January 2016 Daily News Current Affairs

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  1. Jan 31, 2016
    1. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched 2.8 billion USD appeal to reach 43 million children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
    2. Second volume of memoirs of President Pranab Mukherjee The Turbulent Years – 1980-1996 has been released. In this book, he reminisced about crucial events of his political life including Indira Gandhi's assassination, Babri Masjid demolition, operation Blue Star and his ouster from Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet.
    3. Japan unveiled its first stealth fighter aircraft X-2.
    4. Central Statistics Office (CSO) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released first revised estimates of national income, consumption expenditure for 2014-15 and second revised estimates of to 2013-14 -
      1. Nominal Gross Domestic Product for 2014-15 was 124.88 lakh crore while in 2013-14 it was 112.73 lakh crore (10.8 % Growth)
      2. Real GDP (base year 2011-12) for 2014-15 and 2013-14 was 105.52 lakh crore and 98.39 lakh crore respectively. It means 7.2 % growth during 2014-15, and 6.6 % during 2013-14.
      3. Previous Real GDP estimates for FY 2014-15 and 2013-14 was 7.3 and 6.9 respectively.
      4. Per capita income - Estimated at 79412 and 86879 rupees respectively for 2013-14 and 2014-15.
      5. Per capita private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) for 2013-14 and 2014-15 was 52022 and 56772 respectively.
    5. Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin, written by Anup Ashok Sardesai has been released.
    6. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) of United Kingdom granted license to Francis Crick Institute to use new gene editing techniques on human embryos.
    7. Bangladesh Cabinet approved a proposed Citizenship Law that expandes scope for dual citizenship for expatriate (Living outside) Bangladeshi nationals. Before this, a provision was available for Bangladeshis having nationality of the UK and the US only.
    8. Archana Ramasundram appointed as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). With this, Ramasundram became first woman to head a paramilitary force in India.
    9. India and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will jointly explore environment of Ladakh under NASAs Spaceward Bound programme. During their 10-day expedition in August 2016, scientists will study similarities of certain parts of the regions topography and microbial life to the surroundings of Mars. Ladakh was chosesn as it offers cold, high altitude (3500 - 5500 meters ), high UV exposed with Mars analogue topological features.
    10. Vietnam lifted temporary ban that it had put on import of Indian Groundnuts.
    11. Himachal Pradesh Government will spend 15 crore rupees on Swachh Bharat Mission in tribal district of Kinnaur.
    12. Virender Sehwag appointed as mentor of Kings XI Punjab team for season 9 of Indian Premier League (IPL).
  2. Jan 30, 2016
    1. 30 Jan - Anti-Leprosy Day. It commemorates M K Gandhi, who was killed by Nahruram Godse on 30 January 1948.
    2. Uttar Pradesh became Fourth state after Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to formally join Centre's UDAY scheme meant for revival of Discoms (State Power Utilities).
    3. Kerala will host a three-day Nypunyam International Skill Summit in Feb 2016 to bridge gap between job market requirement and skill level of available workforce.
    4. Iran signed a deal to buy 118 Airbus planes worth $25billion USD (Approx 160000 Crore INR).
    5. Somalia agreed on Election Model outlined by Mogadishu Declaration that calls for electoral process in Somalia to establish a new, bicameral Federal Parliament in 2016. Term of non-elected Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) will end in 2016 after serving for four years.
    6. Goa Government launched Goa e-Suvidha Portal for tracking mechanism to fast track projects. It aims at resolving issues in setting up infrastructure and other large projects with targeted investment between 50 - 1,000 crores.
    7. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won Presidential elections of Portugal.
    8. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 came into force to ensure more stringent provisions for prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
    9. Japan's Izumo Takuto and Hong Kong's Zhu Chengzhu won in boys' and girls' categories in Even Sports 2015 ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals in Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
    10. Andhra Pradesh Government launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to support the tribal women in their livelihood.
    11. Tennis's governing bodies constituted Adam Lewis headed Independent Review Panel (IRP) to safeguard integrity in tennis.
    12. Ishika Shah won 12th Sub-Junior National Snooker championship in Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
    13. Eritrea issued a law to make it mandatory for men to marry at least two wives (Polygamy).
    14. Government approved fitting of roof top solar energy panels over 10000 houses of Economically Weaker Sections in Tamil Nadu at a cost of 253 crore rupees under Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (PMAY).
    15. Denmark's Parliament (Folketing) apprpved to confiscate (Seize) asylum seekers personal possessions in order to pay their upkeep.
    16. Navneet Kaur Santosh Kadale won two gold medals in 34th Senior National Rowing Championship in Hyderabad (Telangana).
    17. South African Graham Xavier Ford named chief coach of Sri Lankan cricket team for second term.
  3. Jan 29, 2016
    1. Janos Pasztor of Hungary is appointed as Senior Adviser to Secretary-General (Ban Ki Moon) on Climate Change.
    2. Andhra Pradesh government appointed N Ramesh Kumar as state election commissioner.
    3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented National Bravery Awards to 25 children. He also released book Life progression of ICCW National Bravery Awardees.
    4. 34th National Rowing Championships held in Hyderabad (Telangana).
    5. Bloombergs Billionaires Index -
      1. Top 6 Richest - Bill Gates ($78 billion), Amancio Ortega ($69.7 billion), Warren Buffett ($59.4 billion), Jeff Bezos ($55.8 billion), Carlos Slim ($48.6 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($47.5 billion)
      2. India - Mukesh Ambani (31st), Ajim Premji (54th), Shiv Nadar (71st).
    6. Bank of Japan announced to adopt a negative interest rate policy from February 2016. The Bank of Japan will charge 0.1% interest rate on some part of the deposits that commercial banks make with Bank of Japan. It means that instead of receiving money on deposits, commercial banks must pay interest to keep their money with the Central bank.
    7. Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report by New World Wealth -
      1. Tokyo is the top Asia Pacific city with 2,64,000 millionaires. Indias Mumbai (41,200 millionaires) ranked 12th and delhi (20600) ranked 20th.
      2. Over past 10 years, Jakarta (Indonesia) was fastest growing major city in Asia Pacific in terms of millionaire growth., followed by Hangzhou, Tianjin, Mumbai and Delhi.
      3. Hong Kong topped list ofg Multi Millionaires (Worth Over 10 Million USD) with 9,650 such individuals, Mumbai ranked eighth (2,690) and Delhi 14th with 1,340 Multi Millionaires.
      4. There were, 12,60,000 millionaires in Japan, China second (654,000) and Australia third with 290,000 millionaires.
    8. Australian Open 2016
      1. Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic (Serbia ) by defeating Andy Murray (UK)
      2. Women's Singles - Angelique Kerber (Germany) by defeating Serena Williams (United States)
      3. Men's Doubles - Jamie Murray ( United Kingdom)/ Bruno Soares (Brazil)
      4. Women's Doubles - Martina Hingis (Switzerland) / Sania Mirza (India)
      5. Mixed Doubles - Elena Vesnina (Russia) / Bruno Soares (Brazil)
    9. Noted Hollywood actor Abe Vigoda passed away.
    10. International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Stars awards 2015 -
      1. Male Player of The Year - Robert Van der Horst (Netherlands')
      2. Female Player of the Year - Lidewij Welten (Netherlands)
      3. Goalkeeper of the year (Women) - Joyce Sombroek (Netherlands)
      4. Goalkeeper of the year (Men) - David Harte (Ireland)
      5. Rising Star (Women) - Lily Owsley (Great Britain)
      6. Rising Star (Men) - Chrisopher Rühr (Germany)
    11. West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul announced his retirement from international cricket.
  4. Jan 28, 2016
    1. 28 Jan - Birth Anniversary of Noted Freedom Fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. Commemorative Coin of 150 rupees & Circulation Coin of 10 rupees released on this occasion.
    2. Gallantry Awards 2016 -
      1. President approved 365 Gallantry awards and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel including 1 Ashoka Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakras and 11 Shaurya Chakras.
      2. Ashok Chakra - Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (Posthumous).
      3. Kirti Chakra - Subedar Mahendra Singh, Sepoy Jagdish Chand
      4. Shaurya Chakra - Santosh Yashwant Mahadik, Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj, Anurag Kumar, Sandip Yadav, Harjinder Singh, Satish Kumar, Naik Kheem Singh Mehra, Dharma Ram
    3. India defeated Pakistan to win first Blind T20 Asia Cup in Kochi (Kerala).
    4. Switzerland's Roger Federer became First male to win 300th matches at Grand Slams. He reached this milestone be defating Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) at a match during Ausralian Open 2016. All time record is set by Martina Navratilova (306 wins at grand slams).
    5. Sourav Kothari won National Billiards Championship by defeating Siddharth Parekh.
    6. Goa government declared Feni as heritage brew outside the state. It attained Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2010.
    7. PEN American Center gave its 2016 PEN/Allen award to author J.K. Rowling.
    8. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan joined a task force of World Economic Forum (WEF) to study future of global financial system.
    9. Red Panda Winter Festival 2016 started in Sikkim. It will last till 31 January.
    10. International Kolkata Book Fair (worlds largest non-trade book fair) held in Kolkata (West Bengal). Bolivia is theme country of this year.
    11. All India Radio (AIR) launched audio broadcast channel for connoisseurs of art, especially classical music. The Channel is known as 'RAAGAM'.
    12. Noted Marathi writer Dattatraya Bhikaji Kulkarni passed away.
    13. Rajasthan government launched Mukhyamantri Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan scheme to ensure effective implementation of water harvesting and water conservation.
    14. David Warner has been awarded 2016 Allan Border Medal by Cricket Australia. Other Awards are -
      1. Test Player - David Warner
      2. One Day International Player - Glenn Maxwell
      3. Twenty20 International Player - Not awarded
      4. Bradman Young Cricketer - Alex Ross
      5. State Player - Adam Voges
      6. Women's International Cricketer - Ellyse Perry
    15. Indian lawyer and human rights defender Henri Tiphagne has been selected for 2016 Amnesty International Human Rights Award.
    16. Aparna Kumar(IPS officer) from Uttar Pradesh, became Indias first civil servant to successfully scale Antarcticas highest peak Mount Vinson Massif (17,000-feet).
  5. Jan 27, 2016
    1. 27 Jan - International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It commemorates victims of Holocaust - estimated 11 million Jewish, Romani people being killed by German Nazi Forces.
    2. President of France, Francois Hollande Visited India.
      1. He became Chief Guest of 67th Republic Day Ceremony of india.
      2. India and France singed 14 pacts for enhancing cooperation in various fields. Signed Agreements Include -
        1. French President Francois Hollande committed $325 million over next five years for global development of solar energy
        2. MoU on purchase of 36 Rafale Aircrafts.
        3. Space: Implementation Arrangement between ISRO and CNES (France)
        4. Railways - Agreement between Indian Railways and Alstom for production of 800 electric locomotives in Madhepura plant in Bihar and Agreement for joint study for renovation of Ambala (Punjab) and Ludhiana (Punjab) railway stations.
        5. Food safety, Public Administration.
        6. Cultural exchange -Declaration of Intent (DoI) for conducting Bonjour India (French festival) in 2017 and Namaste France (Indian festival) in 2016.
        7. Science & Technology,
