GK Magazine- January --2018headwayclasses.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GK-JANUARY...GK Magazine-...

GK Magazine- January --2018

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S.No. Subject Page No.

1 INDIAN AFFAIRS 3

2 PLACES IN NEWS 9

3 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 10

4 RANKING AND REPORTS 12

5 BANKING AND FINANCE 12

6 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION 15

7 BUSINESS 16

8 APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNS 17

9 SCHEMES AND YOJANAS 19

10 SPORTS 19

11 OBITUARY 21

12 BOOKS AND AUTHORS 21

13 IMPORTANT DAYS 22

14 GK Quiz 22



INDIAN AFFAIRS India Ranks 6th in the List of Wealthiest Countries i. India has been ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest

countries with the total wealth of 8,230 billion US

dollars. The list was topped by the United States of

America, according to a report by New World Wealth.

ii. India was the best-performing wealth market globally in

2017 as its total wealth swelled from 6,584 billion dollars in

2016 to 8,230 billion dollars in 2017, registering a

25% growth.

The top 3 countries on the List are- 1. The United States of America (64,584 billion US dollars).

2. China (24,803 billion US dollars).

3. Japan (19,522 billion US dollars).

Environment Minister Harshvardhan Launches

PetaFlop Super Computer i. Environment Minister Harshvardhan launched a 2.8

PetaFlop capacity high-performance computer system

„Mihir‟ in Noida. ii. The system will help the department in predicting severe

climate-related calamities and warnings for fishermen. With

the launch of the system, India has joined the elite 30

member group of countries which have this advanced

technology.

INS Karanj- Third Scorpene Class Submarine

Launched by Indian Navy i. Indian Navy launched 'INS Karanj', the third of the six

indigenous Scorpene-class submarines. The submarine,

equipped with superior stealth features and precision-guided

weapons, has been built at Mumbai's Mazagon Dock

Shipbuilders Limited. ii. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the

chief guest on the occasion. The submarine has an overall

length of 67.5 meters and a height of about 12.3 metres.

First Ever 'Khadi Haat' Inaugurated in Delhi i. Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and

Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi

Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever

'Khadi Haat' in the country. ii. The Khadi Haat was inaugurated by Union Minister of

State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.

Indian, Vietnamese Armies Hold 1st Military

Exercise- VINBAX i. Armies of India and Vietnam have begun a six-day-long

military exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The

exercise named ‘VINBAX’ is the first military exercise

between the two countries.

ii. Vietnam‟s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was in

New Delhi to participate in the India-ASEAN

Commemorative summit and attend the Republic Day

celebrations.

Aadhaar is Oxford Dictionary‟s Hindi Word of

2017 i. Oxford Dictionaries has chosen „Aadhaar‟ as the Hindi

word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar

card, which was in news in 2017.

ii. The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature

Festival.

India Cheapest Country to Live in After South

Africa: Survey i. India is ranked second only to South Africa as the

cheapest country to live or retire, according to a recent

survey of 112 countries by GoBankingRates. The survey

ranked nations on the bases of four key affordability metrics

which are Local purchasing power index, rent

index, Groceries index, and Consumer price index.

ii. India's local purchasing power is 20.9% lower, rent is

95.2% cheaper, groceries are 74.4% cheaper, local goods

and services are 74.9% cheaper. The top three most

expensive countries in the survey are Bermuda (ranked

112), Bahamas (111), and Hong Kong (110).

International Bird Festival to be Held in Dudhwa

National Park i. A three-day international bird festival will be held at

the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar

Pradesh in February 2018 with nearly 200 leading

ornithologists expected to attend.

ii. The purpose of the international bird festival is to

promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct

international identity besides highlighting its traditional arts,

culture and heritage.

Economic Survey 2018: Complete Analysis

Economic Survey 2018

i. FM Jaitley tables Economic Survey in Parliament.

ii. Economic Survey sees FY19 GDP growing 7-7.5% vs

6.75% in FY18.

India and Cambodia Ink 4 Agreements

i. India and Cambodia signed four agreements in the field

of cultural exchange, an exchange line of credit of $26.9

million, memorandum of understanding to cooperate

in legal matter and an agreement on prevention of human

trafficking.

ii. The documents were exchanged in presence of Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Cambodian PM Hun

Sen following delegation-level talks between the two

countries. New Delhi has agreed to set up a centre of IT

excellence in Cambodia.

Himachal CM Launches 'Shakti' App for Women's

Safety

i. The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram

Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app for women’s safety in

the state. The app was developed by the National

Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh

government.

ii. It would be available in both Hindi and English languages

and would not require internet connectivity. The main

objective of the launch of the app and the helpline is to

fight crimes against women in the state.

India to Host Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering in

New Delhi

i. Trade ministers from various countries including

Australia, Japan and Switzerland met for an informal WTO

ministerial gathering in Davos, Switzerland. India was

represented by Deepak Jagdish Saksena, ambassador and

permanent representative to the WTO.

ii. India announced that it will host an informal WTO

Ministerial gathering in March 2018. The meeting would be

held in New Delhi on March 19-20.

Kolkata Becomes 1st Indian Metro to get a

Floating Market



i. Kolkata has become the first Indian Metro to get a

Floating Market. The market will be located on a water-

body with boats doubling up as shops. The market, located

on the eastern fringes of the city, was inaugurated by West

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. ii. The aim is to rehabilitate over 200 shopkeepers from a

nearby market that was demolished for the widening of the

Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The market will host at least

114 boats, each one accommodating two shops.

Punjab CM Launches Benefits under 'Mahatma

Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana' i. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh launched the

release of benefits under 'Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas

Yojana' (MGSVY) aimed at the inclusive growth of the

distressed sections of the society.

ii. He appealed to the state's debt-ridden farmers not to

commit suicide since his government was committed to the

total implementation of its farm debt waiver scheme by

November 2018.

India, Vietnam Release First-Ever

Commemorative Stamps i. India and Vietnam released first ever set of

commemorative postage stamps to mark the long-term

friendly bilateral relationships between the two countries.

ii. The stamp was released by AN Nanda, Secretary,

Department of Posts. The two set of stamps released carry

picture of Sanchi Stupa and Thien Mu Pagoda.

NSIC Inks Pact with Malaysia‟s SME Corporation i. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed

an MoU with SME Corporation Malaysia for exchange of

information and cooperation in areas such as policies to aid

development of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in

the two countries.

ii. Besides, three other agreements were also signed between

Indian and Malaysian entities to strengthen cooperation

among smaller businesses in these countries.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Signs

MoU with IL&FS for Construction of Zojila

Tunnel i. An MoU was signed between National Highways and

Infrastructure Development Corporation

(NHIDCL) under the Ministry of Road Transport &

Highways, and M/S IL&FS Transportation Networks

Ltd for construction of the 14.150 km long, 2-lane bi-

directional Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir.

ii. This would be India‟s longest road tunnel and the

longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia. The construction of

this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between

Srinagar, Kargil and Leh. The total capital cost of the

project is Rs 6808.69 crore. The construction period of the

project is seven years.

PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks with 3 ASEAN

Leaders i. On the eve of the ASEAN-India Commemorative

Summit to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN

partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had separate

bilateral meetings with leaders of three ASEAN nations -

Myanmar, Vietnam and Philippines in New Delhi. ii. The PM first met his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen

Xuan Phuc and held talks with on issues of mutual interest.

Next, he met the Philipino President Rodrigo Duterte and

covered a wide range of subjects. Myanmar's State

Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi also met the PM later in the

evening.

7th Asia Steel International Conference to be Held

in Bhubaneswar i. The 7th Asia Steel International Conference will be

held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in February 2018. The

announcement was made by Tata Steel, in association with

the Indian Institute of Metals.

ii. This major conference is held every three years and

provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge on

various aspects of the global steel industry.

Rapid Reporting System for SAG Launched on

National Girl Child Day i. Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development

(MWCD), Mr Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e.

the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System

(RSS) for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) on the

occasion of National Girl Child Day (24th January). ii. It is a web-based online monitoring for the Scheme for

Adolescent Girls in New Delhi. The URL for the portal

is 'sag-rrs.nic.in.' Presently, MWCD is implementing the

Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) in selected 508 districts

across the country.

India to Host 16th International Energy Forum

Meet i. The 16th International Energy Forum (IEF)

Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi in April

2018. ii. According to the Union Minister of Petroleum and

Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, the meeting will be

hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted

by the Government of China and South Korea.

GoI, Uttarakhand, and World Bank Sign $120

million Loan Agreement for Water Supply in

Uttarakhand i. The Government of India, the Government of

Uttarakhand and the World Bank Board signed a $120

million Loan Agreement which will help increase access to

improved water supply services in peri-urban areas in the

State of Uttarakhand.

ii. The $120 million loan from the International Bank for

Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and has a 5-

year grace period.

India-ASEAN Business & Investment Conference

Held in New Delhi i. India-ASEAN business and investment conference held

in New Delhi ahead of the landmark commemorative

summit meeting on the 25th of January. In the conference,

Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu stresses enhanced

connectivity via land to strengthen trade ties. ii. Silver jubilee of India-ASEAN partnership is being

celebrated in New Delhi on the 25th January with an

unprecedented summit meet.

Andhra Pradesh-Zurich Sign Sister State

Agreement i. The Andhra Pradesh Government and the Canton of

Zurich signed a letter of intent, to promote mutual

prosperity and development.

ii. This will bring the State of Andhra Pradesh and Canton

of Zurich closer and ensure that a framework is created,

which supports the exchange between both the parties.

AYUSH Minister Lays Foundation Stone for

Homeopathy Research Institute in Jaipur



i. The Minister of State (IC), for AYUSH, Shri Shripad

Yesso Naik laid the foundation stone for Central Research

Institute (CRI) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. This will be the third

CRI under the aegis of Central Council for Research in

Homoeopathy (CCRH).

ii. In his address during the stone laying ceremony, Sh. Naik

stated that Ministry of AYUSH is determined towards a

focused infrastructural push to Homoeopathy and other

systems of AYUSH.

PM Modi Leaves for Davos to Attend World

Economic Forum i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Davos,

Switzerland to attend the 48th annual meeting of the

World Economic Forum. He will lead the largest-ever

Indian delegation comprising Finance Minister Arun Jaitley,

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu among

others.

ii. The theme of the WEF Annual Meeting this year

is 'Creating a shared future in a fractured world'. WEF

2018 will also see the largest ever proportion of women

leaders including all co-chairs being women this time.

MEITY Launches Cyber Surakshit Bharat to

Strengthen Cybersecurity i. The Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology (MeitY), announced the 'Cyber Surakshit

Bharat' initiative in association with National e-

Governance Division (NeGD) and industry partners.

ii. Cyber Surakshit Bharat will be operated on the three

principles of Awareness, Education and Enablement. Cyber

Surakshit Bharat is the first public-private partnership of its

kind and will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in

cybersecurity.

Sushma Swaraj Inaugurates Puducherry‟s 1st

POPSK at Karaikal i. The first Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK)

of Puducherry was inaugurated by Smt. Sushma Swaraj,

Minister for External Affairs at Karaikal.

ii. The POPSK at Karaikal is the 60th POPSK to have

become functional since the launch of the scheme in January

2017. It is the first POPSK to become operational in the UT

of Puducherry.

Telangana, Tokyo Body Sign MoU for Municipal

Waste Incineration i. The Telangana government had signed a Memorandum

of Understanding with the Clean Authority of Tokyo in

connection with municipal solid waste incineration in

Hyderabad.

ii. The two bodies exchanged knowledge in municipal solid

waste incineration facilities and make an effort to realize

human resource exchanges in view of technical cooperation

in the future.

India's 1st Garbage Festival Organised in

Chhattisgarh i. The Raipur Municipal Corporation in

Chhattisgarh organised the three-day 'Kachra Mahotsav

2018'. It is India's first Garbage Festival. ii. The festival aimed to increase awareness, use the waste

generated in the city creatively, and to showcase multiple

techniques for reusing things that are labelled as garbage.

Arun Jaitley Launches National CSR Data Portal

& Corporate Data Portal i. The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate

Affairs, Arun Jaitley launched the National CSR Data

Portal & Corporate Data Portal in Delhi. This initiative is

a significant step towards driving accountability and

transparency for corporate India.

ii. The portals’ easy accessibility to the general public will

ensure a high level of compliance and will also help in

institutionalising and consolidating the CSR activities. 4th India International Science Festival to be held

in Lucknow i. The fourth edition of the India International Science

Festival will be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The

decision to hold the Festival in Lucknow was taken at the

first preparatory meeting for the 4th India International

Science Festival (IISF).

ii. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Science

& Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The 1st IISF was held

at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi.

India Becomes 43rd Member of Australia Group i. India has joined the Australia Group export control

regime and has become the 43rd Member of that

Group. It is an informal forum which seeks to ensure that

exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or

biological weapons. ii. India has managed entry into Missile Technology

Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement

and Australia Group despite not being a signatory to the

Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Government Announces List of 9 New Smart Cities i. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep

Singh Puri announced the list of nine new Smart

Cities, which have emerged winners in Round 4.

ii. These nine cities are, Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar

Haveli, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Diu in Daman and

Diu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Bareilly in Uttar

Pradesh, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Moradabad in

Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh

and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep.

