Dear Readers, we are providing Current Affairs of 1-15 January 2015 for upcoming Exams.
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1. Union government has renamed Planning commission as Niti Aayog. Government’s decision comes after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Independence Day announcement that the Planning Commission would be replaced with a new-age institution.
(NITI) Aayog Members
Chairman- Prime Minister
Vice-chairman- Arvind Panagariya
CEO- Sindhushree Khullar
Other Appointments of NITI Aayog
Full-Time Members:
Bibek Debroy- Economist.
V.K. Saraswat- Former Secretary Defence R&D.
Ex-officio members:
Rajnath Singh- Union Home Minister.
Arun Jaitley- Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister.
Suresh Prabhu- Union Minister of Railways
Radha Mohan Singh- Union Minister of Agriculture.
Special Invitees:
Nitin Gadkari- Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.
Thawar Chand Gehlot-Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Smriti Zubin Irani- Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD).
2. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was renamed as Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India .
3. Technology giant Microsoft sued an Indian company C-Cubed Solution along with several other entities for fraud
4. Jangmi, a tropical storm made landfall in northeastern Mindanao Island of Philippines .
5. Kishore Kumar Sansi assumed charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank
6. P Srinivas will be the new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Bank of India (UBI).
7. LPG consumers across the country get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts so that they buy the cooking fuel at market price.
Domestic LPG users will get Rs. 568 in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL.
8. Government has signed a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 75 million dollars and 1.8 million dollar grant for Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program (KIUWMIP).
9. IAS officer M Sathiyavathy has become first woman to be appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
10. The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
11. A K Mittal appointed railway board chairman. Mittal, who was member (staff), has succeeded Arunendra Kumar, whose appointment as well as entire tenure was mired in lot of controversies.
42. Jiji Thomson resigned as Director General of Sports Authority of India
(SAI) with immediate effect. Thomson took charge of SAI in March 2013
47. Nilesh Shah resigned as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD &CEO) of Axis Capital Limited.
48. Indian weightlifters ended their campaign by bagging a total of 14 medals including 6 Gold Medals in the 17th Asian Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships 2015 at Doha, Qatar.
49. Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited launched China's first online bank named WeBank to boost small businesses.
The online bank aims at lowering costs for delivering practical benefits to small businesses, while forcing traditional financial institutions to accelerate reforms.
50. Facebook Inc acquired startup company Wit.ai in an attempt to develop voice recognition. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed by the firms.
51. The global financial services firm Nomura forecasted that Indian Economy will grow at 5.5 percent during the financial year (FY) 2015-16 and 6.6 percent during FY 2016-17.
52. Australian flag carrier Qantas has been named the world’s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings.com
53. ICICI Bank has announced the launch of country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards to enable electronic payments without swiping.
It will enable electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them. These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology
At present, the ‘Coral Contactless Credit Card’ and ‘Expressions Wave Debit Card’ of ICICI Bank are powered to provide the contactless or the ‘tap and pay’ facility.
54. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan named as the Brand Ambassador of Andhra Pradesh (AP) health sector. His appointment was announced by the AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas in Hyderabad.
55. Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS). It was announced by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
56. Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
57. Dr. Dinesh Oraon of Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly . Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi announced Oraon's election as unanimous.
58. World Economic Forum Summit at Davos to discuss the road ahead for the WTO, including the post-Bali programme.
59. Popov Ivan of Russia won 7th Chennai International Open Grandmaster Chess title
60. 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar is the chief guest.
61. Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize has been put up for display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
It was put for display, after Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his prize to the nation
62. Union Government will provide 60 million US dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The LoC will help the country in tackling its transport problem.
The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
63. Modibo Keita was appointed as the Prime Minister of West African nation Mali. His appointment was confirmed by Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Modibo Keita succeeded Moussa Mara
64. Haryana Government appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Director General of Police (DGP). His appointment was confirmed by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
65. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Dandi Kutir museum in Gujarat’s capital of Gandhinagar. It is a state-of-the-art three-storey museum, based upon the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was inaugurated on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) and 7th edition of Vibrant Gujarat.
66. Tech Mahindra announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOFGEN Holdings (SOFGEN), a niche consulting and services company specialising in private /wealth, commercial and retail banking solutions. The transaction is expected to close by March 2015, subject to regulatory approvals.
67. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has achieved a big milestone after it had discovered 1000 exoplanet.
68. Online Classifieds Company Quikr launched instant messenger Quikr Nxt to enable seamless transactions between its users. The product was launched by Quikr CEO and founder Pranay Chulet.
The messenger will allow users to chat using the website or mobile app. The messenger has been integrated into Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and website.
69. Indian Government decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
70. Chat application Hike messenger acquired US-based free voice-calling company Zip Phone to launch free voice calling. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed.
71. India will host the 42nd World Bridge Championships that will be held in Chennai from 26 September 2015 to 10 October 2015. The information was announced by Bridge Federation of India (BFI) president N R Kirubakaramoorthy.
72. Senior IPS officer Rajiv Mehta has been appointed as the new Director General of Police in Meghalaya.
75.Prominent Chinese theoretical physicist Yu Min has been awarded State Preeminent Science and Technology Award for 2014.
93. Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track . A goods train with 43 wagons reached the main railway station of the Dima Hasao district using this broad gauge track.
116. In India, Army Day is being observed every year on 15 January.
Significance of Day: In 1949, on this day Lt. General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (of the independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher.
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1. Union government has renamed Planning commission as Niti Aayog. Government’s decision comes after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Independence Day announcement that the Planning Commission would be replaced with a new-age institution.
(NITI) Aayog Members
Chairman- Prime Minister
Vice-chairman- Arvind Panagariya
CEO- Sindhushree Khullar
Other Appointments of NITI Aayog
Full-Time Members:
Bibek Debroy- Economist.
V.K. Saraswat- Former Secretary Defence R&D.
Ex-officio members:
Rajnath Singh- Union Home Minister.
Arun Jaitley- Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister.