        8. Higher Education & Research - MoU between IIT Mumbai and Thales Systemes Aeroportes for Industry Sponsored Ph.D (Doctorate) Fellowship.
    3. Marvin Minsky, pioneer of artificial intelligence passed away.
    4. Indian Air Force successfully tested Akash surface to air missile with supersonic speeds (Mach 2.8 to 3.5) and range of 25 kms.
    5. Government approved raising 17 Indian Reserve Battalions in Jammu & Kashmir and 4 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states (J&K - 5, Chhattisgarh - 4, Jharkhand - 3, Odisha - 3, Maharashtra - 2). Major number of vacancies will be filled through local youths.
    6. Sanjay Mishra has been appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.
    7. Twitter appointed Leslie Berland as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
    8. United States (US) based software Firm Cognizant Technology acquired cloud-based computing firm KBACE Technologies.
    9. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members signed corporate tax avoidance agreement to stem fiscal (tax) evasion by multinational companies (MNCs), it is about sharing information between member nations.
    10. Gurdeep Singh has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
    11. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Hybrid Annuity Model for implementing National Highway Projects -
      1. Government will invest 40 % of construction cost and balance 60 % will come from private developer.
      2. Private developer will recover his investment from government by receiving annuity payments over 15 years.
      3. Toll collection - Highway toll tax will be collected by the government. Unlike in build, operate and transfer (BOT) toll model in which private sector collects it. Thus, private party does not have to bear traffic and inflation risks as the project cost are also inflation indexed.
    12. India overtaken Thailand as the world's largest rice exporter in 2015 by shipping (exporting) 10.23 million tonnes of rice.
    13. 2016 Syed Modi International Grand prix Gold Championship Badminton Title -
      1. Mens singles - Kidambi Srikanth by defeating Huang Yuxiang of China.
      2. Womens singles - Title Sayaka Sato (Japan) won by defeating Sung Ji Hyun (South Korea).
    14. Brazilian racing driver Pietro Fittipaldi won 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 in Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu).
    15. Indian Author and foreign affairs expert Nisid Hajari has won the prestigious 2016 William E. Colby Award for his book Midnights Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition.
    16. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been chosen for K Veeramani Social Justice Award for his contribution for for upliftment of weaker and marginalised sections.
    17. Puducherry Government launched MITRA (Mobile Initiated Tracking and Rescue) application to ensure protection of women, children and elderly in time of distress.
    18. Morton Mower (US), Michael Marmot (UK) won 2015 Prince Mahidol Award for their achievements in healthcare sector.
    19. International Monetary Funds (IMFs) Quota and Governance Reforms 2010 become effective -
      1. Gives boost to representation of emerging economies like India, China, Brazil, Russia. Indias voting rights increased from 2.3% to 2.6%. Chinas voting rights increased from 3.8% to 6 %.
      2. Capital resources of IMF doubled to $659 billion from $329 billion.
      3. Shares of European and Gulf countries reduced and that of emerging nations particularly China are increased. China now has 3rd largest IMF quota and voting share after US and Japan. India, Russia and Brazil are also among top 10 members of IMF.
    20. 2015 Corruption Perception Index releases by Berlin-based Transparency International (168 Countries) -
      1. India - With score of 38 (out of 100), India ranked 76th. India improved its ranking compared to 85 and 94 in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
      2. Top 5 Countries - Denmark (1st with score 91), Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Netherlands
      3. Bottom 5 Countries - Somalia (rank 168), North Korea (167), Afghanistan (rank 166), Sudan (rank 165), South Sudan (rank 164), Angola (163)
      4. BRICS - South Africa (61), India (76), Brazil (76), China (83) and Russia (119).
    21. Wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi has been conferred with V Shantaram Life Time Acheivement Award at 14th edition of 2016 Mumbai International Festival (MIFF), Mumbai.
  6. Jan 26, 2016
    1. 26 January - International Customs Day.
    2. 26 Jan, 2016 - 67th republic day of india. It marks date on which Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950.
      1. French President Francois Hollande was chief guest of Republic Day function. With this he beamce 5th highest dignitary from France to be Chief Guest of Indian Republic Day parade.
      2. French Troops also Marched during Republic Day Ceremony. It was 76-member contingent 35th Infantry Regiment of the French Army led by Lt Col Paul Bury
      3. Parade was led by Lieutenant General Rajan Ravindran.
      4. Among Services category, Assam Regiment adjudged as best marching contingent. In category of Para-Military Forces and other auxiliary marching contingents, Border Security Force contingent adjudged best.
    3. Girish Luthra appointed Chief of Southern Naval Command and Sunil Lanba appointed chief of Western Naval Command.
    4. Noted Actress Rekha has been conferred with third Yash Chopra Memorial Award.
    5. Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. topped in global vehicle sales in 2015 by selling 10.151 million vehicles. Toyotya retained its status as top-selling automaker for fourth straight year. German automaker Volkswagen AG ranked second (9.93 million) and General Motors (GM) ranked third (9.8 million).
    6. Three persons of Indian-origin - Chennupati Jagadis, Jay Chandra and Sajeev Koshy have been awarded 2016 Medal of Order of Australia, Australias highest civilian honour for their contribution in various fields.
    7. As per recently released United Nations (UN) World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 Report -
      1. India will be fastest growing big economy in world in 2016. Indias growth rate will be 7.3 % in 2016 and 7.5 % in 2017.
      2. In 2016 and 2017 - South Asia will to be the worlds fastest-growing region with India accounting for over 70 % GDP.
    8. UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) 2015 human development index (HDI) -
      1. Norway at top of List, Australia 2nd with Switzerland at third place.
      2. India Ranked 130th with Sri Lanka being ranked 73rd (Best in South Asia Region). Others - China (90), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142), Nepal (145), Pakistan (147).
    9. Mosquito-borne Zika virus has created a panic over birth defects in Latin America countries with Brazil experiencing largest impact. It causes babies being born with abnormal condition called microcephaly (smaller heads which can cause brain damage). Indian Government also formed a Panel for checking situation for same in India.
    10. Digital payment startup TranServ launched India's first Social Mobile Wallet named Udio. The digital wallet seeks to address gap between real and virtual modes of payment as it has more social experience.
    11. India's largest tricolour hoisted atop tallest pole in Ranchi. It is world's largest and highest hoisted Indian flag with Dimensions - 66 feet (height) * 99 feet (Width).
    12. Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away.
    13. Indian Badminton Player Pusarla Venkata Sindhu won 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title by defeating Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour.
    14. Noted Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani passed away.
    15. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) received environmental clearance for a Rs 53000 project in Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin in Andhra Pradesh. Project includes drilling 45 development wells.
    16. Government launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders as part of Governments 2016-Year of Consumers initiative.
    17. Maharashtra's first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissioned in Hingna village of Nagpur district. It will facilitate villagers to get pure water at low cost. It delivers 10,000 Litres of purified water every day and runs completely on solar power on 1800 Watt panels.
  7. Jan 25, 2016
    1. 25 Jan - National Voters' Day. Being Celebrated from 2011. It marks formation of Election Commission of India on 25 January 1950.
    2. 25 Jan - Statehood day of Himachal Pradesh. Created in 1971.
    3. Government Issued list of 20 Smart Cities winning smart city challenge. Bhubaneswar (Odisha) placed at Top. Government will invest Rs 50,802 crore in the 20 cities and towns over five years.
    4. Dr. Rafael Reif, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) Visited India.
    5. During second tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) Scheme from 18 to 22nd January, 2016, 3.16 lakh applications were received for total subscription of 2790 Kilograms of gold worth Rs. 726 crores by Banks.
    6. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India signed an $80million loan agreement to continue improving infrastructure in two North Eastern State Capital cities - Agartala(Tripura) and Aizwal (Mizoram). It is third tranche of $200 million financing facility under North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment Program.
    7. Ministry of Law & Justice constituted an expert committee to review Specific Relief Act, 1963 that provides for law relating to certain kind of specific relief and has not been amended since its inception.
    8. Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey has been appointed as Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) for a period of three years.
    9. Government shipped First consignment of 6 Made in India Metro Train Coaches to Australia from Mumbai port. It is first shipment of planned 450 coaches to be exported to Australia over 2.5 years.
    10. Krishan Kumar Jalan appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
    11. Shyam S Agarwal appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Secretary in National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
    12. Rakesh Garg appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Minority Affairs.
    13. Noted journalist Arindam Sengupta passed away. He was Managing Editor of Times of India.
  8. Jan 24, 2016
    1. 24 Jan - National girl child day.
    2. Government proposed Modifications in Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) -
      1. Premature withdrawl under Medium and Long Term Deposits will be allowed after 3 years and any Long Term Deposit after 5 years, subject to a reduction in payable interest.
      2. Fees to be paid to Banks for their services will be 2.5 % for Medium and Long Term Gold Deposits
      3. Gold depositors can also give their gold directly to refiner rather than only through Collection and Purity Testing Centres (CPTCs).
      4. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) modified licensing condition for refiners from existing 3 years refining experience to 1 year refining experience.
      5. Quantity of gold collected will be expressed up to 3 decimals of a gram, to give the consumer better value for gold deposited.
      6. CPTC/Refiner will test gold and determine its purity which will be basis on which the deposit certificate will be issued.
      7. Government also launched website www.finmin.nic.in/swarnabharat and toll free number 18001800000 to provide all information of the schemes.
      8. As on 20-01-2016, total of 900.087 kilo grams of gold have been mobilized through the scheme. It is expected that these modifications will make the scheme more attractive for potential depositors.
    3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of International Solar Alliance (ISA) Headquarters and inaugurated interim Secretariat of ISA in National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) Gurgaon.
    4. International Conference of Family Planning held at Bali (Indonesia). J P Nadda (Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare) attended on India's Behalf.
    5. Government of India extended supported for Spirit of India Run by Mr. Pat Farmer (Australia), an ultra Marathon Runner. He will run over 4000 km in 60 days starting from Kanyakumari and finishing in Kashmir. He will initiate his run on January 26th, 2016 celebrating India's Republic Day and Australia Day.
    6. Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Smriti Zubin Irani launched Veer Gaatha series of books on Param Veer Chakra awardees.