India to Set up $350 million Fund to Finance Solar

Projects i. As per the Power Minister RK Singh, India will set up a

$350-million fund to finance solar projects as the country

steps up efforts to achieve its ambitious target of adding

175 gigawatts (GW) in renewable energy by 2022. ii. The announcement was made at an event organised by

the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in Abu Dhabi,

UAE. Installed renewable power capacity is currently about

60 GW, and India plans to complete the bidding process by

the end of 2019/20 to add a further 115 GW of installed

renewable energy capacity by 2022.

India Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable ICBM Agni-V i. India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-V inter-

continental ballistic missile (ICBM), which has a strike

range of over 5,000km.

ii. It was test fired successfully from Abdul Kalam

island off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha. The

ICBM can reach the northern-most parts of China.

Odisha CM Launches 'Mukhyamantri Kalakar

Sahayata Yojana' i. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched

the „Mukhyamantri Kalakar Sahayata Jojana‟

(MMKSJ) – an assistance scheme for Artists in the state.

Around 50,000 artists will be benefited from this. The

government has decided to give Rs 1,200 per month as artist

assistance.



ii. The CM confirmed that the government has also changed

the eligibility criteria for availing MMKSJ. Under the new

scheme, a male artist can avail assistance after attaining the

age of 50 years instead of the existing 60 years. The age

criteria for female artists have been reduced to 40 years

from 50 years.

Israel PM Addresses India-Israel Business Summit

in Mumbai i. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited

Mumbai during the final leg of his visit to India. Mr

Netanyahu addressed the India-Israel Business Summit at

the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in south Mumbai. ii. Later in the day, Mr Netanyahu attended the „Shalom

Bollywood‟ event at the Taj hotel. A monthly magazine

titled „Namaste Shalom‟ will also be launched to mark

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Mumbai visit.

PM Modi, Netanyahu Inaugurates 'iCreate Centre'

in Ahmedabad i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Benjamin

Netanyahu inaugurated the 'iCreate Centre' at Deo

Dholera in Ahmedabad. iCreate paves way for the two

nations to jointly script new stories of success through

innovation.

ii. The two leaders also visited the startup exhibition at the

venue and interacted with entrepreneurs and innovators.

IWDRI-2018 Concluded Successfully in New Delhi i. The two-day International Workshop on Disaster

Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) successfully

concluded in New Delhi. It had set the stage for taking the

dialogue on resilient infrastructure forward at the global

level.

ii. The Workshop was organised by the National Disaster

Management Authority (NDMA) jointly with United

Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

(UNISDR). MoS (Home) Shri Kiren Rijiju delivered the

Valedictory Address. The workshop was inaugurated by

the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.

Ministry of Petroleum Launches Saksham 2018

Campaign i. Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) is an annual

flagship event of Petroleum Conservation Research

Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of

Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt. of India.

ii. The event focuses on the active involvement of the Oil &

Gas PSUs along with other stakeholders like State

Governments, for creating focused attention on fuel

conservation through people-centric activities.

65th Meeting of Central Advisory Board of

Education (CABE) Held in New Delhi i. The 65th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of

Education (CABE) was held under the chairmanship of

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash

Javadekar. The meeting' agenda was focused on issues

related to school education and literacy.

ii. At the meeting the National Assessment Survey (NAS)

District-wise report card was released. The meeting was

attended by Education Ministers of 20 States,

representatives of 28 States and Union Territories.

BBIN Pact: India, Bangladesh, Nepal Okays

Vehicle Movement Procedure i. Bangladesh, India and Nepal have given nod to

operating procedures for movement of passenger vehicles in

the sub-region under Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal

(BBIN) motor vehicles agreement.

ii. For seamless flow of passenger and cargo traffic in the

region, BBIN motor vehicles agreement (MVA) was signed

by the transport ministers of the BBIN countries in

Thimphu, Bhutan in June 2015.

Israeli PM Netanyahu Inaugurate 3rd edition of

Geo-Political Conference Raisina Dialogue i. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

inaugurated the 3rd edition of the geo-political

conference, 'Raisina Dialogue'. PM Modi and External

Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the inaugural

session of the three-day event. ii. This year's topic of Raisina Dialogue is 'Managing

Disruptive Transitions - Ideas, Institutions and

Idioms.' This is the first time when any foreign head of state

has participated in this dialogue.

WEF Ranks India 30th on Global Manufacturing

Index i. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at

30th position on a global manufacturing index - below

China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil,

Russia and South Africa.

ii. Japan has been found to have the best structure of

production in the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for

the future of production report’ and is followed by South

Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the

US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10. Among

BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South

Africa at 45th place India contributes USD 50,000 to UN Youth Envoy's

Office i. India has contributed USD 50,000 to UN Secretary

General Antonio Guterres's Office of Envoy on Youth to

help with its mission of involving young people in the world

body's goals.

ii. The contribution is voluntary with no strings attached and

is in addition to the regular payments India makes to the

UN's general and peacekeeping budgets.

15th January 2018: 70th Army Day i. The 70th Army Day is being celebrated today (15th

January 2018). The day is celebrated to pay homage and

salute to the courageous and brave Indian soldiers who have

been sacrificing their lives for protecting the country.

ii. Every year on this day, the ‘Army Day’ is celebrated to

commemorate the day when General (later Field Marshal)

K.M Carriappa took over the command of Army from

General Sir F.R.R Bucher, the last British Commander-in-

Chief in 1949 and became the first Commander-in-Chief of

Indian Army post Independence.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in India i. India and Israel have agreed to enhance co-operation in

the areas of agriculture, science and technology and

security.

ii. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the second Israeli PM to

visit India after Ariel Sharon, was accorded a ceremonial

reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The first one took place

when PM Narendra Modi visited Israel in July 2017,

becoming the first Indian leader to visit the Jewish state.



4th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on

Agriculture & Forestry Held in New Delhi i. Agriculture ministers of ASEAN countries met for

the fourth sitting in New Delhi. The topic of discussion

was based on food and agricultural future developments. ii. On this occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Radha

Mohan Singh stated that India is committed towards the

agenda set by United Nations and ASEAN countries have

been working together for the prosperity of the agriculture

sector as well.

All about National Youth Day- 12 January

i. The National Youth Day has been celebrated every year

on 12 January. This is the day when Swami

Vivekananda, one of the greatest social reformers,

thinkers, and philosophers of India, was born. The Indian

government had declared back in 1984 that Swamiji’s

birthday would be celebrated as the National Youth Day.

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National

Youth Festival in Greater Noida through Video

conferencing. The Theme of the Festival is 'Sankalp Se

Siddhi'. Culture Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma will be the

guest of honour on the occasion.

All You Need to Know about ISRO's Successful

Launch of 42nd PSLV

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched

its 42nd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the

First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in

Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The PSLV-C40 is to place 31

satellites, originating from seven countries, across two

orbits.

ii. Its primary payload was the fourth satellite in the

advanced remote sensing Cartosat-2 series. The satellite's

design life is five years. ISRO successfully sent up a rocket

carrying India's 100th satellite along with 30 others.

India Tops Domestic Air Traffic Demand at 16.4% in

November: IATA

i. India's domestic air passenger traffic grew by 16.4

percent in November 2017, topping the growth chart

worldwide, according to the global aviation body,

the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

ii. Globally, the total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK)

increased 8 percent compared to November 2016. The

available seat kilometres (ASKs) or capacity grew by 6.3

percent. The ASK for India was at 10.4 percent, second only

to China where capacity grew by 12.9 percent, according to

the IATA's monthly data.

5th Bilateral Meeting Between India and Malaysia

Held in New Delhi

i. The 5th Bilateral Technical Meeting on cooperation in

the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine between Govt.

of India and Malaysia was held in New Delhi.

ii. The Meeting had discussed the following agenda:-

Establishment of Ayurveda Chair in University of UTAR, Malaysia,

Professional training in Panchakarma therapy for Malaysian experts in India,

The evaluation of safety and efficacy of combination Ayurvedic/ traditional products for clinical trials.

Safety evaluation of Ayurvedic products based on Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)

Bilateral MoU between National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH and Malaysia for Cooperation in the field of Medicinal Plants.

President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurated 4th

International Dharma Dhamma Conference i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a three-day

International Dharma-Dhamma conference at Rajgir in

Bihar.

ii. The inaugural session was chaired by Mr Kovind. The

conference was attended by Sri Lanka‟s foreign Minister

Tilak Marapana.

UIDAI Introduces „Virtual ID‟ to Strengthen

Privacy and Security of Aadhaar Data i. The Unique Identification Authority of India

(UIDAI) has introduced a concept of 'Virtual ID' to further

strengthen privacy and security of Aadhaar number holders.

The Aadhaar number holder can use 'Virtual ID' in place of

an Aadhaar number whenever authentication or KYC

services are performed.

ii. Aadhaar card holder can generate the Virtual ID from

UIDAI website and give for various purposes, including

SIM card verification, instead of sharing the actual 12-digit

biometric ID.

Ministry of Railway Launches SFOORTI

Application i. The Ministry of Railways has launched Smart Freight

Operation Optimisation & Real Time Information

(SFOORTI) App for Freight Managers which provides

features for monitoring and managing freight business using

Geographic Information System (GIS) Views and

Dashboard.

ii. The major digital initiative is to help plan the traffic flows

and optimize freight operations.

Salient features of SFOORTI Application are as below:

1. With this application, movement of freight trains

on Geographic Information System (GIS) view

can be tracked.

2. Both passenger and freight trains can be tracked

over Zones/Divisions/ Sections in single GIS View.

3. Comparative Analysis of Zonal/Divisional Traffic.

4. This app provides a Bird’s eye view of all Freight

Assets in a single window.

Important Cabinet Approvals- 10th January

2018 i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The

important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-

The Cabinet has approved-

1. MoU between India and Canada for cooperation in the

field of Science & Technology. The MoU will provide a

mechanism and help to foster scientific cooperation between

R&D and academic institutions of India and Canada.

2. Implementation of CCEA decision on the closure of

Tungabhadra Steel Products Limited.

3. Fixed term for Chairperson and Members of the



National Trust- Cabinet approved the proposal to amend

Section 4(1) and Section 5(1) of the National Trust for the

Welfare of Person with Autism, Cerebral Plasy, Mental

Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 to fix the term

of the Chairperson and Members of the Board of National

Trust for three years. Indian Railways Launches Transparent and

Efficient “New Online Vendor Registration

System” i. Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), the research arm of Ministry of Railways, has launched “New Online Vendor Registration System”. ii. Public access to the information, expeditious process

completion with defined timelines, simplification of procedures, round-the-year services, availability of all related information on RDSO Website, constant monitoring at all levels, reduction in cycle timelines, regular updating of online data, user-friendly interface etc. are the hallmarks of the new system.

PM Modi Inaugurates 1st PIO Parliamentary Conference in Delhi i. PM Narendra Modi inaugurates the first Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference in Delhi on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The day is

celebrated every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India. ii. It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915. In the Conference, the biggest delegation was from Guyana with 20 members of parliament and three mayors.

India‟s 1st Multi-Petaflop Supercomputer „Pratyush‟ Dedicated to Nation i. Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicated India‟s fastest and first multi-petaflops supercomputer named „Pratyush‟ to the nation in Pune. It is established at the Indian Institute of Tropical

Meteorology, Pune. ii. It will be a national facility for improving weather and

climate forecasts and services under the umbrella of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

India‟s Second FTII to be Set up in Arunachal Pradesh

i. Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh announced that Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the Union Government. ii. This would be the second such one in the country. The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)

was set up in Pune.

Bilateral Annual Haj 2018 Agreement between India and Saudi Arabia Signed i. According to the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Saudi Arabia has given the

green signal for India’s decision to revive the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also. ii. The practice of ferrying Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped in 1995. For the first time, Muslim women from India will go to Haj without “Mehram” (male companion).

Indian Navy Signs MoU with Cochin Port Trust i. The Indian Navy has inked an MoU with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), Kerala towards leasing of 228 metres of berths at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years. ii. The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic

requirements of the Navy with the sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such

an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.

West Bengal CM Unveils Official Emblem of West Bengal Government i. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled

the official emblem of the state government, which was recently approved by the centre. ii. The logo highlights the Ashoka emblem on the top with the theme of "Biswa Bangla" at the centre. Ms Banerjee has

also contributed to the design of the emblem.

World Book Fair Begins in Delhi i. The World Book Fair started in New Delhi. Environment

issues like climate change, global warming, and water pollution will be the main theme for this year’s Fair. ii. The annual book fair will see around 800 publishers from

across the country in different languages. Defence Ministry Clears Arms Procurement Contracts worth Rs2,420 crore for Navy and Army i. Defence Ministry has cleared contracts worth 2,420 crore rupees for Navy and Army which includes the procurement of P-8I Training Solution and Low-Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System (LICEWS). ii. The training solution accurately simulates P-8I aircraft and

mission systems. It will help Indian Navy train and realistically rehearse for sophisticated missions involving P-8I aircraft. The procurement of LICEWS will be done from Bharat Electronics Limited for 470 crore rupees.

