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January 2015 Current Affairs

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1st January - Global Family Day 4th January - World Braille Day 6th January - World War Orphans Day 9th January - Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 10th January - World Hindi Day 12th January - National Youth Day 15th January - Indian Army Day 18th January - National Immunization Day 2015 24th January - National Girl Child Day 25th January - National Voters Day 26th January - Republic of India 26th January - Australia Day 27th January - International Holocaust

Remembrance Day

A. S. Kiran Kumar - Chairman, ISRO Alexis Tsipras - Prime Minister, Greece Amitabh Bachchan - Ambassador, Health and

Medical Sector (Andhra Pradesh) Anupam Shrivastava - CMD, BSNL Arvind Panagariya - Vice Chairman, NITIAayog Avijit Ghosh - CMD, Heavy Engineering Corporation

(HEC) Baba Ramdev - Brand ambassador, Haryana Beji Caid Essebsi - President, Tunisia Bibek Debroy - Member, NITI Ayog Deep Kumar Upadhyay - Nepal's ambassador to

India Deepak Parekh - Chairman, BAE Systems India Pvt

Ltd Dinesh Oraon - Speaker, Jharkhand

Divya Prakash Sinha - Secretary (Security), Union Cabinet Secretariat

Edgar Lungu - President, Zambia Ghelubhai Naik - Freedom Fighter Harishankar Brahma - Chief Election

Commissioner, India K. Durga Prasad DG, Central Reserve Police Force

(CRPF) Kalyan Singh - Governor, Himachal Pradesh Kaptan Singh Solanki - Governor, Punjab Keshari Nath Tripathi - Governor, Meghalaya Kiran Bhai Vadodaria - President, Indian

Newspaper Society (INS) Koteeswaran - CMD, Indian Overseas Bank Krishna Kant Paul - Governor, Uttarakhand Kunal Jeswani - CEO, Ogilvy & Mather India Maithripala Sirisena - President, Sri Lanka Modibo Keita - Prime Minister, Mali P. Krishnamurthy - Private Secretary, Defence

Minister Pahlaj Nihalani - chairperson, Censor Board Pournima Gupte - Member (actuary), IRDA Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz - King, Saudi Arabia R.K. Mathur - Secretary, DRDO Rajiv Mehta - DGP, Meghalaya Robert Mugabe - Chairman, African Union S K Sinha - Chief Justice, Bangladesh S. Jaishankar - Foreign Secretary, India Santhosh John Abraham - President, Association of

Surgeons of India (ASI) Siddhartha Chatterjee - CTO, Persistent Systems

Ltd Sindhushree Khullar - CEO, NITI Aayog Sunil Sood - CEO, Vodafone India Sutirtha Bhattacharya - CMD, Coal India Ltd Taranjeet Singh - Business Head, Twitter (India) Tarun Rai - CEO, J. Walter Thompson South Asia V.K. Saraswat - Member, NITI Aayog Yash Pal Singhal - DGP, Haryana

Ahuthi Prasad - Tollywood Actor Abdullah - Saudi Arabias King Andrae Crouch - Gospel performer Anita Ekberg - Swedish actor (La Dolce Vita) Demis Rousso - Greek singer Faten Hamama - Egyptian Actress Hara Patnaik - Odia Actor Hatkananglekar - Marathi writer Jaswant Singh Rajput - Hockey Olympian M. S. Narayana - Tollywood Actor Mala Aravindan - Malayalam film Actor Munindra Nath Rai - Republic Day Medallist Paladugu Venkata Rao - Former Minister (AP) Perin Romesh Chandra - Freedom Fighter R K Laxman - cartoonist Rajni Kothari - Founder, CSDS Ram Prasad Kamal - Former Minister of State

(PWD) Rod Taylor - Hollywood Actor (The Birds) Subhash Ghisingh - Founder, Gorkha National

Liberation Front VB Rajendra Prasad - Tollywood producer &

Director

Arundhathi Subramaniam - Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry

C.V. Anand - National Special Award for Best Electoral Practices 2014

Central Silk Board - Silver award for 201415 Colonel Munindra Nath Rai - Yudh Seva medal Cristiano Ronaldo - Third FIFA Ballon d'Or Emma Watson - Feminist of the year 2014 Frank Islam - Martin Luther King Jr. Award Jammu and Kashmir - National Award 2014-15 for

e-Governance Jhumpa Lahiri - DSC Prize for South Asian

Literature 2015

Katsuhiro Otomo - Lifetime Achievement Award (first manga cartoonist)

Leela Samson - Natya Kala Acharya 2015 Lord Meghnad Desai - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Award 2015 M.Y.S. Prasad - Vikram Sarabhai memorial award

2015 Major Mukund Varadarajan - Ashoka Chakra Mars Orbiter programme team - 2015 Space

Pioneer Award Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh - Ashoka Chakra Paulina Vega (Miss Colombia) - Miss Universe Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala) - NTCA biennial

award Prabhu Nath Dwivedi - Sahitya Akademi Award R.K. Tyagi - Best CEO Award Raghuram Rajan - Governor of the Year Subhash Chandra Agrawal - Giraffe Hero Award Thomas Piketty - Legion D'Honneur 2015 (He

rejected this award) Yu Min (father of China's Hydrogen Bomb) - Top

Science Award of China

Complete Winners List of 72nd Golden Globe Awards 2015

Motion Picture o Film Drama : 'Boyhood.' o Actress, Drama : Julianne Moore, 'Still Alice.' o Actor, Drama : Eddie Redmayne, 'The Theory of

Everything.' o Director : Richard Linklater, 'Boyhood.' o Film, Musical or Comedy : 'Grand Budapest

Hotel.' o Actor, Musical or Comedy : Michael Keaton,

'Birdman.' o Actress, Musical or Comedy : Amy Adams, 'Big

Eyes.' o Supporting Actor : J.K. Simmons, 'Whiplash.' o Supporting Actress : Patricia Arquette,

'Boyhood.' o Animated Film : 'How to Train Your Dragon 2.'

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o Screenplay : Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, 'Birdman.'

o Original Score : Johann Johannsson, 'The Theory of Everything.'

o Original Song : Glory (music by John Legend, Common), 'Selma.'

Television o Series, Drama : 'The Affair.' o Actor, Drama : Kevin Spacey, 'House of Cards.' o Actress, Drama : Ruth Wilson, 'The Affair.' o Series, Musical or Comedy : 'Transparent.' o Actress, Musical or Comedy : Gina Rodriguez,

'Jane the Virgin.' o Actor, Musical or Comedy : Jeffrey Tambor,

'Transparent.' o Miniseries or Movie : 'Fargo.' o Actress, Miniseries or Movie : Maggie

Gyllenhaal, 'The Honorable Woman.' o Actor, Miniseries or Movie : Billy Bob Thornton,

'Fargo.' o Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie

: Joanne Froggatt, 'Downton Abbey.' o Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie :

Matt Bomer, 'The Normal Heart.' (ANI)

People's Choice Awards 2015 Winners List

Movies o Favorite Movie : "Maleficent" o Favorite Movie Actor : Robert Downey Jr. o Favorite Movie Actress : Jennifer Lawrence o Favorite Movie Duo : Shailene Woodley & Theo

James - "Divergent" o Favorite Action Movie : "Divergent" o Favorite Action Movie Actor : Chris Evans o Favorite Action Movie Actress : Jennifer

Lawrence o Favorite Comedic Movie : "22 Jump Street" o Favorite Comedic Movie Actor : Adam Sandler o Favorite Comedic Movie Actress : Melissa

McCarthy o Favorite Dramatic Movie : "The Fault in Our

Stars"

o Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor : Robert Downey Jr.

o Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress : Chlo Grace Moretz

o Favorite Family Movie : "Maleficent" o Favorite Thriller Movie : "Gone Girl"

Television o Favorite TV Icon : Betty White o Favorite TV Show : "The Big Bang Theory" o Favorite Network TV Comedy : "The Big Bang

Theory" o Favorite Comedic TV Actor : Chris Colfer o Favorite Comedic TV Actress : Kaley Cuoco-

Sweeting o Favorite Network TV Drama : "Greys Anatomy" o Favorite Dramatic TV Actor : Patrick Dempsey o Favorite Dramatic TV Actress : Ellen Pompeo o Favorite Cable TV Comedy : "Melissa & Joey" o Favorite Cable TV Drama : "Pretty Little Liars" o Favorite Cable TV Actor : Matt Bomer o Favorite Cable TV Actress : Angie Harmon o Favorite TV Crime Drama : "Castle" o Favorite Crime Drama TV Actor : Nathan Fillion o Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress : Stana Katic o Favorite Network Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show :