    7. Government conferred Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards 2015 on 50 persons - Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak (03), Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak (09) and Jeevan Raksha Padak (38 persons).
      1. Winners of Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak are - Shri Ullas Unnikrishnan (Kerela),  Munna alias Ramdars Sisodiya, (Madhya Pradesh), Ankit Kumar  Mishra (Uttar Pradesh).
    8. President Pranab Mukherjee Imposed Presidents Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and suspending Legislative Assembly of Arunachal Pradesh (As per article 356(1) of Constitution). It is to due to constitutional breakdown in Arunachal Pradesh as reported by Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
    9. Padam Awards 2016 -
      1. Padma Vibhushan -
        1. Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi — Art-Classical dance — Delhi
        2. Rajinikanth — Art-Cinema — Tamil Nadu
        3. Smt Girija Devi — Art-Classical Vocal — West Bengal
        4. Ramoji Rao — Literature & Education-Journalism — Andhra Pradesh
        5. Dr Viswanathan Shanta — Medicine-Oncology — Tamil Nadu
        6. Ravi Shankar — Others-Spiritualism — Karnataka
        7. Jagmohan — Public Affairs — Delhi
        8. Dr Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre — Science & Engineering — Karnataka
        9. Avinash Dixit(Foreigner) — Literature & Education — USA
        10. Late Dhiru Bhai Ambani (Posthumous) — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra
      2. Padma Bhushan
        1. Anupam Kher — Art-Cinema — Maharashtra
        2. Udit Narayan Jha — Art-Playback Singing — Maharashtra
        3. Ram V Sutar — Art-Sculpture — Uttar Pradesh
        4. Heisnam Kanhailal — Art-Theatre — Manipur
        5. Vinod Rai — Civil Service — Kerala
        6. Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad — Literature & Education — Andhra Pradesh
        7. Prof NS Ramanuja Tatacharya — Literature & Education — Maharashtra
        8. Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard — Literature & Education - Journalism — Punjab
        9. Prof D Nageshwar Reddy — Medicine-Gastroenterology — Telangana
        10. Swami Tejomayananda — Other-Spiritualism — Maharashtra
        11. Hafeez Contractor — Others-Architecture — Maharashtra
        12. Ravindra Chandra Bhargava — Public Affairs — Uttar Pradesh
        13. Dr Venkata Rama Rao — Alla Science & Engineering — Andhra Pradesh
        14. Ms Saina Nehwal — Sports-Badminton — Telangana
        15. Ms Sania Mirza — Sports-Tennis — Telangana
        16. Ms Indu Jain — Trade & Industry — Delhi
        17. Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati (Posthumous) — Others-Spiritualism — Uttarakhand
        18. Robert Blackwill (Foreigner) — Public Affairs — USA
        19. Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO) — Trade & Industry — Ireland
      3. Padma Shri
        1. Smt Prathibha Prahlad — Art- Classical Dance — Delhi
        2. Bhikhudan Gadhvi — Art- Folk Music — Gujarat
        3. Sribhas Chandra Supakar — Art- Textile Designing — Uttar Pradesh
        4. Ajay Devgn — Art-Cinema — Maharashtra
        5. Ms Priyanka Chopra — Art-Cinema — Maharashtra
        6. Pt Tulsidas Borkar — Art-Classical Music — Goa
        7. Dr Soma Ghosh — Art-Classical Vocal — Uttar Pradesh
        8. Nila Madhab Panda — Art-Film Direction and Production — Delhi
        9. SS Rajamouli — Art-Film Direction and Production — Karnataka
        10. Madhur Bhandarkar — Art-Film Direction and Production — Maharashtra
        11. Prof M Venkatesh Kumar — Art-Folk Artist — Karnataka
        12. Ms Gulabi Sapera — Art-Folk Dance — Rajasthan
        13. Smt Mamta Chandrakar — Art-Folk Music — Chhattisgarh
        14. Ms Malini Awasthi — Art-Folk Music — Uttar Pradesh
        15. Jai Prakash Lekhiwal — Art-Miniature Painting — Delhi
        16. K Laxma Goud — Art-Painting — Telangana
        17. Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe — Art-Photography — Madhya Pradesh
        18. Naresh Chander Lal — Art-Theatre & Cinema — Andaman & Nicobar
        19. Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah — Literature & Education — Assam
        20. Prahlad Chandra Tasa — Literature & Education — Assam
        21. Dr Ravindra Nagar — Literature & Education — Delhi
        22. Dahyabhai Shastri — Literature & Education — Gujarat
        23. Dr Santeshivara Bhyrappa — Literature & Education — Karnataka
        24. Haldar Nag — Literature & Education — Odisha
        25. Kameshwaram Brahma — Literature & Education -Journalism — Assam
        26. Prof Pushpesh Pant — Literature & Education-Journalism — Delhi
        27. Jawaharlal Kaul — Literature & Education-Journalism — Jammu & Kashmir
        28. Ashok Malik — Literature & Education — Delhi
        29. Dr Mannam Gopi Chand — Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery — Telangana
        30. Prof Ravi Kant — Medicine-Surgery — Uttar Pradesh
        31. Prof Ram Harsh Singh — Medicine- Ayurveda — Uttar Pradesh
        32. Prof Shiv Narain Kureel — Medicine- Paediatric Surgery — Uttar Pradesh
        33. Dr Sabya Sachi Sarkar — Medicine -Radiology — Uttar Pradesh
        34. Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale — Medicine-Cardiac Surgery — Andhra Pradesh
        35. Prof TK Lahiri — Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery — Uttar Pradesh
        36. Dr Praveen Chandra — Medicine-Cardiology — Delhi
        37. Prof (Dr) Daljeet Singh Gambhir — Medicine-Cardiology — Uttar Pradesh
        38. Dr Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva — Medicine-Gastroenterology — Tamil Nadu
        39. Dr (Mrs) Anil Kumari Malhotra — Medicine-Homeopathy — Delhi
        40. Prof MV Padma Srivastava — Medicine-Neurology — Delhi
        41. Dr Sudhir V Shah — Medicine-Neurology — Gujarat
        42. Dr MM Joshi — Medicine-Ophthalmology — Karnataka
        43. Prof (Dr) John Ebnezar — Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery — Karnataka
        44. Dr Nayudamma Yarlagadda — Medicine-Paediatric Surgery — Andhra Pradesh
        45. Simon Oraon — Other -Environment Conservation — Jharkhand
        46. Imitiaz Qureshi — Other-Culinary — Delhi
        47. Piyush Pandey — Others-Advertising & Communication — Maharashtra
        48. Subhash Palekar — Others-Farming — Maharashtra
        49. Ravinder Kumar Sinha — Others-Wildlife Conservation — Bihar
        50. Dr HR Nagendra — Others-Yoga — Karnataka
        51. MC Mehta — Public Affairs — Delhi
        52. MN Krishna Mani — Public Affairs — Delhi
        53. Ujjwal Nikam — Public Affairs — Maharashtra
        54. Tokheho Sema — Public Affairs — Nagaland
        55. Dr Satish Kumar — Science & Engineering — Delhi
        56. Dr Mylswamy Annadurai — Science & Engineering — Karnataka
        57. Prof Dipankar Chatterji — Science & Engineering — Karnataka
        58. Prof(Dr) Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav — Science & Engineering — Maharashtra
        59. Smt (Prof) Veena Tandon — Science & Engineering — Meghalaya
        60. Onkar Nath Srivastava — Science and Engineering — Uttar Pradesh
        61. Ms Sunita Krishnan — Social Work — Andhra Pradesh
        62. Ajoy Kumar Dutta — Social Work — Assam
        63. M Pandit Dasa — Social Work — Karnataka
        64. PP Gopinathan Nair — Social Work — Kerala
        65. Smt Madeleine Herman de Blic — Social Work — Puducherry
        66. Srinivasan Damal Kandalai — Social work — Tamil Nadu
        67. Sudhakar Olwe — Social Work — Maharashtra
        68. Dr TV Narayana — Social Work — Telangana
        69. Arunachalam Murugantham — Social Work — Tamil Nadu
        70. Ms Deepika Kumari — Sports-Archery — Jharkhand
        71. S Sushil Doshi — Sports-commentary — Madhya Pradesh
        72. Mahesh Sharma — Trade & Industry — Delhi
        73. Saurabh Srivastava — Trade & Industry — Delhi
        74. Sh Dilip Sanghvi — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra
        75. Dr Keki Hormusji Gharda — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra
        76. Late Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous) — Art -Classical Music — Rajasthan
        77. Late Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/PIO/Posthumous) — Art-Cinema — UK
        78. Michael Postel (Foreigner) — Art-Archaeology — France
        79. Salman Amin Sal Khan (NRI/PIO) — Literature & Education — USA
        80. Smt Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner) — Others-Yoga — China
        81. Predrag K Nikic (Foreigner) — Others-Yoga — Serbia
        82. Dr Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO) — Social Work — UAE
        83. Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO) — Trade & Industry — US
    10. Government approved enhancement of Authorized Share Capital of National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) from 1000 crore to 1200 crores.
    11. Social Justice and Empowerment Minsiter Thaawarchand Gehlot launched job portal for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) at URL - www.disabilityjobs.gov.in. PwDs can avail different facilities such as self employment loan, Skill training, scholarships and information about jobs on this platform.
    12. Government announced to develop 36 projects in 2015-16 with investments of Rs.14,225 crores and capacity enhancement by 162 MTPA (million tonnes per annum). In 2014-15, total 26 projects were awarded with investment of Rs.10,543 crore and capacity enhancement of 155 MTPA.
    13. Government approved agreement with Russia for joint research in Basic and Exploratory Sciences.
    14. Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed by Railways with Governments of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh for Formation of Joint Venture Companies for Development of Railway Infrastructure in these States.
    15. Government declared that Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS) (Jammu & Kashmir) shall be a deemed-to-be-university for five years from its disaffiliation from Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi and Tibetan Medicines and Astrology Department, Dharamsala.
    16. India and Armenia Signed Protocol amending Double Taxation Avoidance Convention.
    17. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar gave away RakshaMantri Awards for Excellence -
      1. 2012 - 13
        1. Excellence in performance – HAL
        2. Best performance in Exports – BEML
      2. 2013 - 14
        1. Excellence in performance – BEL
        2. Best performance in Exports – BEL
    18. Government approved Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) signed between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) with its counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.
  9. Jan 23, 2016
    1. 23 Jan - Birth Anniversary of Great Freedom Fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. PM Narendra Modi declassified digital copies of 100 secret files relating to Netaji on this occasion.
    2. Girls First initiative reportedly resulted in improving emotional and physical well-being of school children in Bihar. As per study, emotional resilience increased by 33 % and health knowledge by 99 %.
    3. Japanese astronomers discovered second largest black hole in Milky Way. They mapped high-velocity compact cloud called CO-0.40-0.22 with a mass 100000 times that of the Sun around 200 light years away from the centre of Milky Way.
    4. Noted Italian film director Ettore Scola passed away.
    5. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) appointed Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS) for managing sponsorship and public relations for IOA for all major events.
    6. Eminent Tabla player Shankar Ghosh passed away.
    7. Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) (USA) released 2016 Nuclear Security Index with theme Building a Framework for Assurance, Accountability, and Action.
      1. Index assessed global nuclear security conditions in 176 countries in potential theft of weapons and potential sabotage of nuclear facilities.
      2. Among 24 nations with over 1 kilogram of nuclear-usable weapons materials, ranks are
        1. Safest - Australia (1), Switzerland (2), Canada (3), Poland (4)
        2. Least Safe -India (21), Pakistan (22), Iran (23) and North Korea (24). India improved two ranks by participating in bilateral assistance activities with USA and putting in place the IAEA Additional Protocol. Japan is the most improved state.
    8. US News and World Report, WPPs BAV Consulting and Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania released inaugural Best Countries report, evaluating 60 nations across wide range of criteria -
