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1 CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2020
PREFACE
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National Affairs
1. Indian Railways to Launch Tejas Express on Ahmedabad-Mumbai Route
The inaugural run of this second Tejas Train will be flagged off from Ahmedabad on 17th
January, 2020. The commercial run of the train will start with effect from 19th January,
2020 from Ahmedabad.
Key Points:
• After the successful run of Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express, the second premium Tejas
train is ready to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
• This will be yet another step of the Ministry of Railways in its endeavour to improve
the overall traveling experience to rail passengers by providing state of the art
facilities.
• The train is fully air-conditioned and will have two executive class chair cars with 56
seats each and eight chair cars 78 seats each. The train will totally carry capacity of
736 passengers.
• IRCTC will also pay a compensation of Rs. 100 in case the train is delayed by more
than one hour and Rs. 250 in case of delay of more than 2 hours to every passenger
as compensation.
2. Indian Railways introduced a new Passenger Information System at Anakapalle

Railway Station of Vijayawada
Indian Railways introduced a new Passenger Information System at Anakapalle Railway

Station of the Vijayawada Division in South Central Railway. The Passenger Information
system comprises of a Board that provides the Coach Composition position of a train. The
main objective of this application is to provide better features and an easy guide to the
passengers and thereby providing satisfactory user experience.
• The Passenger Information System provided at Anakapalle Station, modern technology

adopted by which the estimated arrival of the trains at the station is taken based on the
real-time location of the passengers.
• The system provides an electronic display of information about the passengers

expected at the station in the next two hours in a Trilingual form.
• The system includes a facility for the operator to modify the data in case of any
emergencies.
• The cost of the equipment is Rs 10 lakhs consists of the supply, installation,
commissioning, and onsite warranty of 3 years. They consist of 3 to 5 lines used for
displaying information of upcoming trains at the station.
3. Aadhaar and PAN linking deadline extended to March 2020
• The deadline to link the permanent account number-PAN with Aadhaar was extended
till 31st March 2020 by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through an order.
• The due date for linking of the PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-section-2 of
Section-139AA of the Income-tax Act,1961 has now been extended from 31st
December, 2019 to 31st March, 2020.
• This is the 8th time that the CBDT has extended the deadline for individuals to link their
PAN with Aadhaar.
• Section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act says that every person who is having PAN as
on July 1, 2017, and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to
tax authorities.
• Supreme Court, in September last year, had declared the Centre's flagship "Aadhaar
scheme" as constitutionally valid and held that the biometric ID would remain
mandatory for the filing of IT returns and allotment of PAN.
4. ECI launches Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System
The Election Commission (ECI) has launched an online system which allows political
parties track their applications for registration with the poll panel on a real-time basis.
Key Points:
• The Commission had amended the guidelines for registration in the last month. The
new norms have come into force from 1st January 2020.
• The salient features of the Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System-
PPRTMS is that applicants who are applying for the party registration from 1st January
2020, will be able to track the progress of his/her application and also they will get the
status updates through SMS and email.
• An association seeking registration has to submit an application to the Commission
within a period of 30 days from the date of its formation.
• The registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section-29A of the
Representation of the People Act, 1951.
5. PM Modi to inaugurate DRDO laboratories
PM Narendra Modi will be in Karnataka on January 2 and 3. He would be inaugurating 5

DRDO Young Scientists' Laboratories. This development would boost the indigenous
research capabilities in the defence sector. The event shall be organised at the
Aeronautical Development Establishment, DRDO at Bengaluru. Prime Minister shall unveil
a plaque to mark the dedication, and address the Scientists.
DRDO will also showcase some of its innovative products to the Prime Minister at an
Exhibition on the occasion. Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa and DRDO Chairman Dr. G
Satheesh Reddy will be present on the occasion.
6. Report of task force on National Infrastructure on Pipeline 2019-2025
To achieve the GDP of $5 trillion by 2024-25, India needs to spend about $1.4 trillion i.e.,
Rs. 100 lakh crore over these years on infrastructure. In the past decade i.e., FY 2008-
17 India has invested about $1.1 trillion on infrastructure. The challenge is to step-up an
annual infrastructure investment so that lack of infrastructure does not become a binding
constraint on the growth of the Indian economy. The Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala
Sitharaman made a brief statement on the contents of the National Infrastructure Pipeline
at a Press Conference on 31st December 2019. She indicated that Government will
examine the recommendations of the Task Force and take action early.
Rs.100 lakh crore would be invested on infrastructure over the next 5 years including
social and economic infrastructure projects. To achieve this objective, a Task Force was
constituted to draw up the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for each of the years from
FY 2019-20 to FY 2024-25 with the approval of the Finance Minister. The Task Force is
chaired by Secretary, DEA with CEO (NITI Aayog), Secretary (Expenditure), Secretary of the
Administrative Ministries, and Additional Secretary (Investments), DEA as members and
Joint Secretary (IPF), DEA as Member Secretary.
The 1st meeting of the Task Force was held in September 2019. Also, several meetings
were held with various Departments or Ministries engaged in infrastructure development,
Corporates engaged in infrastructure development & construction, Banks/Financial
Institutions, Private Equity funds, and Industry Associations, including CII, FICCI &
ASSOCHAM, to seek information as well as suggestions on reforms required in
infrastructure sectors.
7. Birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh
PM Narendra Modi on 2nd January 2020 greeted people on the 353rd birth anniversary of
Gobind Singh. He was the 10th Sikh guru.
Key Points:
• Modi posted a brief video on the guru describing how he fought against injustice
and caste discrimination.
• His philosophy and ideals are relevant for the “New India.”
• He was a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher and was born in 1666 in
Patna.
About Guru Gobind Singh:

Guru Gobind Singh founded Sikh Warrior community called Khalsa in 1699. He introduced
five Ks in Sikhism. It is called the “Panj Kakar”They are uncut hair (Kesh), an iron bracelet
(kara), a wooden comb (Kangha), 100% cotton undergarment (Kachera) and iron dagger
(Kirpan). In Sikhism, the holy text Dasam Granth is dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh.
8. PM Narendra Modi paid his tribute to the Indian Social Reformer Savitribai Phule
On January 3, 2020, PM Narendra Modi saluted the contribution of the Indian Social
Reformer Savitribai Phule.
Key Points:
• Hailed as a pioneer in women's education, Savitribai Phule and her husband, social
reformer Jyotirao Phule started what is believed to be India's first school for girls
171 years ago.
• Born on January 3, 1831, at Naigaon in Satara district of Maharashtra, Savitribai
married Jyotirao at the age of nine.
• Her husband, fired by modern ideas and a reformist zeal, taught her to read and
write. Savitribai took a teachers' training course and became a qualified teacher in
1847.
• The couple then started a school for girls in Bhidewada in Pune city in 1848, and she
became its first teacher.
• The couple had to face tremendous harassment from conservative elements who
found the idea of women' education repugnant.
• She dedicated her life to education, social unity and empowerment of women. Her
struggle for social consciousness will always inspire the countrymen.
9. Swarna Jayanti Fellowships to 14 scientists
Fourteen Indian scientists under 40 years of age, including three from the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, were awarded the prestigious Swarna Jayanti (SJ)
Fellowships for the year 2018-19.
Key Points:
• The fellows were selected on the basis of their past work, innovative research idea and
the potential to make an impact on R&D in the respective disciplines.
• They will get a monthly fellowship of Rs 25,000 and an annual research grant of Rs 5
lakh, for the next five years, in addition to their salary.
• Mathematician Apoorva Khare, physicist Anindya Das and computational data scientist
Yogesh Simmhan are the new SJ Fellows from the IISc.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay will have two new SJ fellows in
chemist Gopalan Rajaraman and climate scientist Subimal Ghosh.
10. 107th Indian Science Congress
The 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC) was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on January 3, 2019 at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru.
While delivering the inaugural address, the Prime Minister said that India’s growth story
depends on its achievements in the Science and Technology sector and reiterated the
need to revolutionise the landscape of Indian Science Technology and Innovation. The
five-day summit is expected to witness participation from several policymakers, scientists,
academians, inventors and politicians from across the world. Two Nobel Prize winners,
Stefan Hell and Ada Yonath are also expected to attend the congress and conduct
lectures.
The 107th Indian Science Congress aims to bridge the gap between farmer and tech-
developers. Many of the innovations have helped in enhancing market access, crop
productivity and diversifying rural livelihood profiles. However, the gap between the
farmers and innovators has resulted in only partial exploration of the benefits.
During the inauguration of the 107th Indian Science Congress, PM Modi also launched the
Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Portal. The portal has
been designed to be the gateway for researchers to locate a specific type of facility they
require to conduct their research and development work in India.
11. 5th anniversary of UJALA Programme
Launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on January 5th, 2015, the
Government of India’s zero subsidy Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and
LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), marked its fifth anniversary.
SLNP is the world’s largest streetlight replacement programme and UJALA is the world’s
largest domestic lighting project. Both of these have been spearheaded and implemented
by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of
Power, Government of India. Under the SLNP programme, more than 1.03 crore smart LED
streetlights have been installed till date. This enables an estimated energy savings of 6.97
billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated
greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 4.80 million CO2 annually. LED streetlights
have been installed in various states across the country. This helped to generate
approximately 13,000 jobs to support GoI's Make in India initiative. Through the UJALA
initiative, over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted
in estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kWh per year, avoided peak demand of 9,394
MW, and an estimated GHG emission reduction of 38 million CO2 annually.
UJALA project brought the market transformation in energy efficiency sector. Prices of
LED bulbs being distributed under UJALA programme have fallen to one-tenth of their
rates in 2015 from INR. 310 to INR 38 in 2018. The switch from inefficient incandescent
bulbs to LEDs is helping families reduce their electricity bills while also enabling them to
access better brightness in homes. The money saved adds to a household’s disposable
income and lifetime savings, thus improving their quality of life, generating prosperity in
local communities, and in expanding energy access to all. With the average household
electricity bills down by 15 per cent, the annual energy saving is equivalent to a week’s
average earning. The sale of LED bulbs in the Indian market increased from 0.1 per cent of
the lighting market in 2014 to 15 per cent within a year, with a projected increase to 60 per
cent by 2020. The domestic LED market has also grown significantly beyond the UJALA
programme, with the industry selling over 1.15 billion LEDs, far exceeding the UJALA
programme’s target of 700 million LED unit sales.
12. National Stock Exchange (NSE) knowledge Hub
Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister Piyush Goyal today inaugurated the National
Stock Exchange (NSE) Knowledge Hub in New Delhi. It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)
powered learning ecosystem that will assist banking, financial services and insurance
(BFSI) sector. Although India has developed as the second largest fintech hub in the world,
a lot of work still needs to be done in the BFSI sector. The Knowledge Hub created by NSE
will fill in these gaps and help the financial sector to move into the future.
This Knowledge Hub will enhance skills and help academic institutions in preparing future-
ready talent for the financial service industry. It is also available on mobile and attempts to
bring together world class content and learners through this state- of- the- art and future-
ready platform.
This industry-driven learning ecosystem will help India in building the next-generation skills
and capabilities in the BFSI sector.
The use of AI ensures that the skill upgradation is affordable and accessible, it helps in
creating a workforce that is adequate for the requirements of the sector.
AI and Machine Learning will contribute USD 1 trillion by the year 2035. This is a good
beginning by NSE to tap the potential of AI and use it as a tool to create a workforce in the
BFSI sector in the country.
13. GoI approves disaster relief fund to seven states
High Level Committee (HLC) chaired by the Union Home Minister approves over Rs. 5,908
crore of additional Central assistance to 7 States viz., Himachal Pradesh, Assam,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh to get funds for
floods, landslides, cloudburst during South West Monsoon 2019.
HLC approved additional central assistance of Rs. 5908.56 crore to seven States from
National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) - Rs. 616.63 crore to Assam, Rs. 284.93 crore to
Himachal Pradesh, Rs. 1869.85 crore to Karnataka, Rs. 1749.73 crore to Madhya Pradesh,
Rs. 956.93 crore to Maharashtra, Rs. 63.32 to Tripura and Rs 367.17 crore to Uttar Pradesh
for floods/ landslides/cloudburst during south west monsoon 2019.
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, along with
senior officers of the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Agriculture and NITI Aayog were
present in the meeting.
14. Niti Aayog draws up list of medical devices which have high export potential
To eliminate the bottlenecks in domestic medical devices businesses, government think-

tank NITI Aayog has taken up a list of devices which have the most potential for export. A
tentative list of 10 such device-categories has been drawn up.
Key Points:
• Devices under this are cardiac stents, orthopaedic implants, surgical blades,
catheters, X-Ray machines, syringes and needles, blood bags, CT Scan and MRI
Machines as well as sutures. This is just a preliminary list.
• This list is being drawn up so that their domestic manufacturing can be prioritised.
• By doing this it would boost their exports and GoI will create a framework to
accelerate their standardization and certification.
• 2years back, NITI Aayog announced that all the medical devices would be brought
under one regulatory regime.
• This will not only boost the exports but also fasten the certification process.
15. The Indian Railways have installed IP based video surveillance system to
enhance security
The Railway Board has approved works for provision of Video Surveillance System (VSS)
which covers 983 stations under Nirbhaya funds. RailTel has been entrusted with the work
of providing IP based VSS with video analytics and facial recognition system
Key Points:
• This is done to enhance security at Railway stations which are major hubs of
transportation.
• Indian Railways is in the process of installing VSS in waiting halls, reservation counters,
parking areas, main entrance/ exit, platforms, foot over bridges, booking offices etc. for
the safety of women.
• This year a budget of Rs. 250 crore was allotted to Indian Railways from the Nirbhaya
fund for installation of video surveillance system.
• In the first phase the VSS will be installed at 200 stations Pan India. Currently, work has
been completed at 81 stations across India.
• VSS will be extended to other stations and coaches soon.
• RailTel is a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways. It has been entrusted with the
work of providing IP based VSS with video analytics and facial recognition system.
• To have a better coverage and clear image, 4 types of Full HD Cameras:
• Dome type (for indoor areas)
• Bullet type (for platforms)

• Pan Tilt Zoom type (for parking areas)
• Ultra HD- 4k cameras (for crucial locations) are being provided.
• CCTV camera live feeds will be displayed on multiple screens at the Railway Protection
Force (RPF) control room for monitoring.
16. SC: Access to Internet-a fundamental right
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court (SC) on 10th January 2020 stated that access to
the Internet is a fundamental right under Article-19 of the Constitution. It asked the Jammu
and Kashmir administration to review this within a week all orders imposing curbs in the
Union Territory
Key Points:
• This verdict came on a batch of pleas which challenged the curbs which was imposed
in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre’s abrogation of provisions of Article-370 on
August 5, 2019.
• A five-judge bench which was headed by Justice NV Ramana also asked the Jammu
and Kashmir administration to restore the Internet services in institutions providing
essential services like hospitals and educational places.
• These batch of pleas were different from the other set of petitions which challenge
constitutional validity of abrogation of Article-370, being heard by a five-judge
Constitution bench.
• The three-judge bench which also comprised justices R Subhash Reddy and BR Gavai
stated Section 144 CrPC cannot be used indefinitely to suppress freedom of speech
and expression and difference of opinion.
• Access to Internet is a fundamental right under Article-19 of the Constitution, subject to
some restrictions. Freedom of press is a valuable and sacred right.
Article 19:
Article 19 of the Indian Constitution provides freedom of speech which is the right to
express one's opinion freely without any fear through oral / electronic/ written/
broadcasting / press. The Constitution does not make any special or specific reference
to the Freedom of Press. So, the word expression covers the Press.
17. AASHVAST: Country’s First Cyber Crime Prevention Unit launched in

Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, has inaugurated various people centric projects of
Gujarat Police and Indian Postal Department at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. This will
lead to effective use of technology to keep law and order situation in control. The
AASHVAST is a unit that will act to prevent cyber crimes with the help of VISWAS and
NETRANG. The projects include Video Integration and StateWide Advance Security-
VISWAS project, ‘Netrang’ project to establish Command and Control Room in 33 districts,
online portal to pay E Challan and Cyber Crime Prevention Unit-AASHVAST which will have
a dedicated service helpline for victims of cyber crimes.
In India the cyber-crimes have almost doubled between 2016 and 2017 according to
NCRB, and GoI is taking major steps to bring them under control. The Government
recently launched the I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) and established Cyber
and Information Security Division (C&IS).
18. Purvodaya to accelerate Eastern India Development
Mission Purvodaya is launched in Kolkata and the programme is aimed at accelerated

development of eastern India through establishment of integrated steel hub.
The eastern belt has the potential to add over 75 percent of the country’s incremental steel
capacity envisioned by the National Steel Policy.
It is expected that out of the 300 Million Tonne capacity by 2030-31, over 200 Million
Tonne can come from eastern region alone.
Despite being endowed with natural resources, this region has lagged behind in socio-
economic development as compared to some other parts of the country.
Through this programme, the government aims to transform logistics and utilities
infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the eastern India.
The steps, under mission, also include growth of the steel industry along with employment
opportunities across the entire value chain.
19. 150th celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12th January 2020 rechristened Kolkata Port Trust after
Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Modi, while addressing the programme of
Kolkata Port Trust, invoked Mookerjee and BR Ambedkar. He stated that their
contributions had led to the development of the country post-Independence, but the
suggestions that were made by them were not implemented after they resigned from the
government. He was the father of industrialization in India. He is a man who made
sacrifices for one nation and one Constitution.
Key Points:
• Prime Minister Modi also dedicated a Commemorative Stamp to mark 150 years of
Kolkata port trust to the nation.
• Later the Prime Minister handed over a Cheque of Rs 501 Crore towards the final
instalment to meet the deficit of pension fund of retired and existing employees of the
Kolkata Port Trust.
• He also felicitated two oldest pensioners of the Trust- 105 years old NaginaBhagat and
100 years old Naresh Chandra Chakraborty.
• India's ports are the opening gates to India's prosperity. The govt launched the
Sagarmala initiative to increase connectivity and reduce costs.
20. Ordinance to amend MMDR act (Mines and Minerals Development and
Regulation act), 1957
On 11th January 2020 the Government announced the promulgation of the ordinance
for amendment in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act,
1957 and also the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
Key Points:
• This was done in order to ease auction of coal mines, allow FDI and enhance ease of
doing business.
• The amendments will intend to open up new areas of growth in the coal and mining
sector. Through this they can find out the explored and also partially explored coal
blocks for mining, which is done through prospecting license-cum-mining lease (PL-
cum-ML).
• It will also lead to democratization of the coal mining sector by opening it up to anyone
willing to invest.
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act:

The Mines and Minerals Act is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to regulate the
mining sector in India. This was amended in 2015 and 2016. The act forms the basic
framework of mining regulation in India, and is applicable to all minerals except minor
minerals and atomic minerals.
21. Statue of Unity included in 8 Wonders of SCO
The Statue of Unity, a 182 meter tall Statue in Gujarat has been included in the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s '8 Wonders of SCO' list.
Key Points:
• This is the world's tallest statue. It is a monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,
independent India's first home minister as well as deputy prime minister.
• The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by PM Narendra Modi on the occasion of
Patel's 143rd birth anniversary.
• The Statue was inaugurated on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
• The Wonders of SCO include archaeological and historical monuments of SCO. It
includes
1. Statue of Unity in India
2. Daming Palace in China
3. Navruz Palace Tajikistan
4. Tamgaly Gorge in Kazakhstan
5. Po-i-Kalan Complex in Uzbekistan
6. The Golden Ring of Russia
7. Lahore, the Mughals heritage in Pakistan
8. Mughals Heritage in Pakistan
22. First digital exhibition on Indian Heritage
ShriPrahlad Singh Patel, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism,launched a
month long special exhibition titled Indian Heritage in Digital Space and a two day long
first international heritage symposium today in New Delhi.
Key Points:
• The exhibition was organized in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology,
Delhi.
• This exhibition will remain open for public till 15th February, 2020. Secretary of the
Department of Science & Technology Shri Ashutosh Sharmawas was also present on
this occasion.
• The visitors in this exhibition will be able to see the recreations of the socio-cultural life
and traditions of Hampi, architectural and conjectural reconstructions of several
important structures and experience demystification of many murals.
• This is a good initiative, use of technology in heritage is very important but it should not
be limited to research only, it should reach to people in such a way that they get a
chance to know and understand the unseen aspects of heritage sites easily.
• The exhibition demonstrates the outcome of two flagship projects viz., A digital mini-
spectacle to showcase the glory of Hampi and Augmented reality based interactions
with physical models of monuments; that are completed under the DST mentored
initiative Indian Heritage in Digital Space (IHDS).
• The goals of these projects are to create digital installations using 3D laser scan data,
AR, holographic projections and 3D fabrication,to provide interactive and immersive
experiences showcasing the glory of Hampi and five Indian monuments namely
KashiVishwanath Temple, Varanasi; TajMahal, Agra; Sun Temple,Konark; Ramachandra
Temple, Hampi ; and RaniKiVav, Patan .
23. Fuel conservation campaign
‘Saksham’ is an annual one-month long, people-centric fuel conservation mega

campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) which is going to
be launched on 16th January by Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Shri
Dharmendra Pradhan in a function to be held in Delhi.
Key Points:
• PCRA and Oil & Gas companies will carry out various interactive programs during this
month's campaign.
• Activities like ‘Saksham’ Cycle Day, Workshops for drivers of commercial vehicles,
Cyclothons, Seminars for housewives or cooks to adopt simple fuel saving measures,
also Nationwide campaign through TV, Radio, Digital Cinemas, Outdoor etc. are
planned.
• This is done with an aim to reach every corner of the country with a message of fuel
conservation, Greener Environment and also better Health.
• In partnership with NCERT, PCRA has prepared a comic book jointly on the theme ‘Fuel
Conservation’ aimed at younger generation especially the school children and is
available on E-Pathshala on NCERT website.
• To create awareness about fuel conservation, PCRA has developed attractive
messages and has developed an animated documentary named as-‘Pollution Ka
Solution” which is available on PCRA website and also on YouTube.
24. Central Adoption Resource Authority celebrated its 5th Annual Day
On 15th January 2020, the Central Adoption Resource Authority-CARA celebrated its
5th Annual Day in New Delhi.
This function was attended by the Secretary WCD, Rabindra Panwar, along with
additional senior officials of the Ministry, its associated Statutory/Autonomous Bodies
and representatives from the States and Union Territories. As a part of the Advocacy,
souvenirs to commemorate the Annual Day was unveiled during the event.
In the last year, CARA has conducted many training programmes and workshops at
national and state levels for all the stakeholders of the adoption programme. It has also
carried out a number of advocacy programs through various mediums for creating
awareness and sensitization of the general public and reached out to citizens through
various inter-active programmes like Jan Sampark and through Social Media
platforms. It is giving emphasis to the rehabilitation of older and special needs children
in various Child Care Institutions across the country.
About CARA:
CARA is an apex body of the GoI for promoting and facilitating the In-country Adoption.
It is the designated Central Authority for regulating Inter-country Adoption. On 15 Jan
2016, CARA was designated as a Statutory Body, under the provisions of Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
25. Water Efficiency Target: Gujarat Secured the Top Rank
The state of Gujarat has secured the top for parameters on efficiency targets in the
review of state and Central government water departments set by the ministry of Jal
Shakti.
Among the seven Central departments reviewed, the Survey of India tops the list followed
by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Water Commission whereas the
Central Pollution Control Board has got the lowest rank.
The departments are ranked on parameters:

• Procurement,
• Finance,
• Real-time data acquisition system,
• Data digitization,
• Analytical work,
• Training and
• Updating MIS.
26. Firsts of Census 2021
The 2021 Census will be conducted in three phases, the first phase of which will begin
in April this year. The house enumeration will be held from April to September. The
population enumeration will be conducted in February 2021 and, finally, in March 2021,
the revision round will take place.
Key Points:
• The last census was done in the year 2011. According to the census reports of Indian
Census 2011, the population of India was 1,210,854,977.
• For the first time, this year's census will collect data of transgender headed houses. It
also considers the main cereal that are consumed in the household.
• For the first time, Census 2021 will seek information of citizens through digital modes
like smartphones, DTH/Cable TV connection, internet access, bank accounts of
household members, and so on.
• The process will now include an Android-based optional mobile application.
• The collected data will, in future help in providing the benefits of different government
schemes to the intended beneficiaries.
27. The 14th Foundation day of DFCCIL
On 18th January 2020, the 14th Foundation Day of Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India (DFCCIL) was celebrated at a function in New Delhi.
Key Points:
• 500 km of Dedicated Freight Corridor was completed and exhorted the team to
achieve the goal of 991 km by March 2020. DFC has the impact to transform the
railways sector.
• It is essential to have individual tracks for freight and for passengers to ensure
faster movement of both.
• Railways should run freight trains in convoys to utilize maximum of the path and
increase the average speed of freight trains.
• Consolidation, growth and reforms are the three crucial areas which Indian
Railways are working on.
• Dedicated Freight Corridors are ushering in a paradigm change in Indian Railways
(IR) and affirmed that DFCCIL will play a major role in shaping the Indian
Economy.
• IR is upgrading the Railway network, especially the Delhi – Mumbai and Delhi –
Howrah sectors for running faster and modern trains.
• In the awards ceremony 28 individual awards and 4 Group awards were given.
The running shield for the Western Corridor was given to Ajmer & Ahmedabad
units jointly and for Eastern Corridor, it was given to Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya
(Mughalsarai) unit.
28. Youth Co: Lab -national innovation challenge was held from 17-19 January in
Delhi
In the latest lead to recognize young people as significant drivers of sustainable

development, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) India on 17th January 2020 launched Youth Co: Lab
which aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship and innovation in young India.
Key Points:
• Through this, young entrepreneurs and innovators will get a chance to connect with the
government, incubators, mentors, and investors, who will help furnish them with
entrepreneurial skills.
• The initiative will also gather a series of youth exchanges across several cities such as
New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai to promote entrepreneurship across
India.
• The first phase of Youth Co: Lab will focus on six SDGs: SDG 5-Gender Equality, SDG 6-
Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7-Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8-Decent Work
and Economic Growth, SDG 12-Sustainable Consumption and Production and SDG 13-
Climate Action.
29. Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020
The Ministry of Human Resource Development, in partnership with MyGov, launched a

