596.
AustralianOpenTennisTournamentWinners2015
Womens singles : Serena Williams of US won the womens singles title of Australian Open 2015 on 31
January2015bydefeatingMariaSharapova.ThiswashersixthAustralianOpensinglestitleand19thsingles
GrandSlam title.With this she overtook18time GrandSlamwinnersMartinaNavratilovaandChrisEvert.
SheisnowjustthreetitlesawayfromSteffiGrafsrecordof22GrandSlamtitles.
MensSingles:NovakDjokovic(Serbia)wontheAustralianOpenMenssinglestitle.HedefeatedBritains
Andy Murray in the final on 1 February.Djokovic had earlier won the Australian Open titles in 2008, 2011,
2012 and 2013. This was his 8th career Grand Slam title. Murray has now been runnerup four times here,
losingtwicepreviouslytoDjokovicin2011and2013andtoRogerFedererin2010.
ECONOMY
ICICIBankLaunchedIndiasContactlessCreditandDebitCards
ICICIBank,thecountryslargestprivatesectorone,on7Januarylaunchedcontactless CREDITCARDS
anddebitscardscalledCoralContactlessCreditCardandExpressionsWaveDebitCardrespectively.These
cardswillenablecustomerstomakeelectronicpaymentsbywavingthecardsnearamerchantterminalinstead
ofdippingorswipingthecards.
IndiasGrowthToReach6.3percentIn2016
AccordingtotheUnitedNationsWorldEconomicSituationandProspects(WESP)2015reportreleasedon14
January,IndiasgrowthintermsofGDPisexpectedtoreach5.9percentin2015and6.3percentin2016.
HighlightsofReport:
India:Itsgrowthrecoveryispartlytheresultofimproved MARKET sentimentafterthenewgovernment
tookofficeinthesecondquarterof2014andhadannouncedplanstoreformthebureaucracy,labourlawsand
publicsubsidies.
SouthAsia:EconomicgrowthinSouthAsiaissettograduallypickupfromanestimated4.9percentin2014
to5.4percentin2015and5.7percentin2016.India,willaccountforabout70percentofregionaloutputin
SouthAsia.
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*Averageinflationinthisregionisexpectedremainmoderateat7.8percentin2015and7.2percentin2016,
as COMMODITY pricesarelikelyremainsubduedanddomesticdemandpicksupgradually.
GlobalEconomy:Itisexpectedtogrowat3.1percentin2015and3.3percentin2016,comparedwithan
estimatedgrowthof2.6percentin2014.
WorldEconomicSituationandProspects2015ReportReleased
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on 19 January 2015
releasedWorldEconomicSituationandProspects(WESP)2015report.Thereportprojectsthattheregional
growthwillpickupin201516,asaverageGDPgrowthwillacceleratefrom5.0percentin2014to5.3percent
in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016.The report has highlighted that the South Asias economic growth is set to
reachafouryearhighin2015.Theaveragegrossdomesticproduct(GDP)growthofSouthAsiaaccelerated
from3.7percentin2013to4.9percentin2014,andisprojectedtostrengthenfurtherto5.4percentin2015
and5.7percentin2016.
PradhanMantriJanDhanYojanaschemesetsGuinnessRecord
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme was conferred with the Guinness record on 20 January
2015. The PMJDY scheme created a Guinness World Record for opening the maximum number of bank
accountsintheshortestpossibletime.Altogether,11.5croreaccountshavebeenopenedundertheschemein
lessthanfivemonths.Theschemewaslaunchedon28August2014withatargetof7.5croretill26January
2015.TheGuinnessauthoritiesofficiallyhandedacertificatetoUnionfinanceministerArunJaitleyinDelhi
on 20 January 2015. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is governments flagship FINANCIAL inclusion
programmethatwaslaunchedon28August2014tohelppeopleinopeningbankaccounts.
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY
ScientistsDiscoveredTwoNewEarthlikePlanets
The Scientists at the HarvardSmithsonian Centre for Astrophysics have discovered two Earthlike planets
Kepler438bandKepler442b.ThefindingsofthediscoverywerepublishedinTheAstrophysicalJournalon5
January.TheplanetswerespottedbyNasasKeplerspacetelescopewhichdetectsplanetsastheymoveacross
thefacesoftheirstars.Kepler438bis475lightyearsaway.Itgetsabout40percentmoreheatfromitsredsun
than Earth gets from the Sun.Kepler442b is 1100 lightyears away. It is 33 percent bigger than Earth and
orbitsitsstaronceevery112days.hasa60percentchanceofbeingrocky.
