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Banking & Economy

NCDEX launches India’s first agri-options trading

The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) unveiled India’s first agricultural-commodity

options in Guarseed, as hedge for farmers to safeguard against price risks, by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

in New Delhi.

Its three options contracts in guarseed will expire in February, March and April 2018 and will be made available

for trading.

NCDEX is second exchange after MCX to launch options trading in commodities. In October 2017, MCX had

launched gold options.

India ranks at 30 on WEF’s Global Manufacturing Index

India ranked 30th among 100 countries on Global Manufacturing Index (GMI), released by the World Economic

Forum (WEF), which was topped by Japan.

The index was released as part of WEF’s first Readiness for the future of production Report which analysed

development of modern industrial strategies and urges collaborative action.

The report was developed by WEF in collaboration with A.T. Kearney.

India ranked 9th in terms of scale of production and at 48th place for complexity. It was ranked 3rd for market

size and poorly (90th or even lower) in parameters like female participation in labour force, trade tariffs,

regulatory efficiency and sustainable resources.

India contributes $50,000 to UN Youth Envoy’s office

India has contributed $50,000 to United Nations (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.

The contribution was handed over by Paulomi Tripathi, a First Secretary in India’s UN Mission to the

Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake.

India INX lists 1st debt security at IFSC

IRFC green bonds became first debt security to be listed on exchange at International Financial Services Centre

(IFSC) in Gujarat’s GIFT city.

It was listed by the India International Exchange (India INX) on its debt listing platform-Global Securities Market

(GSM). India INX’s GSM platform is India’s first debt listing platform.

In 2017, IRFC had raised $500 million from 10-year green bond from investors.

Federal Bank ties up with Hedge Equities

Federal Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Hedge Equities Ltd for providing Portfolio Investment

Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs.

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

The boards of the IDFC Bank Ltd. and Capital First Ltd. approved a merger between in a share swap deal.

The merged entity will have a diversified portfolio across large corporate lending, small and medium enterprise

(SME) loans and retail credit.

According to the deal, shareholders of Capital First will get 139 shares of IDFC Bank for every 10 held.

V Vaidyanathan, founder and executive chairman of Capital First will take over as the CEO of the bank post the

merger. Rajiv Lall, who is currently the CEO of IDFC Bank, will become executive chairman.

IIP growth hits 8.4% in November 2017

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India’s factory output, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose 17-months high to 8.4% in Nov

2017 from 2% in Oct 2017.

IIP is compiled and published monthly by the Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation.

The previous high was recorded at 8.9% in June, 2016.

Manufacturing sector: 10.2% growth

Mining output: 1.1% growth

Electricity generation: 3.9% growth

Capital goods output (barometer of investment): 9.4% growth

Consumer durables output: 2.5% growth

Consumer non-durables production: Growth of 23.1%.

India’s first-ever FDI in fertiliser sector

Norwegian fertiliser giant Yara International has announced completion of its acquisition of Tata Chemicals’ 1.2

mn tonnes per annum production capacity urea plant at Babrala in Uttar Pradesh.

This is Rs. 2,682-crore acquisition deal, which includes transfer of all assets and liabilities (including working

capital) relating to Babrala unit.

This deal marks first foreign direct investment (FDI) in India’s highly regulated urea sector.

Reliance Jio planning its own cryptocurrency called JioCoin

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd is planning to create its own cyptocurrency, JioCoin which will be led by Mukesh

Ambani’s elder son Akash Ambani.

Reliance Jio is planning to build a 50-member team of young professionals to work on blockchain technology,

which can also be used to develop applications such as smart contracts and supply chain management logistics.

PNB and NSFDC tied up

The Punjab National Bank (PNB) and National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation

(NSFDC) tied up to provide financial assistance for economic empowerment of persons belonging to Scheduled

Caste (SC) families living below Double Poverty Line (DPL).

PNB would act as a channelising agent for the loan schemes of NSFDC.

World Bank projects 7.3% growth for India in 2018

World Bank, in his 2018 Global Economics Prospect (GEP), has projected India’s growth rate to 7.3% in 2018

and 7.5 for the next two years i.e. 2019 and 2020.

According to report, India, despite initial setbacks from demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), is

estimated to have grown at 6.7% in 2017, higher than 6.5% estimated by Govt.

India’s economy is likely to grow 7.3% in 2018 and then accelerate to 7.5% in the next two years.

China grew at 6.8% in 2017, 0.1% more than that of India, while in 2018, its growth rate is projected at 6.4%.

And in the next two years, the country’s growth rate will drop marginally to 6.3 and 6.2%, respectively.

CBDT relaxes norms for MAT on firms facing insolvency

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is going to relax norms around levy of minimum alternate tax (MAT)

for insolvent companies from financial year 2017-18.

It aims to make the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 more effective and minimise hardship faced by

companies going in for insolvency resolution.

The objective of the relaxation is to bring Zero Tax Companies” into tax realm who do not pay any tax.

India's GDP growth likely at 6.5% in 2017-18: CSO

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the First

Advance estimates of national income at constant (2011-12) and current prices, for the financial year 2017-18,

forecasting the GDP growth at 6.5% for 2017-18 compared with the growth of 7.1% in 2016-17.

The Real Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic constant prices (2011-12) is anticipated to increase 6.1% in 2017-18

as against 6.6% growth in 2016-17.

The nominal GDP, or gross domestic product at market prices, is expected to grow at 9.5% against 11.75%

assumed in the 2017-18 budget presented last year.