Suresh Prabhu- Union Minister of Railways
Radha Mohan Singh- Union Minister of Agriculture.
Special Invitees:
Nitin Gadkari- Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.
Thawar Chand Gehlot-Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Smriti Zubin Irani- Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD).
2. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was renamed as Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India .
3. Technology giant Microsoft sued an Indian company C-Cubed Solution along with several other entities for fraud
4. Jangmi, a tropical storm made landfall in northeastern Mindanao Island of Philippines .
5. Kishore Kumar Sansi assumed charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank
6. P Srinivas will be the new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Bank of India (UBI).
7. LPG consumers across the country get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts so that they buy the cooking fuel at market price.
Domestic LPG users will get Rs. 568 in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL.
8. Government has signed a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 75 million dollars and 1.8 million dollar grant for Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program (KIUWMIP).
9. IAS officer M Sathiyavathy has become first woman to be appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
10. The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
11. A K Mittal appointed railway board chairman. Mittal, who was member (staff), has succeeded Arunendra Kumar, whose appointment as well as entire tenure was mired in lot of controversies.
12. Union Government launched integrated women safetymobile app called Himmat. The app was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.
13. Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . He was appointed as the Chairman of the organization in October 2009 as successor of G. Madhavan Nair.
14. French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur.
He is the bestselling author of book Capital in the 21st Century which examines income inequality in society.
15. Former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passed away in Syracuse, New York in US. She was 82.
16. Five new countries join UNSC as non-permanent members -
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain - have begun their two-year term, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.
17. Senior IPS officer Ashok Prasad has been appointed as the new Special
Secretary of Home Ministry's crucial Internal Security division, a post
which was vacant after Prakash Mishra was appointed as head of CRPF.
18. Know-Your-Customers (KYC) rules for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) were relaxed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
As per RBI notification, the KYC exercise will be required to be done in three ways and they are
• For high-risk individuals and entities – in at least every 2 years
• For medium risk individuals and entities - in at least every 8 years
• For low risk individuals and entities – in at least every 10 years
• For high-risk individuals and entities – in at least every 2 years
• For medium risk individuals and entities - in at least every 8 years
• For low risk individuals and entities – in at least every 10 years
19. Union Government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for another one year in Assam and has declared the entire ‘state of Assam’ as a ‘Disturbed Area’.
20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Indian Science Congress
2015 at the Mumbai University. It is the 102nd edition of this congress
and Mumbai is hosting it again after the gap of 45 years.
21. Union Sports Ministry has given nod to Boxing India (BI) as the new governing body for the sport.
Boxing India President: Sandeep Jajodia
22. R.K Srivastava took over as the new chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) replacing Sudheer Raheja.
23. Veteran Indian-origin civil servant Joseph Yubaraj Manuel Pillay was reappointed as the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Advisers (CPA) by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
24. The Reserve Bank of India has advanced the deadline for banks to
complete the process of providing banking services in unbanked villages
(with population less than 2,000) to August 14, 2015, instead of March
2016.
25. Former ISRO chief and renowned Scientist Dr. Vasant Ranchod Gowarikar passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 81.
26. Aamir Khan-starrer PK s Dhoom 3
record to become the biggest earner in Bollywood.
27. The Union Government has
announced a Rs. 1,900 crore e-governance project, Panch Deep, to
automate all transactions between the organisations and employees with
regard to ESIC (employees state insurance corporation)
28. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed an information sharing agreement
with United States (US) banking regulators for better coordination with
them in supervising financial institutions.
29. Kiran Bhai Vadodaria was elected as President of the Indian Newspaper
Society (INS) for 2014-15. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of
Gujarati newspaper Sambhaav Metro.He succeeded Ravindra Kumar of The Statesman
30.
The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank
launched Digital Village Project in Akodara Village of Gujarat. The
project aimed to provide services ranging from cashless banking to
digitised school teaching. The digital village has three themes i.e.
cashless, comprehensive and connected.
31. Bharat Forge Limited (BFL) acquired France-based Company Mecanique Generale Langroise (MGL) for nearly 90 crore rupees.
32. Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara has joined an elite group of
cricketers to make 12,000 runs in Test Cricket. He reached this
milestone in Sri Lanka’s second Test match against New Zealand held in
Wellington, New Zealand.
He has become the fifth cricketer to make 12,000 runs. Other four
cricketers are Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs),
Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs), Jacques Kallis from
South Africa (13,289 runs) and India’s Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs).
33.
The two day bankers retreat -- Gyan Sangam -- ended in Pune with
bankers collectively resolving to improve on five points and even
demanded some commitment from the government to improve the state of
banking in the country.
34. The Sports Ministry today decided to recommend ace shuttler Saina Nehwal for the Padma Bhushan award
35. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scheme for LED bulb
distribution under domestic efficient lighting programme (DELP) in
Delhi.
36. Freedom fighter and National Flag designer Pingali Venkayya was honoured by naming All India Radio(AIR) Vijayawada (in Andhra Pradesh) building after him.
37. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has decided to prepare a Tea Atlas in India’s North Eastern State Assam.
38. Independent candidate and transgender Madhu Kinnar won
the Mayoral election in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh Municipal Corporation.
Kinnar won the election by 4537 votes against Bharatiya Janata Party’s
(BJP) Mahaveer Guruji. With this, she scripted history by becoming the first transgender to get elected as mayor in the state.
39. The International Hindi Conference will be hosted by New Jersey in April
2015. The theme of the International Hindi Conference 2015 is Expanding
World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges.
40. IAS
officer P Krishnamurthy was appointed as Private
Secretary of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. He is appointed
for a five-year period or on co-terminus basis with the minister's
tenure.
41. Google’s Larry Page has emerged as the ‘business person of the year’
for 2014,edging past the likes of Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to Fortune magazine.
43. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed the Foreign Institutional
Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) to buy
up to 49 percent of the paid-up capital of Bajaj Corp Ltd.
44.