      1. Best Countries Rankings
        1. Germany
        2. Canada
        3. United Kingdom
        4. United States
        5. Sweden
        6. Australia
        7. Japan
        8. France
        9. Netherlands
        10. Denmark
      2. India is ranked as the 22nd best country in the World.
      3. Sweden is recognized as most modern, Best Country to Raise Kids and best for Green Living.
      4. Denmark is Best for Women.
      5. United States of America is named most powerful country
      6. India has No. 1 upcoming economy.
      7. Germany is best country for entrepreneurship
      8. Luxembourg is most business friendly.
      9. Italy is country with richest tradition
      10. Brazil is No. 1 nation to visit.
      11. Canada tops list of countries with best quality of life.
    9. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Department of Telecommunication (DoT) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector.
    10. After USA, Japan also lifted sanctions on Iran. It was decided by japan after United Nations atomic energy agency confirmed that Iran has fully taken steps to curb its disputed nuclear programme.
  10. Jan 22, 2016
    1. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley visited Uk and Switzerland.
    2. Over 20 crore bank accounts opened under PMJDY Till Now with deposits of Over Rs. 30,000 crores.
    3. Google and RailTel launched free Rail Wire Public Wi-Fi service for railway passengers at Mumbai Central Station.
    4. India Decided to implement Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) guidelines from 01 April 2016.
      1. BEPS refers to tax planning strategies that would exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.
      2. These norms were announced by OCED to close tax loopholes that cost countries upwards of 100 billion USD a year.
      3. With implementation of BEPS guidelines, it will become mandatory for Indian companies to make country-by-country reporting to follow guidelines. BEPS will be major significance for developing countries like India that strongly rely on corporate income tax.
    5. 21st Critics' Choice Awards (USA BY Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) -
      1. DRAMA
        1. BEST PICTURE - Spotlight
        2. BEST ACTOR - Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
        3. BEST ACTRESS - Brie Larson (Room)
        4. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
        5. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
        6. BEST DIRECTOR - George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
      2. Television
        1. BEST ACTOR (COMEDY) - Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent – Amazon)
        2. BEST ACTOR (DRAMA) - Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
        3. BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY) - Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
        4. BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA) - Carrie Coon (The Leftovers)
    6. India's Jet Airways entered into Frequent Flyer Partnership with Bangkok Airways with tie-up of loyalty and rewards management programme of Jet Airways named JetPrivilege and FlyerBonus (loyalty scheme of Bangkok Airways).
    7. Clean energy firm ReNew Power Ventures commissioned 40 megawatt wind power project in Karnataka. Taking its total wind capacity to 693 megawatts.
    8. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change held first national stakeholder consultation meeting for BIOFIN (Biodiversity Finance Initiative). BIOFIN is a global partnership seeking to address biodiversity finance challenge in a comprehensive manner to mobilise resources for biodiversity across the world.
    9. Oxfam released report titled An Economy for the 1%, analyzing growing trends of concentration of wealth across the world.
      1. Report was named such by taking cue from report of Credit Suisse that revealed that the richest 1 % had accumulated more wealth than rest of the world put together.
      2. In 2015, just 62 individuals had same wealth as other 3.6 billion people. It was 388 individuals in 2010.
      3. Wealth of richest 62 people risen by 44 % since 2010 to 542 542 billion USD.
      4. Wealth of bottom half of Humanity fell by just over a trillion dollars in 2010-15.
    10. Ministry of Shipping started Project Green Ports with two verticals - Green Ports Initiatives and Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Aim is to make Major Ports across India cleaner and greener.
    11. Noted Kannada lyricist and film-maker  Lakshman Rao Mohite (Geethapriya) passed away.
    12. Goa Government approved reclassification of coconut tree as palm through passage of Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Bill seeks to omit Section 1-A of Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984 that included coconut under definition of tree.
    13. Government granted Infrastructure Status to Shipyard Industry to ease its financial stress. The shipyards will be able to avail flexible long-term funding at lower costs.
    14. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) formalized its ongoing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs) as Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). It will supervise all NASA-funded projects to find asteroids that pass near orbit of Earth around the sun.
    15. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed that global average temperature for 2015 was highest among all years since modern record keeping that began in 1880.
      1. During 2015, average temperature across globe was 1.62F (0.90C) above 20th century average. It surpassed previous record set in 2014 by 0.29F (0.16C).
  11. Jan 21, 2016
    1. World Bank released report titled World Development Report 2016 : Digital Dividends. It explores impact of internet and mobile phones on economic development across the world.
      1. World Bank appreciated Aadhaar scheme of India as it saved 1 billion USD by bringing down corruption.
      2. Worlds offline population is mainly in India and China, but over 1.2 million people are still offline in North America. There are more contributions to Wikipedia from Hong Kong, China, than from all of Africa combined.
    2. State Bank of Travancore (SBT) tied up with Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to provide customers of to pay their electricity bills online.
    3. Exim Bank and Andhra Pradesh Government signed an agreement for promotion of exports in Andhra Pradesh.
    4. IT Firm Mindtree appointed Rostow Ravanan as CEO and MD.
    5. Somnath Temple became Gujarats first temple to deposit its Approx 35 kg idle gold in Gold Monetisation Scheme of Government.
    6. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched Amma Call Centre as an initiative for quick delivery of government services.
    7. World’s oldest man, Yasutaro Koide (Japan) passed away at age of 112.
    8. Ronnie O'Sullivan won his sixth Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry Hawkins in London (UK).
    9. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released World Tourism Barometer report with trends in tourism for 2015.
      1. International tourist arrivals grew by 4.4 % in 2015 with total 118.4 crore in 2015. 2015 is 6th consecutive year of above-average growth from 2010 onwards.
    10. Mamta Binani has been elected as President of Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) for 2016.
    11. Government sanctioned 50000 crore rupees for development of infrastructure projects in Tamilnadu.
    12. Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra replaced Aamir Khan as 'Incredible India' brand ambassadors.
    13. RBI asked banks to stop Rs 1,000 notes without security thread after receiving complaints.
    14. Uttar Pradesh won Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy by defeating Baroda.
    15. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation signed agreement with Kerala Rapid Transit Ltd (KRTL) for Rs. 6,728-crore 'light metro' in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
    16. Three Mi-25 gunship helicopters of Indian Air Force supplied by India to join Afghan Air Force. Decision for delivery of Mi-25 gunship helicopters was made during recent visit of Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar to India.
    17. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released first report of Alternative Investment Policy Advisory Committee (AIPAC) headed by N R Narayan Murthy, to suggest measures for development of alternative investment funds (AIFs) and startup eco-system in India.
      1. For creating a favourable tax environment, exempted income of AIFs should not suffer tax withholding of 10 %.
      2. Indirect transfer provisions of IT Act should not apply in case of transferring investments in an India-centric vehicle to another investor.
      3. Clarify rules for investment by non-resident Indian investors in AIFs.
    18. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (OSCAR Academy) presented Technical Award to Indian -origin actor, producer Rahul Thakkar and Cottalango Leon.
    19. Pavel Filip appointed as new Prime Minister of Moldova.
    20. Ravi Chellam appointed Executive Director of Greenpeace India, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO).
  12. Jan 20, 2016
    1. 20 Jan - Statehood day of Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura. Three states were formed on 20 Jan, 1972.
    2. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Israel and Palestine.
    3. Former Sikkim governor Rama Rao passed Away.
    4. Delhi Acers won maiden Premier Badminton League title by beating Mumbai Rockets.
    5. Cricketrs Ajit Chandila is banned for life while Hiken Shah banned for five years for involvement in match-fixing activities.
    6. Andhra Pradesh government re-established 2 member Commission for Backward Classes under K.L.Manjunath.
    7. Oldest Christian monastery in Iraq (approx 1400 years) has been destroyed by Terrorist group Islamic State.
    8. 14th Tripadvisor Travelers Choice Awards - Umaid Bhawan Palace of Udaipur (Rajasthan) named As best hotel of 2016. Top 5 hotels are -
      1. Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur – Jodhpur, India
      2. Shinta Mani Resort – Siem Reap, Cambodia
      3. Bellevue Syrene – Sorrento, Italy
      4. Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa – Hanoi, Vietnam
      5. Achtis Hotel – Afitos, Greece
  13. Jan 19, 2016
    1. As per World Economic Forum (WEF) report - oceans will have more plastics than fish by 2050 if ongoing practice of dumping plastics continues.
      1. Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastics leak into ocean, equivalent to dumping one garbage truck into ocean every minute.
    2. Alejandro Aravena (Chile) won 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize, best known for his work with “do tank” Elemental, an architecture group that aims to tackle poverty using a participatory approach that engages local communities in early stages of design process. He will receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medal.
    3. First woman Vice Chancellor of Kerala, Jancy James is selected for 2016 Prof MV Pylee Award as best academician of India.
    4. Magh Bihu (harvest festival of Assam) celebrated accross Assam. It marks end of harvesting season.
    5. 12 day Event Nandi Natakotsavam began in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
    6. World bank approved 250 Million USD for Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Projec. It includes 20 Million USD funding restoration of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam. It was severely damaged during cylcone Hudhud recently.
    7. Easterine Kire from Nagaland won Hindu Literary Prize 2015 for her novel When the River Sleeps.
    8. National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog collaborated with IDFC Bank to conduct an enterprise survey of manufacturing firms to assess the ease of doing business.
    9. World Economic Forum in its Global Risks Report 2016 said that involuntary migration and extreme weather events are top two risks for world in 2016.
    10. IFC, a member of World Bank Group tied-up with Madhya Pradesh government to set up a 750-Mw Rewa ultra-mega solar power project. It will be largest single-site solar power project in the world.
    11. The 4th All India Police Archery Championship held in Nagaland.
    12. Revised World Economic Outlook (WEO) report by International Monetary Fund kept India's growth projection unchanged at 7.3 % in FY2016 and 7.5 % in FY2017.
    13. Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) commissioned second of three 660MW units at 1,980MW Lalitpur super thermal power project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh.