'short essay' competition on 5 different themes for students of classes 9 to 12 for the third
edition of Prime Minister's Interaction Programme "ParikshaPeCharcha 2020".The entries
for the competition were called online from 2nd December 2019 to 23rd December 2019
through www.mygov.
Nearly 3 lakh children had registered themselves out of which over 2.6 lakh students
participated in the competition.1.03 lakhs students had engaged in the competition in the
year 2019. Selected winners had a chance to attend Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020 and
interact with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Also a painting and poster making
competition was held on the exam related issues for CBSE & KVS school students.
On 20th January 2020 the PM Shri Narendra Modi interacted with the students as part of
"Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020" at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi. Also, 50 Divyang students
took part in the interaction programme. The students sought guidance on various issues
of importance to them from the Prime Minister. Even this year, students from across the
country, and also Indian students residing abroad, participated in the event. It was
stressed that in whatever the country does in this decade, those kids who are in 10th, 11th
and 12th standards have a very great role to play, to make the country reach new heights,
to achieve new hopes. And all this is dependent on this new generation.
He stressed on how to deal with demotivation and mood swings — stating that most often,
students get demotivated due to factors which are external to them and also as they try to
attach too much significance to their expectations. PM asked the students to find out the
cause for the demotivation and think over how to deal with it. He also pointed out that
Balancing Extracurricular Activities and Studies, stating that not pursuing extracurricular
activities can make a student like a robot. And balancing studies and extracurricular
activities would require better and optimal time management by the students.
About scores in the exams he stated that Our education system determines our success
based on our performance in various exams. Even though we focus our attention on
scoring good marks and our parents too, exhort us towards it.
Note:
The 1st edition of Prime Minister's Interaction Programme with school and college students
"ParikshaPeCharcha 1.0" was held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 16th February 2018.
The 2nd edition of the said Interaction Programme with school and college students
"ParikshaPeCharcha 2.0" was also held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 29th January
2019.
Last year nearly 8.5 Crore students from across the country viewed or heard the programme
on DD/TV Channels/ Radio Channels etc. It was widely covered by print and electronic
media. According to media reports, the interaction programme became a raging hit on social
media. It was the No. 1 trend conversation on "Pariksha Pe Charcha" which got more than
2.5 million impressions on twitter. It was widely viewed on Facebook Live, youtube, through
webcasting etc.
30. Government launched Paperless Licensing for Petroleum Service Stations
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade-DPIIT has launched a
paperless licensing process for petroleum service stations such as retail outlets storing
and dispensing petrol/diesel for motor conveyances.
Key Points:
• It was launched through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation-PESO under the
Petroleum Rules, 2002.
• After the launch of the paperless process, more than 300 licences have been issued.
• Taken together, licences for petroleum service stations and road tankers for
transportation of petroleum account for more than 85% of total licences under the rules.
• This initiative for petroleum pump licensing will directly benefit more than 70,000
petroleum pump owners and the oil marketing companies.
31. Start Up India in Republic Parade
The commerce and industry ministry on 21st January 2020 stated that it would
showcase a tableau on Startup India. This aims to promote innovation and
entrepreneurship in the country, at the Republic Day Parade.
This would be with the theme 'Startups: Reach for the Sky'.
Key Points:
• The tableau will showcase stages of the life-cycle of a startup and also the all-round
support provided by the government.
• The front of the tableau describes a creative mind, full of ideas to solve real-world
problems.
• The Startup India Tree, in the middle, will signify different kinds of support that are
given.
• The staircase will indicate stages of growth proving a concept, creating a
prototype, building a team, preparing a business plan, launching into markets and
eventually scaling up.
• The wheel represents sectors of the economy where Indian entities have driven
economic growth and created employment opportunities on a large scale.
• A flagship initiative of the government-Startup India is intended to build a secure
ecosystem to nurture innovation, drive sustainable economic growth and generate vast
scale employment opportunities.
Objective:
• To inspire and motivate youth to follow their dreams to generate wealth and
become job creators’ not just job seekers.
32. SC asks Parliament to review powers of Lok Sabha Speakers
The Supreme Court on 21st January 2020 urged that the Parliament should set up an
independent tribunal to decide disqualification petitions within reasonable time to the
anti-defection law instead of leaving it to Speakers who continue to remain political
party members either de jure or de facto.
Key Points:
• The Parliament may consider it seriously to amend the Constitution to “substitute”
Speakers of the Lok Sabha and Assemblies as “arbiter of disputes concerning
disqualifications” which arise under the Tenth Schedule “with a permanent tribunal”.
• This is considering the fact that the Speaker continues to belong to a particular political
party.
• The judgment was rendered by a bench of justices Rohinton Nariman, Aniruddha Bose
and V Ramasubramanian.
33. Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti
Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti is being celebrated across India with enthusiasm and
zest.
Key Points:
• Bose was a courageous leader who refused to bow down to Britishers during East India
company's rule over India; this made him rise to incredible powers.
• He created the famous slogan 'Jai Hind'.
• He was the first person to address Mahatma Gandhi as 'Father of the Nation'.
• On this day, several functions and programmes across different parts of the country are
organised by central and state governments in honour of the legendary 'Netaji'.
• Many schools and colleges hold various kinds of competitions such as skits, essay
writing, debates, quiz, drama, etc.
• States like Jharkhand observe official holiday on this day.
34. Srinagar entered the list of ODF cities
Srinagar has entered the list of Open Defecation Free (ODF) cities.
Key Points:
• Srinagar received its Swachhata Certificate from the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs, Government of India.
• Additionally, Srinagar has achieved the 45th rank in Cleanest Cities in the country.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issues this certificate to cities in the country.
About Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

• On 2nd October 2014 Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Swachh
Bharat Mission on to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage
and to put a focus on sanitation.
• The campaign was completed by 2 October 2019 to commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
35. India has achieved the complete phase out of ozone depleting HCFC
India has victoriously achieved the complete phase-out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon--HCFC, a

chemical used by foam manufacturing enterprises. It is one of the most potent ozone-depleting
chemicals after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). HCFC-141 b is used mainly as a blowing agent in
the production of rigid polyurethane (PU) foams. India has consciously chosen a way for
environment-friendly and energy-efficient technologies while phasing out Ozone Depleting
Substances-ODSs. India is one among the few countries across the globe also a pioneer in
some cases in the use of technologies, which are non-Ozone Depleting and have a low Global
Warming Potential (GWP). HCFC-141b was prohibited from 1st January, 2020 under the Ozone
Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2019 which is issued under
the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
HCFC-141b is not produced in the country, and all domestic requirements are met through
imports. Approximately 50 % of the consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals in the country
was by HCFC-141 b in the foam sector. Hence the Ministry adopted a structured approach to
engage with foam manufacturing enterprises in providing technical and also financial
assistance to transition to non-ODS and low GWP technologies under the HCFC Phase-out
Management Plan-HPMP. About 175 foam manufacturing enterprises have been covered
under HPMP out of which, 163 enterprises are covered under stage II of HPMP. The complete
phase-out of HCFC 141 b from the country in the foam sector is among the first at this scale
under the Montreal Protocol. The implementation of HPMP through regulatory and policy
actions, application of technology conversion projects have removed nearly 7800 Metric
Tonnes of HCFC 141-b from the baseline level of 2009 and 2010 of the country.
36. NITI Aayog released National Data and Analytics Platform
Niti Aayog, a think-tank of Government, will develop a national data and analytics platform to
make all government data accessible to stakeholders in a user-friendly manner.
Key Points:
• It released a Vision Document for the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP).
• NDAP will strive to ensure that the data is assured, consistent, coherent and credible.
• Also, the platform will standardize formats in which data has to be presented.
• The progress of the platform is to be overseen by an inter-ministerial committee.
• The platform is to be launched in the year 2021.
37. Bharat Parv 2020 at Red Fort
On 26th January Bharat Parv 2020 was inaugurated with fanfare at Red Fort; it will be
celebrated till 31st January.
The central theme of Bharat Parv 2020 is ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ and ‘Celebrating 150
Years of Mahatma Gandhi’.
Key Points:
• To celebrate the spirit of India, the annual event Bharat Parv was organised in Delhi.
• Special Secretary & Financial Adviser of Ministry of Tourism Shri Rajesh Kumar
Chaturvedi inaugurated the Bharat Parv by playing Nagada and released Tri-color
balloons at Red fort ground in New Delhi.
• DG, Tourism, Smt. Meenakshi Sharma, ADG, Tourism Smt. Rupinder Brar and other
senior officials of the Ministry were also present during the inaugural ceremony.
• Bharat Parv, 2020 is being observed from 26th to 31st January 2020 in front of the
Red Fort at Gyan Path and Red Fort grounds.
• The purpose of Bharat Parv is to encourage Indians to visit different tourist places
of India and to instil the spirit of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’.
• More than 50 food stalls, 79 handicrafts/handloom stalls and 27 theme pavilions have
been set up during Bharat Parv.
38. Railways commissioned the first waste-to-energy plant
The East Coast Railway has commissioned the government's first waste-to-energy plant
which will turn e-waste and plastic into light diesel oil in 24 hours.
Key Points:
• A patented technology termed "Polycrack" will be used in this waste-to-energy plant.
• This is the first of its kind in Indian Railways and the fourth in India.
• It is the world's first patented heterogeneous catalytic method, which converts the
waste materials into light diesel oil, gas, carbon powder and water through 'Polycrack'
technology.
• In this method, pre-segregation of waste is not required to reform the debris, but will be
directly fed into the machine to be converted into diesel.
• It has a high tolerance to moisture; therefore drying of waste is not required. Waste is
processed and reformed within 24 hours.
• It is an enclosed unit; therefore, the working environment is dust-free.
• There is no atmospheric emission throughout the process unlike other conventional
methods except for combustion gases which have pollutants less than prescribed
norms the world over.
• The plant works at around 450 degrees, making it a low-temperature process when
compared with other options.
39. India’s first Super Fab Lab
On 25th January 2020, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a Super Fab Lab, an
incubation centre and a Mini Fab Lab at Palakkad.
Key Points:
• This Lab is based in Kochi and has been built in collaboration with the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT).
• It is billed as the world's first such facility to function outside of the US and has been
set up at the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) complex in Kalamassery, near Kochi.
• This is expected to allow researchers, innovators and developers to do things beyond
the purview of the state's existing fab labs.
• By this, it explores the possibility of using machines in a fab lab to create devices for its
use.
• In essence, it creates a pathway to desktop manufacturing.
• At present, a standard community fab lab includes a laser-cutter, a sign-cutter, a high-
resolution NC milling machine, a large wood-router and a suite of electronic
components as well as programming tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers
for on-site rapid circuit prototyping.
• To this, the superlab adds a set of highly-specialised machines that can do small to
mid-volume manufacturing and can also be used for prototyping with a variety of
materials including metals, composites and carbon fibres, besides testing, design and
fabrication equipment that cover length scales spanning from microns to meters in
fabrication size.
40. Republic Day 2020: Highlights
January 26 is celebrated as the Republic Day of India. It commemorates the day the Indian
Constitution came into effect.
Key Points:
• India marked its 71st Republic Day on January 26, 2020.
• At the Republic Day Parade 2020, India showcased its strength, diversity and pride.
• The military displayed through indigenously developed artillery gun system 'Dhanush',
first woman parade adjutant for the Republic Day with Captain Tania Shergill leading
the parade; there were many 'firsts' that marked India's 71st Republic Day Celebrations.
• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest at India's 71st Republic Day
Parade on January 26.
• Among the many first, PM Narendra Modi paid homage to the fallen soldiers on
January 26, 2020, at the National War Memorial.
• For the first time this year, the wreath-laying ceremony was held at the newly built
National War Memorial instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch.
Background:
• While the Constituent Assembly had adopted the Constitution on November 26, 1949, it
came into effect on January 26, 1950.
• This day was mainly chosen because it was on January 26, 1929, that the Indian
National Congress had proclaimed the declaration for Purna Swaraj.
41. GoI signed the historic agreement with the nine factions of the NDFB
On 2nd January 2020, the centre government signed a peace agreement, with the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) which is one of the dangerous militant groups in
Assam.
Key Points:
• The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), agitating for a long time demanding Bodo state,
also signed the deal.
• According to the agreement, it provides political and economic benefits to the tribal
areas without seeking a separate Bodoland state or union territory.
• The tripartite agreement has been signed by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal, the leadership of four factions of NDFB, Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary of
ABSU, Ministry of Home Affairs and Kumar Sanjay Krishna, Chief Secretary of Assam.
• The Central Government, Assam Government and representatives of Bodo have signed
this historic agreement.
• This agreement will ensure the bright future of the people of Assam as well as the Bodo
tribe.
• The 1,550 Bodo members will surrender on January 30, 2020, with 130 weapons.
• After this agreement the Bodo tribes will get political and economic benefits. Also the
agreement will ensure the safety of Bodo language, cultural and regional matters.
• The agreement will provide few political rights and economic packages to the
community.
42. Indian Railways to run 100% on electricity by 2024
On 27h January 2020, the Commerce and industry, and railways minister Piyush Goyal stated
that the entire network of the Indian Railways will run on electricity by 2024 and also become
a net-zero emission network by 2030.
Key Points:
• By the year 2024, the entire Indian Railways, which is about 125,000 km of track length
and nearly 68,000 km of route length, will be running 100% on electricity.
• This was said at the India-Brazil Business Forum.

• Also by 2030, to make the entire railway network a net-zero emission network.
• Hence there will not be any emission from the railways; it will run on clean energy and
clean power.
• Additionally, it will be the first railway in the world to run fully on electricity.
43. India’s first underwater Metro
Kolkata Metro Rail Corp. expects to complete its East-West project by March 2022. This runs
partly under the city’s iconic Hooghly river. This inturn is after a delay of several years doubled
costs.
Key Points:
• The authority is expecting a final instalment of 200 million rupees over the next 2 years
from the Indian Railway Board.
• A soft loan of 41.6 billion rupees from the Japan International Cooperation Agency
supports fund 48.5% of the project.
• The Hooghly Metro is one of the oldest Metro in India. This started in 1984.
• The new underwater tunnel will carry 20 percent of the city’s population, i.e., 900,000
people daily roughly and will cross the river in less than a minute.
• At present, it takes 20 minutes on the ferry to cross the river and an hour to cross the
Howrah Bridge.
44. Ganga Yatra under Namami Gange Mission begins in Uttar Pradesh
On 27th January 2020, the five day Ganga Yatra was started in Uttar Pradeshwith an aim to
create awareness about the holy river.
Key Points:
• CM Yogi Adityanath along with Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat
and Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan flagged off the yatra from Bijnor, a place where
Ganga enters Uttar Pradesh.
• Earlier Ganga was highly polluted, but now after the works under Namami Gange
Mission, one can see the clean water of the holy river even in the industrial city Kanpur.
• This yatra aims to promote biodiversity and also to make the villages situated on the
banks of the holy river more developed and prosperous.
About Namami Gange Programme

"Namami Gange Programme", is an Integrated Conservation Mission, which was approved as
a 'Flagship Programme' by the Union Government in June 2014. The budget outlay was Rs.
20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution,
conservation and rejuvenation of River Ganga.
45. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020
On 29th January 2020, The Union cabinet approved a bill that proposes to permit the
termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks from the existing 20 weeks.
Key Findings:
• The bill will be introduced in the ensuing budget session of Parliament.
• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 aims to expand access
of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, humanitarian, eugenic and
social grounds.
The proposed amendments include:

• Proposing the requirement for opinion of one provider (doctor) for termination of
pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and now they have introduced the requirement
of opinion of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
• Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of
women. This will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules. It would include
‘vulnerable women, i.e., survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women
(like differently-abled women, Minors) etc.
• The bill will help women getting access to safe abortion.
• Earlier, the mortality of pregnant women was about 8% higher due to unsafe abortions.
• In the case of rape, the woman is weak or underage. Such girls didn’t even know they
were pregnant and would fall prey of unsafe abortion practices.
States in News
1. Kerala Government passed a resolution to roll back the Citizenship Amendment Act
Kerala has become the first state in India to pass a resolution which demands to rollback of
the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Kerala assembly passed a
resolution against the CAA on 31st December, 2019.
Key Points:
• Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the anti-CAA resolution in a special one-day
session. He stated that the CAA act contradicts the basic values and principles of the
Constitution.
• He also argued that the CAA was against the "secular" outlook and fabric of the country
and that it would lead to religion-based discrimination in granting citizenship.
• The CM noted that the act had actually triggered widespread protests among various
strata of society and dented India's image in front of the international community.
• He assured that there won’t be any detention centers in the state.
Background:
• The Citizenship (Amendment) bill was introduced in 2016. The Citizenship Amendment
Act, 2019 was passed in December 2019. The act amended Citizenship Act of 1955.
• It allows Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Parsi migrants, who are
religious minorities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to gain Indian citizenship
within five years of stay in India.
2. Kerala CM launches K-RERA
With an aim to boost the confidence of customers and also to bring in more transparency in
the real estate sector, CM Pinarayi Vijayan launched Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority
(K-RERA) on 1st January 2020.
Key Points:
• It is because of a handful of realtors who divert from good practice and indulge in
illegal ways to mint money that the whole sector sometimes get a black mark.
• With RERA, there will be more transparency and credibility.
• It will also help to redefine the promoter-buyer relationship in the sector.
• Real-estate sector has seen tremendous growth in the country in the last decade.
• It has also helped the middle class realize their housing needs. With an effective
regulatory mechanism, the real estate sector is poised to grow more instilling
confidence in home buyers.
• Passed by the Parliament, the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, had
directed the state governments to establish RERA for effective regulation of the real
estate sector and also for speedy dispute redressal.
• As per the Act, buildings with more than eight apartments and real estates projects with
500 square metres of land or more will have to be registered with RERA.
3. Odisha govt launches online platform to digitalise digitalize the publication of Odisha
Gazette
As a part of Odisha's '5T initiatives', the state government on 1st January 2020 launched an
online platform to digitalise the publication of Odisha Gazette and move forward as a
paperless mode of publication.
Key Points:
• e-Gazette is a milestone in governance. The online system will expedite the process of
Gazette Publication.
• It would make it error-free and also paperless.
• By this initiative no paper will be used which will save trees and also the cost of the
paper, printing materials along with the transportation cost are vanished.
• The departments will upload their content material, which will be scrutinized by the
Government Press with the numbers and date of the periodical to be circulated in the e-
gazette portal.
• The electronic signature, e-sign integration is carried out for better and secure
authentication of the indenting departments.
• Such e-Publication will cover under section-8 of the Information Technology Act 2000
enables it to acquire legal entity.
• This electronic mode will provide hassle-free access to all indenting, publishing, user
departments, and the general public.
4. The first “Patola Saree” production unit in Gujarat
On 3rd January 2020, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission-KVIC inaugurated the 1st
silk processing plant at Surendranagar in the state of Gujarat.
Key Points:
• This will help cut down the cost production of silk yarn drastically and also increases
the sale and the availability of raw material for Gujarati 'Patola' sarees locally.
• This plant has been set up by a khadi institution at a cost of Rs 75 lakh, in which KVIC
has contributed Rs 60 lakh.
• By doing so the unit has employed 90 local women, 70 of whom belong to the Muslim
community.
About Patola:
Patola, which is the trademark saree of Gujarat, is considered to be very costly and worn only
by royals or aristocrats. The reason the high cost of Patola sarees is that the silk yarn used to
make them is purchased from Karnataka or West Bengal, where silk processing units are
situated. This increases the cost of fabric manifolds.
5. NHRC issues notice to Rajasthan Government about death of Children
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 3rd January 2020 issued a notice to the
Rajasthan government in connection with the deaths of over 100 children at the government-
run J.K. Lon hospital in Kota in December.
Key Points:
• The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise
serious issues of violation of human rights.
• The deaths of children in such a large number is a matter of concern for the
Commission.
• The State is duty-bound to provide basic necessary medical care to its citizens.
• As per the reports, as many as 10 children died in just 48 hours between December 23
and 24, 2019 at the hospital.
• Over 50% of the gadgets installed in the hospital are defunct and the hospital is lacking
cleanliness and basic infrastructure including oxygen supply in the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU).
6. Eight States finalise Agricultural Action Plan to boost agricultural exports
The government on 5th January 2020 stated that eight states, including Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Nagaland, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, have finalised
their action plan for agriculture export policy which aims to double such exports.
The Agri Export Policy was announced last year with an aim of doubling the export and also
ensuring doubling of farmers' income. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority-APEDA so far has been adopting a focused approach. It ensures
greater involvement of the state governments for effective implementation of Agri Export
Policy (AEP). The product clusters selected were at Sangli (Grapes), Jalandhar
(Potato), Salem (Poultry products), Theni (Banana), Chittoor (Mango) and several other.
Also, the states are operating a market intelligence cell under the guidance of APEDA that
report the activity of e-market intelligence, international trade issues and also about the
current scenario of exporters and statistical information.
7. Gujarat is to set up Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center
Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center is to be set up soon in Gujarat. The

announcement was made by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani while speaking during the
felicitation ceremony of Children’s Innovation Festival (CIF) in Gandhinagar on January 6,
2020.
Key Points:
• The Gujarat CM felicitated the top 30 innovation ideas by the school teams during the
Children’s Innovation Festival .
• The Gujarat University also exchanged a letter of intent with UNICEF on the occasion.
• This Innovation Center will be set up to identify, nurture and promote innovation by
children in the state.
• The centre will work towards identifying children with ideas and then nurture and
support them.
• The Innovation Center will be a dedicated space to tap into children's innovation in
Gujarat and will be set up at Gujarat University's Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for
Extension Research and Innovation.
• The centre will be set up through a joint partnership between the Gujarat University and
UNICEF to offer children with a platform to realise their innovation potential.
8. Kerala State to conduct Adalat for the LGBT community
The Kerala State Youth Commission to encourage the transgender community to open up
about various issues that are faced by them and also for speedy grievance redressal, has
scheduled a state-level "Adalat" to be held on 10th January 2020.
Key Points:
• The "Adalat" is exclusively for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community. This is being held for the first time in the state.
• Adalat will be a platform for the transgender community to air all their grievances.
• From the year 2015 Kerala State government has a transgender policy in place.
• The policy aims to improve the lives of the transgender community.
• The state also has transgender cells working under the social justice department of
Kerala.
9. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched Amma Vodi Scheme
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme. This scheme
supports lakhs of below poverty line mothers or guardians to educate their children.
Key Points:
• This is Rs 6318 crore scheme where the state will provide direct financial assistance
worth Rs 15000 annually to poor and financially weak mothers or guardians, to support
them in educating their children.
• The amount will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries
every year in January.
• The govt has already implemented this scheme by crediting the annual financial
assistance worth Rs 15000 to the beneficiary mothers/ guardians for the year 2020.
About Scheme:
• The Amma Vodi scheme is the first-of-its-kind scheme in the country, which is aimed at
bringing significant changes in the education system of Andhra Pradesh.
• The state government has credited the annual financial assistance under the scheme
for the year 2020 into the accounts of 43 lakh poor and needy mothers/ guardians, this
is expected to benefit around 82 lakh children in the state.
• The monetary assistance will be transferred into the beneficiary accounts every year
until the children pass out of school.
• All below poverty line mothers/ guardians in the state with school-going children,
studying in class 1-12 in either private, government, aided or unaided schools will be
eligible for the financial assistance.
10.Dibrugarh district has won the 2020 Plastic Waste Management Award
Dibrugarh a district of Assam won the Plastic Waste Management Award 2020. The district
was awarded for being the best district of India in the category of plastic waste management
during Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019.
Key Points:
• The award was received by Pallav Gopal Jha a Deputy Commissioner from the
renowned Bollywood actor Amir Khan at a function that was held at Pride Plaza,
Aerocity in Delhi.
• The award recognises innovative and effective efforts that are taken by the district to
manage plastic waste in rural areas of the district.
• This function was organized by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation of the
Ministry of Jal Shakti.
About Swachhta hi Seva:

• This was launched by PM Narendra Modi at Mathura on 11 September 2019.
• It is a nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign on Swachhta.
11. Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted a new logo
The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 9th January 2020 adopted a new logo which
reflects the distinct identity and culture of the state.
Key Points:
• This brand-new logo consists of the national emblem and foxtail orchid (Rhynchostylis
Retusa) which is the state flower.
• The symbol of national emblem signifies the federal system of the Indian Constitution.
• At the same time, the foxtail orchid represents the state, its people and culture as a
whole, while the blue colour denotes the autonomy of the assembly secretariat.
• The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly is a distinct and critical institution of the
democratic setup.
• By considering its dignity and status, it has been felt necessary to redesign a distinctive
and meaningful logo.
12.Three capitals for Andhra Pradesh- its logic
CM of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet on 20th January 2020 approved a
proposal to have three capitals for the state, amid protests by thousands of farmers of the
Amaravati region and by Telugu Desam Party.
Key Points:
• The government has proposed to preserve Amaravati as the legislative capital and
making Visakhapatnam the home for executive and Kurnool as the judicial capital.
• Stating that they are not changing the capital as such but only adding two new
capitals.
• The government decided to enact new legislation for decentralisation and inclusive
development of all regions in the state for ensuring "balanced and inclusive growth" of
AP.
Reason:
• Regional imbalances, absence of equitable growth are few factors that have caused an
acute sense of deprivation among many sections of the state population, leading to
disturbances.
• This solution would emphasize distributed development and decentralized
administration to ensure outcomes of socio-economic progress which will be enjoyed
equally by people of various regions.
13.T.N. rolls out ration card portability
Ahead of the "One Nation, One Ration Card" scheme which is expected to be rolled out by the
government at the Centre in June, the Tamil Nadu government has granted administrative
permission for the implementation of Intra State portability of ration cards.
Key Points:
• The scheme would enable ration cardholders to purchase foodgrain from any fair price
shop in the State.
• The intra-State portability would be introduced in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts
on a pilot basis and then be rolled out across the State.
• Currently, there are 35,233 fair price shops run by various agencies such as
cooperatives, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and women’s self-help groups,
among others.
• A total of 9,635 of them are part-time shops.
• In all, 2,05,03,379 families have been provided with smart ration cards.
14.Bengal has become the fourth state to pass resolution against CAA
On 27th January 2020, Bengal became the fourth state today to pass a resolution against the
contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. Similar resolutions have already been passed by
Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Key Points:
• Kerala, which was the first state to pass a resolution against the law, had invited other
opposition-ruled states to follow suit.
• According to West Bengal, the act does not stick to secularism.
• Also, the state claims that NPR, CAA and NRC are co-related.
Background:
• The Citizenship (Amendment) bill was introduced in 2016.
• The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 was passed in December 2019. The act
amended the Citizenship Act of 1955.
• It allows Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Parsi migrants, who are
religious minorities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, to gain Indian citizenship
within five years of stay in India.
15.Maharashtra government's Shiv Bhojan scheme
On 26th January 2020, the Maharashtra government launched the ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme. The
scheme aims to provide a meal to the poor at subsidized rates.
Key Points:
• Under this scheme, the state government will be providing meals to the poor at just Rs
10.
• The scheme has been currently launched on a pilot basis.
• Under this scheme, the thalis or lunch plates will be available to people at designated
centres and canteens during a designated time in all the districts.
• At least one canteen has been started at the district headquarters in the state on a pilot
basis.
• Another centre was inaugurated by Tourism Minister and Mumbai suburban district
Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray at the Collector's office in Bandra.
Government Policies, Schemes and Programmes
1. PM Narendra Modi released 12,000 crore rupees to six crore farmers
In Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi electronically released 12,000 crore rupees under
Pradhan Mantri Samaan Yojana to six crore farmers in Tumakuru on 2 nd January 2020.
Key Points:
• This was the third and the last instalment of Rs 2,000 under Pradhan Mantri Kisan
Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) for the period December 2019 to March 2020.
• He also distributed Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to select farmers from Karnataka on the
occasion.
About PMSY:
• PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme with 100% funding from the Government of
India.
• The key element of PM-KISAN is income support of Rs 6,000 per year provided to all the
farmer families across the country in 3 equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each every four
months.
2. The second phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0
The 2nd phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 rolled out on 6th January 2020
at block level in 35 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Key Points:
• The aim of the program, launched by the central government in the year 2017, is to
achieve 90% vaccination coverage in children of less than 2 years in state.
• Under the program the immunization activity will be in four rounds over seven working
days excluding the Regular immunization days, Sundays and holidays.
• The first round was completed in December last year while present round started on
the 6th of January. Next round will be in February and March months and will cover 425
blocks of 73 districts of state.
• Under this program around 66,000 sessions will be organized for vaccination of more
than 5.5 lakh children and nearly 1.3 lakh pregnant women of the state.
• Prior to the launch of program a detail of all children under the age of 2 who were left
during earlier vaccination drives were collected will the help of Asha workers last
month.
• The focus of immunization is on urban, underserved populations and tribal areas.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush will be conducted till March 2020.
3. GoI released National Draft Policy on Rare Diseases
The government on 13th January 2020 released a draft policy, under which it proposed to
fund one-time treatment cost to the tune of Rs. 15 lakh for certain treatable rare diseases,
provided the patient was eligible under its flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman
Bharat’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Under the draft of National Policy for Rare
Diseases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would provide financial support under its
umbrella scheme Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. Under the rare disease policy, the financial benefits
will also be extended to the broader class of Ayushman Bharat, which covers 40% of the
population.
But, the scope of the draft policy proposed to limit financial support to patients suffering from
only a few rare diseases categorised under Group 1, like osteopetrosis and certain immune
deficiency disorders that can be cured with treatment, and certain diseases Tyrosinemia,
Fabry’s disease and Maple Syrup Urine Disease, which require kidney or liver transplants.
There are few diseases like Gaucher’s Disease, Hurler Syndrome, Wolman Disease, where the
treatment for some of these diseases may vary from Rs. 10 Lakhs to more than Rs.1 crore
per year, with drug dose and cost increasing with age.
Rare diseases which are included in the draft policy are Haemophilia , Thalassemia, Primary
Immunodeficiency in children, sickle cell anaemia, lysosomal storage disorders such as
Gaucher’s disease, Hirschsprung disease, Hemangiomas and Pompe disease.
DEFENSE AFFAIRS
1. The Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise
Two ships of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) arrived in Goa on 5th January 2020 to participate
in the 12th edition of the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise ''Naseem-Al-Bahr''.
Key Points:
• RNOV Khassab and RNOV Al Rasikh arrived at Mormugao Port. ''Naseem-Al-Bahr'' is a
naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the RNO.
• It is being conducted since 1993. The naval exercise with Oman is of great importance
to India, because of its strategic location of the country.
• The country is at the gateway of Strait of Hormuz through which India imports one-fifth
of its oil imports.
• The berth rights given by Oman to Indian vessels is important for the India Navy to carry
out anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
2. CISF observes 2020 as the “Year of Mobility”
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will observe the year 2020 as the 'year of
mobility'. It will have a special focus on creation of more residential units and implementation
of various welfare measures for the troops.
Key Points:
• CISF Director General (DG) is Rajesh Ranjan.
• This will emphasise on:
1. taking all measures for welfare of troops and their families,
2. creating infrastructure and logistics like housing, acquiring new land and
procuring modern equipment,
3. training with focus on physical fitness and sports and leveraging modern
gadgetry and technology on duty.
• The CISF is mandated as the primary civil airports guarding force of the country apart
from protecting some vital installations in the aerospace, nuclear, government and
private domain.
3. Army gets working on Government Owned Contractor Operated model to improve