Philips has appointed Harshavardhan Chitale as CEO of Philips Lighting
solutions, South Asia, with effect from January 1, 2015.
45. Andhra Pradesh Government is planning a zero-based budget for 2015-16 which seeks to make the process more efficient where allocations are based on works completed.
46. Avijit Ghosh took over the charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC). He succeeded R. Misra whose tenure of three year ended on 31 December 2014.
45. Andhra Pradesh Government is planning a zero-based budget for 2015-16 which seeks to make the process more efficient where allocations are based on works completed.
46. Avijit Ghosh took over the charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC). He succeeded R. Misra whose tenure of three year ended on 31 December 2014.
47. Nilesh Shah resigned as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD &CEO) of Axis Capital Limited.
48. Indian weightlifters ended their campaign by bagging a total of 14 medals including 6 Gold Medals in the 17th Asian Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships 2015 at Doha, Qatar.
49. Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited launched China's first online bank named WeBank to boost small businesses.
The online bank aims at lowering costs for delivering practical benefits to small businesses, while forcing traditional financial institutions to accelerate reforms.
50. Facebook Inc acquired startup company Wit.ai in an attempt to develop voice recognition. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed by the firms.
51. The global financial services firm Nomura forecasted that Indian Economy will grow at 5.5 percent during the financial year (FY) 2015-16 and 6.6 percent during FY 2016-17.
52. Australian flag carrier Qantas has been named the world’s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings.com
53. ICICI Bank has announced the launch of country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards to enable electronic payments without swiping.
It will enable electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them. These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology
At present, the ‘Coral Contactless Credit Card’ and ‘Expressions Wave Debit Card’ of ICICI Bank are powered to provide the contactless or the ‘tap and pay’ facility.
54. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan named as the Brand Ambassador of Andhra Pradesh (AP) health sector. His appointment was announced by the AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas in Hyderabad.
55. Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS). It was announced by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
56. Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
57. Dr. Dinesh Oraon of Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly . Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi announced Oraon's election as unanimous.
58. World Economic Forum Summit at Davos to discuss the road ahead for the WTO, including the post-Bali programme.
59. Popov Ivan of Russia won 7th Chennai International Open Grandmaster Chess title
60. 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar is the chief guest.
61. Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize has been put up for display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
It was put for display, after Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his prize to the nation
62. Union Government will provide 60 million US dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The LoC will help the country in tackling its transport problem.
The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
64. Haryana Government appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Director General of Police (DGP). His appointment was confirmed by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
65. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Dandi Kutir museum in Gujarat’s capital of Gandhinagar. It is a state-of-the-art three-storey museum, based upon the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was inaugurated on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) and 7th edition of Vibrant Gujarat.
66. Tech Mahindra announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOFGEN Holdings (SOFGEN), a niche consulting and services company specialising in private /wealth, commercial and retail banking solutions. The transaction is expected to close by March 2015, subject to regulatory approvals.
67. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has achieved a big milestone after it had discovered 1000 exoplanet.
68. Online Classifieds Company Quikr launched instant messenger Quikr Nxt to enable seamless transactions between its users. The product was launched by Quikr CEO and founder Pranay Chulet.
The messenger will allow users to chat using the website or mobile app. The messenger has been integrated into Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and website.
69. Indian Government decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
70. Chat application Hike messenger acquired US-based free voice-calling company Zip Phone to launch free voice calling. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed.
71. India will host the 42nd World Bridge Championships that will be held in Chennai from 26 September 2015 to 10 October 2015. The information was announced by Bridge Federation of India (BFI) president N R Kirubakaramoorthy.
72. Senior IPS officer Rajiv Mehta has been appointed as the new Director General of Police in Meghalaya.
73. Vistara airline, a joint venture of Tata-SIA, started its
flight operation in India on 9 January 2015. Vistara flight took off
with its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai.
Vistara will be the third full-service carrier in India, after state-run Air India and private carrier Jet Airways.
74. Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed senior bureaucrat
Sindhushree Khullar as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog.
She will serve in the post for one year starting from 1st January.
Chinese President Xi Jinping gave him the award in the ceremony held at Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
76. Maithiripala Sirisena sworn-in as the 7th President of Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Judge K Sri Pawan administered the oath of
office to Maithiripala Sirisena at a oath taking ceremony held at the
Independence Square in Colombo.
77. Presidential rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir (J &K) . President Pranab Mukherjee approved the recommendation of
the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra.
Governor N N Vohra had recommended for President Rule in light of
deadlock over the formation of the new government continued in J &
K.
78. Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.4 per cent in 2015 and accelerate
further in the next year on the back of steps being taken by the
Narendra Modi-led NDA government, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said on Sunday.
79. US based tech firm LoopPay is planning to enter the Indian market this
year with its patented technology that facilitates payment by just
placing mobile phones beside a normal card reader at retail stores.
80. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested an advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite.
It was tested onboard of the country’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas-PV1.
81. Every year 10 January is being observed World Hindi Day. Objective of this day is to promote use of Hindi language abroad.
82. A SpaceX rocket has blasted off with supplies for the International
Space Station. The unmanned Falcon rocket soared into a clear pre-dawn
sky at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The primary mission for SpaceX is
delivering more than 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of food, experiments
and other items ordered up by NASA.
83. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has become the
first female president of Croatia, winning by the narrowest of margins.
84. Bangladesh appoints Surendra Kumar Sinha as new chief justice
85. After launching a Jifi current account in March last year, Kotak
Mahindra Bank today announced the launch of Jifi Saver, a social savings
bank account that can be managed via Twitter and Facebook.
86. The United States announced that it will host an international
Anti-terror Summit in Washington. The summit will be held on 18 February
2015 and will aim on preventing violent extremism that was seen in
attack on Charlie Hebdo’s Paris office.
87. National Youth Day was observed across India on 12 January 2015. The day
is observed annually to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer,
philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda.