"Beauty and the Beast" o Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show :

"Outlander" o Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor : Misha Collins o Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress : Kristin

Kreuk o Favorite Competition TV Show : "The Voice" o Favorite Daytime TV Host : Ellen DeGeneres o Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host : Jimmy

Fallon o Favorite Dramedy : "Orange Is the New Black" o Favorite TV Duo : Nina Dobrev & Ian

Somerhalder o Favorite TV Character : We Miss Most Sandra

Oh as Cristina Yang - "Greys Anatomy" o Favorite Actor In A New TV Series : David

Tennant o Favorite Actress In A New TV Series : Viola

Davis




o Favorite Sketch Comedy TV Show : "Saturday Night Live"

o Favorite Animated TV Show : "The Simpsons" o Favorite New TV Comedy : "Jane the Virgin" o Favorite New TV Drama : "The Flash"

Music o Favorite Male Artist : Ed Sheeran o Favorite Female Artist : Taylor Swift o Favorite Group : Maroon 5 o Favorite Breakout Artist : 5 Seconds of Summer o Favorite Male Country Artist : Hunter Hayes o Favorite Female Country Artist : Carrie

Underwood o Favorite Country Group : Lady Antebellum o Favorite Pop Artist : Taylor Swift o Favorite Hip-Hop Artist : Iggy Azalea o Favorite R&B Artist : Pharrell Williams o Favorite Album : "x" - Ed Sheeran o Favorite Song : Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

National Bravery Awards 2014

Twenty four children (8 girls and 16 boys) have been selected for the National Bravery Awards for the year 2014. Four of the Awards have been given posthumously. o The coveted Bharat Award for showing

exceptionally gallant deed has been conferred on 16 year old Km Resham Fatma of Uttar Pradesh, a victim of Acid attack, for putting on a brave face while fighting off her tormentor.

o The prestigious Geeta Chopra Award has been conferred on 13 year old Km. Gunjan Sharma of Assam who displayed exemplary valour in saving her friends from the clutches of the abductor.

o The Sanjay Chopra Award has been given to 16 year old Master Devesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh who displayed outstanding courage while confronting two chain-snatchers.

o Bapu Gaidhani Awards were given to Master RumohMeto (13 years) of Arunachal Pradesh, Late Km. Riya Chaudhary (15 years) of Uttar Pradesh and Late Km. Monika (16 years) of Uttarakhand

o The other recipients are Km. Zeal JitendraMarathe, Master HiralJitubhaiHalpati and Late Master Gaurav Kumar Bharti (all from Gujarat), Master Sahanesh R (Karnataka), Km. AshwiniBanduUghade (Maharashtra), Master L. Brainson Singh and Master G. Tooldev Sharma (both from Manipur), Km. Ripa Das (Tripura), Master BalramDansena (Chhattisgarh), Master Rajdeep Das (Jharkhand), Master Anjith.P, Master Aqil Mohammad NK and Master Midhun PP (all from Kerala), Master Stevenson Lawriniang (Meghalaya), Late Master MesakK.Remnalalnghaka (Mizoram), Ms. MhonbeniEqung (Nagaland), Master Labhanshu (Uttarakhand) and Late Master Gaurav Kumar Bharti (Uttar Pradesh)

Infosys Prize for the year 2014 Awardees

Engineering and Computer Science Jayant Haritsa, Professor, Supercomputer Education and Research Centre (SERC) and Chair, Department of Computer Science and Automation (CSA), Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Humanities Shamnad Basheer, Founder and Managing Trustee, Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA), Bengaluru and Founder, SpicyIP

Life Sciences Shubha Tole, Professor, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai

Mathematical Sciences Madhu Sudan, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

Physical Sciences Srivari Chandrasekhar, Chief Scientist and Head, Division of Natural Products Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad

Social Sciences Esther Duflo, Professor, Department of Economics at Massachusettes Institute of Technology

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Awards winners List 2015

Donald Rabindernauth Ramotar : Guyana President




Mala Mehta: For her contribution to Hindi language. She is founder of Indo- Australian Bal Bharatiya Vidyalaya.

Dr. Raja Ram Sanjaya: He is India-born Mexican scientist. He is winner of the 2014 World Food Prize for developing 480 wheat varieties that have been released in 51 countries.

Kanwaljit Singh Bakhshi: He is Member of Parliament (MP) from New Zealand.

Rajmal Parakh: Rajmal Parakh is a Managing director registered with Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

Duraikannu Karunakaran. Essop Goolam Pahad: He is a South African

politician. He was Minister in the Presidency from 1999 to September 2008 in South Africa.

Shah Bharatkumar Jayantilal. Ashraf Palarkunnummal. Mahendra Nanji Mehta: Uganda-based

businessman of Indian origin. Professor Nathu Ram Puri: He is founder of Purico

Group are also chosen for their contribution to Indian Diaspora.

Satya narayn Nadella : Microsoft CEO Dr. Lulla Kamlesh: He is chief scientist for Earth

observation in the Human Exploration Science Office at the Johnson Space Centre at NASA.

Dr. Nandini Tandon: She has been given this award for her work in life sciences and Healthcare and IT in USA and India along with other emerging markets.

Golden Globe Awards Winners List 2015

Motion Picture, Drama: "Boyhood". Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical: "The Grand

Budapest Hotel". Actor in a Motion Picture Drama: Eddie

Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything". Actress in a Motion Picture Drama: Julianne

Moore, "Still Alice". Actor in a Musical or Comedy Film: Michael

Keaton, "Birdman". Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash".

Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood". Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical:

Amy Adams, "Big Eyes". Original Score: Johann Johansson, "The Theory of

Everything". Original Song: "Glory" (music by John Legend,

Common), "Selma". Animated Feature Film: "How to Train Your Dragon

2". Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas

Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, "Birdman".

Foreign Language Film: "Leviathan" (Russia). Miniseries or Movie: "Fargo". Drama Series: "The Affair". Actor, Drama: Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards". Actress, Drama: Ruth Wilson, "The Affair". Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Billy Bob Thornton,

"Fargo". Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie:

Joanne Froggatt, "Down ton Abbey". Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Gina

Rodriguez, "Jane the Virgin". Television Comedy Series: "Transparent". Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie:

Matt Bomer, "The Normal Heart". Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series: Jeffrey

Tambor, "Transparent". Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Maggie

Gyllenhaal, "The Honorable Woman".

Padma Award Winners List 2015

Following is the list of the 104 persons conferred Padma Awards. These include 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awardees.

Padma Vibhushan o LK Advani (Public Affairs), Gujarat o Amitabh Bachchan (Art), Maharashtra o Prakash Singh Badal (Public Affairs), Punjab o Dr D Veerendra Heggade (Social Work),

Karnataka o Dilip Kumar (Art), Maharashtra




o Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (Others), Uttar Pradesh

o Prof Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan (Science and Engg), Tamil Nadu

o Kottayan K Venugopal (Public Affairs), Delhi o Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Trade and

Industry) France/UK Padma Bhushan

o Jahnu Barua (Art), Assam o Dr Vijay Bhatkar (Science and Engineering),

Maharashtra o Swapan Dasgupta (Literature and Education),

Delhi o Swami Satyamitranand Giri (Others), Uttar

Pradesh N Gopalaswami (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu

o Dr Subhash C Kashyap (Public Affairs), Delhi o Dr (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj (Art),

Madhya Pradesh o Dr Ambrish Mithal (Medicine), Delhi o Sudha Ragunathan (Art), Tamil Nadu o Harish Salve (Public Affairs), Delhi o Dr Ashok Seth (Medicine), Delhi o Rajat Sharma (Literature and Education), Delhi o Satpal (Sports), Delhi o Shivakumara Swami (Others), Karnataka o Dr Kharag Singh Valdiya (Science and Engg),

Karnataka o Prof Manjul Bhargava (Science and Engg), USA o David Frawley (Others), USA o Bill Gates (Social Work), USA o Melinda Gates (Social Work), USA

Padma Shri Dr Manjula Anagani (Medicine), Telangana S Arunan (Science and Engg), Karnataka Kanyakumari Avasarala (Art), Tamil Nadu Dr Bettina Sharada Baumer (Literature and

Education), J&K Naresh Bedi (Art), Delhi Ashok Bhagat (Social Work), Jharkhand Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Art), Maharashtra Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora (Literature and

Education), Assam

Dr Gyan Chaturvedi (Literature and Education), Madhya Pradesh

Prof (Dr) Yogesh Kumar Chawla (Medicine), Chandigarh

Jayakumari Chikkala (Medicine), Delhi Bibek Debroy (Literature and Education), Delhi Dr Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi (Medicine),