IAFgetsFirstIndigenouslyBuiltLCATejas
FirstindigenouslybuiltLightCombatAircraft(LCA)TejaswashandedovertotheIndianAirForce(IAF)by
DefenceMinisterManoharParrikaratceremonyheldon17JanuaryatBengaluru,Karanataka.Itreceivedits
InitialOperationalClearanceIinJanuary2011,afterbeingbuiltbystateownedHAL.Itisexpectedthatthe
aircraftwillreceiveitsFinalOperationalClearancebyDecember2015.
IndiaSuccessfullyTestFiredInterContinentalBallisticMissileAgniV
India on 31 January successfully testfired its indigenously developed, intercontinental surfacetosurface
nuclearcapableballisticmissile(ICBM)Agni5,whichhasastrikerangeofover5000kmsandcancarrya
nuclearwarheadofoveronetonne,fromWheelersIslandoffOdishacoast.Thiswasthethirdsuccessfulflight
testoftheInterContinentalBallisticMissile(ICBM)andthefirstcanistertrial.Thefirsttestwasconductedon
April19,2012andthesecondteston15September,2013fromthesamebase.
NASALaunchesSMAPSatellite
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has on 2 February launched Soil Moisture Active
Passive(SMAP)satellitetoobservesoilmoisture.ItwaslaunchedfromtheDelta2rocketfromVandenberg
AirForceBaseinCalifornia.SMAPsatelliteisthreeyearmissionwhichwillmeasuretheamountofmoisture
insoil.Itwillproducehighresolutionglobalmapsfromspaceanddatacollectedfromitwillhelpscientiststo
monitordroughtsandimprovefloodforecasts.
PERSONSINNEWS
A)APPOINTMENTS
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ArvindPanagariyaTakesChargeAsNITIAayogViceChairman
NotedeconomistArvindPanagariyaon13Januarytookchargeasthefirstvicechairmanofthenewlycreated
NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog has replaced the 65year old Planning Commission. He is an IndianAmerican
economistandProfessorofEconomicsatColumbiaUniversity.
A.S.KiranKumarTookOverAsTheNewChairmanOfISRO
Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar (A.S. Kiran Kumar) took over as the new Chairman of Indian Space Research
Organisation(ISRO)on14January2015.A.S.KiranKumarbecamethe8thChairmanofISRO.
HSBrahmaTakesChargeAsChiefElectionCommissioner
HariShankarBrahmaon16Januaryassumedchargeasthe19thChiefElectionCommissioner(CEC)afterhe
waselevatedtotheposton14January.HesucceededVSSampath,whosetenureendedon15January2015.
B)RESIGNS
LeelaSamsonResignedAsChairpersonofCBFC
LeelaSamsonon16January2015resignedasChairpersonofCentralBoardofFilmCertification,(CBFC).She
wasappointedastheChairpersonofCBFCon1April2011.
C)DEATHS
VeteranScientistVasantGowarikarDied
SpaceveteranandeminentscientistVasantGowarikarwasdiedon2JanuaryinPune.Hewasthechiefof
IndianSpaceResearchOrganization(ISRO)andalsothescientificadvisortothePrimeMinisterofIndiain
19911993. Gowarikar made valuable contributions to the fields of space research, weather and population.
GowarikarwasinvolvedinspaceresearchinearlycareerunderVikramSarabhaiwhenhisofficewasinthe
building of the local St Mary Magdalene Church in Thumba in Kerala. He pioneered solid propelant
development and later served as Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) between 1979 and
1985.Gowarikar was awarded Padma Shri in 1984 and Padma Bhushan in 2008. He also received the Fie
FoundationAward.
