SSB TEST Contact number: Current Affairs Weekly edition (1.Jan-7.Jan.2019)

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1 Current Affairs Weekly edition (1.Jan-7.Jan.2019)

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3 Table of Contents:- 1.JAN Rishabh Pant first Indian wicket-keeper to claim 20 catches in Test series. 2. Bhutan PM Dr. Lotay Tshering concluded his 3-day visit to India. 3. Bangladesh's PM Hasina wins third straight. 4. NHRC launches toll free helpline facility to file complaint through CSC. 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Indian Science Congress-2019 in Punjab on Jan 3. 2.JAN IndiGo gets its first longer range A321neo plane. 7. Veteran actor-writer Kader Khan passes away at age of TB Radhakrishnan sworn-in as 1st Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. 9. Axis Bank MD & CEO Shikha Sharma retires; Amitabh Chaudhry takes charge. 10. Vinod Kumar Yadav appointed as Railway Board Chairman. 3.JAN India, Pakistan exchange list of nuclear installations. 12. Justice AK Sikri nominated as Executive Chairman of NALSA by President Ram Nath Kovind. 13. ISRO Planning to Launch 32 Space Missions in ISRO launches Samwad with students to engage them on space science. 15. Jair Bolsonaro takes Oath as New President of Brazil. 4.JAN India floats mega tender of 7.5 GW for Jammu & Kashmir. 17. Mysuru aims for 7 star rating under the Swachh Bharat Mission. 18. Improved LCA Tejas gets approved for production. 19. Change 4 lunar probe landed on far side of the moon. 20. IIT Professor awarded with the National Geospatial Award for Excellence. 5.JAN Indian Railways to launch Wi-Fi facilities at a minimum of 2,000 stations. 22. PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate 8 projects in Manipur. 23. Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill. 24. Govt launches Green-Ag, GEF-assisted project, in partnership with FAO. 25. Centre approved Centre for Classical Language at Tirur. 6.JAN.2019

4 26. Arunima Sinha Becomes Worlds 1st Female Amputee To Scale Antarcticas Highest Peak. 27. Chandrayaan-2 mission launch most likely in Feb. 28. China named its lunar rover as Yutu NGT imposes Rs 100 Cr fine on Meghalaya govt. 30. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to address IIT Bombay event. 7.JAN India win first-ever cricket Test series in Australia. 32. Hydro policy for 5,950 MW projects to be implemented. 33. Indian Panorama Film Festival begins in New Delhi. 34. Centre eased Defence manufacturing rules. 35. All homes will have electricity by March 31, assures Modi govt.

5 1.JAN Rishabh Pant first Indian wicket-keeper to claim 20 catches in Test series. :- Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant became the country's first keeper to complete twenty catches in a Test series, during the final day of the 'Boxing Day Test'.Pant surpassed former cricketers Naren Tamhane and Syed Kirmani who had recorded nineteen dismissals in and respectively. Australia's Brad Haddin holds the record for taking most catches in a Test series (29). 2. Bhutan PM Dr. Lotay Tshering concluded his 3-day visit to India. : - This was Prime Minister Dr. Lotay Tshering s first overseas visit after assuming the office in November 2018.This was also the Golden Jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan. Mr Modi and Dr. Tshering reiterated their commitment to jointly develop 10,000 MWs of hydropower generating capacity in Bhutan and in this regard discussed the Sankosh Hydropower Project. Prime Minister Modi had announced a 4,500 crore rupees financial assistance to Bhutan for its 12th fiveyear plan. India will give a transitional Trade Support Facility of 400 crore rupees to Bhutan over a period of five years to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages. 3. Bangladesh's PM Hasina wins third straight. :- Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has secured her third consecutive term, with her alliance winning 287 of the 298 seats for which results have been declared for the 300-strong parliament. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which boycotted the 2014 poll, has won just six seats in the general election held on December NHRC launches toll free helpline facility to file complaint through CSC. :- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) launched a toll-free number and a facility to file complaints through Common Service Center (CSC).The toll-free number is and has been unveiled by Justice (retd.) H.L.Dattu, Chairperson of NHRC at the headquarters of the body, Manav Adhikar Bhawan. People can now send their complaints related to human rights violation through both the toll-free number and CSCs, although the toll-free number will only be available during office hours. Collaboration between NHRC and CSC has been formed and the service has been provided to 750 CSCs with at least one in each district Secretary-General of NHRC. 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Indian Science Congress-2019 in Punjab on Jan 3. : - Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Indian Science Congress-2019 in Jalandhar, Punjab on the third of next month. This will be the 106th edition of the event based on the theme Future India: Science and Technology. Prime Minister will also address about 30,000 delegates, including Nobel laureates, eminent scientists, policymakers, young researchers and school children, from across the country and abroad. During the five-day long Congress, more than 100 conferences and events on science and technology will be held.