88. 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer of Switzerland won the Brisbane International Tennis title. He won the Brisbane
title for the first time. With this he became the third tennis player in open era to win 1000 ATP titles. The other two players are Jimmy Connors of the US (1253) and Ivan Lendl of the US (1071).
89. The director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota Range
(SHAR) MYS Prasad was selected for the Vikram Sarabhai memorial award
2015. The award will be presented to MYS Prasad by the Indian Science
Congress Association (ISCA).
90. Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar was appointed as Chairman
of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kiran Kumar became eighth
Chairman of ISRO after succeeding K Radhakrishnan who retired on 31
December 2014.
91. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a new tax-saving term deposit product — ‘Vikas Tax Saver’.
92. Australia launched Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling Australia.
93. Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track . A goods train with 43 wagons reached the main railway station of the Dima Hasao district using this broad gauge track.
94. Anirban Lahiri, an Indian professional golfer was voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour.
95. Union Government has appointed Pournima Gupte as member (actuary) of Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDA).
96. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has adopted 4 villages in Vadodara
district in Gujarat as part of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
He has adopted following 4 villages of Vadodara district:
Karnali village
Pipaliya village
Valida village
Baglipura village
He has adopted following 4 villages of Vadodara district:
Karnali village
Pipaliya village
Valida village
Baglipura village
97. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on
Monday said it has executed three MoUs with the Gujarat Government for a
proposed financial assistance of nearly Rs 25,000 crore for various
developmental projects.
This includes refinance support of Rs 12,000 crore to cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs) for facilitating disbursement of crop loan by them in the state in the next two year
This includes refinance support of Rs 12,000 crore to cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs) for facilitating disbursement of crop loan by them in the state in the next two year
98. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for year 2014. He
has earned this title of world’s best football player for a third time.
Earlier he was conferred with award in 2008 and 2013.
99. Idukki district of Kerala has become first district in India to have
high speed Rural Broadband Network i.e. National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) Internet connectivity.
100. Sun Temple at Konark, Odhisa has been the coveted with Adarsh Monument tag by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are
Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.
Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.
Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are
Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.
Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.
101. Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goyanka has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2014.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
102. Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi has been conferred the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for 2014 for his “Kanakalochanaha” collection of short stories.
103. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan received the Governor of the Year Award for 2015.
Central Banking Awards for 2015
• Governor of the Year Award: Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
• Central Bank of the Year award: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacques de Larosiere former Governor of the Banque de France (1987–1993)
• Economics in Central Banking (inaugural award): Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements
• Governor of the Year Award: Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
• Central Bank of the Year award: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacques de Larosiere former Governor of the Banque de France (1987–1993)
• Economics in Central Banking (inaugural award): Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements
104. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an active blogger and user of
different social networks, has been named the Social Media Person of the
Year, by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
105. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano handed in his resignation as
head of state on Wednesday, leaving Prime Minister Matteo Renzi with
the politically delicate task of finding a successor.
106. Pope Francis has declared 17th century Indian priest and missionary Joseph Vaz as saint in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
107. The team of ISRO’s Mars Mission has been awarded 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category by National Space Society (NSS).
108. Union Government has sacked chief of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Avinash Chander, 16 months before his contract end.
Termination of his contract was approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with effect from 31 January 2015
Termination of his contract was approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with effect from 31 January 2015
109. Railway Ministry has flagged off India’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) powered train between Rewari and Rohtak in Haryana.
It was flagged off by Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu at Rewari junction of the Northern Railway zone.
It was flagged off by Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu at Rewari junction of the Northern Railway zone.
110. Union Urban Development Ministry,
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bill and
Milinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have agreed to partner in Swachh Bharat
programme.
111. Madagascar Prime Minister Kolo Roger and his government resigned
from their position. The resignation was accepted by Madagascar
President Hery Rajaonarimampianina on 13 January 2015.
112. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the European Central Bank (ECB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of central banking. The MoU was signed by RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan and ECB President Dr. Mario Draghi.
113. Zomato acquired the US based food portal Urbanspoon for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal. The
acquisition of Urabanspoon establishes Zomato's presence in Australia
and Canada, the UK and New Zealand. With this, Zomato will be present in
22 countries across the world.
114. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut down repo rate by 25 basis points
to 7.75 percent from 8 percent, with immediate effect.
RBI’s 6th bi-monthly monetary policy statement says that
Repo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 8.0 per cent to 7.75 per cent.
Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6.75 per cent.
While, RBI has adjusted Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent with immediate effect.
Repo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 8.0 per cent to 7.75 per cent.
Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6.75 per cent.
While, RBI has adjusted Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent with immediate effect.
115. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved appointment of Anupam Shrivastava as CMD (Chairman and Managing Director) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Currently, he is serving as Director - Consumer Mobility at the BSNL
Significance of Day: In 1949, on this day Lt. General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (of the independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher.
117. Indian open water swimmer Bhakti Sharma set a world record by swimming
1.4 miles in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the Antarctic
Ocean. She is the first Indian women as well as to achieve this feat.
118. The public sector power generation equipments major, Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged a contract for setting up a
Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) in Karnataka.
119. ICICI Bank launched a completely online account opening facility for Non-Resident Indians residing in the US
120. Rakesh Bhatia, Managing Director and CEO of Kerala-based Catholic Syrian Bank, has resigned.
121. ING Vysya Bank, which is going to be merged with Kotak Mahindra Bank,
today appointed former Sebi chief M Damodaran as its Non-Executive
Chairman.
122. Bengaluru FC on 11 January 2015 lifted their maiden football Federation
Cup. In the final clash for the title Bengaluru defeated Goa's Dempo
Sports Club 2-1.
The final match was played at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda of Margao, Goa.
The final match was played at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda of Margao, Goa.
123. The Cabinet of Japan headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved its
largest ever defence budget for 2015 on 14 January 2015. The defence
budget includes plan to buy surveillance aircraft, drones and F-35
fighter jets to help counter rising assertiveness of China.
Dear Readers, we are providing Current Affairs of 1-15 January 2015 for upcoming Exams.