India‟s Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education up by 0.7% i. The country‟s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education has registered an increase from 24.5% in 2015-16 to 25.2% in 2016-17, according to the All India Higher Education Survey (AIHES) launched by Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar. ii. According to AIHES of 2016-17, Tamil Nadu has the highest GER in the country at 46.9%. Bihar has the least

GER of 14.9%.

World's Biggest Cleanliness Survey 'Swachh Sarvekshan 2018' Launched i. The world's biggest cleanliness survey 'Swachh Sarvekshan Survey 2018' was launched in India by PM

Narendra Modi. It will be conducted from the 4th of January to 10th of March. ii. The cleanliness survey was launched in 2016 as part of

the Swachh Bharat Mission. The main objective of Swachh Survekshan is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness towards making towns and cities a cleaner and better place to live in.

India Excludes Pakistan from a SAARC Initiative i. India has excluded Pakistan from the list of SAARC member countries with which it will be connecting its state-of-the-art National Knowledge Network (NKN) for sharing

scientific databases and remote access to advanced research facilities. ii. The government has kicked off the process of appointing a

telecom company that will connect and extend the NKN to research and education networks in six South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation member states- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

India-Myanmar Land Border Crossing Agreement Approved i. Cabinet has approved the Agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing.

ii. It will also facilitate movement of people on the basis of

valid passports and visas which will enhance economic and social interaction between the two countries.



Sushma Swaraj Embarked on Tour of 3 Southeast Asian Nations i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left on a 5-day visit to three South East Asian countries – Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. On the first leg of the visit, Ms Swaraj will reach Thailand and will hold an official meeting

with Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai. ii. During the visit to Indonesia, Ms Swaraj will co-chair the 5th meeting of India-Indonesia Joint Commission. In Singapore, the External Affairs Minister will inaugurate the

Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas of ASEAN countries. She will have bilateral meetings with the leaders in Singapore.

MoU between India and Israel on Cooperation in Oil and Gas Sector Approved i. Cabinet has approved the signing of MoU between India and Israel on cooperation in the Oil and Gas Sector. ii. The cooperation envisaged under the agreement will

facilitate promotion of investments in each other’s countries, technology transfer, R&D, conducting joint studies, capacity building of human resources and collaboration in the area of Start-ups.

Namami Gange Projects Worth Rs. 295 crore Approved by NMCG i. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved five projects worth Rs. 295.01 crore. ii. Three projects pertain to sewage management in West Bengal at an estimated cost of Rs 278.6 crore, one relates to sewage management in Uttarakhand at an estimated cost of Rs 4.68 crore and one project worth Rs 11.73 crore is related to ghat improvement works in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Health Ministry and Tata Memorial Centre Launches India's First Digital Online Oncology Tutorial i. Smt Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) launched the country‟s first digital Online Oncology Tutorial Series designed by the Tata Memorial

Center in collaboration with the Health Ministry. ii. The oncology tutorial series aims to train the doctors

across the country to educate them in early detection, prevention, palliation, rehabilitation and treatment of various

cancers. Cabinet Nod to India, UK Pact to Improve Public Transport i. The Cabinet has approved the signing and implementation of the MoU between Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and „Transport for London‟ to improve public

transport in the country. ii. The MoU is aimed at improving the overall public transport

system, improve passenger services and promote the use of

high capacity buses in India.

Centre Unveiled Contours of „Electoral Bonds‟

Scheme

i. The Centre unveiled the contours of the „Electoral Bonds‟ scheme, which seeks to ensure the flow of clean

money to political parties, without revealing the donors’ names. ii. As per the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the electoral

bonds will be a bearer instrument in the nature of a Promissory Note and an interest-free banking instrument. A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India

will be eligible to purchase the bond from specified branches of the State Bank of India. iii. The bonds can be purchased for any value in multiples of Rs1,000; Rs10,000; Rs1 lakh; Rs10 lakh; and Rs1 crore.

PLACES IN NEWS Maharashtra Becomes 1st State to Unveil Public

Cloud Policy i. Maharashtra has become the first state in the country

that has come out with a public cloud policy, virtually

mandating its departments to shift their data storage onto the

cloud. This move has created a USD 2- billion opportunity

for the industry. ii. The announcement was made by Chief Minister

Devendra Fadnavis at the Maharashtra Technology

Summit. The policy will result in additional private sector

investments as the government is one of the biggest creators

and consumers of data.

Election Dates in Tripura, Meghalaya and

Nagaland Declared i. The Election Commission of India, Achal Kumar

Joti announced dates for elections to the Assemblies of

Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland. The CEC announced

the polling for legislative assembly elections in Tripura on

18 February, while Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to

vote on 27 February. ii. All the three states have 60 seats each in their assembly.

The tenure of the Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland

Assemblies expire on March 6, March 13 and March 14,

2018, respectively.

Punjab Inks MoU with IOC to Set up Biogas, Bio-

CNG Plants i. The Punjab government signed an MoU with

the Indian Oil Corporation to set up bio-gas and bio-

CNG plants in the state. The pact is part of the state's

concerted efforts to find sustainable solutions to paddy straw

burning, which has emerged as a major environmental

concern.

ii. The MoU with IOC was signed by Punjab Bureau of

Industrial Promotion (PBIP) and Punjab Energy

Development Agency (PEDA) in the presence of Chief

Minister Amarinder Singh.

Johnson & Johnson Partners with Maharashtra

Govt. on Health Interventions i. Maharashtra’s mine workers who face an increased risk of

tuberculosis will be part of awareness programmes on the

illness, as part of a partnership that the Maharashtra

Government recently formalized with Johnson & Johnson.

Other interventions under the ambit of the agreement

include hospital acquired infections and maternal and infant

mortality.

ii. The collaboration would also look at infection prevention,

diabetes, obesity and menstrual hygiene and support

healthcare professionals and nurses in the State to develop

skills in these areas.

Karnataka Tops States with Investment Intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore i. Karnataka topped all states with investment intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore till October 2017, according to R V

Deshpande, Karnataka Minister for Large, Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development ii. The investment was 43 percent of the country's total investment intentions. Karnataka has topped in FDI inflows

and has performed well in exports, contributing about 40 percent in electronics and software services.

Gujarat Tops Logistics Performance Index Chart: Report



i. Gujarat has topped the logistics index chart, according to a Report released by Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi. The chart is an

indicator of the efficiency of logistical services necessary for promoting exports in particular and economic growth in general. ii. Among 22 states, Gujarat is followed by Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra on the

index. iii. Among the Union Territories, Daman & Diu occupied the top slot followed by Delhi and Chandigarh. As regards the hilly states, Tripura was on top followed by Mizoram and Meghalaya.

Haryana Becomes First State to Launch High-Risk Pregnancy Portal i. Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. This portal not

only helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level but also ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists. ii. This innovative web application has been designed to

track every high-risk pregnant woman till 42 days after

delivery.

Goa to Host 3rd Edition of Science Film

Festival i. Goa will be hosting the third edition of the Science Film Festival of India in January 2018. The festival, titled

SCI-FFI Goa, is being organised by the state-based Vidnyan Parishad, Goa Department of Science and Technology. ii. The competition aims to boost the culture of science films,

all the films submitted should be related to science and technology.

Karnataka to Hold 'Largest B2B Travel Event' in the Country i. The Karnataka government announced that 'Karnataka International Travel Expo' (KITE) will be held from February 28, billing it as the "largest" B2B travel event in the country. ii. The aim of the event is to project Karnataka globally and

attract tourist footfall, with emphasis on promoting the state's wildlife, luxury and adventure destinations, historical monuments and UNESCO world heritage sites.

171st Araadhanai Music Festival Begins in Tamil Nadu i. The 171st Araadhanai Music Festival of one of the

Trinities of Carnatic music Saint Thyagaraja begins in Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu. The festival was inaugurated by Governor Banwarilal Purohit. ii. The main function of the festival is the choral singing of

Thyagaraja’s five kritis in Ghana ragas. Over 1,000

musicians from all over the world are expected to pay

homage to Saint Thygaraja during the course of the five-day

festival.

1st Draft of National Register of Citizens in Assam Released i. The citizen of Assam witnessed the release of the first draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) containing the first batch of 19 million names of genuine Indian citizens in

compliance with the Supreme Court 's orders. ii. Registrar General of India Sailesh released the

document. The first draft has listed 19 million people out of

the 32.9 million applicants from within the state as legal

Indian citizens.

Arunachal Pradesh Declared Open Defecation Free i. Arunachal Pradesh has been declared open defecation free ahead of the national deadline of October 2, 2019. The

milestone was achieved after the state announced an

incentive of Rs 8,000 in addition to the Rs 12,000-grant provided by the Centre for building toilets. ii. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,

and Haryana were declared open defecation free states in

October 2017.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Google Introduces a New App Named "Bulletin" i. Google has introduced a new app named

"Bulletin" that allows anybody to submit stories for and

about their communities. This is a free, lightweight app for

telling a story by capturing photos, video clips and text right

from your phone.

ii. The app is made for contributing hyperlocal stories about

your community. The application has been launched as

a limited pilot project and is available

in Nashville, Tennessee and Oakland,

California. World Economic Forum Summit in Switzerland

Concludes i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home after

concluding his visit to Davos, Switzerland. During the visit,

the Prime Minister delivered a keynote address at the

plenary session of the 48th annual meeting of World

Economic Forum. ii. He became the first Indian prime minister in two

decades to join the world’s top business leaders in the Swiss

resort town of Davos.

iii. Mr Modi outlined climate change, terrorism and

protectionism as three global threats. He also met

his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. The Prime

Minister also held a meeting with Queen Maxima of the

Netherlands. At the end, Mr Modi interacted with top

global CEOs at the International Business Council event.

Malta's Valletta Becomes Europe's Capital of

Culture i. Valletta, the capital of Malta, was officially named

European Capital of Culture 2018. Valletta will share the

title with Leeuwarden, a city in the Netherlands.

ii. Notably, the 'European Capitals of Culture' initiative aims

to highlight the diversity of European culture and to increase

the citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area.

India Ranks 62nd on WEF‟s Inclusive Development

Index i. India was ranked at the 62nd place among emerging

economies on an Inclusive Development Index of World

Economic Forum (WEF). In the report, China is on 26th

position and Pakistan is on 47th.

ii. Norway remains the world‟s most inclusive advanced

economy, while Lithuania again tops the list of emerging

economies, according to the report. India was ranked 60th

among 79 developing economies in last year survey.

North and South Korea Agree to Jointly March

Under Unification Flag in Winter Olympics i. North and South Korea have agreed to march together

under a single unified Korea flag at Winter Olympics in

the South.

ii. These are the first high-level talks between the two

Koreas in more than two years. The Games will take place

in February 2018 in Pyeongchang in South Korea.

India Attends its 1st SCO Military Cooperation

Meeting in Beijing i. India, for the first time, took part in a two-day meeting

of the international military cooperation departments of

the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in



Beijing, China. An Indian delegation was led by Major

General Ajay Seth. ii. This is the first meeting attended by India in the field of

defence cooperation under the SCO framework. India, Sri Lanka Sign 4 Agreements for

Collaboration in ICT Sector i. India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements for

collaboration in the Information and communication

technology (ICT) sector, setting up of an e-office system

and connecting of National Knowledge Network (NKN) for

collaboration among universities and academics.

ii. With the move, Sri Lanka has become the first country

to be connected to India‟s NKN through a Gigabyte

optical fibre network. The MoU for cooperation was

signed by Union minister for Information Technology

Ravi Shankar Prasad with his Sri Lankan counterpart,

during his visit to Colombo.

India Signs Pact with UK on Illegal Migrants

i. India has signed an MoU with the United Kingdom to

enable the return of illegal Indian migrants within a month

of their detection by authorities abroad.

ii. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju confirmed that

the pact was signed by him and UK Minister of State for

Immigration Caroline Nokes in Britain during his visit along

with an Indian delegation.

'IRON FIST'- The US, Japan Joint Military Drill

Begins i. American and Japanese military forces have

launched joint exercise named Iron Fist. The 13th annual

Iron Fist exercises kicked off in the U.S. western state of

California.

ii. More than 500 U.S. Marines and sailors are partnering

with about 350 members of the Japanese Ground Self-

Defense Force to train in fire support operations and

amphibious assaults.

China Becomes Nepal‟s 2nd Internet Service

Provider i. China became Nepal‟s second internet service

provider, breaking India’s monopoly in providing internet

access to Nepal.

ii. The Hong Kong and Beijing based China Telecom

Global (CTG) has teamed up with Nepal Telecom to

provide alternate cyber-connectivity to Nepal. CTG was

formed in 2012.

UN Environment and WHO Agreed to Major

Collaboration on Environmental Health Risks i. UN Environment and the World Health

Organization have agreed a new, wide-ranging

collaboration to accelerate action to curb environmental

health risks that cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths a

year.

ii. Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, and Dr Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, signed

an agreement to step up joint actions to combat air pollution,

climate change and antimicrobial resistance, water quality,

and food and nutrition issues, in Nairobi, the capital city of

Kenya.

