1.
Urjit Patel re-appointed as RBI Deputy Governor for Three Years
i. Union Government on 8
Janury 2016 re-appointed Dr Urjit R Patel, as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank
of India (RBI), for a second three-year term.
ii. Patel who joined RBI
on 11 January 11, 2013 had headed a committee that paved the way for the
proposed monetary policy committee. Patel, a doctorate from Yale University,
also had a stint at IMF.
iii. Patel is the fourth
deputy governor and the other three are HR Khan, R Gandhi and SS Mundra. The
re-appointment of Patel assumes significance as in recent past, none of the
deputy governors got a second term.
2.
14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi
i. The 14th Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held in New Delhi. The event was inaugurated by the
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by Priti Patel, MoS for
Employment, United Kingdom.
ii. Apart from the main
event in New Delhi, the day was celebrated by the MEA, across the world,
through its missions/posts abroad.
iii. On this occasion,
Sushma Swaraj announced that the government is considering Aadhaar cards to
non-resident Indians (NRIs) and allowing women workers to Gulf countries only
through the government agencies to ensure they were not duped by recruiting
agents or firms.
3.
President of India inaugurates 88th Annual Conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga
Sahitya Sammelan
i. The President of
India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the three day long 88th annual
conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan today (January 10, 2016) at
Ranchi, Jharkhand.
ii. Speaking on the
occasion, the President said he had been closely involved with the organization
for the last three decades. He said the great traditions of Bengali literature,
language and culture originated from the period of 'Charyapada' a Bengali
compilation that was discovered by the noted scholar, Haraprasad Shastri in
Nepal in 1907.
4.
Book titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT authored by Jain Acharya Maharaj released
i. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 10 January 2016 released a book titled “MARU BHARAT SARU
BHARAT “(My India Noble India) written by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji
Maharaj.
ii. This is the 300th
book of Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj. The book release function was organized
by Sahitya Satkar Samiti of Ratnatrayee Trust in Mumbai.
iii. The book, My India,
Nobel India, will be available in four languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati and
Marathi.
iv. The author through
his book has highlighted various social evils, deficiencies prevailing at
individual level, and also expressed his anger about those evils.
5.
Nepal elected as UNICEF’s executive board member for 2016-2018
i. Nepal on 9 January
2016 was elected to the UNICEF executive board, representing the group of
Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018. Nepal's Permanent Representative
to the United Nations (UN), Durga Prasad Bhattarai, was also unanimously
elected vice-president to the Bureau of the Executive Board of the UNICEF for
2016.
ii. Nepal recently
completed its terms as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
for 2013-2015 and as vice-president from Asia-Pacific region at the executive
board of United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population
Fund/United Nations Office for Project Services for the year 2015.
6.
International Kite festival started in Ahmedabad
i. Gujarat Chief
Minister Anandiben Patel on 10 January 2016 inaugurated the 28th edition of
International Kite Festival at Sabarmati River front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The
Kite festival of Gujarat marks Uttarayan, the day when winter begins to turn
into summer, according to the Indian calendar.
ii. The five-day annual
event saw participation of about 98 foreign kite flyers from 28 different
nations and 55 participants from 8 different states and 28 kite flyers from
Gujarat.
iii. While inaugurating
the festival, Chief Minister Patel claimed that the festival has boosted the
kite-making industry along with attracting foreign tourists in Gujarat. She
also said that in last one decade the business of kite making has grown from
100 crore rupees to 700 crore rupees.
iv. The international
kite festival is simultaneously organized in other cities of the state
including Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Porbandar, Mandvi, Botad, Surendranagar, and
Modhera.
vi. Uttarayan is the
sign for farmers that the sun is back and that harvest season is approaching
which is called Makara Sankranti. This day is considered to be one of the most
important harvest days in India.
7.
11th World Hindi Day observed on 10 January
i. The 11th World Hindi
Day was celebrated on 10 January 2016. To mark the occasion, Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) through its missions/posts abroad and the Department of
Official Language (Rajbhasha) conducted special events to spread the greatness
of the language.
ii. The day was first
observed on 10 January 2006. And, it is in addition to the National Hindi Divas
that is being celebrated annually on 14 September. National Hindi Divas is
celebrated to mark the day, 14 September 1949, on which the Constituent
Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of
the Union.
8.
Noted Hindi writer Ravindra Kalia passed away
i. Noted Hindi writer
and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. He
was 78. Kalia had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. The writer is known for
his works like Nau Saal Chotti Patni and Ghalib Chutti Sharab.
ii. The former Bharatiya
Jnanpith director, Kalia was also the editor of several literary magazines,
including Naya Gyanodaya. Born on 11 November 1938 in Jalandhar, Punjab, Kalia
was mainly famous for writing stories, novels, memoirs and satires.
iii. The writer had been
honoured with Uttar Pradesh (UP) Premchand Memorail Award, UP Sahitya Bhushan
Award, UP Lohia Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani award and Pdumlal Bakshi
Award of Madhya Pradesh Government.