Click here To Download In PDF
1. Union government has renamed Planning commission as Niti Aayog. Government’s decision comes after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Independence Day announcement that the Planning Commission would be replaced with a new-age institution.
(NITI) Aayog Members
Chairman- Prime Minister
Vice-chairman- Arvind Panagariya
CEO- Sindhushree Khullar
Other Appointments of NITI Aayog
Full-Time Members:
Bibek Debroy- Economist.
V.K. Saraswat- Former Secretary Defence R&D.
Ex-officio members:
Rajnath Singh- Union Home Minister.
Arun Jaitley- Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister.
Suresh Prabhu- Union Minister of Railways
Radha Mohan Singh- Union Minister of Agriculture.
Special Invitees:
Nitin Gadkari- Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.
Thawar Chand Gehlot-Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Smriti Zubin Irani- Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD).
2. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was renamed as Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India .
3. Technology giant Microsoft sued an Indian company C-Cubed Solution along with several other entities for fraud
4. Jangmi, a tropical storm made landfall in northeastern Mindanao Island of Philippines .
5. Kishore Kumar Sansi assumed charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank
6. P Srinivas will be the new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Bank of India (UBI).
7. LPG consumers across the country get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts so that they buy the cooking fuel at market price.
Domestic LPG users will get Rs. 568 in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL.
8. Government has signed a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 75 million dollars and 1.8 million dollar grant for Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program (KIUWMIP).
9. IAS officer M Sathiyavathy has become first woman to be appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
10. The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
11. A K Mittal appointed railway board chairman. Mittal, who was member (staff), has succeeded Arunendra Kumar, whose appointment as well as entire tenure was mired in lot of controversies.
42. Jiji Thomson resigned as Director General of Sports Authority of India
(SAI) with immediate effect. Thomson took charge of SAI in March 2013
47. Nilesh Shah resigned as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD &CEO) of Axis Capital Limited.
48. Indian weightlifters ended their campaign by bagging a total of 14 medals including 6 Gold Medals in the 17th Asian Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships 2015 at Doha, Qatar.
49. Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited launched China's first online bank named WeBank to boost small businesses.
The online bank aims at lowering costs for delivering practical benefits to small businesses, while forcing traditional financial institutions to accelerate reforms.
50. Facebook Inc acquired startup company Wit.ai in an attempt to develop voice recognition. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed by the firms.
51. The global financial services firm Nomura forecasted that Indian Economy will grow at 5.5 percent during the financial year (FY) 2015-16 and 6.6 percent during FY 2016-17.
52. Australian flag carrier Qantas has been named the world’s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings.com
53. ICICI Bank has announced the launch of country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards to enable electronic payments without swiping.
It will enable electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them. These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology
At present, the ‘Coral Contactless Credit Card’ and ‘Expressions Wave Debit Card’ of ICICI Bank are powered to provide the contactless or the ‘tap and pay’ facility.
54. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan named as the Brand Ambassador of Andhra Pradesh (AP) health sector. His appointment was announced by the AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas in Hyderabad.
55. Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS). It was announced by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
56. Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
57. Dr. Dinesh Oraon of Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly . Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi announced Oraon's election as unanimous.
58. World Economic Forum Summit at Davos to discuss the road ahead for the WTO, including the post-Bali programme.
59. Popov Ivan of Russia won 7th Chennai International Open Grandmaster Chess title
60. 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar is the chief guest.
61. Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize has been put up for display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
It was put for display, after Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his prize to the nation
62. Union Government will provide 60 million US dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The LoC will help the country in tackling its transport problem.
The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
63. Modibo Keita was appointed as the Prime Minister of West African nation Mali. His appointment was confirmed by Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Modibo Keita succeeded Moussa Mara
64. Haryana Government appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Director General of Police (DGP). His appointment was confirmed by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
65. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Dandi Kutir museum in Gujarat’s capital of Gandhinagar. It is a state-of-the-art three-storey museum, based upon the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was inaugurated on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) and 7th edition of Vibrant Gujarat.
66. Tech Mahindra announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOFGEN Holdings (SOFGEN), a niche consulting and services company specialising in private /wealth, commercial and retail banking solutions. The transaction is expected to close by March 2015, subject to regulatory approvals.
67. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has achieved a big milestone after it had discovered 1000 exoplanet.
68. Online Classifieds Company Quikr launched instant messenger Quikr Nxt to enable seamless transactions between its users. The product was launched by Quikr CEO and founder Pranay Chulet.
The messenger will allow users to chat using the website or mobile app. The messenger has been integrated into Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and website.
69. Indian Government decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
70. Chat application Hike messenger acquired US-based free voice-calling company Zip Phone to launch free voice calling. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed.
71. India will host the 42nd World Bridge Championships that will be held in Chennai from 26 September 2015 to 10 October 2015. The information was announced by Bridge Federation of India (BFI) president N R Kirubakaramoorthy.
72. Senior IPS officer Rajiv Mehta has been appointed as the new Director General of Police in Meghalaya.
75.Prominent Chinese theoretical physicist Yu Min has been awarded State Preeminent Science and Technology Award for 2014.
93. Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track . A goods train with 43 wagons reached the main railway station of the Dima Hasao district using this broad gauge track.
116. In India, Army Day is being observed every year on 15 January.
Significance of Day: In 1949, on this day Lt. General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (of the independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher.
Click here To Download In PDF
1. Union government has renamed Planning commission as Niti Aayog. Government’s decision comes after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Independence Day announcement that the Planning Commission would be replaced with a new-age institution.
(NITI) Aayog Members
Chairman- Prime Minister
Vice-chairman- Arvind Panagariya
CEO- Sindhushree Khullar
Other Appointments of NITI Aayog
Full-Time Members:
Bibek Debroy- Economist.
V.K. Saraswat- Former Secretary Defence R&D.
Ex-officio members:
Rajnath Singh- Union Home Minister.
Arun Jaitley- Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister.