Jeff Bezos Becomes Richest Person Surpassing Bill

Gates: Bloomberg Report i. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon has become the

richest man in the history, overtaking the wealth Bill Gates ever

had to his name, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Index showed that Bezos' net worth had hit USD 105.1 billion.

ii. According to Forbes' tracker, most of Bezos' wealth comes

from his 78.9 million shares of Amazon stock. According to

Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the top 3 richest people in the world

are Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

South Korea, GCCI Sign MoU for Business

Cooperation i. An official delegation from South Korea and the Gujarat

Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) signed a MoU for

co-operation between industries in Gujarat and the East Asian

country, with a focus on automobile, defence and textiles sectors.

ii. The main objective of the MoU is to help Gujarat-based small

and medium enterprises (SMEs) to explore opportunities through

joint ventures with South Korean firms, especially in areas of

automobile, defence and textiles.

World‟s Largest Ice Festival Held in China i. World‟s largest Ice Festival 'International Ice and Snow Festival' was held in Harbin, China. This is one of China’s coldest cities in the winter. It is the 34th annual Ice Festival in Harbin, north-east China. ii. It features sculptures of Moscow’s Red Square and

Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Sushma Swaraj 3 Nation Visit: Co-Chairs Meeting

of India-Indonesia Joint Commission

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who is visiting

Indonesia as part of her three-nation tour, co-chaired the fifth

meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Commission with her

Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.

ii. Both the countries agreed to work together for a balanced and

sustainable trade by providing greater market access, both in goods

and services.

Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 Kicked off at

Kathmandu i. The Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 kicked off at Kathmandu,

the capital Nepal. President of Nepal Bidya Devi

Bhandari inaugurated the exhibition.

ii. The basic objective of Expo is to unleash massive hydropower

potential of Nepal and bring all stakeholders under one roof.

Iceland Becomes 1st Country to Legalise Equal Pay i. Iceland has become the first country in the world to legalise equal pay between men and women. In Iceland

now it will be illegal to pay men more than women for the work. ii. Under the new rules, companies and government

agencies employing at least 25 people will have to obtain

government certification of their equal-pay policies.

Six Countries Enter UN Security Council i. Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and the Netherlands formally joined the ranks of the non-

permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to make a difference. ii. The UN Security Council has 15 members, including five

with permanent seats who have the power to veto resolutions - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The six countries who left the UN Security Council recently are Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.

UNESCO Enters Turkey's Endangered 'Bird Language' in Intangible Cultural Heritage List i. The unusual and very efficient whistle language commonly called "bird language" used as a

means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey entered the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. ii. UNESCO has accepted the "bird language" of Black Sea

villagers as an endangered part of world heritage in need of urgent protection.

Pakistan State Bank Allows use of Chinese Currency Yuan for Bilateral Trade & Investment Activities



i. Pakistan has allowed Chinese currency Yuan for

exports and financing transactions. According to Pakistan, external affairs ministry, both public and private sector enterprises of Pakistan and China are free to choose Yuan for bilateral trade and investment activities. ii. As per current foreign exchange regulations, Chinese

Yuan is an approved foreign currency for denominating

foreign currency transactions in Pakistan.

Israel Withdraws from UNESCO i. Israel has filed notice to withdraw from the UNESCO

alongside the United States. Israel has blasted UNESCO in recent years over the organisation's criticism of Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem and its decision to grant full membership to Palestine in 2011. ii. Israel was the member of UNESCO since 1949. Both

Israel and the US have filed its own withdrawal notice in

October 2017.

Nepal Bans Solo Climbing on Mount Everest i. Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce

accidents. ii. The new safety regulations also prohibit double amputee

and blind climbers from attempting to reach the summit of the world's highest peak without a valid medical certificate.

RANKING AND REPORTS India Ranks 177th in Environmental Performance

Index i. India ranks 177 among 180 countries in

the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

2018, according to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia

Universities along with the World Economic Forum. India

ranked 141 in 2016 report. ii. The report was released on the sidelines of the World

Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Switzerland leads

the list, followed by France, Denmark and Malta.

India Ranks 81st On Global Talent

Competitiveness Index i. India has moved up on a global index of talent

competitiveness to the 81st position in the report that was

released in the first day the 48th World Economic Forum

(WEF) annual meeting in Davos,

Switzerland. Switzerland has topped the list.

ii. India has improved its position from 92nd in 2017 on the

index that measures how countries grow, attract and retain

talent. Among BRICS countries, China has topped with 54th

position. Among the countries, Switzerland is followed by

Singapore and the US.

BANKING AND FINANCE Axis Bank Launches 4th Edition of “Evolve” i. Private sector Axis Bank launched the fourth edition of

„Evolve‟ in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is an annual multi-

city knowledge series for Bank‟s small and medium-sized

enterprises (SME) customers. The current edition of

'evolve' is titled as “Transform your Family Business into

your dream company”. ii. It will empower the SMEs to understand the winning

strategies and best practices that have helped some of the

leading family businesses in India grow into the reputable

enterprise.

IOB, NHB Tie up for Rural Housing Push i. Indian Overseas Bank has signed an MoU with

National Housing Bank for the Rural Housing Interest

Subsidy Scheme (RHISS) of the Ministry of Rural

Development. The aim of the RHISS is to provide subsidy

for housing loans taken by those living in rural areas for

construction and modifications of their dwelling units.

ii. The interest subsidy under the scheme is 3% for a loan

amount of Rs2 lakh for 20-year tenure. Indian Overseas

Bank has become one of the first public sector banks to

implement the scheme.

Mauritius Largest Source of FDI in India- RBI

i. Mauritius was the largest source of foreign investment

in India (21.8 per cent share at market value), followed by

the US and the UK, according to a census by the Reserve

Bank of India. ii. Singapore and Japan were the next two sources of foreign

direct investment (FDI), reported the Census on Foreign

Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment

Companies 2016-17, released by RBI.

AU Small Finance Bank Inks MoU with LIC to

Offer PMJJBY Scheme i. Banking finance company AU Small Finance Bank has

signed an MoU with LIC to offer Pradhan Mantri Jeevan

Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). Under the MoU, LIC will

give a life cover of Rs2 lakh in case of death to the customer

at a nominal premium of Rs330 per annum.

ii. The company has re-entered the housing finance segment.

The company will also offer loans under government’s

affordable housing and subsidy schemes such as Pradhan

Mantri Awas Yojana.

Yes Bank Ties up with Amplus Energy Solutions i. Amplus Energy Solutions announced entering into a pact

with private sector lender Yes Bank for strategic tie-up to

co-finance projects in the solar energy space in India.

ii. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at

International Solar Alliance pavilion at the World Future

Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi.

Bank of Baroda Partners with Invoicemart as a

TReDS Partner i. Digital invoice discounting marketplace -

Invoicemart has tied up with state-run lender Bank of

Baroda to discount invoices for MSMEs. Buyers and sellers

registered in the marketplace will now be able to access

funding from Bank of Baroda.

ii. Invoicemart is a joint venture between Axis Bank Ltd

and junction services ltd. Bank of Baroda had recently

announced that it was stepping up its focus on supply chain

financing.

HDFC Bank Becomes 1st Indian Bank to Cross Rs5

trillion Market Capitalisation i. India‟s most-valued lender HDFC Bank

Ltd crossed Rs5 trillion market capitalisation for the first

time, making it only the third Indian company to achieve

this milestone.

ii. In intraday trade, the stock touched a fresh record high of

Rs1,53.75 on the BSE, up 3.31% from its previous close.

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) and Reliance

Industries Ltd (RIL) are the other two companies which

crossed market capitalisation of Rs5 trillion.

Federal Bank ties up with Hedge Equities i. Federal Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with

Hedge Equities Ltd for providing Portfolio Investment



Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs. A formal agreement was

executed in which Jose K Mathew (EVP & Head Retail

Business, Federal Bank) and Alex Babu (MD, Hedge

Equities Ltd) exchanged the MoU announcing the tie-up.

ii. Federal Bank is authorised by the RBI to issue permission

letter to NRIs on behalf of the RBI to transact in secondary

market.

IDFC Bank, Capital First to merge in Share Swap

Deal i. IDFC Bank and Capital First has approved a merger of

Capital First with IDFC Bank. Pursuant to the merger which

is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, IDFC

Bank will issue 139 shares for every 10 shares of Capital

First.

ii. The deal values Capital First - owned more than a third

by private equity firm Warburg Pincus - at Rs. 938.25 a

share based on the two companies' price and giving the

company a market value of Rs. 9,278 crore ($1.46 billion),

Reuters calculations showed.

BSE's India International Exchange Lists IRFC's

First Green Bond i. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)'s India International

Exchange listed the first bond on its Global Securities

Market.

ii. The bonds issued by Indian Railways Finance

Corporation (IRFC) are one of the highest credit rated bonds

issued by an Indian corporate and has been IRFC's first

foray into the Green Bond market.

What is Indian Railways Finance Corporation? IRFC is a finance arm of the Indian Railway.

S K Pattanayak is Managing Director of IRFC.

IRFC was set up on 12th December 1986.

Retail Inflation Rises to 5.21% in December i. Retail inflation crossed the RBI‟s comfort level and

rose to 5.21 percent in December on rise in prices of food

items, egg and vegetables, dashing hopes of interest rate cut

in the near future.

ii. The retail inflation, based on Consumer Price Index

(CPI), was 4.88 percent in November.

India, Top Borrower from China-Sponsored AIIB

in 2017 i. India has emerged as a top borrower from the China-

sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

with USD 1.5 billion worth of loans last year and USD

three billion more in the pipeline.

ii. India's Ambassador Gautam Bambawale met AIIB

President Jin Liqun in Beijing and held in-depth talks on

deepening India's engagements with the bank. Next to India,

Indonesia has emerged as the second largest borrower

with about USD 600 million loans.

IndusInd Bank to Introduce India‟s First Battery-

Powered Interactive Payment Card i. IndusInd Bank and Dynamics Inc. at the 2018

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) announced plans to

introduce the first battery-powered, interactive payment

cards to the Indian market in 2018. ii. The new IndusInd Bank card from Dynamics has multiple

buttons that let the consumers use a single card to pay in

multiple ways.

World Bank Projects India‟s Growth Rate at 7.3%

in 2018

i. World Bank has projected India‟s growth rate at 7.3 percent in 2018 and 7.5 for the next two years. According

to the 2018 Global Economics Prospect release, despite initial setbacks from demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), India’s economy is estimated to have grown at 6.7 percent in 2017. ii. India’s growth potential will be around 7 percent for the

next 10 years. In comparison with China, which is slowing, the World Bank is expecting India to gradually accelerate.

PNB Ties up with NSFDC for Assisting SC Families i. Punjab National Bank (PNB) and National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) have tied up to provide financial assistance for

economic empowerment of persons belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) families living below Double Poverty Line (DPL). ii. A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to this effect was

signed between PNB and NSFDC. Under this tie-up, PNB would act as a channelising agent for the loan schemes of NSFDC.

Paytm Launches Investment Arm, to Invest $10 million i. Paytm has set up a new entity called Paytm Money Ltd that will offer investment and wealth management

products and will invest close to $10 million upfront in the new entity. ii. Paytm Money is the fourth product from One97’s stable

after Paytm Mall, Paytm Payments Bank and Paytm wallet. It

will be available as a separate mobile application to users.

Direct Tax Collections for FY 2017-18 Show

Growth of 18.2% up to December, 2017

i. The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to December 2017 show that net collections are at Rs. 6.56 lakh crore which is 18.2% higher than the net collections

for the corresponding period of last year. ii. The net Direct Tax collections represent 67% of the total

Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for Financial Year 2017-18 (Rs. 9.8 lakh crore). Gross collections (before adjusting for refunds) have increased by 12.6% to Rs. 7.68 lakh crore from April to December 2017. iii. An amount of Rs. 3.18 lakh crore has been received as

Advance Tax up to December, 2017 reflecting a growth of 12.7% over the Advance Tax payments of the corresponding period of last year. The growth in Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Advance Tax is 10.9% and that in Personal Income Tax (PIT) Advance Tax is 21.6%.

All You Need to Know About New Rs10 Banknote in Mahatma Gandhi Series i. The Reserve Bank of India has announced to issue Rs10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. The new denomination has the motif of Sun Temple, Konark on the reverse, depicting the country's

cultural heritage. ii. The base colour of the note is Chocolate Brown. The dimension of the banknote will be 63 mm x 123 mm.

TIHCL Gets RBI Nod to Operate as NBFC i. Telangana Industrial Health Clinic Ltd (TIHCL), a State government initiative, has got RBI clearance to register and function as a non-banking finance company (NBFC). ii. It will be the first State promoted and co-financing NBFC.

It had won the SKOCH Platinum Award in September 2017 under the smart governance category in the MSME segment.

Paytm Payments Bank, IndusInd Tie up for FD Facility i. Paytm Payments Bank has partnered Induslnd Bank to introduce a facility to create a fixed deposit (FD) when the customer balance exceeds Rs. 1 lakh at the end of the day. ii. Paytm Payments Bank customers can redeem their

deposits instantly, anytime without paying any pre-closure or



miscellaneous charges and can earn up to 6.85 percent

annual interest.