efficiency
The Indian Army has started the method of identifying potential industry partners to
implement the Government Owned Contractor Operated-GOCO model. This is for its base
workshops and ordnance depots intended to improve operational efficiency.
Key Points:
• The workshops are assigned the role of testing and repairing weapons and also
manufacturing spares.
• The GOCO model in army workshops helps reducing government expenditure on armed
forces and increase combat capability of the army.
• But there are certain issues that are associated with the model like:
1. In GOCO model, the assets owned by government will be operated by the private
industries.
2. The military manpower involved in the workshops is only 25% and 75% are civilian
staff.
• On the whole, the Indian Army operates eight workshops all over the country. They are
located in Allahabad, Jabalpur, Meerut, Kirkee, Agra, Bengaluru, New Delhi and
Kankinara.
4. MILAN 2020
Of the 41 navies that are invited for the Milan 2020 multilateral naval exercise that is being
hosted by India, confirmation has been received from over 30 navies.
Key Points:
• There are about two months to go for the mega event. The preparations were reviewed
at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) by Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Chief of Staff
ENC, on 9th January 2020 along with the civil administration and all stakeholder
organisations.
• Visakhapatnam had earlier hosted the International Fleet Review in February 2016.
• The exercise will be with the theme “Synergy Across the Seas”. This would provide an
excellent opportunity for Operational Commanders of friendly foreign navies to interact
with one another in areas of mutual interest.
• Milan 2020 will be a week-long multilateral exercise. It aims at enhancing professional
interaction and learning from one another's strengths and best practices in the
maritime domain.
• With the huge increase in the number of invites, this year the exercise venue has been
shifted from Andaman and Nicobar to Visakhapatnam, mainly for logistical and
administrative convenience.
Facts:
• Milan Multilateral Naval Exercise was first held in 1995.
• It is being hosted under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command by the Indian
Navy.
• The previous edition of Milan exercise was held at Port Blair from 6-13 March 2019,
where 16 nations participated.
5. LCA Tejas: The First Indigenous Aircraft to make an arrested Landing on naval ship
On 11th January 2020 a major landmark for indigenous Indian aviation, the naval version of
the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) landed for the first time on an aircraft carrier, INS
Vikramaditya.
Key Points:
• The DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation) made LCA became the first
indigenously made aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.
• This takes India into a select group of nations like the US, UK, Russia, France, and China
that have developed aircraft capable of landing and taking off from the severely
constrained confines of an aircraft carrier deck, which is 200 metres long.
• During World War II, Japan had also developed carrier-capable fighters, but has not
done so thereafter.
• With this, the indigenously developed niche technologies specific to deck-based fighter
operations have been proven. This will now pave the way to develop and also
manufacture the twin engine deck-based fighter for the Indian Navy.
• The regular LCA demands 1 km of runway to make its landing.
• However, recently developed naval variant is capable to make its landing in a far less
landing space, 100 metres and take off space of 200 metres.
• The Tejas LCA was developed by HAL in the 1980s by borrowing technologies from
Russia, France and Russia.
6. Indo-Japan joint-exercise Sahyog-Kaijin
On 16th January 2020 Indo-Japan joint-exercise Sahyog-Kaijin began at the Chennai port. This
is the 19th edition of the exercise that is being conducted between the two Coast Guards.
Key Points:
• This exercise aims to strengthen the bilateral ties and mutual understanding between
the two coast guards, and also to enhance the interoperability in communication,
search and rescue procedures and sharing of best practices.
• Participants from Japan, Japanese Coast Guard Patrol Ship Echigo and a 60-member
crew.
• And from India, a total of four ICG ships, their aircraft and a vessel from the National
Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) are participating in the exercise.
• During this exercise, many activities including official calls reciprocal visit onboard
ships, sporting events like basketball matches, cultural interactions would be carried
out.
• Professional interactions between personnel of both coast guards would be organized.
• The exercise mainly focuses on anti-piracy, search and rescue and pollution response.
7. Winged Raider
The Indian Army has conducted its largest airborne exercise called the Winged Raider, where
500 troops participated on January 17, 2020.
The exercise demonstrated the operational readiness of the air warriors and paratroopers.
The C-130 Hercules, Dhruv Helicopters and C-17 globe master transport aircraft were used in
the training.
The exercise was telecasted live. It focused on encountering China in India's border region
and also included capacity building programmes and habitats for the troops. The exercise
also focused on moving certain advanced weapon system to the eastern side of India.
8. K4 nuclear capable missile test fired successfully
India on 19th January 2020, successfully test-fired a 3,500 kilometre range nuclear capable
missile that can be launched from a submarine.
Key Points:
• K-4 ballistic missile took place off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
• The missile is being developed by India’s Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and is to be fitted into the indigenously built Arihant-class nuclear-
powered submarines of the Indian Navy.
• The K-4 is an intermediate-range submarine launched ballistic missile.
• The K-series missiles are named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam.
Note:
• India has not signed the Nuclear-Test-Ban treaty and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
9. IAF inducts Su-30 fighter squadron
The Indian Air Force inducted its first squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft which are capable
of carrying BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.The induction ceremony of the 222
'Tigersharks' fighter squadron was held at Thanjavur air base. The new unit inducted by IAF is
armed with the 2.5-ton air-launched BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile which is capable of
striking targets at a distance of over 300 KM with pinpoint precision.
Key Points:
• This missile can strike from any large stand-off ranges on any target like the sea,land
with pinpoint certainty by day, night and also in all weather conditions.
• The capability of this missile along with the performance of the Su-30 MKI will change
the paradigm of maritime surveillance, security, and strike in the region.
• The squadron will be providing protection to the island territories and sea lines of
communication in the Indian Ocean Region.
• It is necessary as the Indian Ocean Region is increasingly gaining importance and the
presence of a fighter squadron will provide security cover to all the strategic and vital
assets in the region.
10.DAC approved the Procurement of defence equipment
Defence Acquisition Council-DAC has recently approved the procurement of various defence
equipment worth more than Rs 5,000 crore from various indigenous sources. The purpose of
this defence acquisition deal is to encourage indigenization.
Key Points:
• DAC is the chief decision making body for defence equipment purchase.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh chaired this meeting.
• Apart from defence equipment, DAC also approved shortlisting of Indian Strategic
Partners (SP).
• As per the approval of DAC, the Indian Army will purchase sophisticated Electronic
Warfare Systems (EWS) designed by the Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO).
• The Ministry of Defence will purchase all these electronic warfare systems only from
the Indian industry.
• The DAC also approved prototype testing of trawl designed by DRDO for T-90 and T-72
tanks.
• It will provide an important indigenous de-mining capacity to the Indian Army.
• Defence Acquisition Council also approved the inclusion of Innovations for Defence
Excellence (iDEX) in the Defence Procurement Procedure.
11.The Assam Rifles have constructed war memorial
The Assam Rifles has constructed a combined war memorial in Nagaland for the 357 Army
where the Assam Rifles personnel killed while fighting insurgency in the northeastern state.
Key Points:
• This memorial has been built at Mokokchung. It is also the cultural and intellectual
centre of Nagaland.
• This memorial is the first of its kind in the state of Nagaland.
• It also has the famous Second World War Cemetery at Kohima named "Veer Samriti"
which is spread over 13,500 sq ft and it was built by 44 Assam Rifles.
• Nagaland has seen decades of insurgency, which lead to loss of lives for the security
forces and also the Naga insurgents.
• The Assam Rifles authorities in Nagaland thought it was necessary to have a memorial
which would motivate the future generations in the state and country.
International Affairs
1. Palau has become the first country to ban sun cream
The Pacific nation of Palau has become the 1st country to ban Sun cream. It considers that it
is harmful to corals and sea life.
Key Points:
• From 1st January 2020, Sun cream will not be allowed to worn or sold in the country.
• The list includes oxybenzone and octinoxate, which absorb ultraviolet light.
• Tommy Remengesau is Palau’s President.
• The nation markets itself as a “pristine paradise” for all the divers.
• A lagoon in Palau’s Rock Islands is a Unesco World Heritage site. The population of the
country is approximately 20,000.
• The International Coral Reef Foundation stated the banned chemicals were known to be
as environmental pollutants since most of them are incredibly toxic to juvenile stages
of many wildlife species.
2. Pakistan officially shares list of nuclear installations with India
Pakistan on 1st January 2020 shared a list of its nuclear installations with India under a
bilateral agreement.
Key Points:
• This list was handed over to an Indian High Commission official. It was in accordance
with Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against the Nuclear
Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India signed on December 31, 1988.
• The list of nuclear installations and facilities in Pakistan officially handed it over to a
representative of the Indian High Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi then handed over the list of Indian nuclear
installations and facilities to a representative of the Pakistan High Commission at 1100
AM (IST).
• The agreement contains the provision that both countries inform each other of their
nuclear installations and facilities on January 1 every year. This is being done
consecutively since January 1, 1992.
3. The 31st International Kite Festival
The 31st International Kite Festival was inaugurated by Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat and
CM Vijay Rupani at Sabarmati Riverfront on 7th of january 2020 amid the presence of country
representatives in India and state ministers.
Key Points:
• It will continue till 14th January- Makar Sankranti- the festival of Kites in different parts
of the state.
• Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has inaugurated the colourful kite festival, which is also
attracting large number of foreign tourists in the state.
• Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat was also present on this occasion.
• The size of kite industry in the state has increased multi-fold following the successive
International Kite Festivals in the state.
• More than 140 kite flying experts from 40 countries are participating in this event.
• About 800 kite fliers from Gujarat and 200 kite fliers from 12 other states are also
participating in this unique festival.
• International Kite Festival is being organized at nine other places across the state
simultaneously including Statue of Unity- Kevadiya, Surat and Vadodara.
4. Bangladesh HC orders govt to impose ban on single use plastic
Bangladesh High Court on 6th January 2020 ordered the government to impose a ban on
single use plastic in coastal areas and hotels, motels and restaurants across the country
within the next one year.
Key Points:
• Single use plastic products like drinking straws, cotton buds, food packaging, food
containers, bottles, plates, plastic cutlery and plastic bags.
• The court also ordered strict enforcement of the ban on polythene across the country.
• As per the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act polythene has been banned in
the country since 2002 but its use is continuing all over Bangladesh.
• The court order came in response to a writ petition filed by 11 organizations working in
the field of environment and climate change.
• The petition claimed that according to government data Bangladesh generated 3,000
tonnes of plastic waste daily.
5. The Union Cabinet approves agreement between India and Mongolia to explore outer
space
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval for
an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of
Mongolia. It is on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful and
Civilian Purposes.
Key Points:
• The Agreement was signed at New Delhi on 20 September 2019 during the state visit of
the President of Mongolia to India.
• This Agreement will enable pursuing the potential interest areas of cooperation such
as:
1. Space science, technology and applications which includes remote sensing of the earth;
2. Satellite communication and satellite based navigation;
3. Space science and planetary exploration;
4. Use of spacecraft and space systems and ground system; and application of space
technology.
• This Agreement would lead to set up a Joint Working Group, drawing members from
DOS/ISRO and Communications and Information Technology Authority of the
Government of Mongolia.
Benefit:
Cooperation with the Government of Mongolia through this Agreement will lead to develop a
joint activity in the field of application of space technologies to benefit humanity. Thus all the
sections and regions of the country will get benefited.
6. Pedro Sanchez to be the Prime Minister of Spain
Spain's Parliament confirmed Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez as Prime Minister of the
country on 7 January 2020. He will hold the office for another term at the helm of the
country's first-ever coalition government.
Key Points:
• Mr. Sanchez won 167 votes in the 350-seat Assembly compared to 165 votes against
Catalan and Basque separatist MPs.
• He is planning to form a minority coalition government with the hard-left party
Podemos.
• This would be the first ever coalition government in Spain since the country returned to
democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in the year 1975.
7. MoU between India-Germany on Zero Budget Natural Farming
The Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the
representatives of a German firm, KFW, in Amaravati. for the `Zero Budget Natural Farming’
(ZBNF)
Key Points:
• As part of the agreement that intends to scale up the ongoing project with the German
firm, the government has taken a loan of Rs 711 crores out of the estimated amount of
Rs 1015 crore earmarked to be spent towards the climate-resilient, ZBNF.
• The YS Jaganmohan Reddy led-State government will spend Rs 304 crore on the
project.
• This is aimed to cover 2.39 lakh farmers in around 600 village panchayats, which will
promote natural farming.
• Along with ZBNF implementation, the Government will also implement Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojana.
About Zero Budget Natural Farming:

Zero Budget Natural Farming is a farming practice which believes in the natural growth of
crops without adding any fertilizers, pesticides or any foriegn elements. The word Zero
Budget refers to the zero net cost of production of all crops viz., inter crops, border crops,
multi crops.
8. India attends Hormuz Peace Initiative
India participated in the Hormuz Peace Initiative, which seeks stability in one of the world’s
busiest and strategically located shipping lanes. On the north coast of the strait lies Iran and
on the south are the UAE and Musandam, an enclave of Oman. The strait is about 90 nautical
miles (167 km) long, with a width varying from about 52 nautical miles to 21 nautical miles.
Key Points:
• Half the liquefied natural gas and two-thirds of the oil India imports come through the
strait.
• Almost 18 million barrels of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day, accounting
for one-third of the global oil trade. A
• A third of the world’s LNG trade also passes through the strait.
• This initiative is aimed at enhancing solidarity, mutual understanding as well as
peaceful and friendly relations among countries in the region in order to guarantee the
territorial integrity and political independence of regional states.
9. Raisina Dialogue is to be held New Delhi
Raisina Dialogue 2020 will be held in New Delhi between January 14 and 16. It promises to be
a mega show amid the presence of foreign ministers from across the globe.
The theme is: 21@20: Navigating the Alpha Century
Key Points:
• Besides Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is the keynote speaker at the
dialogue, other ministers who will address the meeting include host and Indian foreign
minister S Jaishankar, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
• Also counterparts from Iran, Denmark, Maldives, Morocco, Australia, Bhutan, South
Africa, Czech Republic, Estonia and Uzbekistan will be attending.
• The highest number of foreign ministers will be attending the dialogue since its
inception in the year 2016.
• In 2016, the dialogue focused on Asia’s physical, human, economic and digital
connectivity. In the consecutive year, the conference aimed at linking Asia with the rest
of the world.
About Raisina Dialogue:

The Raisina Dialogue is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs. It has been a leading
think-tank Observer Research Foundation since 2016. It is a multilateral conference which is
committed to address the most challenging issues faced by the global community. This is
conducted annually where all the global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are
hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy
matters.
10.The first session of India-Norway trade and investment dialogue
On 15-16 January, 2020 the 1st Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment
(DTI) was convened in New Delhi.
The session was based on the Terms of Reference (ToR) signed between India and Norway
on 8th January, 2019 in New Delhi, during the visit of Prime Minister of Norway. This was the
first meeting after the signing of DTI.
On 15th January 2020, an industry interaction preceded this Session with the representatives
from Indian industry. The discussions were held on various areas of mutual interest like the
shipping, blue economy & maritime, ICT, renewable energy, MSME and fisheries. They
exchanged views on investment opportunities that are accessible in the respective countries
as also the facilitations being extended by respective Governments for creating attractive
investment environments. Presentations were also made by the Delhi Mumbai Industrial
Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) and Invest India. Representatives from the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry-FICCI, Confederation of Indian

Industry (CII), fisheries, ICT, renewable energy, electrical equipment, IT and solar energy
sectors participated in the industry interaction.
Around USD257 million were the cumulative FDI equity inflows to India from Norway during
the year April 2000 to September 2019. While economic exchanges between India and
Norway remain satisfactory, there are ample opportunities for further intensification and
diversification in mutually beneficial areas and their complementarities. Both sides noted that
the dynamic nature of the commercial exchange between the two countries would result in an
increasing number of companies interested in establishing and gaining access to the markets
in India and Norway.
11.Brazil is to open a new research base in Antarctica
Brazil has announced that it is to open a new research base in Antarctica. 8 years ago Brazil's
original scientific outpost was destroyed.
Key Points:
• It is expected that Vice President Hamilton Mourao and Science and Technology
Minister Marcos Pontes will attend the official opening ceremony.
• The Brazilian government has financed approximately $100 million in the
reconstruction of the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station.
• It is a 48,500-square-foot complex on King George Island, the largest in the South
Shetland archipelago.
• The base was built in the place of the previous facility, Comandante Ferraz Antarctic
Station, King George Island, Antarctica.
• Chinese state-owned company CEIEC built the new centre.
• The new base consists of 17 laboratories and accommodation for 64 people.
12.Myanmar-China sign 33 deals under the Belt and Road Initiative
Myanmar and China have signed 33 new deals under China’s Belt and Road Initiative to
implement the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Key points
• The agreement also aims to implement the deep seaport project called Kyaukphyu
Special Economic Zone.
• The agreements aim to strengthen the collaboration in the infrastructure sector that
includes roads, rail connectivity and power interconnection projects.
• The project allows China to have ease of access to the Indian Ocean.
13.Amazon to invest 1 billion USD in India
Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos wound up a three-day visit to India by promising to
create a million jobs by 2025. He is to invest $1 billion in Asia’s third-largest economy.
Key Points:
• Amazon plans to create these jobs through continued investments in technology,

infrastructure, and its logistics network.
• The jobs–created both directly and indirectly will be across industries, which includes
information technology, skill development, content creation, retail, logistics, and
manufacturing.
• These million jobs will be an addition to the 700,000 Amazon’s investments that have
already enabled over the last 6 years in India.
• The retailer has always faced the rage of the small and medium enterprises in India for
its discounts.
• On January 14, 2020 a mega summit called the "smBhav" was organized by Amazon in
the capital to involve the small and medium businesses.
• Nearly 3000 small and medium entrepreneurs attended the summit.
14.PM of India and PM of Nepal has jointly inaugurated the second Integrated Check Post
PM Narendra Modi and Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli will on Tuesday jointly inaugurate
the second Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Jogbani-Biratnagar, built with Indian assistance to
facilitate trade and people's movement.
Key Points:
• The two PMs will jointly inaugurate the Integrated Check-Post (ICP) at Jogbani-
Biratnagar border between the two countries.
• This is the 2nd ICP on the Nepal border.
• The 1st was built at the Raxaul-Birgunj border in the year 2018.
• By this we can witness the remarkable progress in Indian government-assisted post-
earthquake housing reconstruction projects in Nepal.
• Likewise the Indian government had committed to building as many as 50,000 houses
in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts, of which 45,000 have already been built.
15.India, Brazil to sign Strategic Action Plan
India and Brazil are looking to conclude 20 pacts across defence, agriculture, energy,
healthcare and minerals during President Jair Bolsonaro's India trip for the Republic Day amid
Delhi's plan to gain a significant foothold in the resource-rich Latin America.
Key Points:
• Both sides are keen to add momentum to a strategic partnership that was signed in
2006 with a focus on defence industry and robust cooperation in the hydrocarbon
sector.
• A bigger one during the visit could be the Bilateral Investment Treaty, which will be the
first revised one that India will sign with any country.
• In the year 2018, India was the 11th biggest exporter to Brazil and the 10th biggest
importer from the country.
Note:
• The Brazilian companies have invested in IT, automobiles, mining, biofuels, energy and
footwear sectors in India.
• The Indian companies have invested in IT, pharmaceutical, energy, agri-business,
mining, engineering and automobiles.
• Brazil is among the top 10 oil producers in the world.
• Major reforms are being undertaken in Brazil's energy sector, which will help to increase
not only production but also oil exports.
16.Cabinet chaired by PM approves MoUs signed between India, Tunisia and Papua New
Guinea Electoral Commission for elections
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the PM Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the
proposal of the Legislative Department for allowing the Election Commission to enter into
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Independent High Authority for Elections of
Tunisia (ISIE) and the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission(PNGEC) for elections for
cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration.
Key Points:
• The MOUs will promote bilateral cooperation, which aims at building technical
assistance or capacity support for ISIE and the PNGEC for elections for collaboration in
the field of electoral management and administration.
• It visualises cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration.
• It would provide a leg-up to such bodies to conduct elections in their countries.
• Also, it would result in bolstering India's international relations.
Background:
The Election Commission (EC) has been participating in promoting cooperation in the field of
election matters and electoral processes over the world with certain foreign countries and
agencies by adopting the mode of Memorandum of Understanding signed by the concerned
parties.
The MoUs contain standard articles or clauses which express promotion of cooperation in the
field of electoral management and administration including promotion of exchange of
knowledge and experience in the field of organizational and technical development of
electoral process; support in exchanging information, institutional strengthening and capacity
building, training of personnel, holding regular consultations; etc.
17.Ghana to replicate the Ujjwala model of LPG connection
Ghana is to replicate India's success at near-universal cooking gas access and has sought its
expertise in doing so.
Key Points:
• On 22nd January 2020 Indian Oil and National Petroleum Authority of Ghana signed an
initial agreement in the presence of the Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that would
set-off partnership between the two countries on increasing cooking gas invasion in the
African nation.
• Ghana aims to increase cooking gas access to at least 50% of its households from the
current 23% by 2030.
• India has developed as a world leader in the provision of clean energy to its citizens by
the expansion of its LPG network.
• Ghana sought assistance from India in its efforts to promote safe, clean and
environmentally friendly LPG for increased domestic, commercial and industrial usage.
18.MoRD signs MoU with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen institutions of
the rural poor
On 22nd January 2020, the Ministry of Rural Development signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-BMGF under the Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). This is for furthering
their mutual objectives of strengthening grassroots institutions of the rural poor.
Key Points:
• It focuses on improving the lives of India’s poor and the marginalized with the aim of
reducing poverty through institutions of marginalized rural women for promotion of
diversified and gainful self-employment while creating skilled wage employment
opportunities.
• The Ministry is striving to remove barriers like poor health, gender inequality and lack of
opportunities for women’s entrepreneurship while providing them access to financial
institutions and markets.
• DAY-NRLM is also developing social capital and ensuring financial linkages to alleviate
poverty and enhance the quality of the life of rural poor women.
• It has ambitious plans on innovations for alternate channels of financial inclusion like
digital finance, creating value chains around rural products, rural enterprise, improving
market access and also creating awareness on social development issues and
services.
19.India, Bangladesh signed an agreement to upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into a 4-lane

highway
India, Bangladesh signed an agreement to upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into a 4-lane