    14. Russian Ivan Popov won 14th Parsvnath Delhi International Open Chess Title.
    15. Human Resource Development ministry set up 12-member committee on Yoga Education in Universities, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Yoga guru H.R. Nagendra.
    16. India will host a 7-day military exercise Exercise Force Eighteen in March 2016 in Pune (Maharashtra).
    17. Rajasthan government inaugurated state's second biological park Machia Biological Park in Jodhpur.
    18. India's Jehan Daruvala won 2016 Lady Wigram Trophy motor race, which is one of New Zealand's prestigious sports events.
  14. Jan 18, 2016
    1. Jan 18 - National Immunization Day. President Pranab Mukherjee launched Pulse programme for 2016 on this occasion.
    2. Bombay Stock Exchange launched a new service for algorithm trading test facility for investors on its derivatives and equity platform. It will Enable testing trading algorithms in different trading segments including equity, equity derivatives and currency derivatives, based on the live and historical market data.
    3. Noted journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar passed away.
    4. Committee to simplify income tax laws headed by R.V. Easwar submitted its report -
      1. Deferring the contentious Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS) provisions and making the process of tax refunds faster.
      2. Deletion of a clause in IT Act, 1961 that allows the IT department to delay tax refund due beyond six months.
      3. Treat stock trading gains of up to 5 lakh rupees as capital gains and not business income.
      4. TDS rates for individuals must be reduced to 5 per cent from current 10 per cent.
      5. Exempting non-residents not having a Permanent Account Number (PAN), but seeking to provide their Tax Identification Number (TIN) for applicability of TDS at a higher rate.
      6. Eligibility criteria under presumptive tax scheme to be increased to 2 crore rupees from 1 crore rupees to make it easy for small businesses.
    5. Maharashtra Government signed memorandum of understanding with Tata Trust for skill training programme for youth under Kushal Maharashtra, Rojgaryukt Maharashtra initiative.
    6. Bihar Government approved 35 % reservation for women in government jobs in the state.
    7. A new genus of tree hole-breeding frogs named Frankixalus and a new bird species named Himalayan Forest Thrush discovered in parts of northeast India bordering China.
    8. INSEAD Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2015-16
      1. It assessed 109 countries in terms of talent competitiveness of its human capital.
      2. India ranked 89th as compared to 78th rank in 2014-15.
      3. Top 5 - Switzerland (1st), Singapore (2nd), Luxembourg (3rd), United States (4th), Denmark (5th)
      4. Bottom 5 - Madagascar (109), Burkina Faso (108), Ethiopia (107), Tanzania (106) and Mali (105).
    9. Annual World Economic Forum meeting held in Davos (Switzerland).
    10. First phase of National Family Health Survey 4 -
      1. Out of 11 states and 2 UTs surveyed, Women’s literacy gone up by 12.15% while sex ratio declined to 985 females per 1000 males. Uttarakhand has highest sex ratio (1015), followed by Meghalaya (1005).
      2. Child marriage reduced by 13.17% for females and 6.7% for males.
      3. The NFHS-4 is the fourth in a series of national surveys after 2005-06 (NFHS-3), 1998-99 (NFHS-2) and 1992-93 (NFHS-1).
    11. Government approval Policy on Promotion of City Compost to help circulating compost produced from city waste for purpose of farming and agriculture.
      1. Provision for Market development assistance of Rs. 1500 per tonne of city compost has been added.
      2. To ensure environment friendly city compost, eco-Mark standard has been made mandatory.
      3. It will be mandatory for Government companies to use City Compost for purpose of their horticulture.
    12. 4th India - Africa Hydrocarbons Conference held in New Delhi, aimed at enhancing greater cooperation between India and African continent in field of Hydrocarbons.
    13. Indian Bureau of Mines signed MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to monitor mining activities in the country through satellite technology.
    14. 19th National Conference on e-Governance held in Nagpur (Maharashtra).
    15. Government approved amendments in Power Tariff Policy 2006 for betterment of power sector and also to achieve objectives of Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with focus on 4 Es - Electricity for all, Environment for a sustainable future, Efficiency to ensure affordable tariffs, Ensure financial viability and Ease of doing business to attract investments.
  15. Jan 17, 2016
    1. Government launched skill development programme for Muslim girls in Jammu and Kashmir under its Nai Manzil initiative.
    2. WTA Apia Internatioanl Title -
      1. Women's Doubles - Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
      2. Men's Singles - Viktor Troicki
      3. Women's Singles - Svetlana Kuznetsova
    3. 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards -
      1. Bajirao Mastani won most awards (8).
      2. Best Actor: Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastani)
      3. Best Actress: Deepika Padukone (Piku)
      4. Best Film: Bajirao Mastani
      5. Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
      6. Lifetime Achievement : Moushumi Chatterjee
      7. Best Debutant (Male): Sooraj Pancholi (Hero)
      8. Best Debutant (Female): Bhumi Pednekar (Dum Laga Ke Haisha)
      9. Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Priyanka Chopra (Bajirao mastani)
      10. Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Anil kapoor (Dil Dhadakne Do)
      11. Best Singer (male): Arijit Singh (Sooraj dooba hai from ‘Roy’)
      12. Best Singer (female): Shreya Ghoshal (Deewani mastani from ‘Bajirao Mastani’)
      13. Best Choreography: Birju Maharaj (Bajirao Mastani)
    4. Tsai Ing-wen has been elected as first female and 14th President of Taiwan.
    5. Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away.
    6. Madhya Pradesh won Union Government's Krishi Karman Award in maximum food grains production category for year 2014-15 for 4th consecutive year. MP produced 328 lakh tonnes foodgrains in 2013-14 period. Other winners are - Chhattisgarh(growth in production of pulses), West Bengal (good agriculture production), Odisha (best performing state in foodgrains production among category-II states).
    7. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) officially started in Beijing (China) with Total 57 member nations and 100 billion USD Capital -
      1. Lou Jiwei elected as first Chairman of Bank’s Council and Jin Liqun elected its first President.
      2. China is highest contributor with 30.34 % stake in authorized capital and 26.06 % voting rights. India is second largest shareholder with 8.52 % stake and voting share of 7.5 %.
      3. India’s Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board of directors of AIIB.
    8. Delhi-based Journalist-writer Ankita Anand won prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 under Asia and the Pacific Amateur category for her article ‘Stirrings beneath the peepul.
    9. Indian writer Anuradha Roy won $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for her novel 'Sleeping on Jupiter'.
    10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite. It was 4th mission in joint US-European series of satellite missions that measure height of ocean surface.
    11. Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passed away.
    12. Tata Motors appointed Guenter Butschek as its chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD).
    13. France declared state of economic emergency to redefine France's economic and social model and tackle unemployment.
    14. Chinese scientists have developed a new bio-artificial liver that can help patients to survive from liver failure long enough for an organ transplant.
    15. USA removed various sanctions against Iran after International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran has met its commitments under Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) to stop its nuclear programme (known as Vienna agreement).
    16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled Start-up India, Stand-up India action plan to boost startup ventures in the country -
      1. Start-up profits to be tax-free for 3 years and also no labour inspections for 3 years.
      2. Compliance regime based on self-certification for labour and environmental laws.
      3. Easy exit policy for start-ups with 90 days.
      4. Tax exemption to be provided on capital gains if money is invested in another start up.
      5. Government to create Rs. 10,000 crore corpus fund for development and growth of innovation driven enterprises. It will be Rs. 2500 crore a year for four years.
      6. Liberalised Fast-track mechanism for start-up patent applications under intellectual property rights protection with 80% cost rebate.
      7. Easy participation in public procurement by easing norms of minimum turnover/experience.
  16. Jan 16, 2016
    1. Railways Minsiter Suresh Prabhu Visited USA.
    2. Government will introduce a new category of award - Most Film Friendly State/UT under National Film Awards to be conferred at the 63rd National Film Awards in May 2016.
    3. Govrnment increased Rate of basic customs duty on certain specified medical devices from 5% to 7.5% along with additional customs duty on these medical devices being 4%. Basic customs duty is being reduced to 2.5%.
    4. Government approved establishment of two National Centres of Ageing-one each at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and Madras Medical College, Chennai.
    5. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched PSLV-C31 carrying IRNSS-1E, Indias fifth navigation satellite out of seven satellites constituting India Regional Navigation Satellite System.
    6. Book The Z Factor written by Subhash Chandra has been released.
    7. Memorandum of Understanding signed between Indian Space Research Organization and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research for cooperation in area of outer space.
    8. Government approved Memorandum of Understanding with United Kingdom in field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms.
    9. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved setting up over 5,000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects on build under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). Total investments expected under this scheme is about Rs 30,000 crore.
    10. India Signed Loan Agreement with World Bank for US$ 250 million aid for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project.
    11. India Signed Loan Agreement with World Bank for US$ 250 million aid for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project.
    12. Noted Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away.
    13. Mr. Soomilduth Sunil Bholah, Minister of Business, Enterprises and Cooperatives of Mauritius Visited India for 1st Joint Committee Meeting with India. Mauritius exclusively offered Biofarming Technology to India.
    14. Joint Navy Exercise Between India and Oman - NASEEM AL BAHR Started.
    15. Atulesh Jindal is appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
  17. Jan 15, 2016
    1. 15 January - Indian Army Day. On this day in 1949, Lt. General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became first Indian Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army (independent India) by succeeding British Army General Roy Butcher (last British Commander-in-Chief of India).
    2. For speedy trial of cases relating to witchcraft incidents, Jharkhand Government decided to set up fast track courts in five districts.
    3. Madhya Pradesh Government signed four MOUs with Singapore to collaborate in urban planning, skill development, clean energy and food processing.
    4. Book Objective Railway Engineering- Track, Works & Others has been issued. It Has been written by MM Agarwal.
    5. Russia's Marat Safin has been inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame.
    6. Nepal Government formed a 4-member eminent persons group to look into India-Nepal ties in totality and review all bilateral treaties with India.
    7. Government signed a loan agreement with World Bank for Neeranchal National Watershed Project. Total budget of Project is 2142 crore rupees, of which 50 % will be povided by World Bank.
    8. Noted Actors Kamal Hassan and Gautam Ghosh included in Shyam Benegal Committee on functioning of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
    9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred Times Now Amazing Indians Awards 2016 -

