Download : 28th January, 2017 – Current Affairs PDF
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NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Three Day Visit to India
- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the Chief Guest at the 68th Republic Day Celebration.
- India and UAE Signs 14 Agreements to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation on elevating bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
- India and the UAE committed to further boost wide-range of bilateral engagements in strategic areas of security, defence, energy.
- A Central Power Sector PSU & Central Transmission Utility, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL),signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) & its group of companies in Gurgaon, for cooperation in power sector.
- Narendra Modi and the visiting Crown Prince issued a joint statement to oppose terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, and declared that there could be no justification for terrorism anywhere.
Telangana Ranks Second in Walnut’s Cashless Score Card
- Telangana has been ranked at second spot in the `Cashless India Scorecard’, prepared by Walnut app to measure the growth level in digital payments in the country post demonetization.
- The top three states in the scorecard were Gujarat, Telangana and Haryana respectively with the highest growth in going cashless.
Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Exercise, TROPEX 17 Begins
- The Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), an annual Indian Navy exercise kicked started on January 24, 2017 off the Western Seaboard.
- The exercise will be conducted in phased manner both in harbour and at sea to undertake tasks of war-fighting and combat operations.
- The exercise will strengthen the inter-operability and joint operations of the Indian Navy in a complex environment.
- TROPEX 17 exercise is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard.
Andhra Pradesh Launches Rs 100 cr fund of funds for Fintech Startups
- Chandrababu Naidu has announced Rs 100-crore fund of funds to invest in Fintech startups.
- Fintech is being seen as a promising space to generate job, thus the state has initiated an industry-academia-government partnership to tap and refine skilled talent available at cheaper costs to develop Visakhapatnam into a global fintech hub.
- The stat is making an effort to develop the entire ecosystem needed for development of the fintech sector.
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Surya Namaskar Yajna Recognised in US Congress
- The annual “Surya Namaskar Yajna” or “Health for Humanity Yogathon” has been recognized in the US House of Representative.
- Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh has organized the “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon to mark Makar Sankranti.
- The 16-day event will raise awareness about yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
India Ranks 79th in the 2016 Corruption Perception Index
List of Top 5 Least Corrupt Nations as released by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).
| Rank | Country | Score (100) |
| 1 | Denmark | 90 |
| 1 | New Zealand | 90 |
| 3 | Finland | 89 |
| 4 | Sweden | 88 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 86 |
India at Sixth Position among Eight Great Powers of 2017 List by American Foreign Policy Magazine
India has been ranked at the sixth position in the latest annual list of eight great powers for the year 2017 published by leading American foreign policy magazine. The list has been topped by US.
List of Eight Great Powers of 2017
| 1 | United States |
| 2 | China & Japan (both share same position) |
| 4 | Russia |
| 5 | Germany |
| 6 | India |
| 7 | Iran |
| 8 | Israel |
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
SBI Launches Wealth Management Product “SBI Exclusif” in Kochi
- The State Bank of India has launched a new wealth management product named “SBI Exclusif” in Kochi launched by Chief General Manager.
- SBI Exclusif is targeted at fast growing affluent and high net worth customer segments of the bank.
- SBI Exclusif offers an electronic wealth center that equips the customers with a convenience and flexibility to track their portfolio, conduct transactions and make investments through digital channels such as internet and mobile.
Karnataka Bank Signs MoU with Tirth Agro Technology
Karnataka Bank Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the leading agricultural equipment/implements manufacturer Tirth Agro Technology Pvt Ltd, Rajkot to finance farmers for agri mechanization.
Aim of the MoU
i. To establish a platform for co-operation between the two in identifying farmers in need of buying agricultural implements/equipment and financing them by the bank on its terms.
ii. To promote agriculture mechanization in India by utilizing bank’s experience in agricultural finance through its branches across India.
iii. To use expertise of the company in field of manufacturing of high quality agriculture equipment and implements.
iv. Further enhancement of agricultural finance to the farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers.
iv. The Tirth Agro Technology Pvt Ltd manufactures agricultural implements under the brand name ‘Shaktiman’. It has a network of more than 685 dealers and 42 distributors across India.