Manipur Dr Ashok Gulati (Public Affairs), Delhi Dr Randeep Guleria (Medicine), Delhi Dr KP Haridas (Medicine), Kerala Rahul Jain (Art), Delhi Ravindra Jain (Art), Maharashtra Dr Sunil Jogi (Literature and Education), Delhi Prasoon Joshi (Art), Maharashtra Dr Prafulla Kar (Art), Odisha Saba Anjum (Sports), Chhattisgarh Ushakiran Khan (Literature and Education),

Bihar Dr Rajesh Kotecha (Medicine), Rajasthan Prof Alka Kriplani (Medicine), Delhi Dr Harsh Kumar (Medicine), Delhi Narayana Purushothama Mallaya (Literature &

Education), Kerala Lambert Mascarenhas (Literature and

Education), Goa Dr Janak Palta McGilligan (Social Work),

Madhya Pradesh Veerendra Raj Mehta (Social Work), Delhi Tarak Mehta (Art), Gujarat Neil Herbert Nongkynrih (Art), Meghalaya Chewang Norphel (Others), Jammu and

Kashmir T V Mohandas Pai (Trade and Industry),

Karnataka Dr Tejas Patel (Medicine), Gujarat Jadav Molai Peyang (Others), Assam Bimla Poddar (Others), Uttar Pradesh Dr N Prabhakar (Science and Engg), Delhi Dr Prahalada (Science and Engg), Maharashtra Dr Narendra Prasad (Medicine), Bihar Ram Bahadur Rai (Literature and Education),

Delhi




Mithali Raj (Sports), Telangana PV Rajaraman (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu Prof JS Rajput (Literature and Education), Uttar

Pradesh Kota Srinivasa Rao (Art), Andhra Pradesh Prof Bimal Roy (Literature and Education),

West Bengal Shekhar Sen (Art), Maharashtra Gunvant Shah (Literature and Education),

Gujarat Brahmdev Sharma (Literature and Education),

Delhi Manu Sharma (Literature and Education), Uttar

Pradesh Prof Yog Raj Sharma (Medicine), Delhi Vasant Shastri (Science and Engg), Karnataka S K Shivkumar (Science and Engg), Karnataka PV Sindhu (Sports), Telangana Sardara Singh (Sports), Haryana Arunima Sinha (Sports), Uttar Pradesh Mahesh Raj Soni (Art), Rajasthan H Thegtse Rinpoche (Social Work), Arunachal

Pradesh Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi (Medicine),

Gujarat Huang Baosheng (Others), China Prof Jacques Blamont (Science and Engg),

France Late Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin

(Others), Maharashtra (Posthumous) Jean-Claude Carriere (Literature and

Education), France Dr Nandrajan 'Raj' Chetty (Literature and

Education), France George L Hart (Others), USA Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja

(Others), Portugal Late Meetha Lal Mehta (Social Work),

Rajasthan (Posthumous) Tripti Mukherjee (Art), USA Dr Dattatreyudu Nori (Medicine), USA Dr Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (Medicine), USA Dr Saumitra Rawat (Medicine), UK

Prof Annette Schmiedchen (Literature and Education), Germany

Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran (Art), Delhi (Posthumous)

Late R Vasudevan (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu (Posthumous)

60th Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015 : Complete list of winners

Best Actor (Male) : Shahid Kapoor - Haider Best Actor (Female): Kangana Ranaut - Queen Best Film: Queen Best Director: Vikas Bahl - Queen Best Film (Critics): Ankhon Dekhi Best Male Actor (Critics): Sanjay Mishra - Ankhon

Dekhi Best Female Actor (Critics): Alia Bhatt - Highway Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Kay Kay

Menon - Haider Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Tabu -

Haider Best Story: Rajat Kapoor - Ankhon Dekhi Best Dialogue: Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani -

PK Best Screenplay: Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi

- PK Best Director Debut: Abhishek Varman - 2 States Best Actor Debut (Male): Fawad Khan - Khoobsurat Best Actor Debut (Female): Kriti Sanon - Heropanti Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award: Kamini

Kaushal Best Music Director: Shankar Ehsaan Loy - 2 States Best Lyrics: Rashmi Singh - 'Muskurane ki wajah'

(CityLights) Best Playback (Male): Ankit Tiwari - 'Galliyan' (Ek

Villain) Best Playback (Female): Kanika Kapoor - 'Baby doll'

(Ragini MMS 2) Best Choreography: Ahmed Khan - 'Jumme ki raat'

(Kick) Best Background Score: Amit Trivedi - Queen Best Action: Sham Kaushal - Gunday


Highlight of the Month : Planning Commission is renamed as 'Niti Aayog' on 1st January 2015.

India's Planning Commission will be renamed "NITI Aayog" as part of a restructuring plan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.

What is NITI Aayog ? o In Hindi, NITI ( ) means Policy, And Ayog () means Commission. So, the NITI Aayog would

therefore mean : A group of people with authority entrusted by the government to formulate/regulate policies concerning transforming India.

It is a commission to help government in social and economic issues. Also it's an Institute of think tank with experts in it. In English we can expand NITI Aayog as "National Institution for Transforming India Aayog" Planning Commission

o The Planning Commission was an institution in the Government of India, which formulated India's Five-Year Plans, among other functions. It is located at Yojana Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi. It was established in accordance with article 39 of the constitution which is a part of directive principles of state policy.

o After replacing the Planning commission with NITI Aayog, the government has archived the website of erstwhile Planning Commission while the new body will launch its own website in few days. The planning commission website has been archived and all related material can be accessed on http://planningcommissionarchive.nic.in/

Timeline o On 15th March 1950 Planning commission was established.

http://planningcommissionarchive.nic.in/



o On 29th May 2014, The first IEO (Independent Evaluation Office) assessment report was submitted to Prime Minister Modi, three days after he was sworn in.

o According to Ajay Chibber, who heads the IEO, views in the report are based on the views of stakeholders and some Planning Commission members themselves. Planning Commission to be replaced by "control commission"

o On 13th August 2014, Cabinet of Modi govt. scrapped the Planning Commission o On 15th August 2014, Modi mentioned to replace Planning Commission by National Development and

Reform Commission(NDRC) on the line of China o On 1st January 2015, the Government officially announced the formation of NITI Aayog

Important Points to Note about NITI Aayog o NITI Aayog - National Institution for Transforming India Aayog o Aim : To involve the states in economic policy-making in India. o The NITI Aayog will have a governing council comprising of all State Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors and

will work towards fostering a 'Co-Operative Federalism' for providing a "national agenda" to the Centre and states.

o NITI Aayog will emerge as a think-tank that will provide Governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy.

o The earlier Planning Commission had a Deputy Chairperson at the helm, with Prime Minister as its chairperson.

o The NITI Aayog consists a Chairman, a Vice- Chairman, 2 full time members, 4 ex-officio members (Union ministers) and 3 special invitees.

o Key People in NITI Aayog : Chairman : Narendra Modi Vice Chairman : Arvind Panagariya (took charge on 13th January 2015) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) : Sindhushree Khullar Full Time Members :

Bibek Debroy (Economist) V. K. Saraswat (former DRDO chief)

Ex-Officio members Rajnath Singh (Union Minister) Arun Jaitley (Union Minister) Suresh Prabhu (Union Minister) Radha Mohan Singh (Union Minister)

Special Invitees Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister) Smriti Zubin Irani (Union Minister) Thawar Chand Gehlot (Union Minister)

January 1

LPG Consumers to Get Cash Subsidy in Bank Accounts from January 1. o LPG consumers across the country will from January 1 get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts so

that they buy the cooking fuel at market price.




o Domestic LPG users will get Rs. 568 in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL. They will have to use this money to buy 14.2 kg refill at the market price.

o Currently, the subsidised LPG costs Rs. 417 per 14.2 kg cylinder while a market-priced refill costs Rs. 752 in Delhi. It will be priced higher in other cities depending on local taxes.

o The ambitious plan, launched by the previous UPA government in June 2013 but abruptly stopped earlier this year following court orders, has been modified to exclude the requirement of unique identification number (Aadhaar) for availing the cash subsidy.

Government has reportedly blocked access to 32 websites. o The government has reportedly blocked access to 32 websites that were carrying anti-India views and

spreading ISIS propaganda. These websites have been blocked following an advisory by an anti-terrorism team.

o The Department of Telecom statement said, the 32 URLs have been blocked under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and under Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

o About the Act: The rules give the central government powers to block access to information if it is in the interest of

the sovereignty and integrity of the country, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offense.