      Name

      Category

      Late Kallen Pokkudan

      The Eco Saviours

      S Ramakrishnan

      Unstoppable Indians

      Sunita Aralikar

      Stree Shakthi

      Popatrao Pawar

      The Grass Roots Soldiers

      Timothy

      Indian at Heart

      Chintakindi Mallesham

      Incredible Innovators

      Malavath Poorna

      Young Indians, Big Achievements

      Damini Sen

      Young Indians, Big Achievements

      Murugan S

      Ordinary Indians,Extraordinary Achievement

      Mathews K Mathew

       Energising India

      Yashraj Khaitan

       Global Indians

      Ruma Roka

       Educators of India
    10. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Report Trends in International Migrant Stock : The 2015 Revision -
      1. Number of international migrants reached 24.4 crore in 2015 (41 % increase compared to 2000).
      2. India has largest diaspora with 1.6 crore Indisna living outside India.
      3. 17.7 crore of 24.4 crore migrants are of working age (20 - 64), 2 crore migrants are refugees.
      4. In Europe, Northern America and Oceania, international migrants are over 10 % of population.
      5. In in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean, less than 2 % of population are migrants.
      6. USA has 19 % of all migrants, followed by Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UK and UAE.
  18. Jan 14, 2016
    1. As per a decision by NTPC and Odisha Pollution Control Board, Thermal Power companies in Odisha will have to transport fly ash free of cost to road construction site within 100 kms perimeter of their plant.
    2. Philippines' Miguel Tabuena voted as Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for December 2015.
    3. South Korea's Parliament adopted a resolution, denouncing Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)'s fourth nuclear test and urging DPRK to dismantle its nuclear programme.
    4. Maharashtra Government issued norms for erecting memorials of national leaders, freedom fighters and politicians. The guidelines say that There will not be more than 2 memorials of a national leader in the state, both in 2 separate administrative divisions.
    5. Kenya published new broadcast regulations that place strict limits on sexual content, In order to protect children.
    6. Paul Kaba Thieba is named as Prime Minister of Burkina Faso.
    7. International team of scientists led by Indian-American Sukanya Chakrabarti devised a new method - galactoseismology, to detect dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter.
    8. United States and Jordan signed a Joint Action Plan to improve efforts against nuclear and radiological smuggling.
    9. U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) selected Edward Monser and Punit Renjen as Council board members.
    10. Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals Ananth Kumar announced sanction of greenfield petrochemical complex, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Visakhapatnam and a Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) in Vijayawada.
    11. Nepal elected to UNICEF executive board, representing group of Asia-Pacific countries for 2016-2018. Nepal's Permanent Representative to United Nations (UN), Durga Prasad Bhattarai elected as vice-president to Bureau of Executive Board of UNICEF for 2016.
    12. Kayaker Rene Holten Poulsen named as Denmarks sportsperson of the year 2015.
    13. Defence Acquisition Council approved major changes in new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.
      1. It allows government funds up to 90 % of development costs to private companies to push research and innovation.
      2. A new category will be created to promote domestic manufacturing and it will be mandatory for 40 % of content to be sourced locally.
      3. Validity of Acceptance of Necessity has been brought down to six months from earlier one year. It will help the defence forces to issue tenders faster.
    14. Jharkhand government added ongoing crisis of drinking water in list of special local disasters of the State.
    15. Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Mumbai Port Trust's second liquid chemical berth at Mumbai. Cargo handling capacity of the Port will increase by 2.5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum.
  19. Jan 13, 2016
    1. Sikkim become India's first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.
    2. R Shivakumar appointed as Chairman of Assocham Karnataka Regional Council, new regional outfit of Assocham.
    3. Subhashini Vasanth honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award for her endeavour to help people in distress and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families.
    4. Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched two safety and awareness initiatives by Mumbai Railway Police - SAMEEP (Safety Alert Messages Exclusively For Passengers) and B-SAFE.
    5. 11-year-old Indian-origin girl in UK, Kashmea Wahi achieved top possible score of 162 on a IQ test of Mensa. It has put her in league of scientists like Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking.
    6. Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka.
    7. A new social security agreement signed between India and Australia came into operation, enabling people of both nations to avail retirement benefits in each others country.
    8. Walid Muallem, Syria's foreign minister Visited India.
  20. Jan 12, 2016
    1. 12 Jan - Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. It is celebrated as National Youth Day in India.
    2. Andhra Pradesh government organised Flamingo Festival from 9-10 January, 2016, to create awareness on conservation of these rare species.
    3. Australia Green won Hopman Cup 28th edition by defeatig Ukraine in Australia.
    4. Border Security Force launched Operation Cold along border in Rajasthan;s several areas with Pakistan to contain any infiltration in fog and cold wave weather conditions in western desert.
    5. Employees' Provident Fund Organisation won National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for launching Universal Account Number (UAN).
    6. Nagjee International Club Football Tournament will be held in Kerala in February 2016. Brazil's Ronaldinho Gaucho will be its Brand Ambassador.
    7. Mohammedan Football Club bestowed life-time membership to Actor Amitabh Bachchan. It is one of oldest and leading football clubs in India.
    8. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali received World Peace and Prosperity Foundation Award 2016 from World Peace and Prosperity Foundation (London).
    9. A T Kearneys 2016 Global Services Location Index rated India as top outsourcing destination in terms of financial attractiveness and business environment, out of 55 countries analysed. India is followed by China and Malaysia.
    10. Illumina, world's largest DNA sequencing company launched GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer tests.
    11. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited signed Memorandum of Understanding with Andhra Pradesh government for investment of 38500 crore rupees to take up various projects at Visakhapatnam. It was signed during 22nd Confederate of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit in Vishakhapatnam.
    12. Airbus Group appointed Ashish Saraf as Vice-President (Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships and Offsets). He will look over Group's existing Make in India initiatives.
    13. Organised by the Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF), 2016's Constro exhibition held in Pune with focus on Smart City concept.
    14. Asian Development Bank will extend a $625 million loan for proposed $840 million Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
    15. Railways inaugurated E-enabled Track Management System (TMS) and Mobile Application of TMS to bring efficiency in handling huge volumes of data statistics and dynamic analysis of various resources. Track Inventory Management System was also launched on Northern Railway to track materials inventory, construction and track machines organization in 225 units of Northern Railway.
    16. Book Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity in Perspective, edited by Prof Alexander with contributions from several eminent persons. It was released by Vice President Hamid Ansari.
    17. Chinese technology company Lenovo announced partnership with Google for project Tango. Lenovo will launch new smartphones that can map Physical world surroundings without external signals like satellite-based global positioning system (GPS). Googles Project Tango gives a mobile device the ability to navigate physical world, similar to humans.
    18. Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process was held in Islamabad (Pakistan).
    19. Reliance Defence Limited will set up a world class naval facility in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) with Initial investment of 5000 crore rupees.
    20. Prestigious Yale School of Management (USA) named its deanship in honour of PepsiCos India-born CEO Indra Nooyi as she gifted undisclosed amount to her alma mater (Yale School of Management).
  21. Jan 11, 2016
    1. Noted Musician David Bowie (USA) passed away.
    2. Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob passed away. He was vital in Indias victory in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
    3. The first female F1 (Formula One) driver Maria Teresa de Filippis (Italy) passed away.
    4. Kerala become first state to achieve 100 % primary education. Kerala was able to achieve it through its flagship primary education equivalency drive Athulyam Scheme.
    5. World Health Organization declared end of Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
    6. Indias grid-connected solar power generation capacity crossed 5,000 Mega Watt.
      1. Government plans to achieve 175 Giga Watt (GW) of power generation capacity from renewable sources by 2022. It includes 100 GW from solar and 60 GW from wind.
      2. Under National Solar Mission, Government increased solar power generation capacity target from 20,000 MW to 100 GW by 2022.
      3. Top grid-connected states are Rajasthan (1,264.35 MW) and Gujarat (1,024.15 MW).
    7. State Bank of India launched dedicated specialized branch for start-ups called SBI InCube in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
    8. 15th Joint exercise of Indian and Japanese Coast Guards - Sahayog-Kaijin 2016 started in Bay of Bengal.
    9. President Pranab Mukherjee approved Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill 2015 to raise the ceiling of a cess as an excise duty on the production of sugar. The Bill proposes to increase ceiling of sugar to Rs 200 per quintal from existing Rs 25 per quintal specified in principal Sugar Cess Act 1982.
    10. Chinas country code domain .cn become worlds most commonly used in internet by surpassing Germanys .dedomain. According to the data by China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) - .Cn had 1.63 crore users.
    11. Asia's oldest stock exchange - BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) will get its own postage stamp. BSE recently became fastest stock exchange clocking a median trade speed of six micro seconds.
    12. Nati folk dance of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh named in Guinness World Records Book as the largest folk dance in world. Kullu Dussehra is a centuries-old festival, dedicated to the girl child. In colourful Kullu folk dance (Nati), 20000 dancers performed at Dhalpur ground during Kullu Dussehra festival on October 26, 2015.
    13. 20th National Youth Festival organized in Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh) with mascot being state animal of Chhattisgarh - Wild Buffalo.
    14. Vijay Chaudhari won 59th Maharashtra Kesri Wrestling Championship.
    15. Argentina's Lionel Messi won 2015 Ballon dOr award for worlds best football player for record fifth time. USAs Carli Lloyd won women's world player of the year award.
    16. Government constituted a committee under Arvind Panagariya (vice-chairman of NITI Aayog) to faten the implementation of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor meant for bullet trains between Mumbai-Ahmedabad.
  22. Jan 10, 2016
    1. 10 Jan - 11th World Hindi Day.
    2. Jin Liqun, President Designate of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (Headquarters - Beijing(China)) visited India.
    3. Government approved New crop Insurance scheme - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, aimed at farmers welfare.
      1. There will be a uniform premium of 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops and 5 % for commercial and horticultural crops.
      2. There is no upper limit on Government subsidy and no capping on premium rate like it was before.
    4. Government approved India becoming a member country of International Energy Agency - Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES). This will help in testing Indian prototypes as per international requirements and norms.
      1. Its an Inter-governmental organization established in 1974 as per framework of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Presently has 29 member countries with Headquarters in Paris (France).