6 2. JAN IndiGo gets its first longer range A321neo plane. :- India's largest airline IndiGo has become the first domestic airline to have longer range Airbus A321neo (new engine option) plane in its fleet with the first aircraft arriving from the European aviation major Airbus' Hamburg facility in Germany. This is part of its 150-aircraft order. The new aircraft will help the Rahul Bhatia-led airline to fly to Europe, and add destinations in Asia. IndiGo now has 204 planes in its fleet, including one A321neo, 65 A320neos, 126 A320ceos (current engine option), and 12 ATRs. IndiGo at present operates over 1,300 daily flights to 52 domestic and 15 international destinations. 7. Veteran actor-writer Kader Khan passes away at age of 81. : - Born in Kabul, Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna's "Daag" and has featured in over 300 films. He wrote dialogues for over 250 movies. As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. 8. TB Radhakrishnan sworn-in as 1st Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. :- Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan had been serving as the Chief Justice of the combined high court of the two Telugu states since July last year. Telangana High Court came into existence on January 1, 2019 after the bifurcation of the High Court at Hyderabad. Justice Praveen Kumar was sworn in as the acting Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh HC, which also came into existence the same day. 9. Axis Bank MD & CEO Shikha Sharma retires; Amitabh Chaudhry takes charge. :- Amitabh Chaudhry, the former MD and CEO of HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company, was in September named the MD and CEO of Axis Bank for a period of three years. In July 2017, the board of Axis Bank had approved the reappointment of Sharma, who was to start her fourth term as MD and CEO from June 2018.However, in April this year, Sharma wanted her new term to be reduced to seven months from a three-year tenure without citing any reasons. 10. Vinod Kumar Yadav appointed as Railway Board Chairman. :- General Manager of South Central Railway, Vinod Kumar Yadav, has been appointed as Chairman of Railway Board and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India. His appointment came after Ashwani Lohani s superannuation on Monday (31 December).Vinod Kumar Yadav belongs to the 1980 batch of Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE).

7 3.JAN India, Pakistan exchange list of nuclear installations. : - According to an External Affairs Ministry release, the two sides exchanged the list under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan. The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988, and entered into force on January 27, 1991, provides that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the pact on the fist of January of every calendar year. This is the twenty seventh consecutive exchange of such a list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, Justice AK Sikri nominated as Executive Chairman of NALSA by President Ram Nath Kovind. : - President Ram Nath Kovind nominated Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).His appointment is effective from December 31, ISRO Planning to Launch 32 Space Missions in : - The missions include the second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 ( 800-crore mission) to land on the moon with lander and rover. India s maiden human space mission in , Gaganyaan, will also be pursued this year. Among the ISRO's achievements in 2018 were launch of the heaviest satellite GSAT-29 (3,423 kg) on November 14 and building the heaviest communication satellite GSAT-11 (5,854 kg), launched on December 5 onboard the Arianespace space agency's rocket from French Guiana on the north Atlantic coast of South America. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman - K. Sivan 14. ISRO launches Samwad with students to engage them on space science. : - The first SwS event saw interaction of 40 students and 10 teachers from select schools with ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan during which the students were briefed about Indian space programme and their benefits to the common man at the Anthariksh Bhavan, Bengaluru.The Q&A session that followed saw Dr. Sivan engaging students on a series of topics ranging from rockets, satellites, Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan, and

8 various space applications. The Chairman asked students to study science and mathematics with absolute seriousness which would enable them to take up challenging careers. 15. Jair Bolsonaro takes Oath As New President of Brazil. : - Mr. Bolsonaro, 63 won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the leftwing Workers Party. Brazil: Capital: Brasilia. Currency: Brazilian real.