India GDP Growth Likely at 6.5% in 2017-18:

CSO

i. The Indian economy will expand by 6.5% in 2017-18, according to the new data of the government’s Central Statistics Office (CSO). It had released its first advance

estimate for India’s GDP growth rate in the current financial year. ii. The economy had grown by 6.3% in the September

quarter, after slumping to a three-year low of 5.7% GDP growth in the June quarter as the implementation of goods and services tax (GST) and demonetisation took their toll. The Indian economy grew at 7.1% in 2016-17.

RBI Introduces New Rs10 Banknote in Mahatma Gandhi Series i. The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue Rs10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New)

Series. ii. The new denomination has the motif of Sun Temple, Konark on the reverse. The base colour of the note is Chocolate Brown. The dimension of the banknote will be 63 mm x 123 mm.

RBI Initiates PCA Against Allahabad Bank i. The Reserve Bank of India has initiated 'prompt corrective action' (PCA) against Allahabad Bank over its

high bad loans. ii. High net non-performing assets (NPA) and a negative

return on assets (ROA) for two years in a row have prompted the action. The action would help improve its risk management, asset quality and profits.

NABARD Sanctioned Rs 372.51 crore to Odisha i. The NABARD has sanctioned Rs 372.51 crore loan assistance under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to Odisha towards irrigation and rural bridge

projects for the last quarter of this fiscal. ii. NABARD has also sanctioned 14 Rural Bridge Projects under Biju Setu Yojana with RIDF loan assistance of Rs

242.34 crore.

Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank Introduces Desktop ATMs in Rural India i. The Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) has operationalised its first desktop ATM in Telangana. The mini-ATM within the branch premises will

facilitate customers to withdraw small amounts. ii. With these ATMs, there will be no need for separate ATM

rooms, so there is no security issue. This initiative is the biggest under the SBI and among the best regional rural banks (RRBs).

IICA, IPPB Sign MoU to Provide Training on Payment Banking i. The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) signed an

agreement for the training of employees of the latter in the area of payment banking. ii. Under the agreement, IICA has been entrusted with the

key responsibility of capacity building of IPPB through training of its officials/employees besides providing research support by instituting Research Chairs in the emerging area of payment banking.

India's GDP Growth at 6.5% in FY18, will Accelerate to 7.6% in FY20: HSBC

i. As per the HSBC report, India's growth rate is expected

to accelerate at around 6.5 percent in 2017-18 and is likely

to improve further to 7.6 percent by 2019-20.

ii. The result is expected as key sectors would revive from

disruptions related to the implementation of GST and demonetisation.

No Charges on Debit Card Transactions up to Rs 2,000: Finance Ministry i. Customers will not have to pay any transaction charges for payments through debit card, BHIM app and other payment made for up to Rs 2,000. ii. Union Cabinet had recently approved a proposal that government will bear the merchant discount rate (MDR) charges on transactions up to Rs 2,000 made through debit

cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems to promote digital transactions. iii. The merchant discount rate (MDR) will be borne by the

government for two years with effect from January 1, 2018 by reimbursing the same to banks.

HDFC Bank Partners with Rajasthan Govt. to Promote Startup Culture i. HDFC Bank has announced a partnership with Rajasthan Government to promote and nurture startups in the state. ii. Under this partnership, HDFC Bank will team up with the

state government to provide end-to-end solutions like current accounts, credit cards and other solutions to startups under its SmartUp programme

SBI, NABARD Tie up to Promote Joint Liability Groups in Bengal i. State Bank of India and NABARD have signed an

agreement with five NGOs in Bengal for the promotion of 2,500 joint liability groups (JLGs) in select districts of the State. ii. JLGs are informal groups of 4-10 members engaged in

similar economic activities and willing to jointly undertake the responsibility to repay loans taken by the group from a bank.

RBI Bonds Scheme Being Replaced by 7.75% Savings Bonds Scheme i. According to the Finance Ministry, RBI Bonds Scheme has not been closed but the interest rate on such papers lowered to 7.75 percent. The 8 percent Savings

Bonds Scheme, also known as RBI Bonds Scheme, is not being closed but is being replaced by 7.75 percent Savings Bonds Scheme. ii. These taxable bonds are meant for individual other than

Non-Resident Indians with no maximum limit for investment.

SBI Reduces Base Rate and Benchmark Prime Lending Rates Each by 30 bps i. The State Bank of India reduced the base rate and benchmark prime lending rates by 30 basis points each,

which will benefit nearly 80 lakh customers on the old pricing regime. ii. SBI revised down the base rate to 8.65 percent for

existing customers from 8.95 percent, while the benchmark prime lending rates are down from 13.7 percent, to 13.4 percent. The one-year MCLR of the bank stands unchanged

at 7.95 percent.



AWARDS AND RECOGNITION 5 MPs Chosen for Outstanding Parliamentarian

Award i. The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) headed by Lok

Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that five

members of parliament (MPs) selected for the Outstanding

Parliamentarian Awards. ii. This includes, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad

(2015), Trinamool Congress’ Dinesh Trivedi

(2016), Manipur’s governor Najma A Heptulla

(2013), BJP’s Lok Sabha member Hukumdev Narayan

Yadav (2014) and five-time Rajya Sabha

member Bhartruhari Mahatab of the Lok Biju Janata Dal

(BJD) (2017).

Asha Bhosle to Get Yash Chopra Memorial Award i. Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle will be given

the 'Yash Chopra Memorial Award'. She will be the fifth

winner of the award.

ii. The award has been instituted by the TSR Foundation of

T. Subbarami Reddy in memory of producer-director Yash

Chopra, who died in 2012.

Grammy Awards 2018- Complete List of Winners i. The 60th Annual Grammy Awards, honouring the best

achievements from October 2016 to September 2017 were

held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the

USA. James Corden was the host of the ceremony for the

second year in a row.

ii. It was Bruno Mars' night at the Grammy Awards held in

New York, with the three biggest wins - Album Of The

Year and Record Of The Year for 24K Magic and Song

Of The Year for 'That's What I Like'.

Here's the list of winners of the 60th Grammy Awards.

Album Of The Year: Bruno Mars

Song of the Year: Bruno Mars', That's What I Like

Record Of The Year: Bruno Mars, 24K Magic

Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, Shape

of You

Best Pop Vocal Album: Ed Sheeran, Divide

Best Dance Recording: LCD Soundsystem, Tonite

Best Music Film: The Defiant Ones

Best Children's Album: Feel What U Feel, Lisa

Loeb

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual

Media: La La Land

Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost

Padma Awards 2018 Announced: Full List of

Recipients i. The President has approved the awards for 85 individuals,

which includes 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan

and 73 Padma Shri. ii. In sports personalities, former India cricket captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and multiple world

champion cueist Pankaj Advani have been conferred with

the third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan.

iii. The 2017 World Weightlifting Champion Saikhom

Mirabai Chanu and former Asian Games gold medallist

tennis player Somdev Devvarman have been conferred

with the Padma Shri. The awards are announced on the eve

of the Republic Day every year.

Shah Rukh Khan Honoured with Crystal Award at

World Economic Forum

i. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with

the 24th Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum

in Davos, Switzerland. ii. According to the WEF, Shah Rukh Khan received Award

for "his leadership in championing children's and women's

rights in India". Shahrukh received the award alongside

Elton John and Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett.

63rd Filmfare Awards 2018: Complete List of

Winners i. Bollywood came together to celebrate the industry's talent

at 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018, held in Mumbai.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Karan Johar

hosted the show.

ii. Vidya Balan won her career's sixth Filmfare award for

her performance in 'Tumhari Sulu'.

ICC Award 2017- Complete List of Winners i. Australia captain Steve Smith has been crowned

the International Cricket Council's Test Player of the

Year for a second time, while Indian captain Virat Kohli

has been honoured twice in the ICC's annual awards.

ii. It's the first time since 2011 that the winner of the Test

Player of the Year Award was not also crowned the

Cricketer of the Year. Kohli was the fourth-highest run-

scorer's in Tests in 2017. Here is the Complete list of Winners of ICC Award

2017-

1. Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men‟s Cricketer

of the Year - Virat Kohli (India)

2. ICC Men‟s Test Cricketer of the Year - Steve Smith

(Australia)

3. ICC Men‟s ODI Cricketer of the Year - Virat Kohli

(India)

4. ICC Men‟s Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Hasan

Ali (Pakistan)

5. ICC Men‟s Associate Cricketer of the Year - Rashid

Khan (Afghanistan)

6. ICC Men‟s T20I Performance of the Year - Yuzvendra

Chahal (6-25 v England) (India)

7. David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year –

Marais Erasmus

8. ICC Spirit of Cricket - Anya Shrubsole (England)

9. ICC Fans Moment of the Year - Pakistan stuns India to

win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

President Presents Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards

2016 i. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Sangeet Natak

Akademi‟s Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet

Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the

year 2016 at a function held in New Delhi.

ii. The Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowships and Sangeet

Natak Akademi Awards are recognised as among the most

coveted national honours bestowed on performing artists as

well as teachers and scholars of performing arts.

Actor Sudhir Dalvi Gets Janakavi P Sawlaram

Award i. Actor Sudhir Dalvi was honoured with the Janakavi P

Sawlaram award at a function held in Mumbai. The award is

jointly given by the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Janakavi

P Savlaram Kala Samiti. ii. Well-known dancer Jaishree T was bestowed with the Ganga

Jamuna award, which is instituted in memory of a popular song



written by Sawlaram. Mr Dalvi featured on the famous TV show

"Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" and other Hindi serials.

Golden Globe Awards 2018: The Complete List of Winners The 75th Golden Globe Award ceremony was held in Los Angeles, the USA. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” dominated the 2018 Golden Globes, taking home

four statues, including best drama, best screenplay, and acting awards for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell in the drama category. Seth Meyers hosted the star-studded show.

Here is the Complete List of Winners of Golden Globe Awards 2018-

1. Best motion picture, drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 2. Best motion picture, musical or comedy: Lady Bird. 3. Best director, motion picture: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”. 4. Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama: Frances McDormand. 5. Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, drama: Gary Oldman. 6. Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy: Saoirse Ronan. 7. Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy: James Franco. 8. Best motion picture, animated: Coco 9. Best motion picture, foreign language: In the Fade 10. Best television series, drama: The Handmaid‟s Tale, Hulu 11. Best performance by an actress in a television series, drama: Elisabeth Moss. 12. Best performance by an actor in a television series, drama: Sterling K. Brown.

MAS Chief Ravi Menon Named Best Central Bank Governor in Asia-Pacific i. The managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ravi Menon, has been named the best central bank governor in Asia-Pacific for 2018 by UK-based magazine, The Banker. ii. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was also given this

award in 2011 when he was then MAS's managing director.

BUSINESS Government Signs $250 million Loan Agreement

with ADB i. The Asian Development Bank and the Indian

Government have signed a 250 million dollar loan to

finance the construction of over 6 thousand 2 hundred

kilometres all-weather rural roads in 5 states viz Assam,

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West

Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

(PMGSY). ii. The program is aimed at improving rural connectivity,

facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and

socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through

improvements to about 12 thousand kilometres Rural

Roads across the 5 States.

India‟s Crude Steel Production Rises 6.2% to 101.4

MT in 2017 i. India has overtaken the US to become the world‟s

third-largest steel producer and the country is now

looking to bag the second spot from Japan. Country‟s

crude steel production grew by 6.2% to 101.4 million

tonnes, MT, in 2017 compared to 95.5 MT in

2016, according to the report by World Steel Association.

ii. Japan, the second largest global steel producer,

witnessed a negative growth as steel output declined by

0.1% to 104.7 MT in 2017 from 104.8 MT in 2016. China

remained the world leader by producing 831.7 MT in

2017, up 5.7% from 786.9 MT in the year-ago period.

CRISIL Upgrades Outlook on 18 PSBs from

Negative to Stable i. Rating agency CRISIL has revised its outlook on 18

public sector banks (PSBs) from “negative” to

“stable” after the government announced bank-wise capital

infusion and reform plans.

ii. The revision in outlook is primarily driven by the

government’s PSB recapitalisation programme for this fiscal

(2017-18).

Paytm, Alibaba‟s AGTech Holdings Launch New

Mobile Gaming Platform i. Mobile payments company Paytm and Alibaba Group-

owned AGTech Holdings Ltd have formed a joint venture

to launch 'Gamepind' a gaming platform aimed at mobile

users in India.

ii. AGTech Media currently holds 45% in the joint venture,

and Paytm owns the rest. At the time of the signing of the

agreement, Paytm’s parent company One97 invested $8.8

million in the venture for its 55% stake, and AGTech

Holdings put in $7.2 million for its 45% stake.

Small Finance and Payments Banks to Offer Atal

Pension Yojana i. The Ministry of Finance has announced that "Payments

Banks and Small Finance Banks" will offer social security

scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to their subscribers. It

was done to strengthen the existing channels of APY

distribution.

ii. According to the Ministry, currently, there are 11

Payments Banks and 10 Small Finance Banks that have

received the license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

to start their operations.