Suresh Prabhu- Union Minister of Railways
Radha Mohan Singh- Union Minister of Agriculture.
Special Invitees:
Nitin Gadkari- Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.
Thawar Chand Gehlot-Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Smriti Zubin Irani- Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD).
2. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was renamed as Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India .
3. Technology giant Microsoft sued an Indian company C-Cubed Solution along with several other entities for fraud
4. Jangmi, a tropical storm made landfall in northeastern Mindanao Island of Philippines .
5. Kishore Kumar Sansi assumed charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Vijaya Bank
6. P Srinivas will be the new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Bank of India (UBI).
7. LPG consumers across the country get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts so that they buy the cooking fuel at market price.
Domestic LPG users will get Rs. 568 in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL.
8. Government has signed a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 75 million dollars and 1.8 million dollar grant for Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program (KIUWMIP).
9. IAS officer M Sathiyavathy has become first woman to be appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
10. The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
11. A K Mittal appointed railway board chairman. Mittal, who was member (staff), has succeeded Arunendra Kumar, whose appointment as well as entire tenure was mired in lot of controversies.
12. Union Government launched integrated women safetymobile app called Himmat. The app was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.
13. Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . He was appointed as the Chairman of the organization in October 2009 as successor of G. Madhavan Nair.
14. French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur.
He is the bestselling author of book Capital in the 21st Century which examines income inequality in society.
15. Former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passed away in Syracuse, New York in US. She was 82.
16. Five new countries join UNSC as non-permanent members -
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain - have begun their two-year term, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.
17. Senior IPS officer Ashok Prasad has been appointed as the new Special
Secretary of Home Ministry's crucial Internal Security division, a post
which was vacant after Prakash Mishra was appointed as head of CRPF.
18. Know-Your-Customers (KYC) rules for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) were relaxed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
As per RBI notification, the KYC exercise will be required to be done in three ways and they are
• For high-risk individuals and entities – in at least every 2 years
• For medium risk individuals and entities - in at least every 8 years
• For low risk individuals and entities – in at least every 10 years
• For high-risk individuals and entities – in at least every 2 years
• For medium risk individuals and entities - in at least every 8 years
• For low risk individuals and entities – in at least every 10 years
19. Union Government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 for another one year in Assam and has declared the entire ‘state of Assam’ as a ‘Disturbed Area’.
20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Indian Science Congress
2015 at the Mumbai University. It is the 102nd edition of this congress
and Mumbai is hosting it again after the gap of 45 years.
21. Union Sports Ministry has given nod to Boxing India (BI) as the new governing body for the sport.
Boxing India President: Sandeep Jajodia
22. R.K Srivastava took over as the new chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) replacing Sudheer Raheja.
23. Veteran Indian-origin civil servant Joseph Yubaraj Manuel Pillay was reappointed as the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Advisers (CPA) by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
24. The Reserve Bank of India has advanced the deadline for banks to
complete the process of providing banking services in unbanked villages
(with population less than 2,000) to August 14, 2015, instead of March
2016.
25. Former ISRO chief and renowned Scientist Dr. Vasant Ranchod Gowarikar passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 81.
26. Aamir Khan-starrer PK s Dhoom 3
record to become the biggest earner in Bollywood.
27. The Union Government has
announced a Rs. 1,900 crore e-governance project, Panch Deep, to
automate all transactions between the organisations and employees with
regard to ESIC (employees state insurance corporation)
28. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed an information sharing agreement
with United States (US) banking regulators for better coordination with
them in supervising financial institutions.
29. Kiran Bhai Vadodaria was elected as President of the Indian Newspaper
Society (INS) for 2014-15. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of
Gujarati newspaper Sambhaav Metro.He succeeded Ravindra Kumar of The Statesman
30.
The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank
launched Digital Village Project in Akodara Village of Gujarat. The
project aimed to provide services ranging from cashless banking to
digitised school teaching. The digital village has three themes i.e.
cashless, comprehensive and connected.
31. Bharat Forge Limited (BFL) acquired France-based Company Mecanique Generale Langroise (MGL) for nearly 90 crore rupees.
32. Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara has joined an elite group of
cricketers to make 12,000 runs in Test Cricket. He reached this
milestone in Sri Lanka’s second Test match against New Zealand held in
Wellington, New Zealand.
He has become the fifth cricketer to make 12,000 runs. Other four
cricketers are Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs),
Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs), Jacques Kallis from
South Africa (13,289 runs) and India’s Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs).
33.
The two day bankers retreat -- Gyan Sangam -- ended in Pune with
bankers collectively resolving to improve on five points and even
demanded some commitment from the government to improve the state of
banking in the country.
34. The Sports Ministry today decided to recommend ace shuttler Saina Nehwal for the Padma Bhushan award
35. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scheme for LED bulb
distribution under domestic efficient lighting programme (DELP) in
Delhi.
36. Freedom fighter and National Flag designer Pingali Venkayya was honoured by naming All India Radio(AIR) Vijayawada (in Andhra Pradesh) building after him.
37. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has decided to prepare a Tea Atlas in India’s North Eastern State Assam.
38. Independent candidate and transgender Madhu Kinnar won
the Mayoral election in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh Municipal Corporation.
Kinnar won the election by 4537 votes against Bharatiya Janata Party’s
(BJP) Mahaveer Guruji. With this, she scripted history by becoming the first transgender to get elected as mayor in the state.
39. The International Hindi Conference will be hosted by New Jersey in April
2015. The theme of the International Hindi Conference 2015 is Expanding
World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges.
40. IAS
officer P Krishnamurthy was appointed as Private
Secretary of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. He is appointed
for a five-year period or on co-terminus basis with the minister's
tenure.
41. Google’s Larry Page has emerged as the ‘business person of the year’
for 2014,edging past the likes of Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to Fortune magazine.
43. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed the Foreign Institutional
Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) to buy
up to 49 percent of the paid-up capital of Bajaj Corp Ltd.
44.
Philips has appointed Harshavardhan Chitale as CEO of Philips Lighting
solutions, South Asia, with effect from January 1, 2015.