highwa25 January 2020 Current Affairs: India and Bangladesh signed an agreement to
upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into a 4-lane highway on 24 January. The agreement aims to
upgrade the 50.58-kilometre-long road between Ashuganj river port and the Akhaura land port
in Bangladesh into a 4-lane highway.
The project aims to boost connectivity between the North-eastern part of India and
Bangladesh. It will facilitate sub-regional connectivity among South and South-east Asian
countries.
Under the agreement, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of Bangladesh and an
Indian Company Afcons Infrastructure Limited will upgrade the 39 km long road between the
Ashuganj river port to the Dharhar area.
The RHD and an India-Bangladesh joint venture (JV) firm will upgrade the remaining part of
the road from Dharhar to Akhaura.
The deal expects the work to be completed on time and to maintain quality.
20.Katerina Sakellaropoulou as first female President of Greece
On 22nd January 2020, Greece’s parliament elected Katerina Sakellaropoulou as the first
woman president.
Key Points:
• The 63-year-old was elected to the top post in a historic vote, which saw 261 of the
total 294 MPs vote in favour of her.
• Greece’s Parliament Chief Costas Tassoulas declared the final result of the vote.
• Katerina is a senior judge with expertise in environmental and constitutional law.
• She is scheduled to take the oath of office on March 13, 2020.
• Katerina will succeed Prokopis Pavlopoulos, whose 5-year term is scheduled to end in
March. Until now, she was serving the head of Greece’s top administrative court, the
Council of State.
21.China has ranked second as the world’s second-largest weapons manufacturer
The Chinese arms industry has made the Asian nation the world's second-largest producer of
munitions. A decade ago, China relied on imports.
Key Points:
• China has been ranked ahead of Russia, from whom the country used to buy many
weapons.
• The report showed that the Chinese arms groups had generated sufficient sales to be
ranked among the world's top 20 weapons sellers. The four groups have consolidated
sales worth $54.1 billion in 2017.
• The report portrayed the most comprehensive picture of Chinese companies' weapons
production to date.
• It highlighted that the new figures are an underestimate, given the lack of transparency
in China.
22.Sheikh Khalid has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Qatar
On 28th January 2020, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani was appointed as the
new Prime Minister of Qatar. Khalid was appointed by Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani through a royal decree after Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah's resignation was
accepted.
Key Points:
• Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani is a close associate of Qatar’s ruler.
• Qatar’s emir also selected Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Muhammad Al Thani as the new
commander of the nation’s internal security forces.
• Other cabinet positions such as foreign, energy, finance, defence and trade ministries
remained unchanged.
National & International Organizations
1. The WHO releases list of Global Health Challenges of the forthcoming year
The World Health Organization-WHO recently released a list of 13 urgent health challenges
which the world is going to face over the next decade. This highlights a range of issues,
including climate change and health care equity.
Key Points:
• According to WHO, the list provides an overview of "urgent, global health challenges"
that WHO developed with help from experts around the world.
• The challenges included on the list "demand a response from more than just the health
sector," adding, "Governments, communities, and international agencies must work
together" to address these "critical" issues.
The 13 health challenges are:
1. Climate crisis
2. Health care delivery in areas of conflict and crisis
3. Health care equity
4. Access to treatments
5. Infectious disease prevention
6. Epidemic preparedness
7. Unsafe products
8. Underinvestment in health workers
9. Adolescent safety
10. Improving public trust of health care workers
11. Capitalizing on technological advancements
12. Threat of antimicrobial resistance and other medicines
13. Health care sanitation
• This report states that around 7 million people are affected because of climate change.
The other threats that have topped the list include influenza epidemic and spread of
infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
• More than one-quarter of death is due to stroke, heart attack, chronic respiratory
disease and lung cancer. The chances of these diseases are increased by raising levels
of air pollution.
2. World Health Organisation endorses India developed tech-TrueNAt MTB
The WHO has endorsed the technology developed by Indian scientists to detect the disease
called TrueNat MTB with respect to its accuracy.
TRueNat MTB
The TrueNat MTB test is a new molecular test developed by the Indian scientists that can
diagnose Tuberculosis in 1 hour.
The TrueNat MTB test uses polymerase chain reaction to detect Tuberculosis bacteria.
Note:
The Government of India has renamed its National TB Control Programme to National
Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in line with the goal of India in eliminating the disease by
the year 2025.
Economy, Banking & Financial Affairs
1. The Reserve Bank of India launched the MANI application for visually challenged persons
The Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on 1st January 2020 launched a mobile
app-MANI (Mobile Aided Note Identifier). This will help visually-impaired people to identify the
denomination of currency notes.
Key Points:
• This application will also work offline once installed. Users can download freely the
app, called 'MANI', from Android Playstore or iOS App Store.
• This application will be scanning the currency notes using the camera of the mobile
phone. This gives audio output in Hindi and English.
• Under the 'Mahatma Gandhi Series' the central bank has introduced many currency
notes, with significant changes in the sizes and designs after the demonetisation in
November 2016.
• Under the new series, banknotes of Rupees 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 2,000 have
been released in the past couple of years.
2. The first advance estimates of GDP number for the fiscal year 2020
India’s GDP growth during the fiscal year 2019-20 is expected at 5 percent as compared to
6.8 percent a year-ago, according to the first advance estimates released by Statistics
Ministry on 7th January 2020.
Key Points:
• Estimated growth of real Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019-20 is 4.9 percent as against
6.6 percent in 2018-19.
• The manufacturing sector is expected to grow at 2 percent in 2019-20 as compared to
6.9 percent in the previous year.
• The per capita income in real terms (at 2011-12 prices) during 2019-20 is likely to attain
a level of Rs. 96,563 as compared to Rs. 92,565 for the year 2018-19.
• The growth rate in per capita income is estimated at 4.3 percent during the year 2019-
20, as against 5.6 percent in the previous year.
• Agriculture sector is expected to see a growth of 2.8% as compared to 2.9% in the
previous year.
• Few sectors like mining, public administration, and defence, showed minor
improvement.
• The release of the second advance estimates of quarterly GDP estimate for the third
quarter i.e., October-December 2019-20 will be on 28 February.
• These estimates are based on the growth numbers of the first two quarters of the
current fiscal as well as other higher frequency data.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its December policy had revised GDP growth
downwards to 5% for 2019-20 from 6.1% in its October policy.
3. HDFC Bank launched myApps application
HDFC Bank on 9th January 2020 launched myApps application to boost digital payments in
India. The App is a unique customised suite of banking products which benefits urban local
bodies, housing societies, local clubs and gymkhanas and religious institutions.
Key Points:
• HDFC bank is trying help organisations to entirely digitise their ecosystem through
myApps. Currently, HDFC Bank is offering four types of applications — myClub,
mySociety, myPrayer and myCity.
• They will allow institutions to customise their branding and content.
• A person can publish their application on the Google PlayStore or Apple AppStore in the
name of the institution.
• The App will be free to all members of each institution.
• There will be no monthly subscription charges.
• Members can pay monthly bill or fee and also make an online booking for different
facilities via myApps.
• This App will enable the organisation to get easy access to reports on payments,
facilities booked by members, requests and the complaints registered by users.
• The app can also be used to broadcast notices and engage with members on various
events. There is no restrictions on the number of users.
4. Janak Raj expected to be the third internal member of the monetary policy committee
The RBI's principal adviser in the monetary policy department, Janak Raj, is likely to be the 3rd
internal member of the central bank in the monetary policy committee (MPC), which sets
interest rates. He will be replacing Michael Patra who is the executive director of the
monetary policy department, who was elevated as the deputy governor.
Key Points:
• The MPC consists of 6 members, out of which 3 are RBI's internal members and 3 are
external experts.
• According to the law, by default, the Governor and the Deputy Governor of RBI who are
in charge of the monetary policy are the two RBI internal members of MPC.
• The 3rd member could be any RBI officer.
• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and the deputy Governor Michael Patra are the 2 RBI
internal members of MPC.
5. Reserve Bank of India ranks sixth in buying gold from abroad
The World Gold Council (WGC) has released the World Gold Outlook 2020 report. According to
the report, RBI (Reserve Bank of India) ranks 6th in the world among other central banks.
Key points:
• The report states that gold has performed the best since 2010 in the year 2019.
• In 2019, the gold trade increased by 18.4% as compared to 2010.
• The Reserve Bank of India currently holds 625.2 tonnes of gold, making it 6.6% of the
country’s foreign exchange.
• The report asserts:

1. higher taxes have worsened the local gold price consumption.
2. Also, the recently introduces new hallmarking reforms are expected to

increase consumer trust, promote growth, remove inefficiencies and
improve confidence.
• The other five countries that are above India are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and
Poland.
• The Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) of institutional investors were the 2nd largest buyers
of gold in 2019.
• In 2019, the largest gold sellers were Uzbekistan and Venezuela selling 16.6 tonnes and
30.3 tonnes of gold respectively.
World Gold Council:

The World Gold Council is a market development organization with its headquarters located in
London.
6. An analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) states Electoral bonds
worth over Rs 6,000 crore sold so far
According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) states a total of
12,313 electoral bonds which is worth Rs 6128.72 crore were sold since its inception of the
scheme. Out of these, 12,173 bonds, worth Rs 6108.47 crore, were redeemed by political
parties within the validity period. According to an RTI query which was filed by ADR, the
highest sale of bonds was in Mumbai with 2,899 bonds worth Rs 1,879.96 crore (30.67%),
followed by 3,478 bonds worth Rs 1,440.337 crore (23.50%) in Kolkata and 1,630 bonds worth
Rs 918.58 crore (15%) in New Delhi.
The data also reveals that 12,173 bonds worth Rs 6,108.47 crore were redeemed during the
12 phases and 59.20% of the total value of electoral bonds were redeemed in just two months
i.e, March (phase VIII) and April 2019 (phase IX). According to ADR, the highest amount of
bonds i.e, 4,607 bonds worth Rs 2,251.32 crore (36.86%), were redeemed during phase IX in
April ‘19, followed by 2,738 bonds worth Rs 1,364.69 crore (22.34%) were encashed during
phase VIII in March ‘19 and 1,153 bonds worth Rs 819.26 cr (13.41%) encashed in May ‘19.
Electoral Bonds:
• An electoral bond is similar to a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian
citizen or a company that is incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of
India (SBI).
• Later the citizen or corporate can donate the same to any single political party of his or
her choice.
• The bonds are similar to the banknotes which are payable to the bearer on demand,
and they are interest-free.
• These can be purchased digitally or through the cheque.
7. Direct tax collections fall 5% till Jan 15
The direct tax collections till January 15 stood at Rs 7.3 lakh crore, down 5.2 per cent from
the year-ago period. There is no precedent of a contraction indirect tax growth at least in
recent history.
Key Points:
• The collection for direct tax in the current fiscal until 15 January has fallen by 6.1%
compared with the corresponding period of previous year.
• It is after a long gap that tax collection is lower than the numbers given in the previous
year. This has rung the alarm bells that the current economic crisis may be deep-seated
and would take much time to recover from.
• Personal income tax collection grew 6.5% till January 15, as against 23.3% budgeted.
• The corporate tax rate was slashed to 22% from 30 per cent earlier for regular firms,
while it was cut to 15% from 25 per cent for new manufacturing units.
• The collection is further impacted by a slowing economy which is expected to grow 5%
this financial copy.
• The growth in taxes paid by corporations first entered the negative territory in
November 2019 when it contracted by about 1% from a year-ago period.
Geography & Environment
1. Fausta, the world’s oldest rhino, dies in a Tanzanian conservation area
Fausta, the world’s oldest rhino, dies in a Tanzanian conservation area. It is a female black
rhino which died of natural causes in captivity in the Ngorongoro Crater free-ranging, for
more than 54 years.
Sana, a white rhino whose death in France at the age of 55 was reported just last month, was
previously believed to be the oldest captive rhino in the world. According to IUCN, Black
rhinos are critically endangered, but the species' numbers have risen in recent years after
falling dramatically last century.
Last year, the world's last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died in Kenya.
2. WII to conduct Asiatic Lion Census
Around 8,000-10,000 cameras will be used to carry out the 2020 lion census in Gujarat, the
last abode of the lion. Against 15,000 sq km area surveyed in the last census, now it will be
counted across 25,000 sq km area spanning seven districts.
Key Points:
• For the first time, the expertise of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will be perused in the
census. This is scheduled to take place in May 2020.
• The WII had sent a proposal to the Gujarat government and two rounds of meetings
have been held for finalizing the modalities of the census.
• In 2015 lion census it had counted 523 lions in the state. The number is expected to
have risen phenomenally with internal assessments of the forest department which
indicates that the population may have crossed the 1,000-mark.
About Asiatic Lions:

• Asiatic lions belong to the category of Pantherine cats.
• The Asiatic Lions in Gujarat are restricted to Gir National Park in the state.
• The lions are listed as “Endangered” in IUCN Red List.
• In the initial stage, the lions were spread from the east of the Indus River to West
Bengal and also to Narmada River in Central India.
3. Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park Census
The population of the saltwater or the estuarine crocodile has increased in the water bodies
of Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha. It is nearby areas in Kendrapara district. Forest
officials counting 1,757 individuals in this year’s annual reptile census on January 3,
2020.Last year, they had counted 1,742 crocodiles in the area.
The peak winter, exposure of more than 50% of mud banks and the lunar cycle made January
3 an excellent date for the counting of the reptiles. During the census, there were 620
hatchlings, 325 yearlings, 288 juveniles, 185 sub-adults (six to eight feet long) and 339 adults
(more than 8 feet long). Last year, there was 619 hatchlings, 347 yearlings, 273 juveniles, 178
sub-adults and 325 adults. The enumerators also sighted around 12 albino crocodiles and
four giant crocodiles more than 20 feet long in the water bodies of Bhitarkanika during the
census.
There was a gradual increase of the reptiles between 2000 and 2020. A total of 1,192
estuarine crocodiles were counted during the census of 2000. But in 2001 census, the
number of crocodiles reached 1,330. And 1,308 crocodiles were counted in 2002. In the year
2003, 1,342 and in 2004, 1,355 crocodiles were noted. In the year 2005, the census figure was
1,449. In the year 2006, 1,454 crocodiles and in 2007, 1,482 crocodiles were found. In the year
2008, 1,482 crocodiles were sighted. In the year 2009, 1,572 crocodiles and in 1,610
crocodiles were found in 2010. In the year 2011, the forest officials counted 1,654 but in 2012,
the population of crocodiles decreased marginally as 1,646 reptiles were sighted. In the year
2013, 1,649 crocodiles were counted. In 2014, we counted 1,644 crocodiles and in 2015, we
counted 1,665 crocodiles. In the year 2016, they found 1,671 and in 2017, the numbers of the
reptile reached 1,682. In 2018, they were 1,698.
4. A turtle rehabilitation Centre is to be set up in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest
A rehabilitation centre which is first-of-its-kind for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in

Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020. The rehab centre is spread over half a
hectare and it will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time. The need to build such a centre was
observed after several turtles were found severely wounded and sick when rescued from
smuggles by rescue teams.
Many turtles were severely injured, sick or dead, while being rescued from smugglers. This
centre would play a significant role in treating these animals and their proper upkeep before
being returned to their natural habitat. Previously, rescued turtles used to be released into
rivers without much treatment in the absence of any facility like the centre. Because of this
the officials were not able to keep track of r escued turtles released into rivers. But now, they
will be properly monitored before being released in their natural habitat.
Eastern Bihar has been an ideal breeding ground for turtles. The turtles play a significant role
in the river by scavenging dead organic materials and diseased fish, controlling fish
population as predators and controlling aquatic plants and weeds. They are also described as
indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems.
5. Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that 2019 was the second hottest year
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announces that the year 2019 was the fifth in
a series of exceptionally warm years and the second warmest year globally ever recorded.
Together with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), C3S also reports that
CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have continuously risen. Their data provide the first
complete, global picture of 2019 temperatures and CO2 levels. The results are in line with
previous projections from WMO and the Global Carbon Project (GCP) for 2019.
Key Points:
• The five warmest years on record have all occurred in the last 5 years, with 2019
coming in as the second warmest and 2010-2019 being the warmest decade on record.
• The year 2019 was almost 0.6 °C warmer than the 1981-2010 average.
• The average temperature of the last 5 years was between 1.1 and 1.2 °C higher than the
pre-industrial level defined by the IPCC.
• Europe saw its warmest calendar year on record, marginally ahead of 2014, 2015 and
2018.
6. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy releases its year-end review
As a part of Nationally Determined Contributions as per the Paris Accord on Climate Change,
India has made a pledge that by 2030, 40% of our installed power generation capacity shall be
from non-fossil fuel sources. It has also decided that by 2030, it will reduce emission intensity
of GDP by 33-35 % from 2005 level. Economic growth, increasing prosperity, growing rate of
urbanization and rising per capita energy consumption has increased the energy demand of
the country.
Key Points:
• Keeping in view the above and our commitment for a healthy planet with less carbon
intensive economy, it was decided in 2015 that 175 GW of renewable energy capacity
will be installed by the year 2022.
• This includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW
from small hydro power.
• The higher capacity target will ensure greater energy security, improved energy access
and enhanced employment opportunities.
• With this accomplishment of these ambitious targets, India will become one of the
largest Green Energy producers in the world, surpassing several developed countries.
• There were several other programmes that were taken up in the year 2019 like Kisan
Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), Development of Ultra Mega
Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPPs), Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar (RTS)
Programme, Solar PV manufacturing, Wind-Solar Hybrid and many more.
7. FAC approved the Green Credit Scheme to trade in forests
The Forest Advisory Committee approved a Green Credit Scheme that will allow the forest to
be traded as a commodity. At present, the case of the loss of forest, the industry needs to find
appropriate non-forest land and pay the Net Present Value to the State Forest Department.
Then it is the Forest Department’s responsibility to grow appropriate vegetation which would
grow into forests over time.
Key Points:
• Green Credit Scheme allows agencies, private companies, and village forest
communities etc. to identify land and grow plantations.
• After three years, the land would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest
land if it meets the criteria set by the Forest Department.
• An industry which needs forest land can then approach the agency and pay it for any
parcels of such forested land and this would then be transferred to the Forest
Department and be recorded as forest land. In simpler words, it will allow forests to be
traded as a commodity.
• In the year 2015, a ‘Green Credit Scheme’ was recommended for degraded forest land
with public-private participation, but it was not approved by the Union Environment
Minister, the final authority.
• The scheme is in line with the Green India Mission that aims to achieve its target of
2.523 billion tons of carbon by 2020-30. It involves adding 30 million hectares in
addition to an existing forest.
Forest Advisory Committee:
It is a statutory body which was constituted by the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 under the
Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC). It considers questions on the
diversion of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships and
advises the government on the issue of granting forest clearances. However, its role is
advisory.
8. Australia recorded 2019 as its hottest year on record
Australia experienced its hottest year on record in the year 2019, according to data from the
Bureau of Meteorology. Temperatures were 1.52 degrees higher in 2019 than the long-term
average, breaking the record set in 2013 of 1.33C, by 0.19 degrees.
Key Points:
• Several other records were smashed in Australia last year, including the record for the
country’s hottest day ever, which was broken twice in December.
• On December 18 the average maximum temperature in Australia rose to 41.9C, just one
day after a record of 40.9C was achieved.
• Prior to that, Australia’s hottest day was recorded on January 7, 2013 when
temperatures reached 40.3 degrees.
• Western Australia also beat its previous heat record set in 2013 by 0.58C, with
temperatures 1.67C higher than average.
• Australia’s average total rainfall in the year 2019 was 277 millimeters, the lowest since
records began in the year 1900 and about 40 per cent below normal. Severe drought
affected large parts of the country.
9. Australian Koalas become endangered in bushfires
The Australian Koalas population suffered an extraordinary hit in the bushfires of Australia.
Australia recorded 2019 as its hottest year on record.
Key Points:
• Around 1.25 billion animals are believed to be dead in bush fires. It has also destroyed
more than 10 million hectares of land.
• The Koalas are to be put under “endangered” from “vulnerable” as 30 percent of their
habitat were destroyed by the fires.
• The Australian Government has announced a 50 million Australian Dollars emergency
fund to save the wildlife affected due to the fires.
• The Australian Koalas are herbivorous animals that are native to Australia.
• They are found in coastal areas of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South
Australia.
10.Seismic Hazard Microzonation Project
The Ministry of Earth Science under the Government of India has launched the Seismic Hazard
Microzonation project to minimize earthquake disasters by putting in adequate measures.
Seismic Hazard Microzonation

Seismic Hazard Microzonation is the process of identifying the earthquake-prone areas based
on its geological and geophysical characteristics.
The characteristics include:

• ground shaking,
• landslide,
• response from soil layers,
• liquefaction susceptibility,
• rockfall hazard and
• flooding caused due to earthquakes.
Microzonation in India
Microzonation in India has been done in:

• Sikkim,
• Delhi,
• Kolkata
• Bengaluru,
• Kolkata,
• Guwahati,
• Jabalpur,
• Dehra Dun,
• Ahmedabad and
• Gandhidham.
Japan is the best example where microzonation techniques are well implemented.
11.National Ganga Mission Begins Conservation of wetlands
The National Mission for Clean Ganga-NMCG under its 'Namami Gange' program has taken
up an initiative to conserve wetlands in the Ganga River Basin.
Key Points:
• Deoria Tal is one of the high altitude wetlands in Uttarakhand. It is an untouched marvel
of nature.
• There are many such wetlands, which are highly productive ecosystems that support
rich biodiversity and provide a wide range of ecosystem services like water supply,
purification, and waste assimilation.
• The primary difference in the Namami Gange Project is to rejuvenate the river through
an increase in the base flow, aquifers recharge and also conservation of wetlands.
• It considers so because it forms the part of one of our 'Aviral Dhara' which is to
maintain the environmental flow in the river.
• So, wetland plays a majorly important role in that and the first step to conserve
wetlands in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
About Wetland conservation:

• The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty.
• It was established in 1971 by UNESCO.
• It is a treaty that was signed for the conservation of wetland.
• There are 27 Ramsar sites in India.
12.Wildlife census begins in Kalakkad-Mundanthurai tiger reserve
From February 17th Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is to conduct a five-day wildlife
census. It organised an orientation programme at Papanasam on the 1st day of the
programme to train the participants in collecting the data from the field.
Key Points:
• A total of 230 persons out of which 30 students, 50 volunteers and 150 forest
personnel will be involved in the exercise in small groups, each comprising five to seven
members.
• The participants were trained at Papanasam on 21st January 2020 by Deputy Director
of KMTR’s Ambasamudram Division R. Kanchana, who gave useful tips on wildlife
census.
• During this , the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve will conduct the annual tiger, co-
predators and wild ungulates population survey.
• To carry out this census in reserve comprising 30 beats and 7 forest ranges in
Ambasamudram and Kalakad divisions, students, volunteers, and all the field staff
which include foresters, forest guards, forest watchers and anti-poaching watchers
would be engaged.
• In this survey all beats will be covered for the presence of wild animals like leopards,
tigers, wild boars, wild dogs and prey animals, including sambar, chital, wild boars,
gaurs and elephants.
13.Ramsar Convention has added 10 more sites from India
On 28th January 2020, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that
India has added ten more wetlands to sites protected by the Ramsar Convention.
Key Points:
• The ten new ones are Nandur Madhameshwar, a first for Maharashtra; Beas
Conservation Reserve, Keshopur-Miani and Nangal in Punjab; and Parvati Agra,
Nawabganj, Samaspur, Saman, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar in Uttar Pradesh.
• The other Ramsar sites are in Rajasthan, Odisha, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Assam,
Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.
• With this, a total of 37 sites in the country have been recognised under the international
treaty.
• Wetlands that are declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines.
Note:
The Convention was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It is one of the oldest inter-
governmental accords for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. It is also known as
the Convention on Wetlands. This aims to develop a global network of wetlands for the
conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.
14.African cheetahs to be introduced in Indian forests
On 28th January 2020, the Supreme Court lifted its seven-year stay on a proposal to introduce
African cheetahs from Namibia into the Indian habitat on an experimental basis.
Key Points:
• The plan was to revive the Indian cheetah population.
• The rare Indian cheetah is almost extinct in the country, the National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA) had filed an application seeking permission to introduce
the African cheetah from Namibia.
• The apex court set up a three-member committee which comprised of former director
Wildlife of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife of India Dhananjay Mohan, and DIG, Wildlife,
Ministry of Environment and Forests to guide the NTCA to take a decision on the issue.
• The apex court will monitor the project, and the committee will submit its report every
four months.
• Introducing the African cheetah will be on an experimental basis in the best suitable
habitat to see whether it can adapt to Indian conditions.
15.Reliance Industries to launch a new project on using plastics in road construction
Reliance Industries is to launch a project which uses plastics in road construction. There are
growing concerns over pollution in the country of 1.3 billion where major cities are often
plagued with smog and litter.
Key Points:
• India uses about 14 million tonnes of plastic annually. It lacks an organised system for
management of plastic waste which leads to widespread littering.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is urging India to end consumption of single-use plastics
by 2022.
• The company will try to work with India's highway authority and also individual states to
supply plastics-infused mix to make thousands of kilometres of roads Modi wants to
build to upgrade India's creaking infrastructure.
• Light plastics are those which are used as carrying bags or snack wrappers, these are
typically not viable to recycle and so end up in landfills, street corners or oceans.
Reliance wants to shred these plastics and mix them with bitumen, a formula the
conglomerate says is cheaper and longer-lasting.
Science & Technology
1. The Ministry of External Affairs is to set up NEST
The external affairs ministry on 1st January 2020 announced to set up of new, emerging and
strategic technologies (NEST) division. This development comes close on the heels of the
government allowing all network equipment makers, including Huawei, to participate in 5G
trials.
Key Points:
• NEST would act as a nodal division within the ministry for issues which pertains to new
and emerging technologies.
• It will help in collaboration with foreign partners in the field of 5G and artificial
intelligence.
• Its mandate will include, but not be limited to, evolving India’s external technology
policy in coordination with domestic stakeholders and in line with India’s
developmental priorities and national security goals.
• This will also help assess foreign policy and international legal implications of new and
emerging technologies and technology-based resources, and recommend appropriate
foreign policy choice.
2. ISRO Signs pact to set up optical Telescope
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has inked a pact with Indian Institute of
Astrophysics(IIA) to establish an optical telescope under “Project NETRA”.
Key Points:
• The organisation has also tied up with NIT-Karnataka to set up a regional academic
centre for space to promote research and development.
• The project will help India detect threats to Indian satellites from debris.
• Currently, India operates 15 communication satellites, 13 remote sensing satellites and

eight navigation satellites.
• Project NETRA was launched by ISRO in September 2019. Under the Project, ISRO plans
to set up observational facilities that will help in making early warnings to satellites
about debris and hazards in their orbit.
• It includes radars, telescopes, control centres and data processing units.
• The aim is to make the facilities powerful enough to track even the smallest particle of
10 cm diameter up to a range of 3,400 km.
3. ISRO sets up academic centre in Karnataka to provide 2 crore
ISRO sets up a regional academic centre for space at the National Institute of Technology-
NITK at Surathkal in Karnataka. This is in the southwest Dakshina Kannada district.
Key Points:
• The centre at NIT-K would be conducting joint research and development in space
technology applications.
• This is done to meet the needs of space programmes.
• The space agency's director for capacity building is P.V. Venkitakrishnan.
• ISRO is to provide Rs. 2 crore grant annually to NIT for the R&D projects and also
promotional activities through the year.
• The space agency and the engineering institute signed an agreement on the industry-
academic collaboration on 3rd January 2020 at Surathkal, about 380km from
Bengaluru.
• This centre is fourth in the country.
• This will facilitate to promote space technology in the southern states like Andhra
Pradesh, Puducherry, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
• It would act as an ambassador for capacity-building, awareness and research and
development (R&D).
4. Challakere to be ISRO’s astronaut training hub
Country's world-class facility for training astronauts will be coming up in Challakere.

Key Points:
• This will be established in three years at Challakere, a shrubby, arid oilseeds town on
the Bengaluru-Pune NH4 in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.
• The ISRO has proposed a Rs. 2,700-crore master plan to create top infrastructure that
will be housing its young Human Space Flight Centre.
• Currently, astronauts who are part of Gaganyaan Mission, the Human Spaceflight
Programme of ISRO are trained in Russia. The centre aims at bringing in all the features
that are provided by Russia and begin training astronauts within the country.
• The HSFC was formally announced in January 2019. It works from a temporary place at
the ISRO headquarters, Antariksh Bhavan.
5. Indian Data Relay Satellite System
India plans to ring in its era of space-to-space technology tracking and communication of its
space assets this year by putting up a new satellite series called the Indian Data Relay
Satellite System (IDRSS).
Key Points:
• The IDRSS is planned in such a way that it tracks and will constantly be in touch with
Indian satellites, in particular those in low-earth orbits which have limited coverage of
earth.
• In the future, it is going to be important to Indian Space Research Organisation-ISRO,
whose roadmap is dotted with advanced LEO missions like space platform , space
docking also as distant expeditions to the moon, Mars and Venus. It will also be useful
in monitoring launches.
• The very first beneficiary of this would be the prospective crew members of the
Gaganyaan mission of 2022. They will be fully and continuously in touch with mission
control throughout their travel.
• The first IDRSS will be sent towards the end of 2020. And the second one will follow in
the year 2021. These two will offer near total tracking, sending and receiving of
information from the crew 24/7.
6. First Scientific Experiment on fish cultivation
On January 8, 2020, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) announced that
it has developed feasible scientific method to cultivate Indian Pompano fish in ponds.
Key Points:
• Pompanos are marine fishes.