Vodafone, Flipkart Tie up for 4G Smartphones i. Vodafone India has partnered with e-commerce

marketplace Flipkart to provide a range of entry-level

smartphones at an effective price of Rs999.

ii. As part of the tie-up, Vodafone has rolled out cash-back

offers on the select range of entry-level 4G smartphone

models available under Flipkart‟s

#MyFirst4GSmartphone campaign. Government to Infuse over Rs88 Thousand Crore

in 20 PSB i. The government has announced 88,139 crore rupees

capital infusion in 20 public sector banks, PSBs, during

the current fiscal ending 31st March to boost lending and

revive growth. IDBI Bank will get the most- Rs10,610

crore followed by State Bank of India 8,800 crore rupees.

ii. The 20 banks that will receive the capital infusion during

this phase include Bank of India, UCO Bank and Punjab

National Bank.

RIL Becomes India‟s 1st Firm to Cross Rs6-lakh

crore Market Capitalization i. Reliance Industries (RIL) become the first Indian

company to cross the Rs6-lakh crore mark in market

capitalisation as its shares touched a 52-week high of

Rs974.5.

ii. RIL is owned 40% by its chairman Mukesh

Ambani, making him the richest Indian with the personal

wealth of $40.7 billion and the 20th richest globally,

according to Bloomberg’s billionaire index.



NIIF Makes its 1st Investment, Partnered with DP

World i. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

(NIIF) has made its First investment. NIIF has partnered

with DP World to create an investment platform for ports,

terminals, transportation and logistics businesses in India.

ii. The first close of the NIIF Master Fund took place in

October 2017 with contributions from a subsidiary of Abu

Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and four Domestic

Institutional Investors (DIIs), viz., HDFC Group, ICICI

Bank, Kotak Mahindra Life and Axis Bank.

India to Grow at 7.4% in 2018: IMF i. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF),

India is projected to grow at 7.4% in 2018 as against

China’s 6.8%, making it the fastest growing country among

the emerging economies.

ii. In 2017, India’s growth rate dropped to 6.7%. In its latest

World Economic Outlook update released in Davos,

Switzerland on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum,

the IMF has projected a 7.8% growth rate for India in 2019.

India, 5th Most Attractive Market for

Investments: PwC Survey i. India has emerged as the fifth most attractive

market for investments and the optimism over global

economic growth is at a record level, as per the survey of

CEOs by global consultancy PwC.

ii. The US remains the top spot for global

investment. Around 46% of global CEOs consider the US

as one of the three most important countries for

growth, followed by China (33%) and Germany (20%) at

second and third places, respectively.

ONGC Acquires 51.11% Stake in HPCL i. The Public Sector exploration giant Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC) has got the consent for acquiring

controlling stake in fellow PSU Hindustan Petroleum

Corporation Ltd (HPCL). The transaction will be for

Rs36,915 crore.

ii. According to a statement issued by ONGC, it has entered

into a share purchase agreement with the President of India

for acquiring the shares of HPCL (representing 51.11% of

HPCL).

India Ratings Projects Economic Growth at 7.1%

Next Fiscal i. India Ratings and Research has projected the country‟s

economic growth to improve to 7.1 percent in 2018-19

from 6.5 percent in 2017-18, buoyed by robust

consumption demand and low commodity prices. ii. The projection is a tad lower than 7.4 percent growth

estimated by Asian Development Bank and International

Monetary Fund for next fiscal.

WhatsApp Unveils Business App for Android i. Facebook-owned instant messaging platform

WhatsApp has rolled out a feature that connects small

businesses with customers. Currently, only Android users

can access the feature and they can avail of it through the

latest update of the app.

ii. The new feature will be available first in Indonesia,

Italy, Mexico, UK and the US before being launched

globally in the coming weeks.

TCS bags over $690 million deal from M&G

Prudential i. India’s largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy

Services (TCS) has signed an over GBP 500 million (USD

690 million) deal with M&G Prudential, the UK and

European savings and investments business of Prudential

plc.

ii. Under the contract, TCS will digitally transform

M&G Prudential’s business and deliver enhanced service

for its UK savings and retirement customers. “The value of

this agreement exceeds GBP 500 million (USD 690 million)

over 10 years and covers the support of over 4 million

customer policies.

Saudi Arabia, UAE Introduce VAT for First Time i. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced value-added tax (VAT). These

are the first two countries in the Gulf which have introduced the VAT system. ii. The 5% levy is being applied to the majority of goods and services. Petrol and diesel, food, clothes, utility bills and

hotel rooms all now have VAT applied. But some outgoings have been made exempt from the tax or given a zero-tax rating, including medical treatment, financial services and public transport.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNS Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen

to Lead USISPF Board i. Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has

been elected as the Vice Chairman of the US-India

Strategic and Partnership Forum. It is a new organisation

set up to enhance business relations between India and the

US.

ii. The new representative body - US-India Strategic

Partnership Forum (USISPF) was set up to promote bilateral

trade and work on creating meaningful opportunities that

have the power to change the lives of citizens. The USISPF

now has 31 board members.

Usha Ananthasubramanian Becomes 1st Woman

IBA Chief i. Usha Ananthasubramanian, MD and CEO, Allahabad

Bank, has been elected the first woman chairman of

Indian Banks‟ Association (IBA). Usha was elected IBA

Chairman for the year 2017-18 by its Managing Committee.

ii. IBA Chairman’s position fell vacant following the

superannuation of Jatinder Bir Singh. Rajnish Kumar,

Chairman, State Bank of India, was elected Deputy

Chairman of IBA for the year 2017-18.

S Somanath Takes Charge as Vikram Sarabhai

Space Centre's Director i. ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC)

director S Somanath has taken charge as the new director

of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). It is ISRO's

lead centre for launch vehicles.

ii. He has replaced K Sivan who has joined ISRO as

Chairman.

FICCI Appoints Dilip Chenoy as Director General i. Industry Chamber Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has appointed Dilip

Chenoy as its Director General. ii. He was awarded the Game Changer Award in 2015 and

the Rashtriya Media Ratan Award in 2013.

Om Prakash Rawat Appointed New Chief Election

Commissioner i. Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was

appointed as the next chief election commissioner

(CEC) of India. Mr Rawat is the 22nd CEC of

India. He succeeded Achal Kumar Joti.



ii. The government also appointed former finance

secretary Ashok Lawasa as an Election Commissioner. Mr

Rawat will take over the office from 23rd January 2018

onwards. Sunil Arora is the other Election Commissioner.

Anandiben Patel Named New Madhya Pradesh

Governor i. Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has

been named as the new governor of Madhya Pradesh.

ii. She will replace Gujarat governor Om Prakash Kohli,

who currently holds additional charge of the office of

Governor of Madhya Pradesh. Ms Patel became the first

woman chief minister of Gujarat.

Sudeep Lakhtakia Appointed New DG of National

Security Guard i. Senior IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia has been appointed

as the new Director General (DG) of the 'black cats'

commando force NSG. ii. The officer is currently serving as a Special DG in the

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) headquarters New

Delhi. He will take over from incumbent S P Singh.

Facebook Appoints its 1st African-American

Member to Board i. Facebook has appointed outgoing American Express

CEO Kenneth Chenault to its board, making him the first

African-American to be on the board. ii. Chenault serves on the Boards of IBM and Procter &

Gamble and is also a Harvard Law School graduate.

S Selvakumar Appointed CMD Of SPMCIL i. The government appointed senior IAS officer S

Selvakumar as Chairman and Managing Director

(CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of

India Ltd (SPMCIL). ii. Selvakumar has replaced Anurag Agarwal. The state-

owned SPMCIL produces banknotes, coins, postage stamps,

non-judicial stamps and other official documents.

Vice Admiral A B Singh Takes Over as Chief of

Staff Western Naval Command i. Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, took over

as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command from Vice

Admiral Ravneet Singh.

ii. He was Promoted to Flag Rank in 2012. The Flag Officer

was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011 and Ati

Vishisht Seva Medal in 2016 for his exemplary service to

the nation.

Vijay Kumar Appointed MD & CEO of NCDEX i. Market regulator SEBI has approved the appointment

of Vijay Kumar as Managing Director and CEO of the

country‟s largest agri-commodity bourse NCDEX.

ii. Mr Kumar is a former chief business officer at NCDEX.

The exchange's selection committee had picked his name for

the MD and CEO's post from a list of 11 candidates.

Anil Khanna to Head IOA Finance Commission i. Senior sports administrator Anil Khanna was

named Chairman of the Finance Commission of the

Indian Olympic Association, which also formed a four-

member advisory committee. The advisory committee

comprises Tarlochan Singh, GS Mander, S Regunathan and

BS Landge.

ii. The IOA also formed a Medical Commission and Games

Technical Conduct Committee and nominated office bearers

of IOA and National Sports Federations (NSFs) to the

Committees.

Indu Malhotra Becomes 1st Woman Lawyer

Directly Appointed for SC Judgeship i. The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the name

of senior advocate Indu Malhotra as the first woman

lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the

Supreme Court of India. ii. She will be the seventh woman judge since

independence to make it to the Supreme Court. At present,

Justice R Banumathi is the lone woman judge in the apex

court.

V J Mathew Appointed Maritime Board Chairman i. V J Mathew was appointed Maritime Board

Chairman. The decision in this regard was taken by the

Kerala cabinet.

ii.Mathew is the legal consultant of Vizhinjam International

container terminal company and Indian Maritime

Association Co-President.

IOA Appoints Harjinder Singh as 'Chef de

Mission' for Winter Olympics 2018

i. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

appointed Harjinder Singh as the Chef De Mission for

the 23rd Winter Olympic Games to be held

in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018.

ii. Harjinder Singh is at present the General Secretary in the

Ice Hockey Association of India.

Indian-Origin Businessman Sunny Verghese

Appointed WBCSD Chairman i. Singapore-based Indian-origin businessman Sunny

Verghese has been appointed as the Chairman of the

Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable

Development (WBCSD). ii. He succeeded Paul Polman. Verghese, Co-Founder and

the CEO of Singapore's agri-business group Olam

International Limited, is the first WBCSD Chair from the

agri-sector. Dr Sivan K Appointed New ISRO Chairman i. Noted rocket scientist Sivan K was appointed as the 9th

chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO). He has replaced A.S. Kiran Kumar.

ii. The appointment has been made for the tenure of three

years. Sivan was the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space

Centre, Kerala. Sivan joined the ISRO in 1982 in Polar

Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project.

Dilip Asbe Appointed MD & CEO of NPCI i. National Payments Corporation of India

(NPCI) has appointed Dilip Asbe as Managing

Director and CEO of the organisation. ii. Prior to this, Asbe was CEO-in-charge of NPCI. He

had come in place of AP Hota.

A R Rahman Becomes Sikkim‟s Brand Ambassador i. Music composer A R Rahman became the brand ambassador of Sikkim. The declaration was made by

Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling. ii. Mr Chamling felicitated the legendary music composer during an inauguration of the 11-day Sikkim Red Panda Winter Carnival at Palzor Stadium in Gangtok.

Rajinder Khanna Appointed Deputy National

Security Adviser i. Rajinder Khanna was appointed the deputy National Security Adviser (NSA). He was the former chief of the

country’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).



ii. Mr Khanna is at present officer on special duty

(Neighbourhood Studies) in the National Security Council Secretariat.

Vijay Keshav Gokhale Appointed Foreign

Secretary i. Senior diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale has been appointed the

foreign secretary of India. He has succeeded S Jaishankar.

ii. Mr Gokhale served as Indian Ambassador to China, Germany

and as Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia in the past. He is at

present secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of

External Affairs.

Pankaj Jain Assumes Charge as IIFCL Managing

Director

i. Pankaj Jain, Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS), has assumed charge as the Managing Director of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL). ii. He will be holding additional charge of IIFCL along with his

present position as Joint Secretary at DFS.

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe Named ICCR Chief

i. National vice-president of the BJP, Vinay

Sahasrabuddhe, who is also the member of Rajya Sabha

has been appointed the President of Indian Council of

Cultural Relations.

ii. He will replace Lokesh Chandra, who had been

appointed by the NDA government in October 2014 and has

completed his three-year-term.

SCHEMES AND YOJANAS Women & Child Development Ministry Inaugurated Online Portal NARI i. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi inaugurated an online portal NARI in New Delhi for

the empowerment of women. ii. The portal will provide women with easy access to

information on government schemes and initiatives for women. The portal summarises over 350 government schemes and other important information.

SPORTS Melbourne to Host Final of 2020 World T20 i. Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the final of both

the men‟s and women‟s World Twenty20 when the

tournaments come to Australia in 2020.

ii. It will mark the first time the tournaments are held as

stand-alone events in the same year in the same country. The

women’s final will coincide with International Women‟s

Day (8th March).

PM Modi Launched 1st Khelo India School Games i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first

Khelo India School Games at Indira Gandhi Indoor

Stadium in New Delhi.

ii. Talented Under-17 players identified in priority sports

disciplines at various levels by a High-Powered Committee

will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh

per annum for 8 years.

Sharath Kamal Wins Table Tennis Nationals

Championship i. Sharath Kamal beat top-seeded Anthony Amalraj to

win the men singles title for the eighth time, equalling the

feat of Kamlesh Mehta in the 79th edition of the 11Even

Sports Senior Nationals in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

ii. Suthirta Mukherjee from West Bengal emerged the

new women champion, beating Hyderabad Nationals

winner Manika Batra.