45. Andhra Pradesh Government is planning a zero-based budget for 2015-16 which seeks to make the process more efficient where allocations are based on works completed.
46. Avijit Ghosh took over the charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC). He succeeded R. Misra whose tenure of three year ended on 31 December 2014.
45. Andhra Pradesh Government is planning a zero-based budget for 2015-16 which seeks to make the process more efficient where allocations are based on works completed.
46. Avijit Ghosh took over the charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC). He succeeded R. Misra whose tenure of three year ended on 31 December 2014.
47. Nilesh Shah resigned as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD &CEO) of Axis Capital Limited.
48. Indian weightlifters ended their campaign by bagging a total of 14 medals including 6 Gold Medals in the 17th Asian Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships 2015 at Doha, Qatar.
49. Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited launched China's first online bank named WeBank to boost small businesses.
The online bank aims at lowering costs for delivering practical benefits to small businesses, while forcing traditional financial institutions to accelerate reforms.
50. Facebook Inc acquired startup company Wit.ai in an attempt to develop voice recognition. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed by the firms.
51. The global financial services firm Nomura forecasted that Indian Economy will grow at 5.5 percent during the financial year (FY) 2015-16 and 6.6 percent during FY 2016-17.
52. Australian flag carrier Qantas has been named the world’s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings.com
53. ICICI Bank has announced the launch of country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards to enable electronic payments without swiping.
It will enable electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them. These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology
At present, the ‘Coral Contactless Credit Card’ and ‘Expressions Wave Debit Card’ of ICICI Bank are powered to provide the contactless or the ‘tap and pay’ facility.
54. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan named as the Brand Ambassador of Andhra Pradesh (AP) health sector. His appointment was announced by the AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas in Hyderabad.
55. Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS). It was announced by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
56. Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
57. Dr. Dinesh Oraon of Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly . Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi announced Oraon's election as unanimous.
58. World Economic Forum Summit at Davos to discuss the road ahead for the WTO, including the post-Bali programme.
59. Popov Ivan of Russia won 7th Chennai International Open Grandmaster Chess title
60. 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar is the chief guest.
61. Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize has been put up for display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
It was put for display, after Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his prize to the nation
62. Union Government will provide 60 million US dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The LoC will help the country in tackling its transport problem.
The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
64. Haryana Government appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Director General of Police (DGP). His appointment was confirmed by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
65. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Dandi Kutir museum in Gujarat’s capital of Gandhinagar. It is a state-of-the-art three-storey museum, based upon the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was inaugurated on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) and 7th edition of Vibrant Gujarat.
66. Tech Mahindra announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SOFGEN Holdings (SOFGEN), a niche consulting and services company specialising in private /wealth, commercial and retail banking solutions. The transaction is expected to close by March 2015, subject to regulatory approvals.
67. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has achieved a big milestone after it had discovered 1000 exoplanet.
68. Online Classifieds Company Quikr launched instant messenger Quikr Nxt to enable seamless transactions between its users. The product was launched by Quikr CEO and founder Pranay Chulet.
The messenger will allow users to chat using the website or mobile app. The messenger has been integrated into Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and website.
69. Indian Government decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
70. Chat application Hike messenger acquired US-based free voice-calling company Zip Phone to launch free voice calling. However, the details of acquisition were not disclosed.
71. India will host the 42nd World Bridge Championships that will be held in Chennai from 26 September 2015 to 10 October 2015. The information was announced by Bridge Federation of India (BFI) president N R Kirubakaramoorthy.
72. Senior IPS officer Rajiv Mehta has been appointed as the new Director General of Police in Meghalaya.
73. Vistara airline, a joint venture of Tata-SIA, started its
flight operation in India on 9 January 2015. Vistara flight took off
with its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai.
Vistara will be the third full-service carrier in India, after state-run Air India and private carrier Jet Airways.
74. Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed senior bureaucrat
Sindhushree Khullar as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog.
She will serve in the post for one year starting from 1st January.
Chinese President Xi Jinping gave him the award in the ceremony held at Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
76. Maithiripala Sirisena sworn-in as the 7th President of Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Judge K Sri Pawan administered the oath of
office to Maithiripala Sirisena at a oath taking ceremony held at the
Independence Square in Colombo.
77. Presidential rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir (J &K) . President Pranab Mukherjee approved the recommendation of
the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra.
Governor N N Vohra had recommended for President Rule in light of
deadlock over the formation of the new government continued in J &
K.
78. Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.4 per cent in 2015 and accelerate
further in the next year on the back of steps being taken by the
Narendra Modi-led NDA government, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said on Sunday.
79. US based tech firm LoopPay is planning to enter the Indian market this
year with its patented technology that facilitates payment by just
placing mobile phones beside a normal card reader at retail stores.
80. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested an advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite.
It was tested onboard of the country’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas-PV1.
81. Every year 10 January is being observed World Hindi Day. Objective of this day is to promote use of Hindi language abroad.
82. A SpaceX rocket has blasted off with supplies for the International
Space Station. The unmanned Falcon rocket soared into a clear pre-dawn
sky at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The primary mission for SpaceX is
delivering more than 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of food, experiments
and other items ordered up by NASA.
83. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has become the
first female president of Croatia, winning by the narrowest of margins.
84. Bangladesh appoints Surendra Kumar Sinha as new chief justice
85. After launching a Jifi current account in March last year, Kotak
Mahindra Bank today announced the launch of Jifi Saver, a social savings
bank account that can be managed via Twitter and Facebook.
86. The United States announced that it will host an international
Anti-terror Summit in Washington. The summit will be held on 18 February
2015 and will aim on preventing violent extremism that was seen in
attack on Charlie Hebdo’s Paris office.
87. National Youth Day was observed across India on 12 January 2015. The day
is observed annually to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer,
philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda.