• To cultivate Indian Pompano in ponds will be a good alternative to shrimp.
• The financial assistance for this invention was provided by the National Fisheries
Development Board (NFDB).
• After the successful invention of the scientific method by CMFRI, it will officially be
cultivated in ponds of Visakhapatnam. In India this is the first time a scientific
experiment has been done on the cultivation of Pompano fish.
• The method recorded 95% of survival of the fishes.
• The method provided 3 tonnes per acre yield and a profit of 25% to 30% of input cost
per acre.
7. LIGO detects gravitational waves due to collision of neutron stars
For the second time, scientists have used gravitational waves to detect the merger of two
colliding neutron stars. The neutron stars each which fits roughly the mass of the Sun into a
city-sized space have a combined mass which is greater than any other pair of neutron stars
ever observed.
Key Points:
• From the conventional observations with light, it is known that there are 17 binary
neutron star systems in our own galaxy and we have estimated the masses of these
stars.
• After the collision of these two especially the hefty neutron stars, researchers say the
final merged product was likely massive enough to collapse into a black hole, gobbling
up any stray matter and light located nearby.
Facts:
• LIGO made history 2 and a half years ago, when the observatory detected its first pair
of neutron stars a city-size objects that were left behind when a giant star dies spiraling
around one another and then merging.
• When extreme heavy objects spiral and smash in this way, they create ripples in the
fabric of space-time, and LIGO was specifically built to pick these up.
8. Scientists have discovered a titanic wave of star-forming gases practically in the Milky
way
Astronomers have discovered a titanic wave of star-forming gases in the Milky Way, Harvard
University scientists reported on 7th January 2020 that this massive structure has been
hiding out in the Milky Way galaxy's spiral arm closest to Earth.
Key Points:
• The researchers were building a 3D map of our galaxy's interstellar matter by using a
star census which was gathered by Europe's Gaia spacecraft.
• It's an astounding 50 quadrillion miles long. It is home to tens of thousands of baby
stars, with the potential for countless more stellar births.
• The sun is just 500 light years away from the wave at its closest point.
• The wave contains gases that are equivalent to 3 million times the mass of the sun.
• Started in 2013, the Gaia spacecraft has measured the distances close to 1 billion stars
in our galaxy.
• It provides a precious, colossal data base for uncovering huge structures like the
Radcliffe Wave.
9. The Chinese scientists discovered a new strain of virus: Corona Virus
China reported the first death in the country due to pneumonia which was caused by a new
virus that is of outbreak in the city of Wuhan on 11th January 2020. The Chinese scientists
discovered that the virus is that of the corona virus.
Key Points:
• According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak in Wuhan is less virulent.
• In the year 2002-03, the flu-like Sars virus that belongs to Corona virus family, killed
more than 700 people in the world.
• The virus originated in China.
• Corona Viruses were first found in humans in early 1960s, these viruses cause flu and
gastro intestinal problems.
• They have great genetic variability where they can overcome barriers between different
species.
• The virus has protrusions on its surface which makes the virus look like an emperor’s
crown and hence the name Corona virus. The protrusions are made of proteins.
• Apart from humans the Virus can also infect cattle, pigs, dogs, camels, birds and
hedgehogs.
10.ISRO will be launching GSAT-30 satellite
The Indian Space Research Organization will launch GSAT-30 satellite on the launch vehicle
Ariane-5 on January 17, 2020. It is to be launched in Ariane Launch Complex at Kourou.
Kourou is a French territory that is located along the north eastern coast of South America.
Key Points:
• The GSAT-30 is a communication satellite. It is to replace INSAT-4A.
• The mission life of GSAT-30 is 15 years. ISRO has designed GSAT-30 in such a way to
increase the number of transponders.
• A transponder is a device that transmits and responds to signals.
• The satellite will help in supporting VSAT network, teleport services, DTH televisions
services, cellular backhaul connectivity and digital news gathering services.
11.Scientists have found the oldest material on Earth from an ancient meteorite
Scientists have found a meteorite that was crashed into rural southeastern Australia in a
fireball in the year 1969 which contained the oldest material ever found on Earth. The stardust
predated the formation of the solar system by billions of years.
Key Points:
• The oldest of 40 tiny dust particles trapped inside the meteorite fragments were
retrieved around the town of Murchison in Victoria.
• It was dated back to nearly 7 billion years ago which is about 2.5 billion years even
before the sun, Earth and the rest of the solar system which formed.
• About 60% of them dated between 4.6 -4.9 billion years old. Among the stardust, the
oldest 10% dated to more than 5.6 billion years ago.
• The presolar grains from the meteorite were examined by Philipp Heck, curator of
meteorites at Chicago's Field Museum. It had a piece of the meteorite in its collection.
• In order to separate the oldest grains from the relatively younger ones of the meteorite,
scientists crushed fragments of the meteorite into a powder. It was then dissolved in
acid, which left only the pre-solar particles.
12.China operationalised the world's largest radio telescope
China operationalized the world's largest radio telescope- FAST in southwest China’s Guiyang
city, the capital of Guizhou province. The FAST telescope is launched after three years of trial
operation.
Key Points:
• The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) telescope is with a
diameter of half-a-kilometre. This is dubbed as China Sky Eye.
• This device is expected to make major scientific discoveries.
• FAST is 2.5 times as sensitive as the second-largest telescope in the world.
• It is capable of receiving a maximum of 38 gigabytes (GB) of information per second.
• The receiving area of the telescope is around 30 football fields.
13.ISRO’s half-humanoid will go to space before astronauts
Vyommitra (Vyoma-space, Mitra-friend) is the prototype of the half-humanoid, made for the
first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission.
Key Points:
• The artificial intelligence-based robotic system is being developed at a robotics lab at
the VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram for an uncrewed flight of ISRO’s GSLV III rocket in
December 2020, which, along with a second uncrewed flight in July 2021, will serve as
the test of ISRO’s preparedness for its maiden human-crewed space mission,
Gaganyaan, being targeted for 2022 to mark 75 years of India’s independence.
• Vyom Mitra is equipped with a head, two arms and a torso and is built to mimic crew
activity inside the crew module of Gaganyaan.
• It is basically an artificial intelligence-based system. It recognised the face of the VSSC
director from the attached computer database and converted text to speech to speak
out the identity.
• This can monitor through module parameters, alert and perform life support
operations. Also perform activities like switch panel operations, converse with the
astronauts, recognise them and respond to their queries.
14.China to launch its Mars probe in 2020
China has announced to launch its Mars probe in July 2020. The spacecraft will be launched
onboard the Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket.
Key Points:
• The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation-CASC, a China space
agency, will be sending a probe to orbit to land and deploy a rover on planet Mars.
• The Long March-5 Y4 rocket has completed its 100-second test.
• This was the last engine test before the final assembly. This was tested for its high
thrust hydrogen-oxygen engine.
• Additionally, the Long March-5 rocket of China is to have many missions including the
Mars probe launch and the lunar sample return.
15.NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA’s Spitzer Mission studied the universe in infrared light for more than 16 years. This will
come to an end because it is low on fuel. Also, it has been drifting away from Earth for a few
years now. Engineers will decommission the Spitzer aircraft, after which it will cease to
conduct science operations.
Key Points:
• The Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-borne observatory.
• It is one of the components of NASA’s Great Observatories that include the Hubble
Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray.
• Using various infrared wavelengths, Spitzer was able to see and unveil characteristics
of the universe, including objects that were too cold to emit any visible light.
• Spitzer apart from enabling researchers to see distant, cold objects could also see
through large amounts of gas using the infrared wavelengths to detect objects that
may otherwise have remained invisible to humans.
• These included brown dwarfs, exoplanets and cold matter found in the space between
stars.
16.ISRO launched Bhuvan Panchayat 3.0
The Indian Space Research Organisation has launched the Bhuvan Panchayat web portal's
version 3.0 for better planning and monitoring of government projects. For the first time, a
thematic database on a 1:10,00 scale for the entire country is available with integrated high-
resolution satellite data for planning.
Key Points:
• The project will last for at least two years. ISRO is to collaborate with the gram
panchayat members and the stakeholders to understand their data requirements.
• The third version of the portal will provide database visualisation and services for the
benefit of panchayat members, among others.
• This project is meant to provide geospatial services to aid the gram panchayat
development planning process of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Note:
ISRO, along with the Department of Land resources, has developed "Srishti" to monitor the
Integrated Watershed Management Programme. ISRO is also setting up the Telangana Water
Resources Information System (TWRIS) on the Bhuvan Web Portal.
Awards & Personalities
1. Babita Rayudu takes charge as the SEBI Executive Director
Market regulator SEBI on 1st January 2020 said G Babita Rayudu had taken charge as its
executive director.
Key Points:
• Rayudu will be handling legal affairs department, enforcement department and special
enforcement cell.
• Prior to this promotion, Rayudu was in the legal affairs department in SEBI.
About SEBI:
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India-SEBI is the Regulator for the Securities
market in India. This is owned by Government of India and was established in the year
1988. It has been given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act,
1992.
2. Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman
The GoI has announced first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’ for media houses.
This award will be conferred on 7th January, 2020, to 30 media houses. The objective behind
this award is to bring positivity and acknowledge the role of media in the outreach of Yoga in
the world.
Key Points:
• This award was instituted in June 2019, which was to mark the role of media in
spreading the message among masses.
• Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar will confer the first
‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’.
• The Samman was instituted during the Yoga Diwas last year would be conferred under
the following 3 categories:
1. 11 awards-under the Best Media Coverage category of Yoga in Newspapers.
2. 8 awards-under the category of “Best Media Coverage of Yoga on Television.
3. Apart from this, 11 awards-under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in
Radio.
• The award will consist of a plaque, medal, trophy, and a citation.
• A jury, consisting of 6 members, assessed the entries for the award.
• The jury was headed by Justice C. K. Prasad (Chairman, Press Council of India).
3. Sucheta Satish won the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020
Sucheta Satish a Dubai-based Indian girl, who can sing in 120 languages, has won in the
'Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020'. The 13-year-old, known as the Dubai Indian High School's
nightingale, won in the singing category.
Key Points:
• She was awarded for singing in most number of languages in a single concert.
• She was selected for the award for twin world records for singing in most languages
during one concert and also the longest live singing concert by a child which she had
set as a 12-year-old two years ago in Dubai at the Indian Consulate Auditorium when
she sang in 102 languages over 6.15 hours.
• The award ceremony is to be held in New Delhi on Friday, where 100 Global Child
prodigies across the world will be honoured in different categories.
About Global Child Prodigy Award:

The Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform which celebrates children's talent and power in
different categories like dancing, music, writing, art, acting, science, modelling, innovation,
sports etc.
To name a few the awards are supported by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation
and Oscar award-winning music producer AR Rahman.
4. Senior IPS officer A.P. Maheshwari appointed as the Director General of CRPF
On 13th January 2020, the Central Reserve Police Force was assigned its new director
general, A.P. Maheshwari, a 1984 batch IPS officer, following the superannuation of its
previous DG, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar.
Key Points:
• Maheshwari took over the charge from ITBP Director General S.S. Deswal who was
given the additional charge to head the country's largest paramilitary force, CRPF, after
Bhatnagar retired last month.
• Maheshwari is a 1984-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer.
• He has been appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet as the CRPF DG
up to 28 February, 2021, the date of his superannuation, or till further orders.
• Maheshwari is at present Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home
Ministry.
5. The government has appointed Michael Patra as the Deputy Governor of RBI
The government on 14th January 2020 appointed Michael Debaprata Patra as the deputy
governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Key Points:
• The appointment of Patra, who is currently an executive director at the central bank,
comes nearly six months after former deputy governor Viral Acharya’s premature
resignation.
• He will serve as the deputy governor for 3 years from the time of his appointment.
• The date of appointment has not been specified yet.
• The RBI currently has 3 deputy governors-NS Vishwanathan, BP Kanungo and MK Jain.
• Patra will be the 4th among the deputy governors.
• Shaktikanta Das is the governor of RBI.
6. ICCW National Bravery Award
The ICCW announced the names of the awardees at a press conference in New Delhi on
January 22.
Key Points:
• A total of 22 children, including ten girls and 12 boys, have been selected for the Indian
Council for Child Welfare-ICCW National Bravery Awards, 2019.
• The awardees are Sartaj Mohidin Mugal, Mudasir Ashraf, Venkatesh, Kamal Krishna
Das, Gita Siddhartha, Situmoni Das, Adithya K, Alaika, Everbloom K Nongrum,
Lourembam Yaikhomba Mangang, Muhhamed Muhsin EC, Purnima Giri, Sabita Giri,
Kanti Paikra, Bharneshwari Nirmalkar, Aarti Kiran Shet, Zen Sadavarte, Akash
Machindra Khillare, Lalliansanga,Vanlalhriatrenga, Carolyn Malsawmtluangi.
About ICCW Award:

• The ICCW award was instituted in the year 1957 by Indian Council for Child Welfare.
• This award recognizes children who perform outstanding deeds of bravery and
exemplary service.
• So far, the award has been awarded to 1,004 children, of which 703 are boys, and 301
are girls.
7. Padma Awards 2020
"Padma Awards" is one of the highest civilian awards of the country. They are conferred in
three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. These Awards
are given in various disciplines or fields of activities, viz.- art, public affairs, social work,
science and engineering, trade and industry, literature and education, medicine, sports, civil
service, etc. "Padma Vibhushan"- awarded for outstanding and distinguished service; "Padma
Bhushan"- unique service of high order; "Padma Shri"- distinguished service in any field. These
awards are proclaimed on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
Key Points:
• These awards are bestowed by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are
held at Rashtrapati Bhawan generally in March or April every year.
• This year the President has approved the conferment of 141 Padma Awards including
four duo cases. The list consists of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118
Padma Shri Awards.
• 31 of the awardees are women, and the list also comprises 18 persons from the
category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 Posthumous awardees.
List of Padma Shri Winners 2020:
Dr. Yogi Aeron, Guru Shashadhar Acharya,Jai Prakash Agarwal, Jagdish Lal Ahuja Social Work
Punjab, Kazi Masum Akhtar, Padmavathy Bandopadhyay, Gloria Arieira, Khan Zaheerkhan
Bakhtiyarkhan, Dr. Sushovan Banerjee, Dr. Digambar Behera, Dr. Damayanti Beshra, Pawar
Popatrao Bhaguji, Himmata Ram Bhambhu, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Gafurbhai M. Bilakhia,
Indira P. P. Bora, Bob Blackman, Madan Singh Chauhan among others.
List of Padma Bhushan Winners 2020:
Former Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir, M. Mumtaz Ali, Muazzam Ali (posthumously),
Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Ajay Chakraborty, Dr Tsering Landol, Manoj Das, Balakrishna Doshi,
Krishnammal Jagannathan, Uttarakhand's well-known environmentalist and social worker Dr
Anil Prakash Joshi, eminent industrialist Anand Mahindra, Neelakanta Ramakrishna Madhava
Menon (Posthumous), former Union Minister Manohar Parrikar (Posthumous), Prof. Jagdish
Seth, Olympian badminton player PV Sindhu and industrialist Venu Srinivasan.
8. L V Prabhakar is appointed as the MD and CEO of Canara Bank

On January 24 2020, the government announced the appointment of L V Prabhakar as the
Managing Director (MD) and CEO of Canara Bank.
Key Points:
• He will be replacing R A Sankara Narayanan who will be demitting office on January
31.
• The central government appoints L V Prabhakar with effect from February 1, 2020.
• This will be up to the date of his attaining the age of superannuation December 31,
2022, or until further orders.
• Prabhakar is currently the executive director at Punjab National Bank. He joined PNB in
2018.
• He has served Allahabad Bank in various capacities before joining PNB.
• He played a major role when Nirav Modi fraud was unearthed.
9. Alok Kansal is appointed as the new general manager of Western Railway
Alok Kansal is appointed as the General Manager of the Western Railway. This post was then
held by Anil Kumar Gupta, who retired in November 2019. Earlier to his appointment as the
GM, Kansal was working as the principal executive director, civil engineering (Planning) at
Railway Board.
About Alok Kansal:

• Kansal is a senior officer of the 1983 batch of Indian Railway Service of Engineers.
• He is also a gold medallist in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Roorkee.
• He later bagged another gold medal for his Masters in Structural Engineering from the
same University.
• He has a valuable experience of 35 years serving in several essential capacities in his
long career.
• Kansal also headed the Engineering Branch of Delhi Division which is the biggest
division in Indian Railways.
• He also worked as Chief Track Engineer over Bilaspur and Northern Zones.
Books & Authors
1. Book titled: Karmayoddha Granth
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 7th January 2020 released a book 'Karmayoddha Granth'.
It is on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Amit Shah “A ‘Karmayoddha’ is
man with a heart that beats for people, a statesman, a hard task master, an able administrator
and an ideal leader who leads by example. All these qualities have been personified by Shri
Narendra Modi”.
He spoke about the three parts of PM’s life which started from the phase of dedicating his life
to an ideology; entering politics on the ideals of the sangathan; and lastly, upholding the
tenets of Parliamentary Democracy and the Constitution of India to construct an ideal State.
Talking about the journey of his life, Amit Shah stated that Modiji saw a childhood devoid of
luxury, full of poverty, disadvantages and neglect from society. He has now transformed into
a leader who dedicated his life towards the welfare of the people, without keeping any ill-
feeling for anyone in the society.
India has emerged as a strong Nation on the global front while making its stance clear that
India would not take attacks on itself lying down. Amit Shah stated that India has as a global
power by taking bold decisions, including removal of Article 370, 35A in J&K, bringing
Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, resolution of Ram Mandir issue, criminalising Triple Talaq,
conducting surgical strikes, Balakote airstrikes and more, which nobody dared in last 70
years.
Important Days, Dates & Years

1. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, 2020
This day is celebrated every year on January 09. The purpose of celebrating Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas is to recognize the overseas Indians who have contributed to the
development of India. This day was first celebrated in the year 2003.
Key Points:
• The objective is to provide a platform for Non Resident Indians (NRIs) to express their
feelings and perceptions about India.
• Also to create a network of NRIs in all the countries of the world and connecting the
younger generation with immigrants.
• This day is celebrated to know the difficulties faced by the Indian laborers living
abroad.
• On this day, the government puts focus on reconnecting overseas Indians with their
roots so that they can contribute significantly to the development of the country.
Facts:
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 09 because Mahatma Gandhi
returned India from South Africa on January 09, 1915.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated in India for the first time in 2003.
• This day has been celebrated every year since 2003 in many places in the country.
• In 2019, it was celebrated by the Government of Indian at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
2. January 12: National Youth Day
National Youth Day is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. He

was a social reformer, philosopher and thinker.
• Born as Narendranath Datta on January 12, 1863, Swami Vivekananda’s span of earthly
life, was hardly forty years. He breathed his last on July 4, 1902.
• The objective behind the celebration is to propagate the philosophy and the ideals of
Swami Vivekananda for which he lived and worked. It also aims to make a better future
for the country by motivating the youth.
• He is an inspiration for the youth of India. Across the country, several functions are
organised in schools, colleges, etc.
• In 1984, the Indian Government first declared the birthday of Swami Vivekananda i.e. 12
January as National Youth Day. Since then from 1985, it is celebrated as National Youth
Day all over the country.
3. Lohri day
Every year on 13th January Lohri day is celebrated in India. Lohri is termed as a festival of
farmers in Northern India. It is observed a night before Makar Sankranti.
Key Points:
• The origin of Lohri can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization.
• According to the Hindu solar calendar, Lohri falls in the Paush month, which is around
13 January.
• The earth is closest to the sun at this point in time. The festival marks the receding
winters and the beginning of a new harvest season. Lohri marks the new harvest
season.
• The festival is known by different names in various parts of India viz., In Bengal, people
celebrate it as Makar Sankranti, in Assam, it is called Bihu, in Tamil Nadu, it is known as
Pongal, and in Kerala, it is referred to as Pongala.
4. Armed Forces Veterans Day

Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated on January 14 annually. Initially this day was called
Armistice Day. The Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated from the year 2017.
Key Points:
• The fourth Army Forces Veteran Day, 2020 is to be celebrated at the National War
Memorial. Chief of Army, Chief of Navy and Chief of Air Force will be present in the
function.
• This day is marked as Armed Forces Veteran Day as the Field Marshal KM Cariappa,
the first Commander-in-chief of Indian Armed Forces retired on the day.
• In 1954, the Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day to honour the living legends of
all wars.
• Unlike Memorial Day, on armistice day, the world pays tribute to living veterans who
were part of the war.
5. Army Day
India is celebrating its 72nd Army Day. This day is celebrated every year at all Army Command
headquarters to honour the country's soldiers.
Key Points:
• Army Day is celebrated to mark Lt Gen K M Carriappa taking over as commander-in-
chief of the Indian Army in the year 1949 from General Francis Butcher, the last British
commander-in-chief of India.
• The transfer of power from the British to India signifies an important moment in the
Indian history.
• Army Day also honours soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
• The Indian Army was established on April 1, 1895. However, after independence - on
January 15, 1949 - the army got its first Indian chief.
How does India celebrate this day:

• Army command headquarters in the country celebrate this day by organising military
parades, which showcase various routines such as aerial stunts and bike pyramids.
• The main parade is held at Cariappa Parade ground in Delhi, Bravery awards and Sena
medals are also distributed on this day.
• The country also pays tribute to the army at 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' at India Gate.
6. IMD Foundation Day

The India Meteorological Department-IMD celebrated its 145th Foundation Day on 15th
January 2020. It began in 1875, and since then it has marched forward with various
milestones and paradigms to serve the society.
Key Points:
• WMO recognized five observatories of IMD - Chennai (Nungambakkam), Mumbai
(Colaba), Panjim, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram as a long term observing station for
more than 100 years.
• It has earned global applause for its accurate prediction of Cyclone Fani.
• Significant improvement in forecast accuracy of severe weather events by 15 to 35%
during the last 5 years.
• New website for the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has been launched
during 2019.
About IMD:
• This is the principle agency of GoI which makes weather forecasts, meteorological
observations and seismological observations.
• It is headquartered in Delhi.
• It operates an observatory station in India and in Antarctica. The major IMD centres are
located in Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi.
7. National Immunization Day

The National Immunization Day was observed all over India on 19th January 2020 as a part
of the Pulse Polio Programme, 2020. Around 17.4 crore children of age less than 5 years were
administered polio drops to sustain polio eradication in India.
Key Points:
• The National Immunization Day (NID) is one of the four strategies that are
recommended by the WHO to eradicate polio.
• According to WHO, the NID has to be conducted twice a year.
• There are two types of vaccines that are being administered in the country.
• It includes IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) and OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine).
• India has already eliminated Polio as per global guidelines, introduced IPV in its
Universal Immunisation Program to safeguard the polio-free status, since there are a
few countries where the poliovirus is still circulating, and Polio is yet to be eliminated.
8. International Day of Education
In December 2018, the General Assembly invited all the member states, organizations of the
UN system, other international, regional organizations and civil society organizations to
observe 24th January of every year as the International Day of Education. The 1st
International Day of Education was accordingly observed on 24th January 2019.
The theme for 2020 International Day is "Learning for people, planet, prosperity, and peace".
The theme highlights the integrated nature of education and its centrality to the joint
development ambitions. On this day, the partners and stakeholders flexibility to tailor the
celebration for diverse audiences, a variety of contexts and priority themes.
Key Findings:
• According to the report by the UN, it states that over 258 million children and youth still
do not attend school.
• Around 617 million children cannot read and do basic math.
• Over 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school.
• Around 4 million children and youth refugees are out of school.
9. The National Girl Child Day