Rajnath Singh launched women safety mobile app 'Himmat'. o A mobile application of Delhi Police called 'Himmat', which will allow women to send a distress call to police

control room and their relatives in case of any emergency, was launched by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

o The app will basically cater to employed women who have smartphones and travel alone even late in the night.

o Explaining the work of the app, Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi said that after downloading the app, a new user has to register with the Delhi Police website by sharing their name, mobile number and that of a minimum of two relatives/ friends.

January 2

Government to prioritise drugs, states to revive Jan Aushadhi Pharmacies. o To infuse a fresh lease of life into the struggling Jan Aushadhi chain of pharmacy outlets, set up to make

affordable generic drugs available to people, the government plans to focus on select drugs and states, spruce up supply chain and encourage doctors to use generic names of drugs.

o The department of pharmaceuticals also plans to focus on states where the model has already picked up, before chasing its original goal of having at least one Jan Aushadhi special store in each of the 630 districts in the country.

The government has accepted the recommendations of Bezbaruah Committee on safety of northeastern people. o The government has accepted the recommendations of a committee that has suggested immediate

measures to ensure the safety of people from India's northeast in Delhi and other major cities. o About the committee:




The committee headed by M.P. Bezbaruah, a member of the North Eastern Council, was set up in February 2014 after a 19-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh, Nido Tania, died.

This committee recommends enacting new law to deal with rising crimes against the people from north east.

The panel was formed to look into the concerns of the people of the northeast living in other parts of the country and suggest suitable remedial measures.

January 3

DDA to launch bigger housing scheme in December 2016, to include 24,660 LIG flats. o Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will issue its next housing scheme in December 2016, which would be

much larger than the 2014 project and will include at least 24,660 LIG flats. o As per the new scheme, about 40,000 flats would be ready by 2016, while remaining would be completed

the year after. o The DDA Housing Scheme 2014 had over 25,000 flats on offer, out of which over 22,000 flats were one-

bedroom apartments. o DDA is currently handing over the flats to successful applicants of its 2014 scheme and Union Urban

Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu is scheduled to start the process of allotment at the housing authoritys headquarters.

January 4

Govt to implement new Companies Act within six months. o The corporate affairs ministry has charted its road map for full implementation of the new Companies Act

that envisages setting up Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) and National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) within six months.

o The corporate affairs ministry has charted its road map for full implementation of the new Companies Act that envisages setting up Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) and National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) within six months.

o NFRA will be responsible for monitoring, compliance review and overseeing quality of service, enforcement and standard setting in accounting and auditing.

o IEPFA, which will be set up under the new Companies Act, will manage investor education and protection fund. If the amount deposited with companies is not claimed for more than seven years, it will go to IEPFA.

o Companies currently have about Rs 3,500 crore in unpaid dividends, unclaimed debentures and deposits. o NFRA : National Financial Reporting Authority. o IEPFA : Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority.

Upload Assets of Political Parties on Website: CIC To Urban Development Ministry. o The Central Information Commission has directed the Urban Development Ministry to make public all

records related to allotment of land and bungalows to political parties and upload these details on its website.

o The Commission directed the Central Public Information Officer to publish all documents/ correspondence/ guidelines and circulars, to all registered political parties, on the Respondent Authority (MoUD) website, within four weeks of receipt of this order, under intimation to the Commission.

o It also ordered the ministry to transfer queries related to naming of RJD headquarters as "Rabri Bhavan" to the Lalu Prasad-led political party.




o The case relates to queries raised by activist Subhash Agrawal who wanted to know from the ministry about naming of new Rashtriya Janata Dal headquarters at Rouse Avenue as "Rabri Bhavan" to which party leader Nawal Kishore Rai had raised objections.

Election Commission to create national level electoral roll. o In a bid to provide a one-stop centre to voters for new registrations, modifications and deletions in the

electoral roll, the Election Commission has decided to create a national-level roll which can be stored as a National Data Centre.

o The services offered to voters will include providing facilities for searching name, knowing the concerned BLO (Block Level Officer), constituency name and number, and other voter information.

January 5

PM launched National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting. o Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched a National Programme for LED-based Home and Street

Lighting in New Delhi to reduce energy consumption. o A scheme for Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulb distribution under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme

(DELP) was also launched. o The Prime Minister also launched a web-based system to enable consumers in Delhi to register requests for

procuring LED bulbs under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). o LED bulbs will be distributed in a phased manner from March 2015 onwards. o The entire project of installing LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities is targeted for

completion by March 2016. o The initiatives are the part of the Governments efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the

country. The LED based lights will help in reducing energy consumption by 88 percent compared to a normal bulb.

Union Petroleum ministry launched LPG schemes for benefitting BPL families. o The Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the sale of subsidised 5 kg cooking gas

cylinders under Free Trade LPG (FTL) Scheme to benefit Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, students and migrant labourers.

o Under the facility, BPL families will get 500 rupees subsidy while purchasing 5kg cylinder. Those who do not have address proof due to acquiring residence on temporary basis can buy 5 Kg LPG cylinder at market price.

o The Union Petroleum Ministry also launched the expanded Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Scheme to cover BPL families living in urban areas. Under the scheme, all BPL families will be getting LPG connection without paying the security deposit for cylinder and pressure regulator.

Union Cabinet approved to set up India-based Neutrino Observatory in Tamil Nadu. o Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved to set up the India-based Neutrino

Observatory (INO) in Tamil Nadu. o The INO laboratory will host experiments such as the neutrino-less double beta decay and the search for

dark matter. o The INO project will be set up near Pottipuram village in the Bodi West Hills of Theni district in Tamil Nadu.

The project is at an estimated cost of 1500 crore rupees. o INO is an underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximate 1200 metre for non-accelerator based

high energy and nuclear physics research in India. The project also includes Inter-Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics (IICHEP) and Iron Calorimeter Detector (ICAL).




o The project will be jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology. The infrastructural support will be given by the State Government of Tamil Nadu since the project is located in Tamil Nadu.

January 6

PM Narendra Modi released coins on Jamsetji Tata. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nussserwanji Tata on his 175th birth

anniversary by releasing commemorative coins on him. o The coins in the denomination of Rs. 100 and Rs. five were released by the Prime Minister at a small

function at his residence. With the honour, Jamsetji becomes the first industrialist to be honoured by the government in such a manner.

o Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata group in 1868. He worked for building India that would be an industrial power. The translation of his vision led to creation of India's first integrated steel plant (Tata Steel's Jamshedpur plant - 1907), hydroelectric power plants that service Mumbai's needs till today (Tata Power's Khopoli plant - 1910), and the Indian Institute of Science (1909).

o The government had earlier honoured Jamsetji by releasing postal stamps - one in 1958 and another in 1965.

President signed ordinance to amend citizenship Act. o President Pranab Mukherjee signed the Ordinance that amends Citizenship Act, 1955. The ordinance

provides life-long Indian visa facility to Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and exempts them from appearing before the local police station on every visit.

o The ordinance that amends the Citizenship Act, 1955, will benefit People of Indian Origin (PIO) and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit. The decision to amend the Act was taken after a large number of complaints were received from PIOs, about problems faced during visits to local police stations and stringent visa norms that barred them from buying property in India, in comparison to those holding Overseas Citizens of India card.

o It relaxes the requirement of 12 months in cases related to citizenship by registration and naturalization. Instead it allows for breaks up to 30 days if the Union government is satisfied that special circumstances exist, and has recorded them in writing.

Subramanian committee recommended single window system for environment projects. o High-level committee (HLC) headed by former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian submitted its report to

Union Government in first week of January 2015. In its recommendation, the committee suggested single window clearance mechanism for green nods.

o The four member high-level committee (HLC) was appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Climate Change (CC) to review environmental laws.

o To evaluate project clearance in a time bound manner, it has asked for setting a full-time expert body, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) at the Centre and State Environmental Management Authority (SEMA), which will be the pivotal authorities to process applications for green clearance. Existing Central Pollution Control Board and corresponding State agencies will be subsumed under these agencies.

o To benefit community at large as well as power and mining projects and projects of national importance, it had recommended fast tracking procedure for linear projects.

o These recommendations were suggested after the committee observed that the corporate seek short cuts to get clearance for their environment projects.