    5. Government approved setting up an Empowered Committee of Secretaries under Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary in order to process recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) in an overall perspective.
    6. Government approved Memorandum of Understanding with Maldives for cooperation in field of Health.
    7. India signed a loan agreement of about Rs. 1000 crore with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for pollution abatement of River Mula-Mutha in Pune under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). Interest rate is 0.30% per annum.
    8. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Motoo Hayashi visited India for participating in 8th India-Japan Energy Dialogue.
    9. NHAI signed Memorandum of Understanding with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and North East Centre for Technology Application and Research (NECTAR) for use of spatial technology for monitoring and managing National Highways.
    10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASAs) Kepler spacecraft discovered over 100 planets orbiting other stars.
    11. Telangana beceme first State to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level. State government introduced bilingual textbook Towards a World of Equals in this regard.
    12. Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away.
    13. Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (Hisar, Haryana) Scientists successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring named Cirb Gaurav. CIRB became India's second (after National Dairy Research Institute) and world's third institute to produce cloned buffalo.
    14. Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) won 2016 Chennai Open tennis by defeating Borna Coric (Croatia). Its his 4th chennai open win.
    15. E-commerce firm Flipkart appointed co-founder Binny Bansal as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) while formr CEO Sachin Bansal will be appointed as Executive Chairman.
    16. 73rd Golden Globe Awards -
      1. The Revenant won 3 awards while The Martian and Steve Jobs won 2 awards each.
      2. Picture (Drama) - The Revenant
      3. Picture (Musical/Comedy) - The Martian
      4. Director(Drama): Alejandro Inarritu (The Revenant).
      5. Actor (Drama) - Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
      6. Actress (Drama) - Brie Larson (Room)
      7. Actor (Musical / Comedy) - Matt Damon (The Martian)
      8. Actress (Musical / Comedy) - Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)
      9. Actor in a Supporting role - Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
      10. Actress in a Supporting role - Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
      11. Original Score - Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)
      12. Foreign Language Film - Son of Saul (Hungary)
  23. Jan 09, 2016
    1. Quikr acquired property search website Commonfloor.com for an undisclosed amount.
    2. North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a Hydrogen bomb (kind of a Nuclear Bomb). The strong explosion caused earthquake measuring about 5.1 on richter scale.
    3. International electronics and technology trade show Consumer Electronics Show (CES) That brings together renowned companies and industry professionals under one roof, held in Nevada (USA).
    4. International Short Film Festival srarted in Warangal (Telangana).
    5. ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar received Reva University's Lifetime Achievement Award.
    6. Bhanumurthy B M is appointed as chief operating officer (COO) of WIPRO.
    7. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched an online initiative to seek suggestions from LPG consumers, which will help in providing efficient and friendly service.
    8. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and Palestinian pastor Mitri Raheb won 2015 Olof Palme human rights prize for their fight against occupation and violence.
  24. Jan 08, 2016
    1. 2016 Brisbane International Tennis -
      1. Men's Singles - Milos Raonic (Canada)
      2. Women's Singles - Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
      3. Men's Doubles - Henri Kontinen (Finland ) / John Peers (Australia)
      4. Women's Doubles - Martina Hingis (Switzerland ) / Sania Mirza (India)
    2. Global Economic Prospect report by World Bank -
      1. India's Growth Rate in 2016 will be 7.8 % and 7.9 % in 2017 and 2018. Also, Failure to pass Goods and Services Tax bill may hamper governments ability to increase infrastructure spending.
      2. China will grow at 6.7 % in 2016 and 6.5 % in 2017 and 2018.
      3. South Asia Region will be a bright spot in developing economies with growth rate up to 7.3 % in 2016
    3. Telangana government started 600 MW Kakatiya thermal power plant Stage-II at Bhoopalapally in Warangal district. It is first major power plant to be commissioned i Telangana after State's formation in June 2014.
    4. Noted poet Balkrishna Garg has been honoured with second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015 for his collection of poems for children - BaalGeet.
    5. Government permitted jallikattu, Tamil Nadus traditional bull-taming sport, ahead of the Pongal festival. It was prohibited in 2011.
    6. World's first slum museum will be set up in Mumbai. It will showcase some of myriad of objects produced in Dharavi (Mumbai), one of Asia’s biggest slums.
    7. According to Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, Indian Siril Verma is been ranked as World No. 1 in junior men's singles category.
    8. Achyuta Samanta is appointed as President of the 105th Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) for 2017-18.
    9. According to international real estate consultant JLL - Delhi and Mumbai are among world's top 30 most powerful, productive and connected cities. Mumbai is ranked 22nd while Delhi is 24th. List is topped by Tokyo (Japan).
    10. Industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) appointed Kunal Shah(FreeCharge co-founder) as its chairman.
    11. Pavan Kapoor is appointed as India's ambassador to Israel.
    12. AB Khare is appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Madras Fertilzers Limited.
    13. Cab aggregator Uber started a new partnership 'uberExchange' with Invest India to provide mentorship for Indian entrepreneurs.
    14. Kerala Government approved implementation of Sampoorna Arogya Keralam Project with objective of bringing together major health services initiated by Keralas Government.
    15. National Academy of Sciences of India will set up a Cauvery river gallery in Mysuru (Karnataka).
  25. Jan 07, 2016
    1. Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Passed Away.
    2. INS Kadmatt, second ship of Project Kamorta class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvettes has been commissioned into Indian Navy.
    3. For the first time in history of India's Republic Day parade, a contingent of 130 French soldiers will march down the Rajpath along with Indian troops in presence of France's President Francoise Hollande who will be chief guest this year.
    4. Amitabh Kant appointed as CEO of NITI Aayog.
    5. Shri Sailesh has been appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
    6. 24th New Delhi World Book Fair started with China as Guest of Honour country. Theme is Vivid Bharat – Diverse India.
    7. Book MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT (My India Noble India ) written by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj has been released.
    8. Noted Gujarati writer and poet Labhshankar Thakar passed away.
    9. Sam Pitroda has been appointed as Technology Advisor to Odisha Government.
    10. ICICI Bank partnered with FINO PayTech to foray into payments bank space.
      1. FINO Paytech is among 10 entities that have received licence from RBI to start a payment bank.
      2. ICICI Group purchased about 16 % stake in FINO PayTech.
      3. Tie-up with ICICI Bank will help FINO to extend services which a payments bank is not allowed to offer.
    11. India - France Joint military exercise Shakti-2016 began in Rajasthan.
    12. Government decided to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), to avoid duplication of work and improve efficiency.
    13. Government appointed Devender Kumar Sikri as Chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI).
    14. Government reappointed Urjit Patel as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a second three-year term.
    15. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has been conferred with Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) 2016 by The Banker, a monthly publication of Financial Times Group.
  26. Jan 06, 2016
    1. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways decided to skip BS V Emission Norms and upgrade from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms directly by 01-04-2020.
    2. Government approved India-Bahrain Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism and Trafficking in Illicit Drugs, Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors Chemicals.
    3. Government approved creation of a Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans and to convert MUDRA Ltd. into MUDRA Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Bank as a wholly owned subsidiary of SIDBI. The Fund is expected to guarantee more than Rs 1,00,000 crore worth of loans to micro and small units in the first instance.
    4. Government approved "Stand Up India" scheme to foster entrepreneurship among 250,000 women and scheduled castes and tribes people, with a corpus of Rs.10,000 crore, and extend loans up to Rs.1 crore for new projects.
    5. Government approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Civil Aviation with Singapore.
    6. Competition Commission of India approved Reliance Capital Asset Management's takeover of Goldman Sachss mutual funds and exchange-traded funds business in India for 7132 crore rupees.
    7. Government launched Ganga Gram Yojana to develop 1600 villages in Uttar Pradesh (UP) situated along banks of Ganga River.
    8. Government approved Memorandum of Understanding with Bangladesh for Mode of Operation of Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border signed in 2010.
    9. Government approved 33 % posts of Constables for women in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to enhance their representation.
    10. Government abolished export duty on iron ore pellets to make it more competitive amid weakening prices due to subdued demand.
    11. 15-year-old cricketer Pranav Dhanawade created world record by scoring 1009 runs (not out) in HT Bhandari Cup, an under-16 inter-school tournament in Mumbai (Maharashtra).
    12. Andhra Bank launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) at all its branches across to provide inter-bank electronic fund transfer service.
    13. Book Jinnah Often Came To Our House, written by Kiran Doshi has been released.
    14. Forty-five Indian - origin people named in Forbes' annual list of global achievers under age of 30, out of total 600 names.
    15. Australia withdrew from Under-19 Cricket World Cup Tournament to be held in Bangladesh due to security reasons.
    16. Wayne Rooney has been voted 2015 England Player of the Year for fourth time.
    17. Book Go Set a Watchman written by Harper Lee topped 2015 US bestseller list with Around 1.6 million copies sold.
    18. World's largest blue star sapphire that weighs 1404.49 carats has been discovered in a mine in Sri Lanka. It is worth 100 million USD.
    19. Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela broke world record (score 211.2) as she won gold in the women's 10 metre air rifle event at Swedish Cup Grand Prix.
  27. Jan 05, 2016
    1. Central Government, Jharkhand state Government and JBVNL (Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the UDAY (Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana) Scheme. It is First MOU Signed under UDAY.
    2. Former Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia passed away.
    3. Friends of Marine Life (FML) NGO Workers discovered fast-growing alien species Snowflake Coral (Carijoa riisei) off coast of Thiruvananthpuram and Kanyakumari.
    4. Denmark's pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk appointed Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador for disease awareness campaign 'Changing Diabetes' initiated by Novo Nordisk in India.
    5. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) won 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament by defeating Indian Railways.
    6. Filippo Grandi (Italy) has been appointed as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
    7. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced discovery of synthetic elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. These eleents complete 7th row of periodic table. IUPAC has invited suggestions related to permanent names and symbols from scientists who discovered these.Temporary Naming of elements is -
      1. Element 113 - Temporary working name - ununtrium, Symbol - Uut
      2. Element 115 - Temporary working name - ununpentium, Symbol - Uup