Every year on January 24th this day is celebrated across the country.
Key Points:
• The objective is to provide maximum support and facilities to the girls of the country in
every respect. Also this day aims to raise awareness about discrimination against girls.
• This day was initiated in the year 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development and the Government of India.
• National Girl Child Day is celebrated to improve the condition of girls in society.
• Women face several types of discrimination at their homes, workplaces and in daily
lives.
• Even now, women face gender discrimination in many ways not only in the village but
also in the cities.
• There are several programs and campaigns are organized across the country to create
awareness about the conditions of the girls.
Objectives:
• The GoI has started National Girl Child Day to bring equality in society as a campaign.
• This campaign aims to make people aware of girls across the country, and also to tell
people that women have an equal contribution to building society.
10.National Voters Day
India celebrates this day on January 25 every year. The purpose of celebrating National
Voters’ Day is to make the youth aware of voting.
It is the right of every responsible citizen because each vote decides the fate of the new
government and democracy.
The theme for this year is - ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy’. On this day, various
speech competitions, campaigns, voter ID distribution to new Voters’, photography of Voters’,
etc. programs are conducted.
Note:
The purpose of the Election Commission is to identify all eligible voters whose age has turned
18 on January 1 every year in all the polling booth areas across the country.
The age limit for voting in India is 18 years. Any Indian citizen of 18 years gets the right to
vote in all kinds of democratic elections in India.
11.International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On January 27, the United Nations Department of Global Communications marked the
International Day of Commemoration in the Memory of Victims of Holocaust.
The theme is: “75 years after Auschwitz — Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global
Justice”.
Key Points:
• This day was officially announced in November 2005 at the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA).
• This day marks the ending of world war II, and also the establishment of United Nations
formed in response to the crimes of Holocaust and Second World War.
• The day marks the anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.
• Where Auschwitz was a complex that operated more than 40 exterminations camps
and concentration camps during World War II.
Note:
The holocaust was the genocide of the European Jews between 1941 and 1945.
12.International Customs Day
Every year on 26th January the International Customs Day is observed. This day recognizes
the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security. The day marks the
anniversary of the formation of the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC).
Key Points:
• On this day, the customs agencies will hold employee appreciation events.
• The agencies identify the custom officers for their commendable service.
• It will conduct workshops, conferences and talks that focus on the challenges of the
agencies.
• Various agencies hold public outreach events to educate the public about their jobs and
responsibilities.
Summits & Events
1. World Book Fair, 2020
The New Delhi World Book Fair-NDWBF will open at Pragati Maidan on Saturday, January 4th.
It marks Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary and is themed 'Gandhi: The Writers'
Writer'.
Key Points:
• It will host over 600 exhibitors.
• It is organised by the National Book Trust, in association with ITPO, the 2020 edition of
the Fair runs from January 4 to 12.
• This is the 28th edition.
• NBT Chairman is Govind Prasad Sharma.
• This edition will highlight the various facets of Mahatma Gandhi's life and what
influence it has on writers of all ages.
• This theme is an attempt to give booklovers a glimpse of how Gandhi inspired and
influenced generations of writers and how the writers understood and emulated
Gandhiji in words.
• In the specially designed pavilion (inspired by Sabarmati Ashram), with hand-spun
materials as wall cladding; there will be an exclusive exhibition of 500 books of 100
publishers on and by Gandhi in different Indian languages, as well as 30-panel
discussions, book launches and performances related to the theme.
• This year, more than 600 exhibitors in different languages including Malayalam, Bangla,
Gujarati, English, Maithili, Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu will
exhibit their books in over 1300 stalls at the Fair.
2. Marine Ecosystems-Challenges and Opportunities-3, 2020
Marine scientists, fisheries researchers, oceanographers and marine biotechnologists from

around the globe are expected to participate in the 3rd International symposium on marine
ecosystems – challenges and opportunities (MECOS-3) in Kochi. It is to be held from January
7 to 10. This is organized by the Marine Biological Association of India.
MECOS-3 would act as a platform for discussions on a range of topics which includes the
impact of the climate crisis on marine ecosystems. Also the unusual warming of the Arabian
Sea. This meet will be held at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. This will also
focus on the UN’s sustainable development goal-14 (life under water), recent developments in
aquaculture, development of small-scale fisheries, eco-labelling and green fishing
technologies.
FACTS:
• Healthy oceans, coasts and related ecosystems are crucial for economic growth and
food production, but they are also fundamental to global efforts to mitigate climate
change.
• Billions of people across the globe especially the world’s poorest are basically relying
on healthy oceans to provide jobs and food.
• According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
oceans contribute $1.5 trillion annually in value to the overall economy.
• The FAO estimates that around 60 million people are employed in fisheries and
aquaculture, while majority of those are employed by capture fisheries working in
small-scale operations in developing countries.
• While ocean resources have the potential to boost growth and wealth, human activity
has taken a toss on ocean health. With proper management of fisheries, investment in
sustainable aquaculture and protection of key habitats can actually restore the
productivity of the ocean and also return benefits to billions in developing countries
while ensuring future growth, food security and jobs for coastal communities.
3. The second National GST Conference
The 2nd National GST Conference of the Commissioners of State Tax and Chief
Commissioners of Central Tax was held in New Delhi on 7th January under the chairmanship
of Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Revenue Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
Key Points:
• The multi-faceted Conference focused on brainstorming session for streamlining
Goods and Services Tax (GST) system and plugging revenue leakages.
• This was the 2nd edition of all India Conference.
• Both tax administrations came together formally to build synergy and to share their
knowledge and best practices with intent to bring about uniformity in tax
administrations.
Necessary actions:
• During this Conference, deliberations were held on a mechanism for disseminating
inter-departmental data among various agencies like Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU),
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Directorate General of GST
Intelligence (DGGI) and State Tax Administrations etc. in order to achieve efficiency to
curb evasion and augment revenue collection.
• To undertake a verification of unmatched Input Tax Credit availed by taxpayers.
• Also a self-assessment declaration to be prescribed by suitable amendments in GST
Forms in case of closure of businesses.
• To explore access to banking transactions including the bank account details by GST
system, in consultation with RBI and NPCI. Suggestions were also received to make
GST system aligned with FIU for the purpose of getting bank account details and
transactions and also PAN based banking transaction.
4. The fifth Pulses Conclave 2020

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) which is the nodal body for India's pulses trade
and industry on 9th January 2020 announced that the fifth edition 'The Pulses Conclave', their
biennial global pulses conference will be held from February 12th to 14th, 2020 at Aamby
Valley City in Lonavala, Maharashtra.
Key Points:
• IPGA expects nearly 1500 trade stakeholders from India and key pulses exporting
countries like the USA, Australia, Canada, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania,
Mozambique, Malawi, etc. to participate in 'The Pulses Conclave 2020'.
• The Pulses Conclave 2020 will discuss increasing domestic production and
consumption but will also bring to fore other areas of the trade like improving
processing efficiencies, increasing consumption, exports, value addition, protein
extraction, post-harvest crop management, etc.
• India's pulses production has steadily grown every year from around 19 million tons in
2013-14 to 23 million tons in 201-19 and the target for 2019-20 is 26.30 million tons.
• Pulses are the key source of proteins in India and IPGA believes that apart from
addressing the availability of pulses ensuring the affordability of pulses is equally
important.
5. 6th Island Development Agency meeting held in New Delhi
On 13th January 2020 the 6th meeting of the Island Development Agency (IDA) was held in
New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah. The progress
that was made towards the Holistic development of islands programme was reviewed. For
the first time, theGOI carried out an initiative of sustainable development in the identified
Islands under the guidance of IDA.
Key Points:
• The aim is to create job opportunities for the islanders, this can be done through
tourism promotion and export of seafood and coconut-based products made in the
Islands.
• IDA has decided to implement the project in 5 islands of Lakshadweep and 4 islands of
Andaman & Nicobar.
• Model tourism projects on Land-based and Water Villas were planned.
• It has been decided to obtain clearances for the implementation of the planned projects
up-front.
• Environment and Coastal Regulation Zone-CRZ clearances have already been obtained
for 4 exemplary tourism projects of the Islands of Andaman & Nicobar.
• To strengthen infrastructure support, projects for improving air, sea and digital
connectivity are being implemented.
• Port Blair and another 7 islands in Andaman & Nicobar will get digitally connected
through submarine optical fibre cable by June 2020.
• It is expected that it will facilitate the set up of Information Technology based and other
Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the islands with incentives through
Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands Industrial Development Scheme.
• It is aimed that the proposed airports in Great Nicobar Island of Andaman & Nicobar
and Minicoy Island of Lakshadweep will catalyze the development process in the
region.
6. Food Processing Summit
Union Territory (UT) Ladakh is hosting the first-ever Food Processing Summit. This is mainly
to attract investors to the region. With the guidance of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the UT Administration of Ladakh is organizing
the Summit.
Key Points:
• The region of Ladakh has vast scope for investment in food Processing Industries in
horticulture products like SeabuckThorn, Apricot, Apple and few agricultural produce
like buckwheat and barley.
• Ladakh Commerce and industries Commissioner secretary is Saugat Biswas.
• Hundreds of entrepreneurs from Leh and Kargil participated in the Summit.
• The event aims to encourage the entrepreneurs to begin a StartUp to tap the potential
in the Food Processing Industries in Ladakh.
• Invest India will explain the procedures of investment processes along with
Government support.
7. The International Conclave on “Globalizing Indian Thought”

On January 17, 2020, the International Conclave on “Globalizing Indian Thought” was
conducted in IIM, Kozhikode. PM Modi addressed this conclave, which aims at revealing
India’s thoughts in becoming one of the top three economies of the world.
Key Points:
• India is stepping towards the goal of becoming a 5 trillion Dollar economy by 2025. The
Conclave focuses on India’s thought on development.
• The thoughts are as follows:
Satyam-Truth
Nithyam-Sustainability
Purnam-Wholeness.
• This Conclave is essential since it reveals India and its path towards the development
of the global market.
• Indeed, it is vital to choose the right path of development. With the world marching
towards development, it is crucial to get hold of traditional routes to sustain humanity.
• The Conclave also offers opportunities to thinkers across different professions to
converge their ideas into creative platforms.
8. Renewable Energy Investors Meet

On 9 January 2020, Renewable Energy Investors' Meet 2020 was held in New Delhi. The
meet was organized by Indian Railways and Railway Energy Management Company Ltd.
(REMCL).
Key Points:
• The Investors' Meet aims to disseminate information about the opportunities that are
available under the renewable energy in Indian Railways.
• A different experience of developers with Railways and critical benefits of partnering
with Indian Railways was showcased during the meet.
• The investors gave their expectations of being partners in the journey of renewable
energy of Indian Railways.
• The participants acknowledged the efforts of Indian Railways in leading the
development of renewable energy.
• They reaffirmed their strong support to Indian Railways on the path of going green and
achieving the net-zero carbon emissions target by 2030.
9. Wings India 2020
On 12-15 March 2020 Wings India 2020 has been scheduled to be held at Begumpet Airport in
Hyderabad. The event is expected to boost aviation.
Key Points:
• This event is organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to provide a friendly forum to the
rapidly changing dynamics of the sector.
• Wings India 2020 is an international exhibition. It is a conference on the civil aviation
sector.
• This event will focus on new business acquisition, policy formation, investments, and
regional connectivity.
• The event aims that the restructured focused forums will be instrumental in attaining
the objective of connecting the investors, buyers, sellers and other stakeholders at a
common forum.
• The Centre is currently planning a privatization programme for the flight carriers.
• It believes that privatization will strengthen the civil aviation sector in the country.
10.NIC organizes Tech Conclave in New Delhi
The NIC TechConclave 2020 is to be held on 21-22 January 2020 at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
Key Points:
• This would be the 2nd edition of such a conference.
• The theme for the conclave is "Technologies for NextGen Governance".
• The conclave will be discussing the steering application of Information and
Communications Technology at various levels in the Government.
• It will also contribute immensely to the capacity building of Government officers across
the country and help in delivering high-quality citizen-centric services.
• The speakers in the Conclave will be experts from the IT industry who will share their
expertise in various areas like Cyber Security, Design Thinking, Hyperscale Architecture,
etc.
11.The 32nd PRAGATI meet
On 22nd January 2020 PM Shri Narendra Modi chaired the first PRAGATI meeting of the year.
It marked the Prime Minister’s 32nd interaction through PRAGATI, an ICT based multi-modal
platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State
governments.
Key Points:
• In this meeting, PM discussed a total of 11 items, out of which 9 are delayed projects.
• These 9 projects are worth over Rs. 24,000 crores which is spread over nine states viz.
Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala
and Uttar Pradesh and 3 Union ministries.
• These include 3 from the Ministry of Railways, 5 from the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways and 1 from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Key Findings:
• PM reviewed the performance with regard to grievances related to insurance schemes
under Department of Financial Services viz. ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana’
(PMJJBY) and ‘Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana’(PMSBY).
• Also the progress under Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)
project which is a comprehensive and a integrated system for effective policing
through e-Governance was reviewed.
About PRAGATI:
PM Modi launched PRAGATI in March 2015. It is an interactive platform to address
grievances of common people. The issues faced by the implementing agencies are uploaded
on the platform on 3rd Wednesday every month.
12.World Economic Forum 2020: Highlights
On January 21, 2020, the 50th World Economic Forum began at Davos, Switzerland. The four-
day event will be held from January 21-24 and will see the participation from over 50 heads of
state from 117 nations across the world.
The theme for the forum is: Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.
Key Findings:
• The first day of the conference saw prominent speakers like US President Donald
Trump, young environmental activist Greta Thunberg and the European Commission
President Ursula Von Der Leyen.
• The annual meeting was formally inaugurated by the Founder and Executive Chairman
of WEF, Klaus Schwab.
• The forum witnessed talks on US-China Relationship that the US shares an
extraordinary relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• China would be spending an additional USD 200 billion over the next two years on
American services, energy, agriculture and manufactured goods.
• Also One Trillion Trees initiative: The US has the cleanest air and drinking water on
earth and it is the US is committed to conserving the environment.
• The US will join the One Trillion Trees initiative which was launched at the World
Economic Forum. In doing so, the US will continue to show strong leadership in
restoring, growing and better managing the trees and forests.
• Greta Thunberg delivered her key message on climate change during a session called
“Forging a Sustainable Path Towards a Common Future”, alongside other teenage
activists.
• The World Economic Forum had invited a group of teenage 'change-makers' to Davos
2020 for greater engagement with young people.
World Economic Forum:

The World Economic Forum is a non-governmental organization, which was founded in 1971.
The forum aims to improve the state of the world by bringing together key leaders from
political, business and academic backgrounds to redefine global, regional and industry
agendas. The forum comprises some of the world’s largest corporations.
13.ECI to host 10th Annual Meeting of FEMBoSA
Election Commission of India (ECI) is to host the 10th Annual Meeting of the Forum of the
Election Management Bodies of South Asia-FEMBoSA in New Delhi today.
Key Points:
• The Election Commission of India will take over the Chair of the forum for the year
2020. On occasion, the International Conference on the theme ‘Strengthening
Institutional Capacity’ is also being organized.
• ECI will also stimulate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the
field of election management with the Independent Election Commission of
Afghanistan.
• The International Conference is being organized with the purpose of sharing the
experience of different Election Management Bodies, International Institutions and
Experts.
• On 25th of January the International delegates will also attend the National Voters’ Day
Celebrations in New Delhi.
• The forum was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management
Bodies of SAARC Countries held at New Delhi in 2012.
14.International Summit on Women in STEM
On 23-24 January 2020 an International Summit on Women in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Math (STEM) was held in New Delhi. The 2-day international summit was
organized by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology.
The theme is: Visualizing the Future: New Skylines
Key Points:
• Nearly 350 participants, including socialists, scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers,
researchers, and students, from different STEM fields across the globe, participated in
the event.
• The Summit aims to boost the participation of women in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) fields for the development of scientific careers.
• The summit provided an excellent platform for students and researchers to interact
with leaders in the field and also to develop ideas and generate a future action plan for
making a career in STEM fields.
• The summit held different sessions including mechanisms of leadership building,
empowering women through networking, career opportunities and interactive exercises
with scientists.
• The summit showcased the achievements of women in STEM as real-world examples

of successful women scientists, doctors, and engineers.
• Conversations and interactive sessions were held between aspiring young, mid-career
and senior scientists in the STEM field to keep them understand the future
requirements of women's employment and career progression.
Reports & Indices
1. Competition Commission of India released report on “Market Study on E-Commerce in

India
On 8th January 2020, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) released a report ‘Market
Study on E-commerce in India: Key Findings and Observations’. This study was initiated by
CCI in April 2019 with an objective to understand the performance of e-commerce in India.
Key Points:
• CCI report on e-commerce in India has confirmed that the broad categories of
consumer goods are sold online in India.
• The study covered goods like mobile phones, electronic appliances, lifestyle-related
goods, and groceries where online commerce is still rising.
• Apart from that, apparel purchases, online hotel bookings, buying accessories,
purchasing fashion products have been rising.
• Coming to the food sector, 83% of the restaurants admitted that they have an online
presence.
• It was also reported by the respondent restaurants that their online sales is accounting
for about 29% of total revenue.
• The CCI report that most of the consumers are using price comparison tools for hotel
bookings.
• According to the CCI report, service providers’ reach to buyers on online platforms
depends inter alia on their ranking on the platform’s website regarding related search
queries. It was found in the research that sellers or service providers also ask
customers about their perceptions.
Highlights:
E-commerce is gaining importance across the sectors in India. The study shows that e-
commerce has increased price transparency and price competition in the country. Apart from
that, it also presents key trends and issues of the market.
2. World Bank’s Global Economic Prospect

The World Bank on 9 January 2020, released its Global Economic Prospect. According to it,
the growth rate of the world is expected to be 2.5%. This is the lowest prediction since 2008-
09 when it was predicted at 3.1%. By then, the global financial crisis derailed the economy.
Key Points:
• The World Bank on 8th January 2020 cut India’s growth for financial year 2020 to 5%
from 6% which was estimated earlier it is the lowest in 11 years.
• It expects the country’s growth to recover only slightly to 5.8% in the next fiscal year.
• According to the report the main cause for the downgrade was weakness in credit from
non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
• This is the slowest growth forecast since 3.1% rate recorded in the financial year 2008-
09 when the global financial crisis had derailed the economy.
• Growth in advanced economies is likely to slip to 1.4% in the year 2020, in part due to
softness in the manufacturing sector.
• Growth in the US is expected to ease to 1.8% due to tariff increases, but the weak
industrial activity will bring down the Euro region’s growth to 1% this calendar year.
• Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s growth rates are expected to rise to 3% and 3.3%, respectively,
in FY20.
3. IEA released its “India Report 2020”

The International Energy Agency (IEA) launched India’s Energy Policy Report on January 10,
2020. The report insisted that India should adopt NITI Aayog’s National Energy Policy. IEA
released its “India Report 2020”, in collaboration with NITI Aayog.
Key Points:
• The draft National Energy Policy by NITI Aayog which is currently under consultation, is
an excellent framework.
• It should be adopted swiftly to guide policy making, implementation and enforcement
across central and state governments.
• According to IEA, energy research, development and deployment can be a strong

enabler of India’s energy policy goals while also contributing to broader national
priorities such as the “Make in India” manufacturing initiative.
• This would also support the engagement of public and private and industry actors. This
would benefit from the consistent collection and monitoring of energy RD&D data.
• This is first in-depth review of India’s energy policies by IEA in collaboration with NITI
Aayog.
• The aim is to assist the government in meeting its energy policy objectives by setting
out a range of recommendations in each area, with a focus on energy system
transformation, energy security and energy affordability.
About Report:
• IEA has warned that India’s growing dependence on oil imports will make the country
even more vulnerable to supply shocks and price volatility.
• In the policy reviewed it tells that India’s strong dependence on oil imports is already at
83% and is expected to increase further.
• The agency also estimated that India, which currently is the world’s third-largest
consumer of oil after China and the US, will surpass China in oil consumption in the
mid-2020s.
• India’s oil consumption of 4.4 million barrels per day in 2017 already represents 5% of
global consumption.
• It is set to grow at a rapid pace of 3.9% a year well ahead of the global average of 1.2%
in the medium term despite the market penetration of alternative fuels like biofuels and
gas.
• Rapid growth was driven by transport, mostly freight, followed by industry. Another key
factor pushing up energy consumption is the increased use of liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) as a cleaner cooking fuel, replacing firewood or kerosene. India one of the
world’s largest LPG importers.
4. State Energy Efficiency Index released by GoI
Union Government released the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019, which tracks the progress
of Energy Efficiency initiatives in 36 States and Union Territories.
• The index is developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in association with Alliance
for an Energy Efficient Economy. The first such Index was launched in August, 2018.
• The index will help states to contribute towards national goals on energy security and
climate action by helping drive Energy Efficiency policies and programme
implementation at the state and local level.
• Karnataka, HP, Haryana and Puducherry are the best performers according to the
report.
• The index this year incorporates qualitative, quantitative and outcome-based indicators
to assess energy efficiency initiatives, programs and outcomes in five distinct sectors.
These are buildings, industry, municipalities, transport, agriculture, and DISCOMs.
• The required data was collected from the concerned state departments such as
DISCOMs, Urban Development and other departments with the help of State Designated
Agencies.
• Energy Conservation Building Code: The code was developed by BEE under the
guidance of the United States Agency for International Development.
5. lobal Risks Report, 2020

On 15th January 2020 the World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Risks Report 2020’ was released.
This notes that for the first time in the report’s 10-year-history all of the top five issues that
are likely to impact the world this year are environmental.
Key Points:
• The top 5 global risks considering likelihood are climate action failure, extreme weather
conditions, natural disasters, biodiversity loss and human-made natural disasters.
• In the previous decade, economic and financial crises were some of the most
dangerous.
• The report states that global temperatures are set to rise by 3°C toward the end of this
century.
• This would be twice what climate experts have warned is the limit to avoid the most
severe economic, social and environmental consequences.
• The Forum reported that the Climate-related risks had the greatest likelihood of severe
impacts.
• The current economic stagflation as per the report will increase. This might even lead
to increased protests, social issues and increased populists.
6. Non-Profit Organization Pratham released its annual report, Annual Status of Education
Report, 2019
Pratham, a well-known Non-Profit Organization, has released the Annual Status of Education
Report 2019 on 14th January 2020. The report shared many key insights and interesting
observations about the state of education, especially in school-level education in the country.
Key Points:
• According to the analysis, Pratham’s ASER Report 2019 showcases parents’ choice of
school when it comes to the education of their students.
• Parents usually prefer private schools for the education of boys while girl students are
primarily sent to government schools to get a basic education.
• It has also been noted that the age group between 4-5 years, around 56.8% of girls
enrolled in government schools as compared to only 50.4% of boys.
• On the other hand, when it comes to private schools, 49.6% of boys were enrolled in
schools as compared to 43.2% of girls in the same age group.
• Even in higher age groups, i.e. from 6 to 8 years, some 61.1% girls were enrolled in
government schools against 52.1% boys; while the number in private schools hovered
at 47.9% boys against 39% girls.
The key recommendations are:
1. To expand and to strengthen the existing network of Anganwadi Centres.

2. Enrolling students in primary grades at the right age is important for overall
development.
7. Report to change the legal framework that will help prevent sexual harassment
The Group of Ministers headed by the Home Minister Amit Shah on January 19, 2020 have
finalized its recommendations which was constituted to strengthen the legal framework to
prevent sexual harassment at workplace. The recommendations which include addition of
new provisions to the Indian Penal Code, will be put up for comments from the public.
Key Points:
• The Group of Ministers was constituted first in October 2018 in the aftermath of the
#MeToo movement after many women shared their ordeal on social media. It was
reconstituted in July 2019 under Mr. Shah.
• The Women and Child Development Ministry had driven the Sexual Harassment of
Women and Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act in 2013, which
applied to government offices, private sector, NGOs and also the unorganised sector.
• The proposed amendments would be based mainly on the Vishaka Guidelines laid
down by the Supreme Court in 1997, on which the 2013 Act was based.
• It made the employer responsible for preventing or deterring acts of sexual harassment
at the workplace.
• The 2013 Act had shortcomings like giving the powers of a civil court to the internal
complaints committee (ICC) without specifying if the members need to have a legal
background.
• It only imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on employers for non-compliance. The Act said the
employer should assist the woman if she chooses to file a complaint under the IPC
“against the perpetrator after the conclusion of the enquiry”.
• As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) the number of sexual harassment
incidents at “work or office premises” registered under Section 509 IPC (words, gesture
or act to insult the modesty of a woman) were 479 and 401 in the years 2017 and 2018
respectively.
• Among the cities, the highest number of such cases were registered in Delhi (28),
Bengaluru (20), Pune (12) and Mumbai (12) in 2018.
• The total number of sexual harassment incidents in 2018 including that in public
places, shelter homes and others was 20,962.
8. Report on Central and State Water Departments based on Efficiency Targets

Gujarat has been ranked the best for parameters on targets of efficiency in the review of State
and the Central government water departments by the ministry of Jal Shakti. Among seven
Central departments that were reviewed, the Survey of India has got the top billing later
followed by the National Institute of Hydrology and Central Water Commission. The Central
Pollution Control Board has got the lowest rank, in the ranking for the year 2019.
Rajasthan is ranked third best. Delhi is among the worst performing states, according to the
ranking for 2019 circulated to different state governments recently. In the previous year’s
ranking, Telangana had got the top position and this year’s topper, Gujarat, was ranked
seventh last time. Delhi, in fact has improved its position by six notches by getting 35th rank
as compared to the bottom 41 in 2018. Among the states that significantly improved its
ranking was Tamil Nadu, which stood at 13th position as compared to 33 in 2018.
The departments have been ranked on parameters for procurement, finance, real-time data
acquisition system, data digitization, analytical work, training and updating MIS.
9. The Carbon Disclosure Project's annual report on carbon reduction activities

According to the annual Carbon Disclosure Project 2019 report, India secured a 5th spot. This
was published by the Global non-profit organization. Carbon Disclosure Project is an initiative
of the Global Reporting Initiative, which aims at measuring the carbon reduction activities
which are undertaken by different companies and firms operating in various countries across
the globe.
The report surveys corporate commitments to science-based targets. It also evaluates the
climate change risk that they are exposed to.
Key Findings:
• In this annual report, the United States of America secured the top spot followed by
Japan, the United Kingdom and France.
• India has secured the 5th spot on the project report.
• A total of 58 companies had shared details about the environment-related activities
which were undertaken by them this year.
• It also claims that over 98% of top Indian companies have formed some type of
committee/group within its organization to drive and address climate-related issues.
• The Project evaluated a total of 6900 companies globally to compile their annual report
for 2019.
• The report also found that investors responded better to companies who have
disclosed their environmental activities.
• The report also claimed that investors also took into account the climate change risk
from Indian companies before investing in an organization.
Note:
• India ranked 5th, ahead of Germany and Sweden.
• India is the first developing economy with a maximum number of companies

committing to science-based targets.
10.The Economic Intelligence Unit released Democracy Index for the year 2019
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIUs) Democracy Index 2019 has marked the worst
average scores since the index’s first edition in the year 2006.
Key Points:
• India, which is the world’s biggest democracy, slipped 10 places in the year 2019 global
ranking to 51st place.
• The survey published on January 22 attributes the primary cause of “the democratic
regression” to “an erosion of civil liberties in the country”.
• India’s overall score dropped from 7.23 to 6.9, on a scale of 0-10, within a year (2018-
2019) which is the country’s lowest since the year 2006.
• The average global score also reported its worst value ever, down from 5.48 in 2018 to
5.44, driven by a sharp regression in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, a lesser
one in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and by stagnation in the
remaining areas that were covered.
• The report published on 22nd January 2020 by The Economist Intelligence Unit, the
research and analysis division of The Economist Group, records how global democracy
fared, analysing 165 independent states and two territories.
• India was ranked in the electoral process and pluralism (8.67), government functioning
(6.79), political participation (6.67), political culture (5.63) and civil liberties (6.76).
11.International Labour Organization Report, 2020

International Labour Organisation-ILO has recently released the ‘World Employment and
Social Outlook Trends 2020’.
Key Points:
• This report highlights that global unemployment will rise by 2.5 million in 2020, also
that about 188 million people are unemployed in the world.
• Well-paying jobs mean that more than 630 million workers, where one in five of all
workers globally, live in extreme poverty.
• According to the report, global unemployment was firm for the past nine years, but as
the global economic growth is slowing down and also the number of workers is
increasing. Also, new jobs are not being created in the market in that proportion.
• Nearly 188 million people are unemployed and not getting any work according to their
skills and abilities.
• And nearly 267 million people (aged between 15-24) are not in employment, training or
education.
• Rising unemployment and deep inequality gap have made it difficult for people to live
better through jobs or work.
12.NITI Aayog released the ranking of Aspirational Districts
On January 27 2020, NITI Aayog released the Second Delta ranking for the Aspirational
Districts which measures the incremental progress that was made by them between June 1,
2018 - October 31, 2018, across six developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Agriculture
and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion, Education, Skill Development, and Basic
Infrastructure.
Key Findings:
• The Surveys were carried out in all the Aspirational Districts during the month of June
2018, which covered more than 1,00,000 households.
• In overall ranking, the most improved districts are: 1st rank to Virudhunagar, Tamil
Nadu followed by Nuapada, Odisha; Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh; Aurangabad, Bihar;
Koraput, Odisha.
• Districts which are Least Improved over the period of June – October 2018 are: Kiphire,
Nagaland at 107th rank; followed by Giridih, Jharkhand; Chatra, Jharkhand; Hailakandi,
Assam and Pakur, Jharkhand.
About Aspirational Districts Programme:

The Government of India launched the 'Transformation of Aspirational Districts' initiative in
January 2018 with a vision of a New India by 2022 where the focus is to improve India's
ranking under Human Development Index, raising living standards of its citizens and ensuring
inclusive growth of all.
A total of 117 Aspirational districts have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite
indicators from Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial
Inclusion and Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure which have an impact on Human
Development Index.
13.Survey conducted by Transparency International
According to a survey by the Transparency International, Assam has emerged as the top state
in terms of best practices in budget formulation, followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The
states which numbered lower in the ranking were Goa, Maharashtra and Punjab.
The survey was based on four parameters:

1. public disclosure
2. budgetary process
3. post-budget fiscal management and
4. efforts to make the budget more transparent and citizen-friendly.
About Transparency International:

The international Non-Governmental Organization measures and prevents criminal activities
that arise due to corruption.
Annually the Global Corruption Index is released.
The organization is also a member of UNESCO, United National Global Compact, UNESCO
Consultative Status, United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
It is Headquartered in Germany.
14.Report by TomTom: Bengaluru is the world's most traffic congested city
Bengaluru is the world's most traffic-congested city. According to a report by TomTom, the
Netherlands based global provider of navigation, traffic and map products, India's startup hub
bet 415 other cities across 57 countries to earn the title in 2019. This is the ninth edition of its
annual Traffic Index.
Key Points:
• Bengaluru takes the tops this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to
spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic.
• The live tracking system showed there are currently 291 traffic jams in the city which
runs up to 145.7 km.
• In the year 2019, a commuter spent an additional 243 hours in traffic while driving
during peak hours.
• Philippines capital Manila spends 71 per cent more traffic waiting time, with Bogota at
68 per cent, Mumbai at 65 per cent and Pune at 59 per cent, comprising the top five
most congested cities in the world.
• Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi were the other Indian cities that also featured in the top
10, taking fourth, fifth and eighth places respectively.
Note:
TomTom is a Dutch independent location technology specialist which offers maps and
navigation software among others.
Art & Culture
1. Lai Haraoba festival begins in Tripura
Lai Haraoba is a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities since ancient
times began in Agartala.
Key Points:
• This is a 5 day long festival and is jointly organised by the Department of Information
and Cultural Affairs, Government of Tripura, Puthiba Lai Haraoba Committee and
Puthiba Welfare & Cultural Society, Agartala.
• This festival was inaugurated by Speaker of state legislative Assembly, Rebati Mohan
Das.
• The festival aims to uphold tradition and cultural values of Meitei community.
• This festival is celebrated through oral literature, music, dance and rituals. A cultural
troupe from Manipur had also come to take part in the festival.
• There were various performances like cultural and traditional musical skits including
Manipuri martial arts, folk music and folk dances during the festival.
2. The Mizoram State Government is organising Zo Kutpui festival
The Mizoram government is to organise Zo Kutpui festival in at least 10 states across India
and in countries such as US, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Key Points:
• The first edition of the festival will start on January 9 in Vanghmun in Tripura. It will be
held over three days.
• This festival will then move to other states which have significant Mizo population.
• This move is an attempt to unify and also strengthen the brotherhood among all the
Mizo tribes who are living in different parts of the world.
• The event will be witnessing various cultural programmes by different Mizo tribes.
Apart from the performance by various artistes belonging to Zo ethnic tribes of
Mizoram and the Northeast.
3. Zee Jaipur Literature Festival
This is the 13th annual edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. It is being held in at Diggi
Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Key Points:
• This festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot. During the
occasion, he released a book titled Bijji: Timeless Tales from Marwa written by Vishes
Kothari.
• The theme is "learning each other's stories".
• The aim of the festival is to motivate a new generation of readers, writers, and literature
lovers.
• The festival inflicted the importance of literature and art.
• It focused on gatherings that explore woman's right to be free of every societal
stereotype, which includes sexual freedom and finding her identity in non-conventional
lifestyles.
• Many sessions, including Food for Thought: Gastronomy and Literature, Jaipur
BookMark, Darjeeling Express: Of Food and Friendship, were organized in this festival.
• During the festival, the 5th edition of the Mahakavi KanhaiyaLal Sethia Award for Poetry
was awarded to Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, a well-known name to readers of
contemporary literature.
Sports
1. Khelo India Youth Games is to be held in Guwahati, Assam
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and officials of the Khelo India Youth Games launched the
torch relay of the competition in Guwahati on 29th December 2019.
Key Points:
• The tournament is to be held between 10 January 2020 to 22 January 2020.

• Athletes from all over the nation will be coming to Guwahati for the Khelo India Youth
Games.
• The competition is a great opportunity for the athletes.
• The opening ceremony of the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games will take place at the Indira
Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati on 10 January 2020.
• The 1st edition of the event was held in New Delhi, the second edition in Pune and the
third edition is to be held in Guwahati, Assam.
• The state of Haryana considered the “Sports Powerhouse” topped the sporting event in
2018.
2. Aashman Taneja, a five-year-old has set the Guinness world record in Taekwondo
Aashman Taneja, a five year old boy has made a Guinness world record in Taekwondo for the
most full contact knee strikes in one-hour non-stop.
Key Points:
• Aashman is an incredible Taekwondo player. He is an athlete at a very young age. He is
a USA World Open Taekwondo Silver medalist and now a proud Guinness World Record
holder.
• He attempted for the Guinness World Record for the full contact knee strikes in 1 hour
non-stop and achieved it successfully for more than 1200 knee strikes.
• Taekwondo is an Asian mainly a Korean martial art and combative sport.
• It emphasizes head-height kicks, fast kicking techniques and jumping and spinning
kicks.
• It was first developed and played during the 1940s.
3. Indian shooters won gold at the Meyton Cup

Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela have clinched a gold medal each
in Meyton Cup, a private tournament in Innsbruck, Austria.
Key Points:
• Divyansh won the gold in the men's 10m air rifle event with an effort of 249.7, Auprvi
bagged the yellow metal in the 10m air rifle women's category with a 251.4.
• Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil also have a bagged bronze medal each in men's and
women's 10m air rifle events respectively.
• Meyton Cup is a private tournament where the shooters go on their own to participate
to gain experience before the international events.
• The 4 Indian shooters have already secured Olympic quotas for this year's Tokyo
Games.
ONE LINERS OF THE MONTH

DAYS OF THE WEEK
• World Braille Day – 4 January.
• Journalists' Day in Maharashtra - 6 January.
• 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - 9 January 2020.
• World Hindi Day - 10 January.

• Theme of National Youth Day (12 January 2020) – ‘Channelizing Youth Power for
Nation Building’.
• In India, the festivals of Lohri (or Makar Sankranti Pongal, Bhogali Bihu, Uttarayan and
Poush) is celebrated on - 13 January (every year).
• 4th Armed Forces Veterans Day in India – 13 January 2020.
• Indian Army Day – 15 January.

DEFENCE
• Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF) whose deputation tenure extended till
27 July 2021 - Abhinav Kumar.
• On 5 January, the Indian Navy launched a first-ever three-dimensional expedition to

promote the heritage of India and spread awareness on coastal security among the
sea-side communities in - Maharashtra.
• This Indian force will observe 2020 as the 'year of mobility' - Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF).
• On-going ‘Naseem-Al-Bahr’ exercise in Goa is the bilateral naval exercise between India
and - Oman.
• Theme of ‘MILAN’, an international naval event which will host in March 2020 - ‘Synergy
Across the Seas’.
• India's first indigenous aircraft carrier which is likely to be commissioned by early 2021
– INS Vikrant.
• Staff under Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) - 2 joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries,
and 25 under secretary-rank officials.
• Two Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) those commissioned on 12 January 2020 at
Kolkata – INCG Annie Besant and INCG Amrit Kaur.
• New Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - A. P. Maheshwari.
• The Indian Navy started using a new and superior category of high speed diesel called -
high flash high speed diesel (HFHSD IN 512).
• Union Home Minister would inaugurate the induction ceremony of SU-30 fighter
squadron at the Air Force Station in – Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
• Raksha Mantri flagged off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Armoured
System Complex at – Hazira, Gujarat.
• A 19th joint-exercise between the two Coast Guards of India and Japan which began on
16 January 2020 at the Chennai port - Sahyog-Kaijin.
• This country started production of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems for
India - Russia.
• India has successfully test-fired this nuclear-capable ballistic missile off the coast in
Andhra Pradesh on 19 January - K-4 missile (submarine-launched 3500 kilometer strike
range).
ECONOMY
• The central government decided that the digital transactions using RuPay or UPI would
not face additional charges from – 1 January 2020.
• RBI’s new mobile app to identify currency notes by the visually challenged person -
'MANI' (Mobile Aided Note Identifier).
• Foreign direct investment into India grew this much percentage to USD 26 billion during
the first half of the current financial year 2019-20 - 15 percent.
• Largest source of Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India during the first half of the
financial year with USD 8 billion investments - Singapore.
• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of
government securities under Open Market Operations (OMO) for - Rs 10,000 crore each
(on January 6).
• On 3 January, CSC e-Governance Services India has signed a memorandum of

understanding with this payments bank for sale of FASTags - Paytm Payments Bank
Ltd (PPBL).
• According to the new guidelines of SEBI, Credit rating agencies can downgrade the
rating assigned to firms or instruments to non-investment grade with issuer not
cooperating (INC) status, if an issuer has all the outstanding ratings as non-cooperative
for over - 6 months (w.e.f. 01 July 2020).
• This stock exchange launched Knowledge Hub, an artificial intelligence-powered

learning eco-system which will assist banking and financial services sector in
enhancing skills for their employees - National Stock Exchange (NSE).
• This foreign bank signed a MoU with fintech startup ‘PayNearby’ to build an 'open
banking' network for the customers - State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) Bank (India).
• India’s first urban cooperative bank which has got in-principle approval from RBI to
convert into a small finance bank - Shivalik Mercantile Cooperative Bank Ltd (Uttar
Pradesh).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted this type of banks to offer foreign
exchange prices to users at all times - category-I banks.
• National Statistical Office (NSO) has estimated India's GDP growth rate for 2019-20 at -
5%.
• To make payments fast and secure, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
launched the platform, called - Vajra.
• According to the Global Economic Prospects of the World Bank, forecasted Growth rate
for India in FY 2019-2020 - 5 percent.
• According to the Global Economic Prospects of the World Bank, the global economic
growth in 2020 is forecast to edge up to - 2.5 percent.
• According to the ‘Market Study on Ecommerce in India’ of Competition Commission of
India, India’s revenue in 2020 from the e-commerce sector is expected to increase to -
USD 120 billion (with annual rate of 51 percent, the highest in the world).
• Public sector bank which has announced a 'residential builder finance with buyer
guarantee' (RBBG) scheme - State Bank of India.
• A value-added service for religious bodies, societies, clubs and cities launched by -
HDFC Bank.
• Bank which has launched “myApps” application to boost digital payments in India -
HDFC Bank.
• The RBI has amended the KYC norms allowing banks and other lending institutions
regulated by it to use - Video based Customer Identification Process (V-CIP).
• Bank which has completed the acquisition of 50.80 percent share of Apollo Hospitals
Group in Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company – HDFC Bank.
• The Reserve Bank of India under the aegis of Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee
(FIAC) initiated the process of formulation of National Strategy for Financial Inclusion
(NSFI) for the period - 2019-2024.
• On 11 January, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has curbed a Bengaluru-based this
private bank from doing business - Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank.
• The largest FASTag issuer in India - Paytm Payments Bank (PPB).
• On 14 January, a MoU was signed between South Central Zone of Indian Railways and
this bank for Doorstep Banking for direct pickup of earnings covering all 585 Railway
stations - State Bank of India.
• This Indian company signed a 5-year deal with leading European automotive logistics
firm Gefco to digitise its worldwide operations - Infosys.
• Wholesale prices based inflation in December 2019 - 2.59 percent.
• Annual inflation, based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI) in December 2019 -
3.46 percent.
• India's exports in December 2019 - USD 27.36 billion (declined by 1.80%).

• On 16 January, RBI has directed banks and other card issuers to enable cards only for
use at - contact based points (i.e. ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) devices).
• As per announcement by Commerce Ministry, India will not allow imports without - the
Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) codes.
• According to the World Gold Outlook 2020 report, RBI’s rank in buying gold from abroad
– sixth.
• According to the World Gold Outlook 2020 report, world’s largest country in buying gold
from abroad – China (followed by Russia, Kazakhstan).
• This stock exchange has become the world’s largest exchange by trading volumes,
outpacing US-based CME group - National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India (6 billion
contracts traded volume in 2019).
• World’s largest derivatives market place - US-based CME group.
ENVIRONMENT
• A study has found that left unchecked, the combined effects of deforestation and
human-induced climate change could eliminate Madagascar's entire eastern rainforest
habitat by – 2070.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the year 2019 was recorded as
the seventh warmest year since - 1901.
• Number of species of wetland birds that counted in the Kaziranga National Park,
Assam - 96.
• According to the researchers, the 2019 ocean temperature is about _______ Celsius
above the 1981-2010 average - 0.075 degrees Celsius.
• Brazil has announced that it is to open a new research base in - Antarctica.

INTERNATIONAL
• First position in the HexGn’s "Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding" for 2020 - San
Francisco Bay Area (USA).
• UK Prince William announced "the most prestigious environment prize in history", called
- Earthshot Prize (five people every year over the next decade).
• United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has
invited this Indian federation in the Tenth edition of the Annual Investment Meeting,
scheduled from March 24th to 26th in Dubai - Federation of Indian Micro and Small &
Medium Enterprises (FISME).
• World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as the - Year of the Nurse and the
Midwife.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) is the collaborating partner in the Nursing Now
Campaign, organising during - 2018–2020.
• Amount released under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samaan Fund (PM-Kisan) Yojana in
Tumakuru - 12,000 crore rupees.
• Greece, Cyprus and this middle-east country signed an agreement for the 2,000-
kilometre EastMed pipeline project to ship gas from the eastern Mediterranean to
Europe - Israel.
• First country which has banned 'reef toxic' sunscreen – Palau (Pacific nation).
• A children’s film in Konkani which won the outstanding achievement award and best
director award for director Ramesh Kamath at the Singapore world film festival -
“Apsara Dhara”.
• This Middle East country has taken decision to reduce its commitments to the
beleaguered 2015 Iran nuclear deal - Iran.
• A ten-day-long art exhibition commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma

Gandhi was inaugurated on 7 January in – Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Host country of the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference
(APDRC5) – India (in Pune).
• Guest country at the Paris book fair “Livre Paris” which will be organised in March 2020
- India.
• “Selfie Kingdom (TSK)”, a first-of-its-kind "selfie museum" has been inaugurated in –
Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
• According to the Henley Passport Index, the world's most powerful passport – Japan
(2nd: Singapore, 3rd: South Korea & Germany).
• The first phase of the world’s second largest Muslim congregation after Haj began in –
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• India’s realtors' body has signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore

government's Building Construction Authority to create a platform for all the realty
sector stakeholders from both the countries - Credai.
• On 10 January 2020, in a historic step, Parliament of this country conducted its first-
ever legislative public hearing on a mine-related bill - Bhutan.
• India participated in this initiative, which seeks stability in one of the world’s busiest
and strategically located shipping lanes - Hormuz Peace Initiative.
• Under the theme of ‘Rethinking Global Consumption, Production and Investment’, the
World Future Energy Summit began on 13 January in - Abu Dhabi.
• India and this country signed key agreements in the field of Information and
Broadcasting to co-produce biopic of “BangaBandhu”, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman –
Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh has decided to celebrate the ‘Mujib Year’ from March 17, 2020 to March 17,
2021 to mark the centenary year of - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (first President of
Bangladesh).
• For the first time, this country will host the annual meeting of council of heads of
government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2021 - India.
• On 15 January, India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further defence

cooperation between both nations with - Finland.
• The festival of Maghe Sankranti (Maghi Sankranti) is being celebrated in - Nepal.
• Swasthani Brata Katha, a festival is being celebrated in – Nepal.
• On 15-16 January, the first Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment
(DTI) was convened in - New Delhi.
• This community in the United States described as a "historic milestone" their
identification as a separate ethnic group - Sikh.
• The Government of India, this state government and the World Bank signed a loan
agreement of $88 million to help modernize passenger ferry sector that runs on its
rivers - Assam.
• The 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) will be held from January 20th to 24th in –
Davos, Switzerland.
• The agreement between Myanmar and this country was signed to implement the deep
seaport project called Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone - China.
• This country hosted 'Sweet Marathon' for tourists – Japan (in Osaka).
• On 19 January, World leaders committed to ending all foreign meddling in Libya's war
and to uphold a weapons embargo at a - Berlin summit.
• Top position among the countries surveyed for corporate commitments to science-
based targets (SBT), according to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) India annual
report - The US with 135 companies (followed by Japan, UK, France).
• India and this country will jointly inaugurate the second integrated check post at
Jogbani-Biratnagar - Nepal.
• The conference 'Digital Africa: Empowered Citizens' will be organised in March 2020 in
– India.
• First position on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum -
Denmark.
• According to Oxfam’ s ‘Time to Care’ report, the world’s richest _______ have more than
twice the wealth of the rest of humanity combined - 1 percent (2,153 billionaires having
more wealth than 4.6 billion people in 2019).
• World’s richest person, according to Oxfam’s ‘Time to Care’ report - Jeff Bezos (net
worth of $116 billion).
• World's second-largest diamond with an estimated cost of around USD 50 million -
1,758-carat Sewelo diamond (found from Botswana's Karowe mine).
NATIONAL
• Indian cities in the HexGn’s "Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding" for 2020 - Delhi
NCR (6th) and Bengaluru (10th).
• E-commerce company which has signed a MoU with the Housing and Urban Affairs
Ministry's Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-
NULM) to help small businesses - Flipkart.
• Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a National Infrastructure Pipeline
coordination mechanism with an investment plan worth Rs. 102 trillion in the next - five
years (till 2024-25).
• The Finance Ministry extended the 'Sabka Vishwas Scheme', a dispute resolution-cum-
amnesty scheme for settling pending disputes of service tax and central excise, by - 15
days (till January 15).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Karman Awards
to 21 people in - Tumkur, Karnataka.
• Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a memorial museum of Shri Shri
Shivakumar Swamiji in - Tumkuru, Karnataka.
• India’s Swarna Jayanti Fellowships have been awarded to - 14 Scientists.
• Prime Minister dedicated this number of DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to the
nation on January 2 - Five.
• First state zoo to breed endangered Hargila birds - Assam State Zoo cum Botanical
Garden and Aaranyak.
• The Indian Railways’ new helpline number for grievances and inquiry – 139.
• Online system to allow political parties to track the applications for the registration with
the poll panel, launched by Election Commission of India - Political Parties Registration
Tracking Management System (PPRTMS).
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah dedicated the new campus of National Fire Service
College (NFSC) in - Nagpur.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) establish a second launch port in -
Thoothukodi district in Tamilnadu.
• From January 4 to 12, under the theme “Gandhi: The Writers' Writer”, the 28th edition of
annual New Delhi World Book Fair organised by - National Book Trust (NBT).
• The second tallest statue (50 feet tall bronze statue) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the
world unveiled in – Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• For the fourth consecutive year, this company earned CII's prestigious National Award
for Best Warehouse Automation Solution Provider - Armstrong.
• This oil company has commenced delivery of fuel for ships that are compliant with
International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) low sulphur mandate - Hindustan
Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL).
• This Digital payments firm has unveiled a new adoption assistance programme aimed
at enhancing the parental support benefits for employees - PayPal.
• FAME India scheme - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India
• On 3 January, the first Capacity Building Programme on General Financial Rules-2017,
e-Procurement and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) inaugurated in - Jammu.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inaugurated a first Silk Processing
Plant at – Surendranagar, Gujarat.
• This bank has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Women
Entrepreneurs Welfare Association (WEWA), Tamil Nadu, to offer training and credit
linkage to women - Indian Bank.
• Under the second phase of the FAME India scheme, the union government approved
setting up 2,636 electric vehicle charging stations across - 62 cities in 24 states/UT.
• The foundation stone for 'Bharat Darshan Park' laid in – Delhi.
• New division at the Ministry of External Affairs - New, Emerging and Strategic
Technologies (NEST).
• The 68th edition of the Dover Lane Music Conference will begin on January 22 in –
Kolkata.
• The third international symposium on marine ecosystems challenges and opportunities
will be held from January 7 to 10 in – Kochi, Kerala.
• India's rank in Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) for the year 2019 of the
World Economic Forum - 34th.
• On 5 January, Women Science Congress has been begun in - Bengaluru.
• Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will confer the first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas
Media Samman’ to - 30 media houses.
• The 11th biennial edition of ‘DefExpo India- 2020’ will be held from 5-8 February 2020 in
- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• Location of the fourth regional academic center for space of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) – NIT (Surathkal, Karnataka).
• On 6 January, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar has signed an
agreement for collaborative research with - AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
• Central Depository Services (India) Ltd inaugurated its first branch at the -GIFT City,
Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The 3rd International symposium on ‘marine ecosystems – challenges and
opportunities’ (MECOS-3) organised in - Kochi.
• Default setting for all room air conditioners (from Jan 1, 2020) which was notified by
the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) – 24 degree Celsius.
• The second phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 rolled out at block level in
35 districts of - Uttar Pradesh.
• The 31st International Kite Festival has been launched in – Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Fifth Railway station in the country and first in North India which have Navigation
facilities for visually impaired – Chandigarh railway station, Punjab.
• According to the ICMR’s report on sugar intake of India, city which recorded with the
highest sugar intake - Mumbai.
• The Farmers Science Congress was organised in - Bengaluru.
• Country's world-class facility for training astronauts will be setup in – Challakere
(Chitradurga district, Karnataka).
• New World Boddh Museum and Educational Institution will be started in - Sanchi,
Madhya Pradesh.
• On 8 January, the Union Cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval on the
Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Department of Health & Family Welfare
(DOHFW) and this foundation on cooperation in the field of Health - Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation (BMGF).
• On 8 January, the Union Cabinet has given its approval to confer the status of
Institution of National Importance to the - Institute of Teaching and Research in
Ayurveda, Jamnagar.
• On 7 January, the 2nd ‘National GST Conference of the Commissioners of State Tax
and Chief Commissioners of Central Tax’ was held in - Delhi.
• UNESCO World Heritage site in India that completed 1,020 years in 2019 - Khajuraho
temples.
• In a first, this Assembly polls will have 11 Artificial Intelligence (AI) equipped polling
constituencies - Delhi.
• The World Regional Rose Convention will be held at the Agri-Horticultural Society of
India (AHSI) from 9 January in – Kolkata.
• The third edition of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters will be held
between January 30 and February 2 in – Kochi.
• The Central Government has started a Scheme for setting up of this many Fast Track
Special Courts across the country - 1023.
• First solar section in South Central Railway - Nandyal–Yerraguntla section in Guntakal
Division.
• World's highest railway bridge that connects Kashmir to the rest of India - Udhampur-
Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
• The fifth edition 'The Pulses Conclave' will be held from 12th to 14th February in -
Lonavala, Maharashtra.
• The Forest Advisory Committee approved this scheme that will allow the forest to be
traded as a commodity - Green Credit Scheme.
• Railway stations which installed with AI-based Facial recognition technology -

Bengaluru's Manmad and Bhusawal.
• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) inaugurated in - New Delhi.
• Progressive states/UTs in the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 on the basis of
aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) -Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka,
Maharashta, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Puducherry and Chandigarh.
• Theme of the 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 which will organise in Lucknow from
12th to 16th January - ‘Fit Youth Fit India’.
• This institution and Nature India launched the Nature India essay competition 2020 -
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
• Country’s first Cyber Crime Prevention Unit AASHVAST inaugurated in – Gandhinagar,

Gujarat.
• The projects include Video Integration and StateWide Advance Security-VISWAS
project, ‘Netrang’ project to establish Command and Control Room in - Gujarat.
• In order to curb cyberattacks as well as raise awareness among investors, BSE, in
association with SEBI and Maharashtra Cyber, on 10 January organised a conference
on the issue in - New Delhi.
• The exhibition on "Bamboo- A wonder grass" concluded in – Jammu, UT of J&K.
• The Kolkata Port has been renamed as - Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port.
• This ministry launched 'Mission Purvodaya' which aims at accelerated development of
Eastern India through an Integrated Steel hub - Ministry of steel.
• ‘Eurasia Group’ reported that India was listed as the ____ biggest geopolitical risk of
2020 – Fifth (list was topped by the US).
• From 12-15 March 2020, ‘Wings India 2020’ has been scheduled to be held at -
Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced these 4 airports in India have
received international recognition for reducing carbon emission – Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata; Biju Patnaik International Airport,
Bhubaneswar; Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi; Trivandrum
International Airport.
• On February 1-2, the seventh edition of the 'Under 25' summit has been scheduled to be
held at - Bengaluru.
• The 93rd All India Marathi Literary Meet inaugurated on 11 January 2020 in –
Osmanabad, Maharashtra.
• The Raisina Dialogue 2020 will be held under the theme ‘Navigating the Alpha Century’
on January 14-16 in - New Delhi.
• Indian Railways has signed MoU with this company for the Phase 2 execution of NIC e
office - RailTel.
• CleanHarbors Inc, a leading US environmental services company, formally inaugurated
its new 'Global Capability Centre' in – Hyderabad.
• A new book which is compilation of selected writings by former finance minister Arun
Jaitley - "A New India: Selected Writings 2014-19".
• 13th Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA) Art Mela will be started on January 23
in – Mumbai (Traditionally held in Kolkata).
• On 21 January, the Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the Centre
of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu (CESCT) in - Nellore.
• District that won the Plastic Waste Management Award 2020 - Dibrugarh, Assam.
• India’s rank in the Henley Passport Index – 84th (Top spot – Japan).
• India statue that has been included in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s '8
Wonders of SCO' list - Statue of Unity (182 meter tall), Gujarat.
• This Indian institute will host the fifth edition of 'E-Summit-2020' between January 17
and 19 - IIT, Madras.
• An annual one-month long, people-centric fuel conservation mega campaign of

Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) which was launched on 16th
January in Delhi - ‘Saksham’.
• This institution has signed an MoU with ITC e-Choupal to help farmers avail benefits
under the programme in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on a pilot basis - National
Health Authority.
• On 16 January, the 6th national standards conclave concluded in – Delhi.