9 4.JAN India floats mega tender of 7.5 GW for Jammu & Kashmir. : - Solar Energy Corporation of India has invited solar power developers to construct 7.5 GW grid connected projects in Leh and Kargil Districts in the state of Jammu & Kashmir under a competitive bidding process. Out of the 7.5 GW capacity, 2.5 GW will be constructed in the Kargil district and 5 GW in Leh district. The tender is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi s goal of building 100 gigawatts of solar capacity in the country by Mysuru aims for 7 star rating under the Swachh Bharat Mission. : - The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) aims for a 7-star under the Swachh Bharat Mission Under this mission, the garbage-free cities will be awarded star ratings as per the revised protocols of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).The new survey is launched across the country from 4th January MoHUA has set various parameters such as door-to-door garbage collection, waste disposal, scientific handling of landfills, disposal of construction and demolition debris, and segregation of waste at the source for the rankings. As per the vision enunciated under the Swachh Bharat Mission, 100% of waste generated in a city should be scientifically managed, and measures are taken for visible beautification of the city. 18. Improved LCA Tejas gets approved for production. : - Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas progressed towards manufacture in an enhanced, battle standard format on December 31. The LCA is being designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in Bengaluru.A new limited clearance from military airworthiness certifier CEMILAC for the Indian fighter green-lights its production in a superior lethal version. HAL aims to get the first aircraft out in late 2019.The Indian Air Force (IAF) has asked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to make 40 LCA aircraft. Of this, 20 will be in the advanced Final Operational Clearance (FOC) format. Another 20 are in the earlier Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) version. The IAF has modified and upgraded its trainer requirement in its old package order of 40 LCA aircraft. 19. Chang e 4 lunar probe landed on far side of the moon. : - Chang e-4 lunar probe, a Chinese space probe, touched down on the far side of the moon. The probe, which has a lander and a rover, that was launched in December made the soft landing and transmitted the first-ever close-range image of the far side of the moon. It touched down at a targeted area near the moon s South Pole in the Von Karman Crater. The purpose of the Chang e-4 includes astronomical observation, surveying the moon s terrain, landform, and mineral makeup, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of its far side. The moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate as it orbits our planet, so most of the far side or dark side is never visible to us. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none has landed on it. China s space agency hailed the event as a historic first and a major achievement for the country s space programme.

10 20. IIT Professor awarded with the National Geospatial Award for Excellence. : - Jayanta Kumar Ghosh, a professor at the civil engineering department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, was conferred the National Geospatial Award for Excellence-2017 (Lifetime Achievement Award) at the Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad.The Indian Society for Remote Sensing is an organization known in the area of space science, remote sensing and geo-spatial technology.

11 5.JAN Indian Railways to launch Wi-Fi facilities at a minimum of 2,000 stations. :- Railway Minister Piyush Goyal instructed officials to provide Wi-Fi facilities at a minimum of 2,000 stations as soon as possible. He also called for setting up a single helpline number for all non-security railway complaints by the end of January. Additionally, Point of Sale (PoS) machines will be distributed in all trains to each catering staffer by March 31 to address complaints related to overcharging by the caterer. The government will also replace conventional coaches with modern Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) design coaches in all long distance trains. 22. PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate 8 projects in Manipur. :- During his visit to Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to inaugurate 8 projects and lay the foundation stone for 4 new schemes. The projects include the integrated check post in Tengnoupal district, Dolaithabi Barrage project of Imphal East district, FCI food storage godown in Imphal East district and the Buffer water reservoirs in Ukhrul district.pm Modi will also inaugurate improved and upgraded water supply for Churachandpur zone, eco-tourism complex at Thangapat in Kangpokpi district, an integrated tourist destination in Noney district and the water supply scheme at JNV, Lambui and its surrounding villages. He will lay the foundation stone for four projects that include Infrastructure development of Dhanamanjuri University in Imphal West district, flood lighting of hockey stadium and the main stadium at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal East district and Astroturf laying in Langjing Achouba of Imphal West district. Security measures have been tightened in the entire state in view of the prime minister's visit. 23. Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill. :- Parliament following the approval from the Rajya-Sabha passed a bill to provide retrospective recognition to central and state government funded institutions offering B.Ed and related courses that are not recognized under the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Act.. The NCTE (Amendment) Bill which will be a one-time measure would help over 17,000 students who have obtained B.Ed degrees from those institutions which do not have NCTE approval for the course under the 1993 law.23 state and central universities and colleges offering B.Ed courses were found not recognized by the Council. The government would ensure that the quality of institutes offering B.Ed courses is maintained and proposes to start an integrated course in B.ED as in Law and other courses from Govt launches Green-Ag, GEF-assisted project, in partnership with FAO. :- The Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala informed that the Government had launched a Global Environment Facility (GEF) assisted project namely, Green Ag:

12 Transforming Indian Agriculture for global environmental benefits and the conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) during September 2018.The project was launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely (i) Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape, (ii) Mizoram: Dampa Landscape, (iii) Odisha: Similipal Landscape, (iv)rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape and v) Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape. The project is aimed to mainstream biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable land management objectives and practices into Indian agriculture. Besides this, it is also supposed to catalyze a transformative change of India s agricultural sector to support the achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes. 25. Centre approved Centre for Classical Language at Tirur. :- The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development approved the establishment of a Centre for Classical Language at the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Tirur, Kerala. The Ministry has communicated the decision to the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru. It is said that the State government would be required to prepare a detailed project report and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry. The proposed centre would spur the development of Malayalam language and help the Malayalam University also.