      3. Element 117 - Temporary working name - ununseptium, Symbol - Uus
      4. Element 118 - Temporary working name - ununoctium, Symbol - Uuo
    8. State election commission of Bihar announced that having toilets at home for all candidates to contest in panchayat elections.
    9. Union Ministry of Shipping will launch River Information System (RIS) for Inland Waterways to improve navigation as government is set to expand the network across the country through National Waterways Bill, 2015.
    10. Mary Barra elected as Chairman of General Motors (GM) Board of Directors.
    11. Nokia Corporation completed acquiring French telecom equipment company Alca-Lucent for 15.6 billion euros.
    12. Professional networking platform LinkedIn appointed Akshay Kothari as Country Manager for India.
    13. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das inaugurated state's land bank web portal, jharbhoom.nic.in, that will help investors know land-related information.
    14. Sterlite Grid commissioned Transmission Project to Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) ahead of schedule under Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) incentive regime.  RAPP is first power transmission line to be been commissioned ahead of schedule since implementation of TBCB scheme.
    15. Supreme Court directed Gujarat government to make functional the Gujarat State Cooperative Tribunal by filling up vacant posts.
    16. Costa Book Awards 2015 -
      1. First Novel Award - The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
      2. Novel Award - A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
      3. Biography - The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science by Andrea Wulf
      4. Poetry - 40 Sonnets by Don Paterson
      5. Children's Book - The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
    17. IRB Infrastructure Developers got tender for 10050 crore Zojila Pass tunnel road project in Jammu and Kashmir. This tunnel project is countrys biggest road project by cost. Zojila Pass tunnel (14.08 KM) will be longest in South Asia once completed. Presently, Chenani-Nashri tunnel (9 km) is countrys longest road tunnel.
  28. Jan 04, 2016
    1. Four States - Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Odisha and Maharashtra joined UDAY (Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana). So far, 15 States /UTs have voluntarily joined UDAY which covers 90 % of total debt of Discoms.
    2. IT Firm Wipro appointed Abid Ali Z. Neemuchwala as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and T K Kurien elevated as Vice Chairman.
    3. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed penalty of 1 crore on State Bank of Travancore for violation of RBI Norms.
    4. Friendship bus service between India and Nepal flagged off via Uttarakhand after a gap of 27 years.
    5. Justice RM Lodha Committee submitted its report to Supreme Court suggesting reforms in Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
      1. No Minister or government servant should become a BCCI office-bearer.
      2. BCCI officers' term should not exceed more than two consecutive terms and no one will hold more than two posts at the same time.
      3. One association from each state should be a member of the BCCI.
      4. Members like Railways and Services who don't have competitive presence should be relegated to affiliate status without voting rights.
      5. A steering committee headed by G K Pillai with Mohinder Amarnath, Diana Eduljee and Anil Kumble as members should be created to decide on creating a Players' association.
      6. Management of the BCCI should be conducted by a CEO, who should be assisted by six managers.
      7. Creation of 3 Committees for smooth functioning of BCCI - Ombudsman, Ethics Officer and Electoral Officer.
    6. Andhra Pradesh government launched Janma Bhoomi – Maa Vooru (My native place – My village) campaign to focus on welfare schemes across the state.
    7. Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Seeds scheme to provide certified quality seeds to farmers to increase agricultural production.
    8. Paytm acquired Shifu for $8 million (about 50 crore) to offer more personalised user experience. Shifu is a context-aware personal assistant application. It mines smartphone usage patterns and makes personalised recommendations.
    9. India successfully test-fired Pinaka II multi barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) System at Pokhran in Rajasthan. Pinaka is an unguided rocket system capable of neutralising large areas with rapid salvos. Range of Pinaka II is 60 km.
    10. Indian consulate in Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif attacked by unidentified gunmen.
    11. LIC is offering a new limited-premium non-linked and with-profit endowment assurance plan Jeevan Labh from ages 8 to 59 years. Premium is payable for a limited period while risk is covered for whole policy term. Plan is available. Maximum age at maturity is 75 years.
    12. Pakistani Terrorists attacked IAF Airbase at Pathankot (Punjab).
    13. England's cricketer Matthew Hobden passed away.
    14. Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal announced setting up of CCL (Central Coalfields Limited) Sports University in Jharkhand with capacity of 1400 students and 15 sports academies.
    15. 4 January - World Braille Day. Marks birth anniversary of Louis Braille (04-01-1809).
  29. Jan 03, 2016
    1. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated five-day 103rd Indian Science Congress (January 3 to 7, 2016) in Mysore (Karnataka) Theme of ISC 2016 is Science and Technology for Indigenous Development in India.
    2. Atul Sobti took charge as CMD of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for a period of five years.
    3. Javed Ahmed appointed as Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh.
  30. Jan 02, 2016
    1. Noted Classical vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been conferred with prestigious 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award by Madras Music Academy in Chennai.
    2. Ilaiyaraja has been selected for Kerala Tourism’s Nishagandhi Puraskaram 2016. Award carries Rs 150000, citation and a statuette.
    3. Noted Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan passed away.
    4. German - American software engineer Ian Murdock passed away. He was founder of Debian GNU/Linux distribution project, one of Linux’s most popular open-source operating systems.
    5. Presdent Pranab Mukherjee given assent to five key bills -
      1. Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 - Facilitates an arbitrator will have to settle a case within 18 months.
      2. Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 - Aims to prohibit commission of offences against members of SCs and STs and establishing special courts for trial cases of such offences.
      3. Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act, 2015 - It will allow Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to have joint ventures with other public sector undertakings in nuclear field.
      4. Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 - Enhances monthly bonus calculation ceiling to Rs. 7,000 per month from Rs. 3,500. It also enhances eligibility limit for payment of bonus from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 21,000 per month.
      5. Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act, 2015 - It enables setting up commercial benches in select high courts.
    6. India asked Iran for early completion all necessary procedures for India's participation in $5 billion Farzad-B gas field project, during Iranian Finance Minister Ali Taiebnia's Visit to India.
    7. Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RWB) stated that India is Asias deadliest country for journalists. Out of 110 journalist dying in 2015, 9 were Indians.
    8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) suspended its InSight Mars mission due to vacuum leak in critical seismometer instrument. It was scheduled to lift off in March 2016.
    9. D.K.Hota to be new CMD of defence PSU BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited).
    10. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became No. 1 Test bowler in latest ICC Rankings.
    11. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) won Qatar Masters Open chess tournament.
    12. RBI asked Banks to open more branches in villages with no banking facilities and population over 5000.
    13. Telangana become first state to accept e-motor insurance policies (e-Vahan Bima).
    14. According to the 2011 census, Sikh community have lowest sex ratio with 828 girls on every 1000 boys in age of 0 - 6 years. Jains have second worst sex ratio (889), followed by Hindu (913), Muslim (943) and Christians (958). Overall child sex ratio in country was 918 girls against 1,000 boys.
    15. Jetha Bharwad elected as first Vice-Chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that sells its dairy products under brand name Amul.
  31. Jan 01, 2016
    1. Government appointed a one person committee under Kamlesh Chandra, Retired Member of Postal Services Board, to Review Wage Structure of Gramin Dak Sevaks.
    2. Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria appointed as Deputy Chief of Air Staff of Indian Air Force.
    3. India signed an agreement with World bank for IDA assistance of US$ 50 million for Nai Manzil- Education and Skills Training for Minorities programme. Total project budget is 100 million USD.
    4. Ministry of Home Affairs enhanced honorarium of Special Police Officers (SPOs) of Jammu and Kashmir to 6000 from Rs. 3000 per month. The honorarium is given by State Government and reimbursed by Central Government under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme.
    5. A Pakistani Artist, Adnan Sami has been presented with Certificate of Naturalization by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju. It grants Adnan with the citizenship of India.
    6. Ministry of information and broadcasting constituted a committee under noted film-maker Shyam Benegal to suggest measures to revamp workings of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in line with best practices followed globally.
    7. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated 21st International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and its applications (INCOFYRA) at Jigani (Bengaluru).
    8. BCCI Awards 2014-2015
      1. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement -Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani
      2. Polly Umrigar Award - Virat Kohli (Cricketer of The Year)
      3. A. Chidambaram Trophy for Best Cricketer - Almas Shaukat (Under-23), Anmolpreet Singh (Under 19), Shubman Gill (Under 16)
      4. A. Chidambaram Trophy Best Woman Cricketer: Mithali Raj (Sr), Devika Vaidya (jr)
      5. Lala Amarnath Award for Best all-rounder - Jalaj Saxena (Ranji Trophy), Deepak Hooda (Domestic Limited-Overs)
      6. Madhavrao Scindia Award Highest Scorer in Ranji Trophy - Robin Uthappa (Karnataka)
      7. Madhavrao Scindia Award Highest Wicket-Taker in Ranji Trophy - R Vinaykumar, Shardul Thakur
      8. Best Umpire In Domestic - O Nandan
      9. Best Overall Performance - Karnataka State Cricket Association
    9. Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar has been honoured with Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer.
    10. Indias gas importer Petronet LNG signed a contract with RasGas of Qatar to import gas at significantly lower price (6-7 dollar per million British thermal units (mmBtu) ) than earlier (12-13 dollar mmBtu). Under the contract, Rasgas will supply 7.5 million tonnes of LNG to India until April 2028.
    11. India and Pakistan exchanged list of nuclear installations under Agreement on Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations. This exchange is done on 1st of January every year. It was 25th such exchange, starting in 1992.
    12. India won 2015 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship for record seventh time. In finals played at Thiruvanantapuram (Kerala), India defeated Afghanistan by 2-1 score.
    13. Government will start LPG - like Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for kerosene from 1st April 2016, Initially in 26 districts of eight states. Under the scheme, People will buy kerosene at market rate and will get subsidy directly in their bank accounts. Subsidy paid will be difference between Public Distribution System (PDS) price and market rate of kerosene.
    14. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for web-based monitoring of watershed projects.
      1. Web-based monitoring will be undertaken for India-German Watershed Development (IGWDP) projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Telangana.
      2. NRSC will create a page for NABARD on Bhuvan web-portal and will develop software tools for real time monitoring of projects.
    15. India's mountaineer Arunima Sinha successfully scaled Mount Aconcagua in Argentina as 5th successful summit of her Mission 7 Summits. She became First Female amputee in world to climb 5 highest Mountains of the World. Mt. Aconcagua (6,960.8 metres) is highest mountain outside Asia.

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