January 7

Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers approved 100 percent production of Neem-Coated Urea. o The Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers allowed fertiliser firms to produce 100 percent Neem-

Coated Urea. The decision is aimed at boosting income of the farmers and reducing subsidy bill by up to 6500 crore rupees.

o Neem coated urea o Neem coated urea also works as insecticide and it costs 5 percent more than the cost of normal urea which

is about 260 rupees per tonne. o The use of Neem coated urea will not only increase crop yields but also lower input cost of the farmers. o It will also reduce imports of precious fertilizers as well as reduce ground and soil pollution. o It reduces nitrogen loss by more than 10 percent thereby gaining a net savings of 13.5 rupees per bag for

farmers. o Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers : Ananth Kumar.

Toll-free helpline launched for alcohol and drug addicts. o The central government launched a national toll-free helpline to provide assistance to people dependent on

alcohol and drugs. o The move to launch the helpline number 1800-11-0031 comes close on the heels of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's appeal to the youth of the country to give up drugs in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio programme in December.

o The helpline was launched by the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.

January 8

Commemorative Postage Stamps released to mark 100 Years of Mahatma Gandhis Return to India. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi released Commemorative Postage Stamps to mark 100 Years of Mahatma

Gandhis Return from South Africa to India. A set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps were released during the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

o The coins are of denomination of 100 rupees and 10 rupees, while the stamps are of value of 25 rupees and 5 rupees. The coins and stamps show two pictures of Gandhi, one when he was a young barrister and another one when he came to be known as Mahatma by people across the globe.

o Mahatma Gandhi arrived in South Africa at a young age of 24 years as the legal counsel of Indian traders based in the city of Pretoria. He spent more than two decades in South Africa, where he developed the concept of Satyagraha while fighting against the gross injustice, discrimination and racism prevailing in South Africa.

o In 1915, Gandhi returned to India with a formidable reputation to lead the Indian masses struggling for freedom from colonial domination through civil disobedience and non-violence, which proved to be highly effective moral weapon in the struggle for Independence in India.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Dandi Kutir museum. o PM Narendra Modi on inaugurated a state-of-the-art museum Dandi Kutir opposite Mahatma Mandir in

Gandhinagar, Gujarat on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD). o About Dandi Kutir

Dandi Kutir is located inside a 41-metre high salt-mound as a symbol of Gandhi's famous Dandi march against the salt tax provisions imposed by the British regime in March 1930.

The museum displays each and every aspect of Mahatma Gandhi's life in the form of sculptures that depict his childhood, early life, his return to India and his role in the country's freedom struggle.




Key concepts of Gandhian thoughts like Satyagraha, non-violence, self reliance, Gram Swaraj are elaborately explained through a number of exhibits.

January 9

Vistara started its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai. o Tata Group launched its full-service airline Vistara in partnership with Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA), more

than 60 years after the Indian government nationalized the groups airline business and following two abortive attempts to return to the skies.

o The airlines first Airbus A320 flight, from Delhi to Mumbai, took off at 12.52pm and landed at 2.46pm. Minister of state for aviation Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the flight, which was welcomed in Mumbai by Tata Sons Ltd chairman Cyrus P. Mistry.

o The name Vistara comes from Vistaar in Sanskrit, which means limitless expanse, and draws inspiration from the brands domainthe limitless sky.

o Tata Sons holds the majority stake of 51% in Vistaara and SIA the remaining 49%. Its the third full-service airline operating in India after state-run Air India Ltd and Jet Airways (India) Ltd.

January 10

100% coverage achieved in Shivamogga, Karnataka under PMJDY. o Deputy Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri has said that the district has achieved 100 per cent coverage under the

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). Since its launch on August 16, 2014, as many as 1,90,154 zero-balance bank accounts had been opened in the district.

o With this, all the 4,08,171 households in the district have a bank account each, and thereby, total financial inclusion has been achieved.

o A survey was conducted in the limits of 260 gram panchayats and 189 wards of urban local bodies to find out the families that didn't have access to banking facilities. From the fourth week of August, a number of camps were organized by all the 16 nationalized banks in the district to get zero-balance accounts opened by such families.

o The process of distribution of RuPay debit cards for the beneficiaries of PMJDY had commenced. So far, 65,000 such cards had been distributed. According to the new guidelines, it was mandatory to record at least two transactions through RuPay card prior to the day of accident to claim the Rs. 1 lakh accident insurance.

o The PMJDY, the flag-ship scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a significant step in financial empowerment of poor families. The first phase of the scheme in which it had been planned to open bank accounts for all households had been successfully completed in Shivamogga district.

January 12

President signed Ordinance to amend Mines and Minerals Development & Regulation Act, 1957. o President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to an ordinance that amends the Mines and Minerals

Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957. The ordinance paves way for introduction of competitive bidding for allocation of mines of iron ore and other non-coal minerals.

o Objective of the MMDR (Amendment) Bill, 2014 Improved transparency in the allocation of mineral resources. Obtaining for the government its fair share of the value of such resources. Attracting private investment and the latest technology.




Eliminating delay in administration, so as to enable expeditious and optimum development of the mineral resources of the country.

January 13

NRIs can now vote in Indian elections without coming to India. o Non-resident Indians (NRIs) will soon be able to cast their vote through electronic-ballots or through their

nominees residing in India but will not be able to exercise their franchise through the novel method during the coming Delhi assembly polls.

o The Union government informed the Supreme Court that it had accepted Election Commission's recommendation to allow NRIs to vote through e-ballot system or through proxy. The EC discarded other possibilities - postal ballot and internet voting terming them fraught with the danger of manipulation.

o About NRI Voting: After the Centre conveyed its acceptance of the EC recommendations on NRI voting, a bench of Chief

Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice A.K. Sikri gave the Centre eight weeks to effect necessary amendments in the law to implement the EC suggestion.

o The governments decision to allow NRIs to vote could set the stage for expatriates to emerge as a decisive force in the countrys electoral politics. This decision also, historically, removes an unreasonable restriction posed by Section 20(A) of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act of 2010, requiring overseas electors to be physically present in their constituencies to cast their votes.

Uma Bharti inaugurated India Water Week Exhibition. o Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti inaugurated

the India Water Week exhibition in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. o Theme : "Water management for sustainable development. o The exhibition will conclude on the 17th of this month. Australia is the partner country for this event and 30

Australian companies are participating in the exhibition to showcase the technological advancement in the area of water resources. Maharashtra is associated as a partner State.

o The event is being organized in co-ordination with nodal Ministries of Agriculture, Environment and Forests and Climate Change, Rural Development, Urban Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Power and NITI Ayog along with their associated expert organizations and Public Sector Units, key international bodies and private and public business houses.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off first CNG-based train in Haryana. o Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) based two trains

from Haryanas Rewari station. o These trains based on the dual fuel system - diesel and CNG - will reduce greenhouse gas emission and also

the consumption of diesel. Prabhu launched the trains on Rewari-Rohtak and Rewari to Bikaner section. o About Railway Plan in India:

The Indian railway plans to start more such trains on other routes in due course to reduce diesel consumption.

The train will consume over 20 percent of the CNG, covering 81 kilometer long distance in about two hours on Rewari-Rohtak section.

NGT gave directions to clean Yamuna under Maily se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalization Plan 2017. o The directions were given by the principal bench of NGT presided over by Chairperson Justice Swatanter

Kumar. The tribunal's judgment came on a petition by Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan against pollution in the Yamuna and covering of drains in Delhi.




o Directions given by bench are o Impose a fine of 5000 rupees on individuals for throwing waste or religious items into the river. o Banned the dumping of construction material into the Yamuna while imposing a fine of 50000 rupees on

the violators. o Restrained real estate developers from carrying out any construction work on the floodplains. o It also directed states where Yamuna and its tributaries flow to come up with an action plan to ensure

environmental flow to revive the Yamuna stretch in Delhi. o The bench directed that 4000 crore rupees, as estimated by the expert committee be made available from

the 20000 crore rupees Budget of Delhi Government.