9.
73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards announced in California
i. The 73rd Annual
Golden Globe Awards were announced on 11 January 2015 at Beverly Hilton Hotel
in Beverly Hills, California, the US. These annual awards honour the best in
Motion Pictures and Television for the year 2015.
ii. The Revenant won the
Best Motion Picture – Drama while best Actor and best Director Awards were
conferred to Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Inarritu for the same movie. Brie
Larson won the best actress award for ‘The Martian’ Movie.
10.
‘Stand-up India’ drive in the offing: Arun Jaitley
i. The Centre is
planning to launch a "Stand-up India" drive to promote
entrepreneurship among women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, according
to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
ii. He was speaking here
on Sunday at the inaugural of the three-day Partnership Summit jointly hosted
by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the State Government. He said the
Start-up India drive launched by the Centre had received tremendous response
and "now we are planning a Stand-up India drive."
iii. He explained to the
audience that the programme envisaged special assistance to women, Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes to promote entrepreneurship. He said each bank
branch in the country would have to give at least one loan to a woman, SC and
ST entrepreneur to set up units.
iv. "There are 1.5
lakh branches in the country and we are sure the programme will make a big
impact as the Mudra loan scheme did," he said.
11.
British singer Singer David Bowie dies at 69
i. British
singer-songwriter David Bowie has died at the age of 69 after battling cancer
for 18 months.
ii. “David Bowie died
peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle
with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect
the family’s privacy during their time of grief,” read a statement posted on
the singer’s official social media accounts.
iii. Bowie had turned 69
just two days ago. He is survived by two children Duncan Jones and Alexandria
“Lexi” Zahra Jones and wife Iman.
iv. One of the most
influence musical artistes of his generation, Bowie is known for his
camelion-like qualities as a performer that often blurred the lines between
genders in an illustrious career that spanned four decades.
v. The musician, whose
full name was David Robert Jones, was born in Brixton, UK on January 8, 1947.
12.
ICC announces MoneyGram as Event Partner; signs 8-year deal
i. The ICC and MoneyGram
International, a leading global provider of money transfer services, today
announced an eight-year deal which confirms MoneyGram as an event partner for
ICC events from 2016-2023.
ii. A media release by
ICC stated, “The ICC and MoneyGram recently completed a successful five-year
partnership, which began with the ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010,
concluding with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
iii. “In the current
eight-year cycle, the alliance promises to reach greater heights, as the ICC
will stage an impressive 17 tournaments, including six majors — two ICC World
Twenty20 tournaments, two editions of the ICC Champions Trophy and two ICC
Cricket World Cups.”
iv. Commenting on the
partnership, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said:“I am delighted that
MoneyGram International has decided to continue to support cricket by extending
its partnership with the ICC.
v. “The extension says
much about the value of our events at which we continue to strive to create an
unforgettable experience for fans from all around the world. Sponsors are the
lifeline for any sport and on behalf of the ICC, I thank MoneyGram for their
continued support.”
13.
Maria Teresa de Filippis, first female Formula One driver, died
i. Maria Teresa de
Filippis, the first woman to compete in a world championship Formula One grand
prix, passed away on 8 January 2016 in Italy. She was 89.
ii. De Filippis
participated in five World Championship Grands Prix; however, she scored no
championship points. Although she remained largely unsuccessful in her Formula
One racing career, she is remembered as a pioneer in motor racing, a sport
dominated by men.
iii. Born on 11 November
1926 in Naples, Italy, de Filippis began her racing career at the age of 22. She
won her first race, driving a Fiat 500 on a 10 km drive between Salerno and
Cava de' Tirreni.
iv. She took part in
various motor racing events, including hill climbing and endurance racing,
before being given the chance to drive in Formula One. She finished second in a
sportscar race supporting the 1956 Naples Grand Prix, driving a Maserati 200S.
v. On 18 May 1958, she
was given the opportunity to enter the Monaco Grand Prix, the second round of
the 1958 Formula One season, in one of the 250Fs.
14.
Stanislas Wawrinka won third consecutive Chennai Open title
i. Stanislas Wawrinka on
10 January 2016 won his Chennai Open title. In the summit clash at the
Nungambakkam tennis stadium of Chennai, he defeated Croatian Borna Coric 6-3,
7-5. This is the fourth Chennai Open title for the Swiss player and the third
consecutive win, who first won it in 2011.
ii. He extended his run
of dominance in Chennai to a 12-match win streak, including 24 consecutive sets
won.
iii. The Swiss completed
the first three-peat in tournament history, becoming the ninth different active
player to do so at an ATP World Tour event.
iv. The 30 year old
notched his 12th tour-level crown overall and eighth on hard courts.With this
win, Wawrinka lifted the cup and got the award money of 75700 US dollars and
got away with 250 ATP ranking points.
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