D)VISITORS
U.S.PresidentBarackObamaVisitedIndia
U.S.PresidentBarackObamavisitedIndiafrom25Januaryto27January2015.Asapartofhisvisit,hemet
PrimeMinisterNarendraModiandheldwiderangingdiscussionsonbilateralrelationsaswellasonregional
andinternationalissuesofmutualinterestandconcern.IndiaandU.Ssignedseveralpactsduringtheofficial
visitofthePresidentofU.StoIndia.BarackObama,thePresidentofU.SwastheChiefGuestofIndiaonthe
occasion of the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2015. Obama became the first US president to be chief
guest at Indias Republic Day parade. In the visit, the civil nuclear agreement that would allow nuclear
contractstobesignedbetweenU.S.firmsandIndia.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
MissColombiaPaulinaVegaCrownedMissUniverse2015
MissColombiaPaulinaVegawascrownedasMissUniverse2015atthefinalofthebeautypageantheldin
Miami on 25 January 2015. Vega, a 22yearold student of business administration from Barranquilla,
Colombia was crowned by the 2014 pageant winner Venezuelan Gabriela Isler.With this, Vega became the
secondbeautyqueenfromColombiatowinthetitle.LuzMarinaZuluagabecamethefirstColombiantowin
thecrownin1956.
PLACESINNEWS
QantasNamedWorldsSafestAirline
AustraliasnationalairlineQantaswasnamedastheworldssafestairlinebyAirlineRatings.comon6January.
Qantas,whichisinits95thyearofoperation,washailedforanextraordinaryrecordoffirstsintermsofits
safetyhistoryandrankedthebestof449airlines,includinglowcostcarriers,assessedbythewebsite.
9/13
5/9/2015
ABBREVIATIONS
NRDCNationalResearchandDevelopmentCorporation
POTAPreventionofTerrorismAct
SAFTASouthAsianFree TRADE
Agreement
SAILSteelAuthorityofIndiaLimited
<
Best Deals
VSSCVikramSarabhaiSpaceCentre
Deals
UNDPUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme
BOOKSINNEWS
VicePresidentReleasedTheIndianParliamentACriticalAppraisal
TheVicePresidentofIndiaM.HamidAnsarion8JanuaryreleasedabookentitledTheIndianParliamentA
Critical Apprisal. The book is authored by Prof. Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi.The book examines the credibility and legitimacy of the Indian Parliament and has
scrutinisedvariousaspectsofitsfunctioning.
COMMITTEES
SubramaniumCommitteeRecommendedSingleWindowSystemForEnvironmentProjects
In the month of January 2015, Highlevel committee (HLC) headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R
Subramanium submitted its report to Union Government. In its recommendation, the committee suggested
singlewindowclearancemechanismforgreennods.Thecommitteehassuggestedanumbrellalawtohelpset
up new national and statelevel regulators that would also take the powers of the existing pollution control
boards. The law Environmental Management Act would do away with the need for separate Acts to
regulateairandwaterpollutionthatempowerstatestogivetheconsenttooperateandestablishindustrialunits.
IMPORTANTDAYSANDDATES
NationalYouthDayObservedAcrossIndiaon12January
NationalYouthDaywasobservedacrossIndiaon12January2015.Thedayisobservedannuallytomarkthe
birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. This is the 152nd birth
anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and his birth anniversary is being celebrated as National Youth
Day in
Poweredbycomparing
India since 1985.The Union Government in 1984 had declared that 12 January, the birthday of Swami
Vivekananda will be observed as the National Youth Day.Swami Vivekanandas lectures and writings are a
source of inspiration for youth and have motivated numerous youth organisation.His writings derive their
inspiration from Indian spiritual tradition and the broad outlook of his Master Sri Ramakrishna. All his
teachingscanbefoundinTheCompleteWorksofSwamiVivekananda,inninevolumes,publishedbyAdvaita
Ashrama,Kolkata.SwamiVivekanandawasbornon12January1863asNarendraNathDattaandregardedas
apatrioticsaintofIndia.
NationalGirlChildDayObservedOn24January
NationalGirlChildDayisobservedon24January2015acrossthenation.Thiscelebrationwasstartedtooffer
more supports and new opportunities to the girls in the country. It is celebrated to increase the awareness
amongpeopleaboutalltheinequalitiesfacedbythegirlchildinthesociety.Thisdayisbeingobservedevery
yearon24Januarysince2008.
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