January 14

Union Ministry of Health proposed COTPA (Amendment) Bill 2015. o The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposed the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products

(Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment) Bill 2015 (COTPA).

o The bill seeks to amend some provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. The Draft Bill has been put out in the public domain by the Ministry for inviting suggestions from stakeholders by 15 February 2015.

o Provisions of the COTPA (Amendment) Bill 2015 The bill proposes to ban on-site advertising of tobacco products and shops selling cigarettes and other

tobacco products will no longer be able to display the brand names. It proposed scrapping of designated smoking areas from hotels, restaurants and airports making an

exception only for international airports to prevent exposure of non-smokers to harmful emissions. The penalty for smoking in restricted areas has been raised from 200 to 1000 rupees. Anyone found producing tobacco products without the specified warning will be liable for

imprisonment for up to two years for the first offence or fine up to 50000 rupees or both. First set of RIC readers handed over to Chiefs of Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

o Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the first set of Resident Identity Card (RIC) readers to Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan and Coast Guard Director General Vice-Admiral A.G. Thapliyal.

o These RIC readers will be used by maritime security agencies to check identity cards of the residents of coastal area issued under RIC Scheme.

o As per RIC Scheme under the National Population Registrar, government had issued these identity cards to more than 65 lakh residents of coastal villages. Apart from this, the Union government is also preparing the National Population Registrar (NPR) in 3331 coastal villages under the said scheme.

o About Resident Identity Card (RIC) Scheme: The scheme aims at strengthening coastal security measures in 9 states and 4 Union Territories that

shares their borders with sea-line. The scheme of preparing RICs for residents of coastal areas is being implemented by the Registrar

General and Census Commissioner, an office under the Union Home Ministry. Cards issued under the scheme will help the coastal security agencies to authenticate an individuals

demographic and biometric authentication without using Internet services.

January 15




Union Government identified five areas for Varanasi-Kyoto partnership. o Union Government identified five areas for rejuvenating the holy city under the Kyoto-Varanasi partnership

deal signed between India and Japan in August 2014. o Japan will extend its expertise to help in rejuvenating Varanasi under the Kyoto-Varanasi partnership deal. o The identified areas include o Solid-liquid waste management. o Transport management. o Developing the Buddhist tourist circuit in and around Varanasi. o Industry-university interface. o Setting up of a convention centre on public-private partnership basis for giving a fillip to the cultural

activities in the city. o Earlier in 2014, Union government had sanctioned a sum of 80 crore rupees for Varanasi under the Heritage

City Development and Augmentation Yojana. o The Varanasi-Kyoto partnership deal is a part of Sister City Cooperation that was signed between India and

Japan during Prime Minister Narendra Modis five-day visit to Japan in August 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a Member of Parliament from Lok Sabha seat of Varanasi.

Govt sanctioned Rs 996 crore investment in Central Power Research Institute. o Government has approved investment of Rs. 996 crore for capital projects of Central Power Research

Institute (CPRI). o This will support augmentation of High Power Short Circuit Facilities as well as establishment of new test

facilities in existing laboratories of CPRI. o The investment would serve the growing needs of Research and Development in the Indian Power Sector

including, development of advanced Testing Facilities, located at Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkota, Guwahati, Noida and Nagpur. A new laboratory will also be established in Western Region at Nasik.

Centre to implement biometric attendance system. o The Centre is set to implement Aadhaar-based biometric system for attendance in all government

departments and state-owned entities spread across Delhi. o Department of electronics & information technology (DeitY) has so far implemented Aadhaar Enabled

Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) in 54 government locations in Delhi that requires fingerprint-based attendance for employees entering into the office premise. Each device takes 2 seconds to establish biometrics identity and gives real-time access.

o The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is setting up kiosks in government departments and offices to enroll those who don't have the Aadhaar enrolment number which is necessary for the biometrics attendance system.

January 16

Union Government launched two schemes to support Scheduled Castes. o Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched two schemes to support the Scheduled Castes

(SC). These schemes are Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes and Green Business scheme. o The scheme was launched by Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. o Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes:

The Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes scheme was launched with an initial capital of 200 crore rupees. Under the scheme, financial assistance of 15 Crore rupees for a period of 6 years will be provided to 30 SC entrepreneurs in a year.




IFCI Limited will be the Sponsor, Settler and Asset Management Company or Nodal Agency to operate the scheme. It will contribute 50 crore rupees which would comprise 5 crore rupees as sponsor and 45 crore rupees as investor.

o Green Business Scheme: Under this Scheme, loan for unit cost up to 1 lakh rupees at concessional rate of interest will be

provided to Scheduled Castes for activities such as e-rickshaw, Solar Pump and Solar energy powered implements, poly house etc.

Green Business Scheme for providing financial assistance has been launched keeping in focus climate change.

January 17

Tribal Food Festival-2015 started. o The first of its kind grand Tribal Food Festival-2015 got a kick start by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri

Jual Oram. He was accompanied by Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava, Honble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.

o Tribals from States of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamilnadu, Telangana, and Uttarakhand are offering mouth watering and finger licking dishes to the Foodies of Delhi in this winter season.

o The three day festival has been organized by TRIFED on behalf of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt of India, at Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi.

President launched Pulse Polio drive. o President Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Programme for 2015 by administering polio drops to

children under five at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. o Around 174 million children under five years across the country will be administered polio drops as part of

the polio eradication campaign on 18th Jan 2015, which is National Immunisation Day. o Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda said the sustained hard work of nearly 23 lakh

volunteers and 1.5 lakh supervisors along with donor partners for eradicating polio from India had resulted in the country being declared polio-free.

o There has been no case of wild polio since January 2011 in India, which was certified polio-free last year.

January 18

Govt. to notify more than 60 eco-sensitive zones. o The government aims to notify over 60 sanctuaries and national parks as eco-sensitive zones this year to

check the negative impact of industrialization and unplanned development in and around protected areas. o Last year, around 40 sanctuaries and national parks were notified as eco-sensitive zones there are over

600 sanctuaries and national parks in the country. o The government is declaring land falling within 10-km radius of the boundaries of national parks and

sanctuaries as eco-fragile zones as part of the action plan envisaged in the Wildlife Conservation Strategy which was adopted in 2002.

o The purpose is to provide better sanctity to protected areas and check the adverse impact of unplanned development in and around such areas.

January 19




Manmohan Singh adopted Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. o Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh adopted Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat under Sansad Adarsh Gram

Yojna (SAGY). Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchyat is located in Kamrup district of Assam. o Manmohan Singh represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha. o About Yojana:

Almost 125 MPs have adopted a village under SAGY since the announcement of the Yojana by PM Narendra Modi on 15 August 2014. Some of the MPs and the villages adopted by them are:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi : Jayapur village in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Hema Malini : Raval village, Uttar Pradesh. Sachin Tendulkar : Puttamraju Kandrika village, Andhra Pradesh. Kaushalendra Kumar : Nanand village in Nalanda, Bihar. Narendra Sawaikar : Cola village, Andhra Pradesh. Avinash Rai Khanna : Adamwal village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Rajendra Agrawal : Bhagwanpur Chatawan village in Rajpura, Punjab

NHRC issued notice to UP Government over Hooch Tragedy. o National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice to Uttar Pradesh Government over hooch tragedy

in Malihabad near Lucknow and its bordering Unnao district. o Terming Hooch Tragedy as a serious issue of human rights violation, the panel issued notices to Chief

Secretary Alok Ranjan, Inspector General of Police Subhash Chandra and District Magistrate Rajshekhar. o The notices were issued after the Commission took suo motu cognizance of media reports on hooch

tragedy. o Hooch Tragedy

The hooch tragedy occurred on 12 January 2015 in Kharta and other villages in Malihabad area of Lucknow and Talasarai village in Hasanganj area of Unnao district.

The hooch tragedy has so far claimed 49 lives and more than 100 people are still undergoing treatment in various hospitals. The condition of over a dozen patients, who consumed spurious liquor, continues to remain serious and they have been put on life support systems.

January 20

Dr. Jitendra Singh announced 'Make in Northeast' initiative. o The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

(DoNER), Dr. Jitendra Singh has announced Make in Northeast initiative beginning with a comprehensive tourism plan for the region,. He also announced the decision to appoint a Brand Ambassador who, he said, could personify the heritage and identity of Northeast and at the same time, inspire the rest of the countrymen to look east and act east.

o One of the important objectives of Make in Northeast initiative, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, will be not only to generate revenue for Northeast but also to create job opportunities to prevent the exodus of youth which is presently taking place from the region to the rest of the country.

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addresses 30,000 CPWD employees through video-conferencing; first time in 160 years. o Minister of Urban Development Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu reached out to all the 30,000 employees of the

public sector construction major Central Public Works Department (CPWD), sharing his concerns over the functioning of the organization and urging them for a change over in the public perception about it. For the




first time in the history of the 160 year old CPWD, Shri Naidu addressed all its employees at 33 locations in the country through video-conferencing and live web streaming.

o Shri Venkaiah Naidu insisted that CPWD needs to achieve a makeover in its working and public perception through timely completion of projects, zero tolerance to corruption, transparency and accountability.

o The Minister noted that as a part of ongoing efforts to streamline functioning of CPWD all relevant information about 7,000 projects costing over Rs. 30,000 crore has been placed in public domain. He assured the employees that CPWD and the Ministry would do the needful to create better working conditions of its employees.