Government to Launch Aadhar Pay for Cashless Transactions through Biometrics
- The Government nformed about its plan to launch the biometric based Aadhaar Pay payment platform in few weeks for BHIM App.
- Aadhaar Pay service will enable people to make and receive payments using their Aadhaar number and biometrics.
Nokia Gets Vodafone’s 4G contract Worth Rs 3,650 crore
- Nokia Indian operation has bagged a contract worth $500 million (Rs 3,650 crore) from Mumbai based Vodafone for deployment and expansion of 4G network in the country.
- With this contract, Nokia India unit aims to expand its network expansion and ramping up capacities to counter the threat from bigger rival Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.
- Chinese equipment vendor Huawei would supply 4G base stations and other equipment for Vodafone’s networks in Karnataka, Kerala and Delhi circles.
Aditya Birla Group Plans to Invest Rs 7,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh
- The Aditya Birla Group plans to invest Rs 7,000 crore in the next two years in Andhra Pradesh.
- The company has set up a cement plant with capacity of 5.6 million tonnes n Andhra Pradesh.
HPCL, GAIL sign pact with AP for Rs 40K crore petrochem project
- HPCL and GAIL India Ltd signed a pact with Andhra Pradesh for setting up a Rs 40,000 crore petrochemical plant in the state.
- The 50:50 joint venture will set up a 1.5 million tons Ethylene Derivatives plant.
- The plant will produce a wide range of petrochemical raw materials for the manufacture of detergents, paints and coatings, cosmetics, textiles and adhesives.
- It will be set up at the Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) sites identified by the state government at Kakinada.
PEOPLE IN NEWS
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan resigns over sexual assault allegations
- V Shanmuganathan finally resigned after Raj Bhavan staff accused him of sexual misconduct.
AWARDS
3 Indian-origin conferred with Australia’s highest civilian award
Three Indian-origin persons have been awarded Australia’s highest civilian honor
- Purushottam Sawrikar, a Sydney-based medical practitioner,received Order of Australia medal in General division category for his service to medicine, and to the Indian community.
- Sawrikar was a former President of Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association and also founded a community radio calledAkashwani Sydney.
- Makhan Singh Khangure from Perth received the award for his for significant service to medicine in the field of neuroradiology, to education, and to a range of professional medical associations.
- Vijay Kumar received the award for his significant service to medical research in the disciplines of nuclear medicine and biology, to professional organizations, and to the community.
Two Scientists from National Geophysical Research Institute Named for 2016 National Geoscience Award
- A Keshav Krishna, a scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad has been selected for the 2016 National Geoscience Award in recognition of his work in the field of geo-environmental studies in Applied Geosciences.
- N. Purnachandra Rao, Chief Scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), has been selected for 2016 National Geoscience Award for recognition of his work in the field of Geophysics.
3 Soldiers from Rashtriya Rifles Awarded Sena Medal for Encoutering Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani
- Three personnel of Rashtriya Rifleshave been awarded the Sena Medal on the occasion of Republic Day in New Delhi for gunning down terrorist Burhan Wani in July 2016.
- The awardees include Major Sandeep Kumar, Captain Manik Sharmaand Naik Arvind Singh Chauhan
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO Successfully Tests Cryogenic Engine for Upper Stage of GSLV Mk III
- ISRO successfully tested its indigenously developed Cryogenic engine designated as C25, for 50 seconds at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.
- The cryogenic engine has been developed for use in the Upper Stage of GSLV Mk III rocket, which is scheduled to be launched within the first quarter of 2017.
- The C25 stage is the most powerful upper stage developed by ISRO and uses Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen propellant combination.
- GSLV MkIII is a next generation launch vehicle of ISRO, capable of launching 4 ton class spacecraft in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
SPORTS
David Boon, Matthew Hayden inducted into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
- Two of Australia’s greatest top-order batsmen,David Boon and Matthew Hayden, and the brilliant women’s all-rounder Betty Wilson will be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame (ACHoF) at the 2017 Allan Border Medal ceremony in Sydney.