13 6.JAN Arunima Sinha Becomes Worlds 1st Female Amputee To Scale Antarcticas Highest Pe :-Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to have conquered Mt Everest, created yet another record as she became world s first woman amputee to climb Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica. Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to have conquered Mt Everest, created yet another record as she became world s first woman amputee to climb Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica. 27. Chandrayaan-2 mission launch most likely in Feb. :-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will most likely launch Chandrayaan-2, the country s second mission to the Moon. The features of the Chandrayaan-2 mission are: Chandrayaan-2 mission is a totally indigenous venture comprising of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. There would be a controlled descent and the lander would soft-land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a rover. 28. China named its lunar rover as Yutu 2. :-China successfully deployed Chang e-4 lunar probe to carry out a string of experiments on the unexplored far side of the moon. It has named the lunar rover as Yutu 2.The Lunar rover Yutu 2 touched the lunar surface and left a trace on the loose lunar soil. The rover s touchdown is part of China Chang e-4 lunar probe. Analysts say that China s lunar probe is part of its Made in China-2025 project. It will be focusing on advanced technology, including space applications. 29. NGT imposes Rs 100 Cr fine on Meghalaya govt. :-National Green Tribunal imposed a fine of 100 crore rupees on Meghalaya government for its failure to curb illegal coal mining in the state. The amount of the fine has to be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board within two months. The action comes after a high-level committee submitted an adverse report to a bench headed by NGT chairperson AK Goel.The report stated that the majority of the mines in the state are operating without a lease or license. Senior advocate Raj Panjawani is assisting the tribunal as an amicus curiae in the matter. He said, during the hearing, Meghalaya government admitted that a large number of mines are operating illegally. 30. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to address IIT Bombay event. :-Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will participate in IIT Bombay s prestigious event Pre- Summit 2019.The Union Minister will share his ideas on flagship programmes like Start-up India, Mudra, and Skill India Mission. Veteran Industrialist and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar will moderate the interactive session.

14 7.JAN India win first-ever cricket Test series in Australia. :-India won the four-match Test series against Australia 2-1 as the Sydney Test ended in a draw after the fifth day's play was washed out due to rain. This is the first time ever that India have won a Test series in Australia. Before this, India had played 11 Test series in Australia since 1947, losing eight and drawing three.cheteshwar Pujara, who made 193 runs in the Sydney Test, was the Man of the Match, while Man of the Series also got the award. 32. Hydro policy for 5,950 MW projects to be implemented. :-Due to financial constraints and other reasons 16 hydropower projects of 5,950 MW capacity are stalled. This might prompt the government to bring in a hydro policy at the earliest. A total of 37 hydropower projects of 12GW generation capacities are under construction in the country. Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimated an annual loss of energy generation from these stalled hydro projects is about 18,761 million units. The Power Ministry has informed about formulating a hydro policy to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy. The policy will also shore up the hydropower sector, which is facing stiff competition from other clean sources and also from thermal power. 33. Indian Panorama Film Festival begins in New Delhi. :-A 10-day long Indian Panorama Film Festival began at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi. Inaugurating the Festival, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare films rise above all constraints of languages. The films to be shown in the Festival reflect the economic progress the country has made and the changes that society has undergone. One minute silence was observed in honor of Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen who passed away recently. Sen was a crucial figure of India s parallel cinema along with Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak.A total of 26 Feature Films and 21 Non-Feature Films will be screened during the festival. 34. Centre eased Defence manufacturing rules. :-The Centre issued a notification to simplify the process for the approval of manufacturing of a range of defence and aerospace equipment and components by private industry. This will bring the industries under the licensing authority of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) which is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The items are listed in three categories: defence aircraft, warships of all kinds, and allied items of defence equipment. Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said that the most significant aspect is that warships of all kinds, surface and sub-surface, have been included in the listing. It would accrue benefits towards Tier-I/Tier-II vendors giving a boost to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).This move is also expected to help foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) looking for partnerships with the private sector.

15 35. All homes will have electricity by March 31, assures Modi govt. :-The government has said that it's on track to meet its official March 31 target to electrify every home. It added that a December 31 deadline promoted publicly by the Power Ministry was only an "internal target. As of December 31, about lakh households were left to be electrified in four states - Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh. In April, the government launched the initiative - Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, which translates to Prime Minister s Power Plan for Every Home - to achieve universal household electrification in the country by Dec. 31, 2018.