January 21

High Level Committee for Restructuring of FCI submitted report to PM. o The High Level Committee for Restructuring of Food Corporation of India today submitted its report to the

Prime Minister. The Committee was chaired by Shri Shanta Kumar. o Shri Ashok Gulati, Member of the Committee, made a presentation on the various recommendations of the

report. The Committee was required to examine the present day administrative, functional and financial structure of FCI and modus operandi of its various operations, and suggest a model for restructuring FCI to improve its operational efficiency and financial management, and suggest measures for overall improvement in management of food grains by FCI.

Government launched Rs. 500 crore scheme to rejuvenate 12 heritage cities. o Aiming at preserving and rejuvenating the rich cultural heritage, government launched the ambitious Rs.

500 crore project for 12 cities including Varanasi, Mathura, Gaya, Dwarka and Puri across the country. o The 12 cities selected for the scheme are Ajmer, Amritsar, Amravati, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Warangal, Puri,

Kanchipuram, Mathura, Varanasi and Vellankanni. o The HRIDAY will be dovetailed with the Tourism Ministry's Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual

Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme which has an outlay of Rs. 100 crore for augmentation of infrastructure at pilgrimage sites across the country.

o Elaborating on the new initiative, Naidu said, "HRIDAY seeks to promote an integrated, inclusive and sustainable development of heritage sites, focusing not just on maintenance of monuments but on advancement of the entire ecosystem including its citizens, tourists and local businesses''.

Coal block re-allocation begins, 36 mines to be allotted to PSUs. o The central government initiated the process for re-allocation of coal blocks. It will allot 36 mines to state-

run entities. The ministry of coal hopes it will be able to complete the process within a month. Of the 36 mines, one will go for the steel sector and the rest to power companies.

o The e-auction of 46 mines would start from February 14. Out of these, 16 are for the power sector and the rest for the iron & steel and cement sectors, and captive power producers.

o The PSUs which will be allocated the blocks for meeting their needs will also be allowed to bid for blocks that will be offered later through the auction route. Power plants using imported coal are also eligible to participate in the auction, and firm schedules are being put in place to ensure timely production of the fuel.

o On 25 August 2014, the Supreme Court had ruled that allocation of all coal blocks from as far back as 1993 and until 2010 were illegal. On 24 September 2014, the court cancelled the allocation of 204 coal blocks, including the 42 operational ones.

January 22

Narendra Modi Launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.




o Mr. Modi's Ministry came up with yet another ambitious approach launched in Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme which is the dire need of the hour.

o The scheme started with Rs. 100 crore initial corpus funds and is likely to move ahead with its well thought-out plan and direction.

o The welfare measures voiced are for protecting and planning the lives of the down trodden daughters of this country.

o The union minister Mr. Arun Jaitley stated there are various areas of women and child which need to be addressed immediately.

o The idea is to create awareness about gender equality and extend medical aid for various ailments for women and child.

o He felt school syllabus has to create topics which helps the child to feel there is gender equality. o It is stated that the funding for all these activities will be done by Nirbhaya fund. o The girl child issue has to be attacked more smartly and encourage the future parents with a positive note. o Among the list of immediate issues, few are very important, they are,

(1) Education for women. (2) Health issues. (3) Campaigns on sensitization towards women and children. (4) Women safety cells. (5) Safety of women on public Transport system. (6) Cyber crime cells. (7) Crisis management centres. (8) Government and private hospitals for women. (9) Awards for best parents, Samaritans in the society. (10) Awards for daring girls standing up as role models in the society

PM Narendra Modi launched Sukanya Samridhi Yojana under Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a small deposit scheme Sukanya Samridhi Yojana for girl child

under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign. The scheme will ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources and savings of a family in which she is generally discriminated against a male child.

o Sukanya Samridhi Yojana will enable parents to open bank accounts of girls who are under 10 years of age. Sukanya Samridhi Account will fetch an interest rate of 9.1 percent and provide income tax rebate.

o Sukanya Samridhi Account can be opened at any time from the birth of a girl child till she attains the age of 10 years with a minimum deposit of 1000 rupees.

o A maximum of 1.5 lakh rupees can be deposited during the financial year. The account can be opened in any post office or authorised branches of commercial banks.

o The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of the account or marriage of the girl child after attaining 18 years of age.

o To meet the requirement of higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50 percent of the balance amount will be allowed after the girl child has attended 18 years of age.

January 23

Joint India Mongolia Exercise. o The tenth India Mongolia Joint Training Exercise commenced with an impressive opening ceremony at

Gwalior. The aim of the exercise is to acquaint both armies with each others operating procedures in the backdrop of a Counter Insurgency and Terrorism environment.




o The 15 day exercise is planned to train troops of both nations on crossing of obstacles, special heliborne operations, water patrolling, firing a variety of weapons, handling and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices and conduct of cordon and search operations in a Counter Insurgency and Terrorism environment.

India observed 118th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. o India observed the 118th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by paying glowing tribute to his

memory at functions held throughout the country. o It has been maintained that Bose died in an air crash in Taiwan in 1945. However, the Mukherjee

Commission had rejected the opinion that he had died in a plane crash at Taihoku airport in Taiwan on August 18, 1945.

o Subhas Chandra Bose was an Indian nationalist. Bose had been a leader of the younger, radical, wing of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become Congress President in 1938 and 1939. However, he was ousted from Congress leadership positions in 1939 following differences with Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Congress high command. He was subsequently placed under house arrest by the British before escaping from India in 1940.

Supreme Court's decision on IPL Spot fixing. o Supreme Court gave verdict that N. Srinivasan can't contest BCCI polls till he gives up commercial interest in

CSK. o The Apex court said No BCCI administrator can have commercial interests.Srinivasan held miniscule share in

India Cements misleading since his family directly or indirectly holds much more. o The court-appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee, also comprising senior advocates L. Nageswar Rao

and Nilay Dutta, had found Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan guilty of indulging in betting during IPL 2013 despite being a CSK team official.

January 24

Coal auctions to fetch States $100 billion: Coal and Power Minister. o Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal has asserted that investors have no concern over the ordinance route

taken by the Centre for the auction of coal blocks and said the entire process will generate more than $100 billion in royalties and proceeds for various States.

o The ordinance has a weight of law. Any action taken under ordinance has complete protection as if it were done within the legal framework of an Act.

o The auction process is already on; people have started registering themselves on the website. The bidding process will start next month, and all mines won in the bid would be legally tenable and can never go wrong.

January 25

Republic Day: Cultural heritage, military might on display at Rajpath. o Multi-hued images of India's rich cultural diversity and military might as well as Achievements in diverse

fields unfolded at the 66th Republic Day parade which had a US President--Barack Obama--as the Chief Guest for the first time.

o As the nearly two-hour-long parade, showcasing the country's 'unity in diversity' marched down the Rajpath in drizzle and overcast skies, thousands of spectators gathered along the route and cheered in joy.

o The national capital was wrapped in unprecedented security blanket as thousands of security personnel kept a hawk's vigil in and around the Rajpath.




o In a departure from tradition for the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade, Obama arrived in his own highly-secured bomb-proof vehicle, 'The Beast', at Rajpath.

o A highlight of this year's parade was the display for the first time of the recently acquired long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine P-8I aircraft and the long-range advanced MiG-29K fighter plane.

o For the first time in the history of Indias Republic Day, women empowerment in the armed forces was showcased as an all-women contingent from the three forces Army, Air Force and Navy marched down the majestic Rajpath

January 26

India funds Nepals Pancheshwar project to counter Kheri floods. o India will provide fund of Rs. 1500 crore to Nepals Pancheshwar multi-purpose project on Mahakali river

for countering the Kheri floods in Uttar Pradesh. o This move of Union government comes after a delegation of MPs visited Nepal and had submitted their

report to government. o About the Project:

Pancheshwar multi-purpose project It is located at Narayan Ghat of Dharchula on Mahakali River (also known as Kali Ganga in Uttarakhand)

in Nepal. The height of dam is the 315 meters. After completion dam will be the second largest dam in the world with a capacity of 6720 Mega Watt

(MW) power production. In case of power sharing, India has reached into an agreement with Nepal to procure additional

electricity produced by project. This project will regulate and control the free flow of Karnali and Mohana rivers which cause floods in

Kheri, Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh and other Terai districts of northern India. Special 'Kadhua' Banarasi silk saree for Michelle Obama.

o An exquisite hand-woven Banarasi silk saree with gold and silver threads, which took weavers three months to complete, was presented to American First Lady Michelle Obama during her three-day visit to the country.