Australian Open 2018- Complete List of Winners

i. The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held

annually in Melbourne Park, Australia. The 2018

Australian Open is the 106th edition of the tournament. ii. Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in the final. It was

Federer's 20th Grand Slam title. In women's'

single, Caroline Wozniacki became the first Danish player

to win a Grand Slam singles title, defeating Simona Halep

in the final.

Here is the complete list of Winners of Australian Open:

S.No. Category Winner Runner Up

1. Men's

Singles

Roger Federer

(Switzerland)

Marin Cilic

(Croatia)

2. Women's

Singles

Caroline Wozniacki

(Denmark)

Simona Halep

(Romania)

3. Men's

Doubles

Oliver Marach

(Austria)

Mate Pavic(Croatia)

Robert Farah

(Colombia)

J. Cabal

(Colombia)

4. Women's

Doubles

Kristina Mladenovic

(France)

Tímea Babos

(Hungary)

Elena Vesnina

(Russia)

Ekaterina

Makarova

(Russia)

5. Mixed

Doubles

Gabriela Dabrowski

(Canada)

Mate Pavic (Croatia)

Timea Babos

(Hungary)

Rohan Bopanna

(India)

Sandeep Lamichhane Becomes 1st Nepal player to

Get IPL Contract i. Sandeep Lamichhane became the first cricketer from

Nepal to land a deal an IPL contract. He was picked

by Delhi Daredevils in the player's auction. The 17-year-

old, the only Nepal player in the IPL auction, was sold at

his base price of Rs 20 lakh. ii. The leg-spinner hogged the limelight in 2016 U-19 World

Cup by becoming the second-highest wicket-taker in the

tournament with 14 scalps in six innings.

Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan Wins Indonesian Masters i. The world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan has

defeated Saina Nehwal in the finals of the Indonesia

Masters in Jakarta. ii. Tai Tzu has now defeated the former world No.1 nine

times in their last 10 meetings

Lifter Rakhi Halder Creates New National Record i. Lifter Rakhi Halder created a new national record in

clean and jerk to a gold medal in the 63kg women’s

category in the 33rd Women Senior National

Weightlifting Championships, in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

ii. Rakhi lifted 128kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of

230kgs to create a new national record, bettering Karnam

Malleswari’s feat (127kg) created in Athens in 1999.

Shuttler Siddharth Singh Wins Swedish Open

Junior Badminton Title i. Young Indian shuttler Siddharth Pratap Singh secured

his maiden international title, bagging the Swedish Open

Junior International Series with a straight-game victory

over Denmark‟s Mads Christophersen in the finals in

Uppsala in Sweden.

ii. Playing his first career final, Siddharth defeated

Christophersen in a 33-minute match to claim the men’s

singles title.

West Indies to Host 2018 Women‟s World T20



i. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced,

the 2018 edition of the Women‟s World T20 will be

hosted by West Indies in November 2018.

ii. The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies

through a bidding process and have been ratified by the ICC.

India Defeats Pakistan to Win Blind Cricket

World Cup 2018 i. India beat Pakistan by two wickets to win the Blind

Cricket World Cup 2018 for the second time after a

thrilling match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the UAE. ii. India conquered the modest target in the 39th over, with

two balls to spare and eight wickets lost. For his brilliant all-

round performance, Sunil Ramesh was declared the man

of the match.

Virat Kohli Named Captain of ICC‟s Test and ODI

Teams of the Year i. Virat Kohli was named the captain of the International

Cricket Council (ICC) Test and One-Day International

(ODI) teams of the year that included four other Indians as

well.

ii. He surprisingly pipped Australian skipper Steve Smith for

the ICC’s Test team captaincy. The Test team also

comprises Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran

Ashwin. Kohli was chosen to lead the ICC ODI team, which

includes Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah as the other

two Indians.

Ronaldinho Confirms His Retirement from

Football i. Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho has formally

confirmed his retirement from football, more than two years

since his last appearance as a professional report in

Brazil. The 37-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and

Barcelona star, a key member of the Brazil side which won

the World Cup in 2002, last played in 2015 during a brief

stint with Fluminense.

ii. He spent five years with Barcelona between 2003 and

2008, helping the Catalans win the Champions League in

2006, after being awarded the Ballon D‟Or in 2005.

Aditya Mehta Wins Kolkata Open 2018 International Invitation Snooker Championship i. Professional player Aditya Mehta won the Kolkata Open 2018 International Invitation Snooker Championship in

the capital city of West Bengal Kolkata. ii. This is his third Kolkata Open title since it’s inception. In the thrilling final he defeated Englishman Professional Player Alfie Burden.

Anchal Thakur Bags Bronze, India's 1st International Medal in Skiing i. Aanchal Thakur made history as she won India's first ever international medal in skiing. The 21-year-old Manali resident clinched bronze in the coveted Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup. ii. The Championship was organised by the Federation Internationale de Ski (skiing's international governing body) in Erzurum, Turkey. She won the medal in the slalom

race category.

Philippe Coutinho Joins Barcelona, Becomes 2nd Most Expensive Transfer in World Soccer History i. Team Liverpool sold Brazilian football player Philippe Coutinho to Team Barcelona for 160 million Euros ($192 million). With this, transfer of Philippe Coutinho has become

the 2nd Most Expensive transfer in World Soccer History.

ii. World’s most expensive transfer is Brazilian football player Neymar‟s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint

Germain team in 200 million pounds in 2017.

Gilles Simon Wins Inaugural Tata Open Title i. Gilles Simon of France has lifted the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra Tennis trophy. ii. In the summit clash in Pune, the unseeded French player defeated second-seeded Kevin Anderson in

straight sets.

Federer-Bencic Lead Switzerland to Hopman Cup Title i. Switzerland won their third Hopman Cup as Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany's Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber in the deciding mixed doubles to secure a 2-1 victory in the final at the Perth Arena. ii. It was Federer's second Hopman Cup triumph after victory

in 2001 alongside then world number one Martina Hingis.

Sports Minister Rathore Launches 'Khelo India' Logo i. The vibrant Khelo India logo, reflecting the freshness,

agility and vitality of New India was launched at a ceremony by the Union Minister of State ( I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore in New Delhi. ii. The logo also conveys an impression of fitness and

competitiveness. The three-stroke Khelo India logo, designed by Ogilvy India, has in-built modularity,

allowing plenty of adaptability and flexibility into endless pictorial forms.

Elina Svitolina Wins Brisbane International i. Elina Svitolina secured her first WTA title in Australia with a straight-sets victory in the Brisbane International final. Svitolina beat Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich. ii. Nick Kyrgios moved a step closer to claiming his first

ATP title on home soil with a semifinal win over defending champion, Grigor Dimitrov. He will face American Ryan Harrison in finals.

Meghalaya signs host city contract for 39th National Games in 2022

i. Meghalaya signed the Host City Contract with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for hosting the 39th

National Games in 2022. ii. The tripartite contract was signed between the IOA, the

Meghalaya State Olympic Association and the state government. Meghalaya had successfully co-hosted the South Asian Games in 2017.

G Sathiyan Becomes India‟s Highest-Ranked Player in Latest ITTF Rankings i. G Sathiyan has become India‟s highest-ranked player in

the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings. He surpasses his compatriot the legendary Sharath Kamal. ii. The current ranking of Sathiyan is 49. As for the women,

Manika Batra is topping the world chart among Indians at

62th.

Indian Golfer Shiv Kapur Wins Royal Cup at Pattaya i. Indian golfer Shiv Kapur won the Royal Cup at Pattaya, which is his third Asian Tour title of 2017. The 35-

year-old, who had just one win in almost 11 years till April 2017, has now won three times in last eight months. ii. This latest win marks Kapur’s fourth Asian Tour win and

sixth international title as he won twice on European Challenge Tour also.

Vidarbha Defeats Delhi to win Ranji Trophy for the First Time i. Vidarbha have created history by winning the Ranji Trophy

for the first time in history with a thumping nine-wicket win over Delhi at the Holkar stadium in Indore.



ii. Rajneesh Gurbani‟s 6/59, including a hat-trick and a

century from Akshay Wadkarwere the key moments in

Vidarbha scripting a fairytale run. For Delhi, Dhruv Shorey

was the star with a century.

OBITUARY Veteran Bengali Actress Supriya Devi Passes Away i. Veteran Bengali film actress and Padmashri awardee,

Supriya Devi, passed away in Kolkata, following a severe

cardiac arrest. She was 83.

ii. Supriya Devi made her debut in the Uttam Kumar-

starrer Basu Parivar in 1952. She was also awarded the

Banga Vibushan - the highest-ever civilian award given

by the Bengal Government, and a Life Time Achievement

Award by Filmfare during their eastern India version of the

award show.

Ursula K. Le Guin, Best-Selling Science Fiction

author Passes Away

i. Ursula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction

and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was

best known for her Earthsea books, has passed away at the

age of 88. ii. Le Guin won an honorary National Book Award in

2014. Le Guin’s first novel was Roncannon’s World in

1966. Her book, 'The Left Hand of Darkness' won the

Hugo and Nebula awards top science fiction prizes.

Hugh Masekela, 'Father of South African Jazz'

Passes Away i. Trumpeter, composer and singer Hugh

Masekela, affectionately known as the 'father of South

African jazz', has died after a long battle with prostate

cancer. He was 78.

ii. He opened the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Concert

and performed at the event's opening ceremony in

Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium.

Iconic Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri Passes Away i. Famous Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri passed away after a

brief period of illness, marking the end of a chapter in

Bengal's history of the cartoon. Lahiri was 86.

Hall of Famer Jo Jo White Passes Away i. Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA

champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold

medalist, has passed away. ii. He was 71. White played 10 seasons for Boston, which

drafted him ninth overall from Kansas in 1969.

Former Union Minister Raghunath Jha Passes

Away i. Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Union

Minister Raghunath Jha passed away in Delhi. Raghunath

Jha was Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and

Public Enterprise in the UPA government led by former

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

ii. He was elected Member of Parliament twice from

Gopalgunj and Bettiah Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar

and was also the six-time legislator from Sheohar Assembly

constituency of the State.

Veteran Actress Charu Rohatgi Passes Away i. TV actress Charu Rohatgi, known for her roles in serials

like 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?' and 'Uttaran', passed

away.

ii. She reportedly passed away after a cardiac arrest. While

Charu had played Parineeti Chopra's mother in the film

'Ishaqzaade', she had also starred in films like '1920:

London'.

Nuclear Physicist and NIAS Director Baldev Raj

Passes Away i. Baldev Raj, the director of the National Institute of

Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, and a

renowned administrator of nuclear power technologies in

the country has passed away. He was 70 years old.

ii. Mr Raj had assumed leadership of the NIAS in 2014.

Before that, he was president of research at P.S.G.

Institutions (2011-2014).

World Champion Powerlifter Saksham Yadav

Passes Away i. Powerlifting world champion Saksham Yadav died of his

injuries after the road accident near Delhi.

ii. Yadav had won a gold medal for the country in the 2017

powerlifting championship in Moscow, Russia.

Peter Sutherland, 1st WTO Director-General, Passes Away i. Peter Sutherland, the first Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has passed away in

Dublin, Ireland. He was 71. ii. Mr Sutherland became Ireland‟s Attorney General in 1981 and served as the European Commissioner for

Competition from 1985 to 1989. He left the WTO in 1995.

NASA's Astronaut John Young Passes Away i. Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the

Moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died at 87. ii. Young was the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs and the first to fly into space six times. He was the ninth man to walk on the Moon.

Veteran Poet Anwar Jalalpuri Passes Away i. Noted Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri passed away at the

age of 71 in Lucknow. He suffered a brain stroke. ii. Anwar Jalalpuri is best known for his translation of shloks of Bhagavad Gita into Urdu verses.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS President Kovind Unveils Book on Self-

Development in Delhi i. President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a book on

heartfulness techniques and principles titled 'The

Heartfulness Way'. Kamlesh D. Patel is the author of

this book. It is the fourth Global Guide of Heartfulness. ii. Joshua Pollock is the second author of this book. It was

launched by Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh

Prabhu.

India's 1st All-Women Railway Station in Mumbai Enters Limca Records i. The Matunga suburban station on the Central Railway (CR) has found its way into the Limca Book of Records for

having an all-woman staff. ii. The achievement comes six months after Matunga

became the first railway station in the country to be run by an all-woman staff. The station is being manned exclusively by women staffers since July 2017, a first on the Indian Railways.



IMPORTANT DAYS Nation Celebrates 69th Republic Day i. The Country celebrates its 69th Republic Day on 26th

January in Rajpath, New Delhi to be resplendently

displaying the country's pride and glory. Heads of ten

ASEAN countries are chief guests at Republic Day.

ii. The family members of Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala

(Posthumous) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), who died

fighting militants in Kashmir valley, received India‟s

highest peacetime gallantry award, Ashok Chakra.

8th National Voters‟ Day- 25th January i. The Election Commission of India celebrated the 8th

National Voters‟ Day across the country on 25th January

for enhanced participation of citizens in the electoral

process. The National level function was held in New

Delhi. ii. President Ram Nath Kovind gave away awards for best

electoral practices to District Collectors, Superintendents of

Police and other functionaries involved in election

management.