• On 16 January, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 7th Conference of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in the Vidhan Bhawan of - Lucknow.
• Under the 'Adarsh Khel Gram' program, India's first 'Model Sports Villages' - Bahadurpur
and Kheri Viran.
• First government-run hospital in Jaipur to conduct a heart transplant surgery - Sawai
Man Singh (SMS) Hospital.
• In a first, the Indian government will conduct census on households headed by a
transgender and members living in the family under the head - "sex of the head of the
household" (scheduled from April 1 to September 30).
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) has set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in
Blockchain Technology in - Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• A Concession Agreement was signed for completing the 6.5 km long Z-Morh tunnel in -
J&K.
• Through key initiative ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure

Projects (D3S-i)’, NITI Aayog entered into a MoU with this UT’s administration on 17
January 2020 - Ladakh.
• An agreement signed between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and
Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to end - 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis.
• Mega-science exhibition Vigyan Samagam will begin from 21st January in - New Delhi.
• The 5th edition of the Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) will be organised from 15-
18 January 2020 in – Panaji, Goa.
• For certain treatable rare diseases, the government released a draft National policy on
rare diseases, under which it proposed to fund one-time treatment cost to the tune of -
Rs. 15 lakh.
• On 17 January, the International Conclave on “Globalizing Indian Thought” conducted in
- IIM, Kozhikode.
• On 18 January, ELECRAMA 2020 Expo inaugurated in - Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

• On 17 January, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D. V. Sadananda
Gowda launched the "APNA UREA - SonaUgle" brand of - Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan
Limited (HURL).
• On 18 January, the 'Fit India Cyclothon' inaugurated in - Goa.
• The Ministry of Earth Science has launched this project to identify the earthquake-prone
areas based on its geological and geophysical characteristics - Seismic Hazard
Microzonation project.
• This state has secured the top for parameters on water efficiency targets which was
set by the ministry of Jal Shakti - Gujarat.
• A Conference of the Chief Secretaries and Administrator State and Union Territories on
Census 2021 and updating of National Population Register (NPR) was held in - New
Delhi.
• India’s rank on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum -
76th.
• India’s rank among the countries surveyed for corporate commitments to science-
based targets (SBT) and the first developing economy with maximum number of
companies committing to SBT, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) India
annual report - 5th.
• The second edition of NIC Tech Conclave-2020 organised in - New Delhi.
• The 14th edition of Symphony Orchestra of India will be started on 16 February 2020 in
– Mumbai.
PERSON IN NEWS
• Reappointed Chairman of Railway Board - Vinod Kumar Yadav.

• New Chairman and Managing director of Hindustan Copper Limited - Arun Kumar
Shukla.
• New interim managing director & CEO of Lakshmi Vilas Bank - S Sundar.
• First and youngest tribal woman in the world to set foot on the six tallest mountain
peaks across six continents - Malavath Poorna (Telangana).
• Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader who passed away on 2 January - D P Tripathi.
• New executive director of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) - G Babita
Rayudu.
• First chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) - Suresh Chandra Sharma.
• A 13-year-old Indian girl in Dubai who has won the 100 Global Child Prodigy Award for
singing in most languages during one concert and the longest live singing concert by a
child - Sucheta Satish (can sing in 120 languages).
• Author of the book titled "Death: An Inside Story" - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
• Indian boy who has secured 1st position in Thailand International Mathematical
Olympiad 2019 (TIMO) - Shlok Banerjee (EuroSchool Airoli student of grade 4).
• "The Cuckoo's Nest", is first novel in English written by - A Sethumadhavan (Malayali

writer).
• Managing Director and CEO of Karur Vysya Bank who resigned on 4 January - P R
Seshadri.
• Sarod artist who will receive 'Sangeet Samman' award at the 68th edition of the Dover
Lane Music Conference - Ustad Aashis Khan.
• A member of the India's first Lok Sabha (constituted in 1952) and the last maharaja of
erstwhile Dumraon Raj, who died on 5 January in Bihar - Kamal Bahadur Singh.
• Former Governor of Karnataka who passed away on 6 January 2020 in Noida - T N

Chaturvedi.
• World's youngest democratically elected leader heading an unlikely coalition with the
Greens - Sebastian Kurz (Austria).
• New Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) - A Sakthivel.
• Former commander of the Army's Western Command who secured Siachen victory in
1984, died in Chandigarh on 6 January 2020 - Lt Gen P N Hoon.
• A book ‘Karmayoddha Granth’ is written on the life of - Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi.
• Zoran Milanovic won presidential election in - Croatia.
• Winner of the Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020 in Dubai - Sucheta Satish (Dubai-based
Indian girl who can sing in most languages).
• Pedro Snchez took the oath as Prime minister of – Spain.
• India-born author who won UK children's book award for her 'Asha and the Spirit Bird' -
Jasbinder Bilan.
• Author of the book titled, “Krishna's Playground: Vrindavan in the 21st Century” – Prof.
John Stratton Hawley.
• First recipient of Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence - Prof. M
S Swaminathan.
• First recipients of Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service - Dr. Gutta
Muniratnam.
• New Member (Finance) of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) - K Vinayak Rao.
• Author of the book, title 'Karma Yoga' - Swami Vivekananda.
• Longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world who died on 10 January 2020 -
Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said.
• New royal ruler of Oman - Haitham bin Tariq.
• New Director of the National Book Trust (NBT) - Lt Col Yuvraj Malik.
• Winner of the Prolific Author Award at the SKOCH Public Policy Lit Fest - Bibek Debroy
(author and Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister).
• Winner of the Global Child Prodigy Award 2020 for achievements in spiritual discipline
yoga - Ishwar Sharma (under-11 yoga champion from the UK).
• Noted tribal leader and former Lok Sabha member who died in Bhubaneswar on 12
January - Maurice Kujur.
• Senior journalist and PTI's Uttar Pradesh bureau chief who was honoured with the
prestigious National Integration Award - Subhashis Mittra.
• First Iranian-American astronaut (from NASA) - Jasmin Moghbeli.
• First police commissioner of Lucknow - Sujit Pandey.

• First police commissioner of Noida - Alok Singh.
• New Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to replace Viral Acharya -
Michael Patra.
• Indian five-year-old boy from Hyderabad who has set the Guinness world record in
Taekwondo for more than 1200 knee strikes in one-hour - Aashman Taneja.
• First woman parade adjutant for the Republic Day parade - Captain Tania Shergill.
• The Surveyor General of India in Survey of India who got extension for a period of one
year - Lt General Girish Kumar.
• Veteran Odia filmmaker who died on 13 January - Manmohan Mohapatra.
• New Indian Ambassador to the United States - Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

• Winner of the coveted Crossword Book Award for book 'The Far Field' - Madhuri Vijay.
• The Supreme Court of India would appoint this person as the chairman of its
committee on road safety - Justice A M Sapre.
• IDBI Bank's deputy managing director (DMD) - Suresh Khatanhar.

• New General Manager of the Western Railway (WR) - Alok Kansal.
• New Queen's Counsel for the courts of England and Wales - Senior Advocate Harish
Salve.
• Winner of the 29th Saraswati Samman - Vasdev Mohi (Sindhi writer) (for
‘Chequebook’).
• Newly elected bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) - Bipul Behari Saha.
• Prime Minister of Russia - Mikhail Mishustin.
• Former India all-rounder who passed away on 17 January and he was best known for
bowling a record 21 successive maiden overs in a Test match - Bapu Nadkarni.
• Winner of the Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 for performing remarkable research
in chemical science - Sakya Singha Sen.
• Present Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India - Dr Vivek Joshi.

• World’s shortest man who passes away - Khagendra Thapa Magar (67.08cm or 2 feet
2.41 inches).
• World’s shortest man after late Khagendra Thapa Magar - Colombia’s Edward "Nino"
Hernandez (70.21 cm).
• Australia has conferred the ‘Order of Australia’ honour to - Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
(Biocon founder).
• Newly appointed chairperson of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum
and Library (NMML) - Nripendra Misra.
• Newly appointed vice-chairperson of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial
Museum and Library (NMML) – Dr. A Surya Prakash (chairperson of the Prasar Bharati
board).
• New National President of Bharatiya Janata Party - J P Nadda.

• New President of the Archery Association of India (AAI) - Arjun Munda.
• ‘The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems’ edited by - Abhay K.
• Newly appointed joint secretaries in the newly-created department of military affairs
under Government of India - Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu.
SPORTS
• Indians selected in Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade - Virat Kohli and
Jasprit Bumrah.
• Captain of Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade - Aaron Finch (Australia).
• The 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship -
2020 has begun in – Leh, UT of Ladakh.
• Youngest bowler (Age: 18 years and 271 days) in history who took 100 wickets in T20
cricket - Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan).
• The 4th All India Police Judo Cluster Championship 2019 is being played in - New Delhi.
• Indian cricketer who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 4 January -
Irfan Pathan (35-year-old).
• Host-city of the 'Manisha-Vascon' National Billiards and Snooker Championship from

January 11 to February 9 - Pune.
• Gold-medallist in the men's 10m air pistol event at the 63rd National Shooting
Championship in Bhopal - Saurabh Chaudhary.
• Indian Olympic Association (IOA) took strong objection to Chhattisgarh Olympic
Association's (COA) decision to amend its constitution and increase the tenure of its
Executive Board from four to - five years.
• Winner of the Club World Cup 2020 in Doha - Liverpool FC.
• Winner of the 95th edition of the prestigious Hastings International Chess Congress in
Hastings, England - P. Magesh Chandran.
• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has disaffiliated this association for violating its
constitution and guidelines - Karate Association of India.
• Face of the third edition of the 10PL-World Cup of tennis ball cricket which to be held in
Sharjah from 8-13 March 2020 - Dwayne Bravo (West Indies all-rounder).
• World Number-1 in the U-21 category, according to the latest International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) rankings - Manav Thakkar.
• The first edition of Khelo India University Games has been scheduled to be held at the
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in –Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• Winner of the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, instituted by the BCCI - Jasprit Bumrah.
• Winner of the women's and men's singles top prize at the Yonex-Sunrise All India Senior
Ranking badminton tournament - Aakarshi Kashyap and Mithun Manjunath.
• Winner of BCCI’s Dilip Sardesai Award for the 2018-19 season - Jasprit Bumrah.
• Winner of BCCI’s Polly Umrigar award in women's section - Poonam Yadav.
• Winner of the BCCI’s Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award - Krishnamachari

Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra.
• Winner of BCCI’s Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy -
Shivam Dube (Mumbai all-rounder).
• Top position at the Annual Ranking by Nation (Rifle, Pistol & Shotgun) ISSF World Cups
for the year 2019 – India (with 30 medals).
• Team of the Year at the Sportstar Aces Awards - Indian Test side.
• Sportsman of the Year in individual category at the Sportstar Aces Awards - wrestler
Bajrang Punia.
• Sportswoman of the Year (Individual Sports) Award - Chess player Koneru Humpy and
shooter Apurvi Chandela.
• Cricketer of the Year Award - Rohit Sharma (Male) and Smriti Mandhana (women).
• Sportswoman of the Year (racquet sports) Award - shuttler P V Sindhu.
• Special Recognition Award - tennis player Leander Paes.
• Sportsman of the Year (Team Sports) Award - Manpreet Singh (men's hockey team
captain).
• Female Young Athlete of the Year - Shooter Mehuli Ghosh.
• ICC's '2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year' - Rohit Sharma.

• Winner of the ICC's 'Spirit of Cricket' award - Virat Kohli.
• Winner of the ICC's 'Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy' for Player of the Year - Ben Stokes
(England).
• This football club merged with ATK FC (owner - RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group) - Mohun
Bagan.
• Legendary Indian footballer, who led the Indian gold medal winning team in the 1962
Asian Games, has been honoured with a postal stamp issued on his 82nd birthday by
the Indian Postal Department - Chuni Goswami.
• Indian who won gold medal at the Rome Ranking Series event - Vinesh Phogat.
• In Tennis, this Indian player and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok have won the
women's doubles title of the WTA International trophy at Hobart in Australia - Sania
Mirza.
• In Cricket, the fastest Indian spinner who claim 100 wickets in ODI - Kuldeep Yadav.
• Football federation of this gulf country has been banned from hosting international
matches inside the country, as per letter from the Asian Football Confederation - Iran.
• Winner of the 7th edition of the Mumbai marathon for the full marathon elite category -
Derrara Hurisa (22-year-old Ethiopian).
• Winner of the 7th edition of the Mumbai marathon for the International Elite Full
Marathon Women's category - Ethiopia's Amane Beriso.
• Winner of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) Twenty20 trophy in
Dhaka - Rajshahi Royals.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
• This state government has declared 2020 as the year of Artificial Intelligence (AI) –
Telangana.
• ‘Lai Haraoba’, a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities began in –
Agartala, Tripura.
• This state government launched a Cyber Safe Women initiative under which awareness
camps held across all the districts of the state regarding cyber safety - Maharashtra.
• This state’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA) launched on 1st January 2020 -
Kerala.
• To encourage artists excelling in street performance and theatre, this UT government

launched a fellowship programme for them - Delhi.
• Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath inaugurated a month-long fourth 'Jal Mahotsav' at –
Hanuwantiya island, Khandwa district.
• This state police will start the third edition of its 'Sukanya' project on 6 January to
provide self-defence training to girl students - Kolkata Police.
• New Inspector General of Police (Traffic) in Jammu and Kashmir - T Namgyal
(replacing Alok Kumar).
• The Madhya Pradesh government doubled the annual discretionary fund of cabinet
ministers from Rs 50 lakh to - Rs one crore.
• To avail medical treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh for the state government employees,
Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana was approved by - Madhya Pradesh.
• This state government has been implementing decision to divide the law and order and
investigation into separate wings - Bihar.
• Chief Minister as well as Administration, law and order Minister of Maharashtra -
Uddhav Thackeray.
• Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra - Ajit Pawar.
• Home Minister of Maharashtra - Anil Deshmukh.
• Rural Development Minister of Maharashtra - Hasaan Mushrif.
• Urban Development Minister of Maharashtra - Eknath Shinde.
• Forest Minister of Maharashtra - Sanjay Rathod.
• Adivasi affairs Minister of Maharashtra - K. C. Padvi.
• Women and child development Minister of Maharashtra - Yashomati Thakur.
• New Assembly Speaker of Jharkhand - Ravindra Nath Mahto (from Nala constituency).
• The fourth 'Buxa Bird Festival' has begun in Buxa National Park in - Alipurduar district,
West Bengal.
• On 6 January, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched 478 developmental schemes
worth Rs 727.93 crore during the 'Jagrukta Sammelan' in - Araria district.
• This state government is organising ‘Zo Kutpui festival’ across 10 states in the country
and also in other countries – Mizoram
• The first edition of ‘Zo Kutpui festival’ will be inaugurated on 9 January 2020 in –
Vanghmun, Tripura.
• The Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) will be setup in - Gujarat.
• The Children's Innovation Festival (CIF) was organised in – Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• This state’s Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre
for a caste-based Census to find out the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
across the country - Maharashtra.
• This state government launched 'Amma Vodi' scheme meant to support lakhs of poor
and needy mothers to educate their children - Andhra Pradesh.
• Chief Minister of this state appointed guardian ministers for all 36 districts -
Maharashtra.
• First state which held a state-level "Adalat" for the transgender community on 10th
January 2020 – Kerala.
• This state government has signed a MoU with a German firm ‘KFW’ for the `Zero Budget
Natural Farming’ - Andhra Pradesh.
• This state government launched a wage subsidy scheme for the first five years for new
ventures getting registered from 1 April 2020 - Kerala.
• This state government allowed liquor license holders to open sub-shops by paying
extra - Madhya Pradesh.
• On 11 January, this UT government announced its plans to establish a world-class skill
development institute in the state - Goa.
• The first edition of ‘Zo unity’ festival, also called "Zo Kutpui" at Vanghmun village in
Jampui hill of North Tripura district, organised in – Aizawl, Mizoram.
• This state’s legislative assembly adopted a new logo that consists of the national
emblem and the state flower foxtail orchid, Rhynchostylis Retusa - Arunachal Pradesh.
• Uttar Pradesh’s new zoological garden in Gorakhpur is to be named after the socialist
and freedom fighter - Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan.
• The Cabinet gave its approval for the commissionerate system of policing in these two
cities in the Uttar Pradesh - Lucknow and Noida.
• This state government, in coordination with the pollution control board, is planning to
launch Green corridor App for hassle-free movement during emergencies - Bengal.
• On 15 January, Indian Industries Association (IIA) has tied up with the Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) to promote vendors and startups in - Uttar Pradesh (UP).
• First state which challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in the Supreme
Court - Kerala.
• State which will celebrate Chapchar Kut festival - Mizoram.
• On 15 January, a MoU for development of a greenfield airport at Nagchala in Mandi

district of this state was signed between the state and the Airports Authority of India
(AAI) - Himachal Pradesh.
• The militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland under the leadership of B
Saoraigwra signed a tripartite Suspension of Operarion Agreement with the Centre and
the - Assam Government.
• This state government will collaborate with the IUCN and carry out a red-list
assessment of the ‘orchids’ plant - Arunachal Pradesh.
• For the first time, this state police force is organising an international marathon “Health
Run” on February 9 - Maharashtra (in Mumbai).
• The Government of India and this international bank signed a loan agreement of $88
million to help the Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP) - World Bank.
• Indian Railway has decided to replace Urdu language on all signboards at platforms in
Uttarakhand with - Sanskrit.
• This state’s Assembly unanimously passed a motion to ratify the 126th Constitutional
Amendment which seeks to extend reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes for another 10 years in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies –
Haryana.
• This government released a guarantee card to promises free bus rides for students –
Delhi.
SCIENCE
• A Pune-based academician who has designed a software, which can generate 'bandish'
of ragas in Indian classical music using Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Vinod Vidwans.
• There are currently around ______ active satellites orbiting our planet, according to the
Satellite Industry Association - 2,100.
• 41 cases of infection with the new type of coronavirus have been revealed in – China.
• This country has launched a new addition of driverless smart bullet train which is
capable of speeds up to 350 km/h – China (Fuxing series train).
• Indian communication satellite which is scheduled for launch onboard Ariane-5 launch
vehicle from French Guiana on January 17 - GSAT-30.
• The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) telescope
operationalized in - China (world's largest radio telescope).
• On 13 January, the World Health Organization confirmed the first case in this country of
a new virus from the same family as SARS that is behind a Chinese pneumonia
outbreak - Thailand.
• This country sent a new optical remote-sensing satellite ‘Red Flag-1 H9’ - China.
• On 16 January, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has endorsed a technology

developed by Indian scientists to detect - tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant TB
(TrueNat and Rifampicin).
• Researchers from this Indian institute have developed a novel device that can be used
to generate hydrogen fuel from seawater - IIT Madras.
• A case of the mystery respiratory infection related to the potentially deadly SARS virus,
which first emerged in China and then Thailand, has been confirmed in - Japan.
• It is the first of its kind a new species of bone-eating worm found by Scientists in - the
Gulf of Mexico (Osedax family).
• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to produce the - Saras
engine.
• Scientists from this university have for the first time genetically engineered mosquitoes
that are resistant to all strains of the potentially deadly dengue virus - University of
California and Vanderbilt University.
• World's first diagnostic test for the coronavirus is developed by a researchers from -
German Centre for Infection Research.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
• Hindustan Copper Limited was founded in – 1967 (09 November).

• Indian Railway was founded in – 1845 (08 May).
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) was
launched in – 2013 (24th September).
• UPI - Unified Payments Interface.
• Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) became a member of the International Ice
Hockey Federation (IIHF) on – 27 April 1989.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) – Established: 1992 (12 April);
Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) - Founded: 1969 (15 August);
Headquarters: Bengaluru.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) was established in – 1950 (25 January).
• Birth anniversary of Social reformer Savitribai Phule – 3 January.

• National Medical Commission (NMC) - Founded: 2017 (29 December); Headquarters:
New Delhi.
• International Maritime Organisation (IMO) - Founded: 1948 (17 March); Headquarters:
London, United Kingdom.
• National Book Trust (NBT) - Founded: 1957 (1 August); Location: New Delhi.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is effective from – 1
December 2018.
• Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) -Founded: 1995;
Headquarters: New Delhi.
• The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) is an autonomous institute under the
aegis of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and its head
office is at - New Delhi.
• Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (IMPARD) is
situated in - Srinagar, UT of J&K.
• Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was launched in - 2016.
• Patola is the trademark Saree of – Gujarat.
• Inventor of Braille (for people with visual disabilities) - Louis Braille.

• The Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against the Nuclear Installations and Facilities
between Pakistan and India was signed in – 1988 (31 December).
• Bhitarkanika National Park - Kendrapara District in Odisha.

• Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was founded in – 1927.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) – Established: 1992 (12 April);
Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary – Goa.
• International Day of Yoga - 21 June.

• Indian Government's Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) initiative was
launched on - 5 January 2015.
• India's first international financial services centre (IFSC) - GIFT City.
• First foreign lender to receive banking license in India through wholly-owned subsidiary
route - State Bank of Mauritius (SBM).
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was
established in - 1985.
• The ‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush’ was launched by Government of India in - 2017.

• Satellite Industry Association – Formed: 1995; Located: Washington, D.C.
• International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) - Founded: 1926; Headquarters: Lausanne,
Switzerland.
• Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was founded in – 1927.
• Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) was incorporated in – 1978.
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - Founded: 1948; Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was established in – 1969 (10 March).
• Father of Marathi Journalism - Balshastri Jambhekar.

• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) - Founded: 2008; Headquarters:
Mumbai.
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) was founded in – 1875.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Founded:
1946 (4 November); Headquarters: Paris, France.
• Agri-Horticultural Society of India (AHSI) – Founded: 1820; Founder: Dr William Carey;
Location: Kolkata, WB.
• Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established in – 2003.

• Indian Railway was founded in – 1845 (08 May).
• State bank of India (SBI) - Founded: 1955 (01 July); Headquarters: Mumbai.
• World Bank - Founded: 1944; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
• In 1995, ‘Milan’, a multilateral naval exercise was first held by - Indian Navy.
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) - Founded: 1942 (26 September);
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Founded: 1895; Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) - Founded: 1935 (01 April); Headquarters: Mumbai.
• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) of India was founded in – 2008.

• ‘Old Currency Building’, built in the early 19th century and located in – Kolkata.
• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) - Founded: 1861; Headquarters: Janpath, New
Delhi; Founder: Alexander Cunningham.
• National Book Trust (NBT) - Founded: 1957 (1 August); Location: New Delhi.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) was founded in – 1995 (01 April).
• New Delhi-based Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) was setup by the
Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in - June 2011.
• National Youth Day is celebrated on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary of -
Swami Vivekananda.
• Raisina Hill is located in - New Delhi (house of the President of India).
• Strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman which is about 90 nautical miles
long - Strait of Hormuz.
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) – Established: 1927;
Founder: G.D. Birla.
• Award which is conferred by BCCI on both the highest wicket-taker and highest run-
getter in Test cricket - Dilip Sardesai award.
• The Ramakrishna Math and Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda in - 1897.
• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) – founded in: 1928; Headquarters: Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of India came into existence as the Crown
Representative's Police in – 1939 (27 July).
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) was founded in – 1976.
• First Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces - Filed Marshal K M

Cariappa.
• Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) – Founded: 1969 (17 July); Location:
Mysore.
• Makar Sankranti - 14 January every year.
• Koalas (animal species) are native of - Australia.
• Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary located in – Odisha.
• Athar Hussein Rizvi, known as Kaifi Azmi, was an - Indian Urdu poet.
• Survey of India - Founded: 1767; Headquarters: Dehradun.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – Founded: 2001; Headquarters: Beijing
(China).
• The Indian army was officially established on - 1 April 1895.

• India Meteorological Department (IMD) – Founded: 1875; Headquarters: Delhi.
• Nepal - Capital: Kathmandu; Currency: Nepalese rupee.
• International Cricket Council (ICC) – Founded: 1909 (15 June); Headquarters: Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences – Founded: 2009; Location: Delhi.

• Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) – Ratified: 2003; Location: New Delhi.
• Annual bull taming event in several parts of Tamil Nadu - 'Jallikattu'.
• World Health Organization (WHO) - Founded: 1948 (07 April); Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.
• Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was founded as the Empire
Parliamentary Association in – 1911.
• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – Established: 1942 (26
September); Headquarter: New Delhi.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – Formed: 1958;
• World Bank - Founded: 1944; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
• National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog - Founded: 2015 (01 January);
• Raising Day of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) – 18 January 2006.

• Asian Football Confederation - Founded: 1954 (08 May); Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
• International Cricket Council (ICC) – Founded: 1909 (15 June); Headquarters: Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Women's Tennis Association (WTA) – Founded: June 1973; Location: St. Petersburg,
Florida.
• World Economic Forum (WEF) - Founded: 1971 (01 January); Headquarters: Cologny,
Switzerland.
• The Guinness Book of World Records was co-founded by twin brothers Norris and Ross
McWhirter in London in - 1954.
• Australia - Capital: Canberra; Currency- Australian dollar.
• World’s longest river – Nile (runs through 11 countries in Africa).
• Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) was founded in - 2006 (18
January).
• World Gold Council (WGC) - Founded: 1987; Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
• Advertisement Standards Council Of India (ASCI) - Founded: 1985; Headquarters:

Mumbai.
• Archery Association of India (AAI) was founded in – 1973 (08 August).
• Nepal - Capital: Kathmandu; Currency: Nepalese Rupee.
• The Lok Sabha (House of the People) of India was duly constituted for the first time on
- 17 April 1952.
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1 CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2020

2 CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2020

2. Indian Railways introduced a new Passenger Information System at Anakapalle

Indian Railways introduced a new Passenger Information System at Anakapalle Railway

• The Passenger Information System provided at Anakapalle Station, modern technology

• The system provides an electronic display of information about the passengers

3. Aadhaar and PAN linking deadline extended to March 2020

4. ECI launches Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System

5. PM Modi to inaugurate DRDO laboratories

PM Narendra Modi will be in Karnataka on January 2 and 3. He would be inaugurating 5

6. Report of task force on National Infrastructure on Pipeline 2019-2025

7. Birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh

About Guru Gobind Singh:

9. Swarna Jayanti Fellowships to 14 scientists

10. 107th Indian Science Congress

11. 5th anniversary of UJALA Programme

12. National Stock Exchange (NSE) knowledge Hub

13. GoI approves disaster relief fund to seven states

To eliminate the bottlenecks in domestic medical devices businesses, government think-

• Bullet type (for platforms)

16. SC: Access to Internet-a fundamental right

17. AASHVAST: Country’s First Cyber Crime Prevention Unit launched in

18. Purvodaya to accelerate Eastern India Development

Mission Purvodaya is launched in Kolkata and the programme is aimed at accelerated

19. 150th celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust

Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act:

21. Statue of Unity included in 8 Wonders of SCO

22. First digital exhibition on Indian Heritage

23. Fuel conservation campaign

‘Saksham’ is an annual one-month long, people-centric fuel conservation mega

25. Water Efficiency Target: Gujarat Secured the Top Rank

The departments are ranked on parameters:

26. Firsts of Census 2021

27. The 14th Foundation day of DFCCIL

In the latest lead to recognize young people as significant drivers of sustainable

29. Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020

The Ministry of Human Resource Development, in partnership with MyGov, launched a

30. Government launched Paperless Licensing for Petroleum Service Stations

31. Start Up India in Republic Parade

32. SC asks Parliament to review powers of Lok Sabha Speakers

33. Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti

34. Srinagar entered the list of ODF cities

About Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

India has victoriously achieved the complete phase-out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon--HCFC, a

36. NITI Aayog released National Data and Analytics Platform

37. Bharat Parv 2020 at Red Fort

38. Railways commissioned the first waste-to-energy plant

39. India’s first Super Fab Lab

40. Republic Day 2020: Highlights

42. Indian Railways to run 100% on electricity by 2024

• This was said at the India-Brazil Business Forum.

43. India’s first underwater Metro

About Namami Gange Programme

45. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

The proposed amendments include:

2. Kerala CM launches K-RERA

4. The first “Patola Saree” production unit in Gujarat

5. NHRC issues notice to Rajasthan Government about death of Children

6. Eight States finalise Agricultural Action Plan to boost agricultural exports

7. Gujarat is to set up Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center

Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center is to be set up soon in Gujarat. The

8. Kerala State to conduct Adalat for the LGBT community

9. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched Amma Vodi Scheme