January 27

'Mann ki Baat' with Modi and Obama. o A special radio programme featuring US President Barrack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

devoid of any hard issues like politics and foreign affairs but focused on social issue and personal matters related to the two leaders.

o The 35-minute special broadcast of 'Mann Ki Baat', which marked the bonhomie between Modi and Obama, touched on issues like girl child, public health and personal experiences of the two leaders, both of whom have risen from humble backgrounds to assume to top positions of the respective countries.

o At the outset, Modi said most of the questions posed by people were "connected to politics, foreign policy, and economic policy. However, some questions touch the heart. And I believe if we touch those questions today, we shall be able to reach out to the common man in different parts of the country''.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate global exhibition on services in April. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day global exhibition on services in April to showcase

India's strength in the sector and provide platform to the industry to explore business opportunities.




o Over 40 countries will participate in the exhibition, which will start on April 23. The services sector includes IT, ITeS, telecommunication, healthcare, education, logistics, media and entertainment, R&D and space.

o Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said besides IT/ ITeS, huge opportunities exist in other areas such as tourism, wellness, yoga and hospitality.

o The minister also launched a portal for the exhibition. Commenting about the sector, Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher said that share of India's services sector in the global services trade is only 3 per cent as compared to 4.6 per cent of China.

o In global exports of services, India's rank has been improved from 11th to 6th during 2009 and 2013. India's services exports are $73 billion more than the imports in 2013-14. India had a trade surplus in services segment unlike in merchandise where India runs a huge trade deficit of $138 billion in 2013-14. It is important to boost services exports to finance the goods trade deficit.

January 28

Union Cabinet approved MoU on Tourism between India and Oman. o Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism between India and Oman. The

MoU will strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism between tourism ministries of both the countries. o The main objectives of the MoU are to

Expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector. Exchange information and data related to tourism. Encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators. Establish exchange programme for cooperation in Human Resource Development. Invest in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Promote safe, honorable and sustainable tourism.

Reconstitution of Empowered Committee regarding setting up of Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication (FAB) manufacturing facilities in the country. o The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved to reconstitute the

Empowered Committee to setup the Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication (FAB) projects, with the following composition:

o Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog.. Chairman. o Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation. o Secretary, Department of Expenditure. o The setting up of FAB units will promote Electronics System Design and manufacturing in India which will

stimulate the flow of capital and technology. Besides, these units will also create employment opportunities, help higher value addition in the electronic products manufactured, reduce dependence on imports and lead to innovation.

The Maharashtra Government will observe September 17th as 'Industries Day' (Vishwakarma Jayanti) as part of its effort to provide balanced growth to existing small, medium and large scale enterprises and render assistance for setting up new industries to boost the state's financial health.

January 31

Commemorative Postage stamps on the theme of Swachh Bharat to mark the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi.

o The Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad along with the Minister for Urban Development & Parliamentary Affairs Venkaiah Naidu and the Minister for Rural


Highlight of the Month: Obama's Visit to India

US President Barack Obama arrived in India on historic 3-day visit. o Obama, the first US President to be in India twice while in office, is visiting India on the invitation of

Modi, who was until last year denied a visa to visit the US. o Obama was also the first US president present at Republic Day parade as a chief guest. o He was accompanied by the First Lady Michelle Obama. o Highlights of his Visit :

1st Day : 25th January 2015 o He touched down in Delhi at 10 am on 25th January 2015 at the Air Force Station, Palam. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at Palam airport with a handshake and a warm hug. He

was accompanied by US ambassador Richard Verma. o he was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan by President Pranab Mukherjee

and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. o Thereafter, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat and participate in a tree planting

event there. o In the evening, met embassy personnel and families. He then drove down to the Rashtrapati

Bhawan to attend the state dinner with Mr Pranab Mukherjee. 2nd Day : 26th January 2015

o He participated in the Republic Day celebrations with the First Lady. o In the afternoon, Obama and Modi participated in a CEO forum round table and deliver remarks at a

US-India Business Summit. 3rd Day : 27th January 2015

o Modi and Obama jointly addressed the nation from All India Radio in the programme, Mann Ki Baat.

o He also gave an address at the Siri Fort Auditorium. o As per the initial plan Obama was to visit Taj Mahal along with the US first lady Michelle Obama on

January 27. But he cuts short his trip and will leave India after his address at Siri Fort Auditorium to meet

the new king of Saudi Arabia.



January 2

Indian company restores Jaffna-Kankasanthurai rail track in Sri Lanka. o Indian Railways construction company (IRCON) has restored the rail track between Jaffna and

Kankasanthurai in North Srilanka. o 18 kilometer long Jaffna-Kankasanthurai rail track in North Sri Lanka was inaugurated by Sri Lankas

Transport Minister Kumara Welgama. o This 18 kilometer track passes through the high security zone which was freed from the control of Tamil

tigers in 2009. o To mark the inauguration, famous Yal Devi Express was flagged off. o About: Jaffna-Kankasanthurai rail track in Sri Lanka o The entire rail line between Colombo and the Northern part of Sri Lanka was destroyed in the late 1980s by

the LTTE. o IRCON is playing important role in rebuilding the 252 km railway track on this route. Indian Government had

provided a line of credit of 800 million dollars for these projects. In 2014, the line upto Jaffna was made operational after it was restored.

o The complete 252 km railway track will be completed by IRCON in collaboration with Sri Lanka Railways in four segments of which three have been completed and are operational.

o The fourth segment will be completed by March 2015. Three completed segments covering a distance of 215 kilometer track length include.

o Omanthai to Jaffna - 129 km o Medawachchiya to Thiruketheeswaram - 69 km

Jaffna to Kankasanthurai - 18 km o Fourth segment will cover 37 km long stretch between Thiruketheeswaram and Talai Mannar Pier. o IRCON

IRCON: Indian Railways construction company. Established: 1976. Head quarters: New Delhi, india. Chairman and managing director: Mohan Tiwari.

Five new non-permanent members elected to UN Security Council. o Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain have begun their two-year term, replacing

Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda. o Elections for the non-permanent membership to the security council take place every year and candidates

need to win at least two thirds of votes by the 193 members of the UN General Assembly. o Octavio Errazuriz, permanent representative of Chile to the U.N., took over the rotating council presidency

from Cherif Mahamat Zene, the Chadian U.N. ambassador. o About:

Established in : 1946. Council president : Mahamat Zene Cherif.

January 3

China's Deep Sea Submersible 'Jiaolong' Begins Exploration of Indian Ocean. o China's deep sea manned submersible Jiaolong carried out the first dive on a mission to study active

hydrothermal vent in the south-western Indian Ocean.




o The Chinese vessel Jiaolong, named after a mythical dragon, Jiaolong reached its deepest depth of 7,062 meters in the Pacific's Mariana Trench in June 2012 and started its five-year trial period in 2013.

o Jiaolong was expected to dive 20 times to research polymetallic sulphides, biological diversity, hydrothermal microbes and genetic resources in the south-western Indian Ocean in a 120-day expedition.

o The 15-year approval was secured by China from the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Israel withholds tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

o Israel decided to stop the transfer of about 500 million shekels (127.6 million US dollars) of taxes to the Palestinian Authority Government. The taxes were collected on behalf of the Palestinians for the month of December 2014.

o The Israel step has come in retaliation against the move by the Palestinians to join the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

o The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour had submitted the Palestinian application to the ICC to the UNs top legal affairs official, Stephan Mathias, at the UN headquarters in New York.

o Under the application, the envoy had requested to grant retroactive jurisdiction to the court to cover war crimes allegedly committed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) during Operation Protective Edge.

o About : International criminal court o Established : 17 July 1988. o Came into force : 1 July 2002. o Headquarters : Hague, Netherlands. o President : Song Sang - Hyun. o Prosecutor : Fatou Bensouda.

January 4

China launches military procurement website to make defence operations more transparent. o China launched an official military weapons procurement website www.weain.mil.cn to guarantee

transparency in arms procurement. o Under the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the website,

www.weain.mil.cn provides information on the country's weapon and armament needs, relevant policies, procurement notices, enterprise lists and technology.

o A total of 350 items to be procured have been listed on the website, with wheeled 4G base stations and composite materials the top two most-read as of press time.

o About: PLA: People's Liberation Army. Established: August 1, 1927.

January 5

International Hindi Conference to be held in New Jersey. o The International Conference on Hindi to be held in New Jersey in April 2015. o The theme of the Conference is Expanding World of Hindi: Possibilities and Challenges. o T

january 2015 current affairs gr8ambitionz

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