88. 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer of Switzerland won the Brisbane International Tennis title. He won the Brisbane
title for the first time. With this he became the third tennis player in open era to win 1000 ATP titles. The other two players are Jimmy Connors of the US (1253) and Ivan Lendl of the US (1071).
89. The director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota Range
(SHAR) MYS Prasad was selected for the Vikram Sarabhai memorial award
2015. The award will be presented to MYS Prasad by the Indian Science
Congress Association (ISCA).
90. Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar was appointed as Chairman
of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kiran Kumar became eighth
Chairman of ISRO after succeeding K Radhakrishnan who retired on 31
December 2014.
91. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a new tax-saving term deposit product — ‘Vikas Tax Saver’.
92. Australia launched Online Visa Pilot Programme to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online visa for travelling Australia.
93. Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track . A goods train with 43 wagons reached the main railway station of the Dima Hasao district using this broad gauge track.
94. Anirban Lahiri, an Indian professional golfer was voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the year in Asian Tour.
95. Union Government has appointed Pournima Gupte as member (actuary) of Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDA).
96. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has adopted 4 villages in Vadodara
district in Gujarat as part of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
He has adopted following 4 villages of Vadodara district:
Karnali village
Pipaliya village
Valida village
Baglipura village
He has adopted following 4 villages of Vadodara district:
Karnali village
Pipaliya village
Valida village
Baglipura village
97. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on
Monday said it has executed three MoUs with the Gujarat Government for a
proposed financial assistance of nearly Rs 25,000 crore for various
developmental projects.
This includes refinance support of Rs 12,000 crore to cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs) for facilitating disbursement of crop loan by them in the state in the next two year
This includes refinance support of Rs 12,000 crore to cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs) for facilitating disbursement of crop loan by them in the state in the next two year
98. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for year 2014. He
has earned this title of world’s best football player for a third time.
Earlier he was conferred with award in 2008 and 2013.
99. Idukki district of Kerala has become first district in India to have
high speed Rural Broadband Network i.e. National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) Internet connectivity.
100. Sun Temple at Konark, Odhisa has been the coveted with Adarsh Monument tag by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are
Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.
Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.
Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are
Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.
Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.
101. Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goyanka has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2014.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
102. Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi has been conferred the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for 2014 for his “Kanakalochanaha” collection of short stories.
103. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan received the Governor of the Year Award for 2015.
Central Banking Awards for 2015
• Governor of the Year Award: Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
• Central Bank of the Year award: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacques de Larosiere former Governor of the Banque de France (1987–1993)
• Economics in Central Banking (inaugural award): Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements
• Governor of the Year Award: Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
• Central Bank of the Year award: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacques de Larosiere former Governor of the Banque de France (1987–1993)
• Economics in Central Banking (inaugural award): Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at the Bank for International Settlements
104. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an active blogger and user of
different social networks, has been named the Social Media Person of the
Year, by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
105. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano handed in his resignation as
head of state on Wednesday, leaving Prime Minister Matteo Renzi with
the politically delicate task of finding a successor.
106. Pope Francis has declared 17th century Indian priest and missionary Joseph Vaz as saint in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
107. The team of ISRO’s Mars Mission has been awarded 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category by National Space Society (NSS).
108. Union Government has sacked chief of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Avinash Chander, 16 months before his contract end.
Termination of his contract was approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with effect from 31 January 2015
Termination of his contract was approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with effect from 31 January 2015
109. Railway Ministry has flagged off India’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) powered train between Rewari and Rohtak in Haryana.
It was flagged off by Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu at Rewari junction of the Northern Railway zone.
It was flagged off by Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu at Rewari junction of the Northern Railway zone.
110. Union Urban Development Ministry,
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Bill and
Milinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have agreed to partner in Swachh Bharat
programme.
111. Madagascar Prime Minister Kolo Roger and his government resigned
from their position. The resignation was accepted by Madagascar
President Hery Rajaonarimampianina on 13 January 2015.
112. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the European Central Bank (ECB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of central banking. The MoU was signed by RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan and ECB President Dr. Mario Draghi.
113. Zomato acquired the US based food portal Urbanspoon for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal. The
acquisition of Urabanspoon establishes Zomato's presence in Australia
and Canada, the UK and New Zealand. With this, Zomato will be present in
22 countries across the world.
114. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut down repo rate by 25 basis points
to 7.75 percent from 8 percent, with immediate effect.
RBI’s 6th bi-monthly monetary policy statement says that
Repo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 8.0 per cent to 7.75 per cent.
Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6.75 per cent.
While, RBI has adjusted Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent with immediate effect.
Repo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 8.0 per cent to 7.75 per cent.
Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6.75 per cent.
While, RBI has adjusted Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.75 per cent with immediate effect.
115. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved appointment of Anupam Shrivastava as CMD (Chairman and Managing Director) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Currently, he is serving as Director - Consumer Mobility at the BSNL
Significance of Day: In 1949, on this day Lt. General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (of the independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher.
117. Indian open water swimmer Bhakti Sharma set a world record by swimming
1.4 miles in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the Antarctic
Ocean. She is the first Indian women as well as to achieve this feat.
118. The public sector power generation equipments major, Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged a contract for setting up a
Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) in Karnataka.
119. ICICI Bank launched a completely online account opening facility for Non-Resident Indians residing in the US
120. Rakesh Bhatia, Managing Director and CEO of Kerala-based Catholic Syrian Bank, has resigned.
121. ING Vysya Bank, which is going to be merged with Kotak Mahindra Bank,
today appointed former Sebi chief M Damodaran as its Non-Executive
Chairman.
122. Bengaluru FC on 11 January 2015 lifted their maiden football Federation
Cup. In the final clash for the title Bengaluru defeated Goa's Dempo
Sports Club 2-1.
The final match was played at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda of Margao, Goa.
The final match was played at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda of Margao, Goa.
123. The Cabinet of Japan headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved its
largest ever defence budget for 2015 on 14 January 2015. The defence
budget includes plan to buy surveillance aircraft, drones and F-35
fighter jets to help counter rising assertiveness of China.
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