GK Quiz Q1. Name the bank that has entered into an

agreement with state-run National e-

Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for

utilizing the latter‟s Information Utility

Services. (a) Bank of Baroda

(b) Allahabad Bank

(c) State Bank of India

(d) Syndicate bank

(e) Punjab National Bank

S1. Ans.(b)

Q2. State-run Bank of India has received

capital infusion of Rs. 2,257 crore from the

government. The head office of Bank of India

is in ____________. (a) Mumbai

(b) Chennai

(c) Kolkata

(d) New Delhi

(e) Hyderabad

S2. Ans.(a)

Q3. Name the state that has been recently

declared open defecation free ahead of the

national deadline of October 2, 2019. (a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Chhattisgarh

(c) Maharashtra

(d) Madhya Pradesh

(e) Arunachal Pradesh

S3. Ans.(e) Q4. Name the Indian golfer who has recently won

the Royal Cup at Pattaya.

(a)JyotiRandhawa

(b)AnirbanLahiri

(c)ShivKapur

(d)ArjunAtwal

(e)Shiv Chawrasia

S4. Ans.(c)

Q5. Name the state that has become first in

India to release of the first draft of National

Register of Citizens (NRC) containing the first

batch of 19 million names of genuine Indian

citizens.

(a)Sikkim

(b)HimachalPradesh

(c)Tripura



(d)Assam

(e)Punjab

S5. Ans.(d)

Q6. According to the Finance Ministry, the 8 percent

RBI Bond Scheme is being replaced by

_________________.

(a)7.50% Gold Bond Scheme

(b)7.50% Savings Bonds Scheme

(c)7.75% Gold Bond Scheme

(d)7.75% Savings Bonds Scheme

(e)None of the given options is true

S6. Ans.(d)

Q7. As per the HSBC report, India's growth rate is expected to accelerate at around ____________ in 2017-18. (a)6.7percent (b)6.8percent (c)7.5percent (d)6.5percent (e)7.2percent S7. Ans.(d) Q8. Mumbai-Headquartered NABARD was

established on _______________.

(a)12 July 1968

(b)27 August 1982

(c)27 August 1968

(d)12 July 1982

(e)23 September 1992

S8. Ans.(d)

Q9. The Centre unveiled the contours of the

______________ scheme, which seeks to ensure the

flow of clean money to political parties, without

revealing the donors’ names.

(a)Property Bonds

(b)Electoral Bonds

(c)Membership Bonds

(d)Leadership Bonds

(e) None of the given options is True

S9. Ans.(b)

Q10. Name the state that will host the third edition

of the Science Film Festival of India in January 2018.

(a)Maharashtra

(b)MadhyaPradesh

(c)Goa

(d)Uttarakhand

(e)Kerala

S10. Ans.(c)

Q11. Who is the present Governor of Meghalaya?

(a)JagdishMukhi

(b)SatyaPalMalik

(c)OmPrakashKohli

(d)GangaPrasad

(e)VajubhaiVala

S11. Ans.(d)

Q12. Defence Ministry has cleared contracts worth

__________ for Navy and Army which includes the

procurement of P-8I Training Solution and Low-

Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System

(LICEWS).

(a)Rs3,520crore

(b)Rs2,420crore

(c)Rs4,230crore

(d)Rs3,400crore

(e)Rs4,200crore

S12. Ans.(b)

Q13. Name the managing director of the Monetary

Authority of Singapore (MAS) who has been named

the best central bank governor in Asia-Pacific for

2018 by UK-based magazine, the Banker.

(a)SRajagopal

(b)K.V.Krishnamurthy

(c)RaviMenon

(d)J.N.Saxena

(e) R. Srinivasan

S13. Ans.(c)

Q14. In which of the following Indian city, the vibrant

Khelo India logo was launched by the Union Minister

of State Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan

Rathore?

(a)Pune

(b)NewDelhi

(c)Mumbai

(d)Bengaluru

(e) Kolkata

S14. Ans.(b)

Q15. As per the notification of RBI, what is the

base colour of the newly introduced Rs10 note?

(a)OliveYellow

(b)ChocolateBrown



(c)Magenta

(d)StoneGrey

(e)Seagreen

S15. Ans.(b)

Q16. Philippe Coutinho has recently become the

second most expensive player after his transfer from

team Liverpool to the team Barcelona. He is from

which country?

(a)France

(b) Denamrk

(c)Russia

(d)Brazil

(e)Portugal

S16. Ans.(d)

Q17. Which among the following city has become

first in the world to launch common card for rides on

public buses and the metro?

(a)Bengaluru

(b)Delhi

(c)Kolkata

(d)Kochi

(e) Jaipur

S17. Ans.(b)

Q18. Name the Indian who made history after

winning India's first ever international medal in

skiing.

(a)BahadurGupta

(b)NadeemIqbal

(c)AanchalThakur

(d)TashiLundup

(e)MonikaDhankar

S18. Ans.(c)

Q19. Name the state that has topped all states with

investment intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh

crore till October 2017.

(a)AndhraPradesh

(b)MadhyaPradesh

(c)Karnataka

(d)Telangana

(e)Kerala

S19. Ans.(c)

Q20. Name the Indian-origin businessman who has

been appointed as the Chairman of the World

Business Council for Sustainable Development

(WBCSD).

(a)PeterBakker

(b)VickeyMalhotra

(c)ArindamBhattacharya

(d)SunnyVerghese

(e) None of the given options is true

S20. Ans.(d)

21. The World Business Council for Sustainable

Development (WBCSD) headquarters in

______________.

(a)Paris,France

(b)newYork,USA

(c)Geneva,Switzerland

(d)Jakarta,Indonesia

(e)Beijing,China

S21. Ans.(c)

Q22. The ISRO has recently launched its 42nd

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from

the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space

Centre in Sriharikota. The PSLV has been

named as ________________. (a) PSLV-C45

(b) PSLV-C40

(c) PSLV-C42

(d) RSLV-C40

(e) RSLV-C45

S22. Ans.(b)

Q23. India's domestic air passenger traffic

grew by what percent in November 2017,

topping the growth chart worldwide, according

to the International Air Transport Association

(IATA)? (a) 11.8 percent

(b) 13.2 percent

(c) 14.6 percent

(d) 15.5 percent

(e) 16.4 percent

S23. Ans.(e) Q24. In which of the following city, the Agriculture

ministers of ASEAN countries met for the fourth

sitting?

(a)Bengaluru

(b)NewDelhi

(c)Chennai

(d)Pune

(e)Jaipur

S24. Ans.(b)



Q25. Retail inflation crossed the RBI’s comfort level

and rose to ________ in December 2017 on rise in

prices of food items, egg and vegetables, dashing

hopes of interest rate cut in the near future.

(a)5.21percent

(b)5.25percent

(c)4.37percent

(d)6.28percent

(e)4.47percent

S25. Ans.(a)

Q26. Who is Founder MD & CEO of IDFC Bank?

(a)ChandraShekharGhosh

(b)VVaidyanathan

(c)RajivLall

(d)VinodRai

(e)UdayKotak

S26. Ans.(d)

Q27. Every year on this day, the ‘Army Day’ is

celebrated to commemorate the day when General

(later Field Marshal) ___________ took over the

command of Army from General Sir F.R.R Bucher, the

last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became

the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post

Independence.

(a)GS Dhillon

(b)JK Sharma

(c)Dalbir Singh

(d)KM Carriappa


S27. Ans.(d)

Q28. Which Bank has entered into a strategic

partnership with Hedge Equities Ltd for providing

Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs

recently?

(a)State Bank of India

(b)AxisBank

(c)Bank of Baroda

(d)IDFC Bank

(e) Federal Bank

S28. Ans.(e)

Q29. Federal Bank is authorised by the RBI to issue

permission letter to NRIs on behalf of the RBI to

transact in secondary market. Federal Bank based in-

(a)AndhraPradesh

(b)Kerala

(c)TamilNadu

(d)Karnataka

(e) Telangana

S29. Ans.(b)

Q30. In which of the following state, Prime

Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the

project commencement of the state refinery?

This is the first oil refinery in the state. (a) Punjab

(b) Maharashtra

(c) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Jharkhand

(e) Rajasthan

S30. Ans.(e)

Q31. Indian Oil Corporation has signed Letters

of Intent (LoI) with Phinergy that will allow

Indian Oil to work on adoption of advanced

energy systems for the Indian market both for

mobility and stationary industrial applications.

Phinergy is a/an ___________. (a) Indonesian start-up company

(b) Israeli start-up company

(c) US start-up company

(d) France start-up company


S31. Ans.(b)

Q32. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched an

assistance scheme for Artists in the state. The

scheme has been named as _______________.

(a)Odisha Arts and Crafts Scheme

(b)Mukhyamantri Kalakar Sahayata Jojana

(c)Mukhyamantri Kala Sahayata Jojana

(d)Mukhyamantri Rajya Sahayata Jojana

(e)None of the given options is true

S32. Ans.(b)

Q33. Name the Navy officer who recently took over

as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command from Vice

Admiral Ravneet Singh.

(a)RanvijaySingh

(b)AjendraBahadurSingh

(c)JasvinderSingh

(d)AtulDesai

(e)AmrinderChaddha

S33. Ans.(b)

Q34. An MoU was signed between

Government of India and Confederation

of Indian Industry (CII) to enhance



import and export performance. Who is

the President of CII? (a) Rakesh Bharti Mittal

(b) Uday Kotak

(c) Shobana Kamineni

(d) Aditya Puri

(e) Naushad Forbes

S34. Ans.(c)

Q35. Amplus Energy Solutions

announced entering into a pact with

private sector lender _______________

for strategic tie-up to co-finance projects

in the solar energy space in India. (a) Axis Bank

(b) ICICI Bank

(c) Karnataka Bank

(d) HDFC Bank

(e) Yes Bank

S35. Ans.(e)

Q36. India has joined the Australia Group export

control regime and has become the _____________

Member of that Group.

(a)45th

(b)43rd

(c)40th

(d)36th

(e)32nd

S36. Ans.(b)

Q37. Name the Famous Cartoonist who passed away

passed away recently at the age of 86.

(a)R.K.Laxman

(b)MarioMiranda

(c)AbuAbraham

(d)ChandiLahiri

(e)AseemTrivedi

S37. Ans.(d)

Q38. The waste management system being

implemented in Alappuzha has been recognized by

the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

as one of the five models across the world.

Alappuzha is a coastal town of ___________.

Answer:Kerala

Q39.What is the Capital of Turkmenistan?

Answer: Ashgabat

Q40. India has beaten which team to win the

Blind Cricket World Cup 2018 for the second

time after? (a) Bangladesh

(b) Sri Lanka

(c) Nepal

(d) Pakistan

(e) Afghanistan

S40. Ans.(d)

Q41. Former Gujarat chief minister

Anandiben Patel has been named as the new

governor of Madhya Pradesh. She has replaced

____________. (a) Jagdish Mukhi

(b) Om Prakash Kohli

(c) Satya Pal Malik

(d) Acharya Dev Vrat

(e) Ganga Prasad

S41. Ans.(b)

Q42. The International Cricket Council (ICC)

has recently announced, the 2018 edition of the

Women‟s World T20 will be hosted by

____________ in November 2018. (a) West Indies

(b) England

(c) India

(d) Sri Lanka and Bangladesh together

(e) India and Sri Lanka together

S42. Ans.(a)

Q43. ASEAN is a grouping of 10 South-East

Asian nations. In which among the following

year India & ASEAN partnership began? (a) 1994

(b) 1996

(c) 1990

(d) 1992

(e) 1984

S43. Ans.(d)

Q44. Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of

__________. (a) The Netherlands

(b) France

(c) Denmark

(d) Canada

(e) Australia

S44. Ans.(d)

Q45. The NIIF has partnered with DP World

and made its first investment to create an

investment platform for ports, terminals,



transportation and logistics businesses in India.

NIIF stands for ______________. (a) National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

(b) National Investment and Insurance Fund

(c) National Insurance and Infrastructure Fund

(d) National Independent and Infrastructure Fund

(e) National Investment and Implemented Fund

S45. Ans.(a)

Q46. The government has announced capital infusion

in 20 public sector banks for the current fiscal. The

infusion is of ____________.

(a)Rs91,367crore

(b)Rs88,139crore

(c)Rs76,475crore

(d)Rs57,685crore

(e)Rs64,473crore

S46. Ans.(d)

Q47. India has moved up on a global index of talent

competitiveness to the _______ position in the

report that was released in the first day the 48th

World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in

Davos, Switzerland.

(a)81st

(b)88th

(c)94th

(d)56th

(e)92nd

S47. Ans.(a)

Q48. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC)

has recently signed an MoU with SME Corporation of

which country for exchange of information and

cooperation?

(a)Singapore

(b)Switzerland

(c)Indonesia

(d)Malaysia

(e)China

S48. Ans.(d)

Q49. The winter session of Parliament has begun

recently in the country. The Legislature or Parliament

is headed by _____________.

Answer:ThePresidentofIndia

Q50. Who was declared the winner of the 2017 Mr.

India pageant which was held in Mumbai?

Answer: Jitesh Singh Deo

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