The growth in the agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and construction is

estimated to be 2.1%, 2.9%, 4.6% and 3.6% respectively.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), in respect of the manufactured products registered a growth of 2.6% during

April-November 2017-18.

The per capita income in real terms (at 2011-12 prices) during 2017-18 is likely to attain a level of Rs 86660 as

compared to Rs 82269 for the year 2016-17.

The growth rate in per capita income is estimated at 5.3% during 2017-18, as against 5.7% in the previous year.

The per capita net national income at current prices during 2017-18 is estimated to be Rs 111,782 showing a rise

of 8.3% as compared to Rs 103,219 during 2016-17 with the growth rate of 9.7%.

T C A Anant is the chief statistician of CSO.

AIIB plans to issue first US dollar bonds in June 2018

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in which India is a second largest shareholder, is

planning to issue its first US dollar-denominated bond with minimum worth of $1 billion by June 2018.

The minimum size of the issuance will be one billion dollars, but as demand for the first bond issue may increase

AIIB anticipates of having to issue a larger size.

The maturity of the bond will be between three and five years depending on investor demand at the time. he bank

plans to cap its total borrowing volume at US $3 billion dollars in 2018.

The Beijing-based AIIB is a multilateral development bank initiated by China.

TIHCL gets RBI nod to operate as NBFC

Telangana Industrial Health Clinic Ltd (TIHCL), a State govt initiative, has got RBI clearance to register and

function as a non-banking finance company (NBFC).

It will be the first State promoted and co-financing NBFC, according to B Yerram Raju, TIHCL’s advisor and

director.

Forex Reserves scale record high of $409.366 billion in Dec 2017

According to the report from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have

scaled to fresh record high of $409.366 billion as on Dec 29, 2017.

In the previous week, foreign exchange reserves had spurted by $3.53 billion to reach $404.921 billion.

Paytm Payments Bank, IndusInd tie-up for FD facility

Paytm Payments Bank has partnered with Induslnd Bank to introduce a facility to create a fixed deposit when the

customer balance exceeds Rs 1 lakh at the end of day.

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 per cent annual interest.

Atal Pension Yojana reaches subscriber base of 80 lakh

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA) has announced that Atal Pension

Yojana (APY) has reached a subscriber base of 80 lakh.

Uttar Pradesh is the highest contributing state at 11.41 lakh APY subscribers, followed by Bihar (8.87 lakh) and

Tamil Nadu (6.60 lakh).

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) run by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA).

It became operational since June 1, 2015 with an aim to provide affordable universal access to essential social

security protection to unorganized work force of country, which makes major chunk of labour force (88%).

Ravi Menon named as the best central bank governor

Ravi Menon, an Indian-origin banker in Singapore has been named as the best central bank governor in Asia-

Pacific for 2018 by the leading UK-based magazine ‘The Banker’ for his contribution in the makeover of

Singapore’s financial system.

He is the managing director of Singapore’s central bank Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

RBI to issue new Rs 10 notes in chocolate brown colour

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly issue new Rs 10 notes under the Mahatma Gandhi series.

With chocolate brown colour as the base, the new note will bear the picture of Konark Sun Temple.

The change in design in the old Rs 10 note was last made in 2005.





In August last year, RBI had introduced the new Rs 200 and Rs 50 notes under the Mahatma Gandhi series.

Govt launches 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2018

The Union Finance Ministry launched 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2018 scheme to help citizens invest in a

taxable instrument, without any monetary ceiling. The Bonds will be issued at par i.e. at Rs. 100.00.

It will enable resident citizens/Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) to invest in a taxable bond.

India's GDP growth at 6.5% in FY18: HSBC

According to the global financial services major, HSBC, GDP growth in India is expected to accelerate to 7.0 per

cent in 2018-19 from 6.5 per cent in this fiscal, shaking off the disruptions from demonetisation and introduction

of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

HSBC expects India's growth at around 6.5 per cent in 2017-18, 7.0 per cent in 2018-19 and 7.6 in 2019-20,

respectively.

The Reserve Bank in its fifth bi-monthly review of this fiscal kept repo rate unchanged at 6 per cent and reverse

repo at 5.75 per cent while raising the inflation forecast for the remainder of 2017-18 to 4.3-4.7 per cent.

RBI puts Allahabad Bank under prompt corrective action

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put the Public sector, Allahabad Bank under prompt corrective action

framework post an on-site inspection of high NPAs and negative return of assets for fiscal 2016-17.

The RBI inspection has revealed high net NPAs (non-performing assets) and negative ROA (return on assets) for

two consecutive years.

Rs 372.51 crore sanctioned by NABARD to Odisha

The NABARD has sanctioned Rs 372.51 cr loan assistance under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund

(RIDF) to Odisha towards irrigation and rural bridge projects for the last quarter of this fiscal.

A total number of 17,322 lift irrigation projects including bore wells, shallow tube wells, digging wells, micro

river lifts shall be taken up with Rs 130.17 crore from the assistance.

No charges on debit card transactions up to Rs 2,000

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 from Jan 01 onwards.

This decision comes after the Union Cabinet approval of a proposal that govt 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.

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.

APGVB introduces Desktop ATMs in rural India

The Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) has operationalised it’s first desktop ATM at Kasibugga in

Mandi Bazar of Warangal in Telangana.

The mini ATM, within the branch premises, will facilitate customers to withdraw small amounts.

HDFC Bank Partners with Rajasthan Govt

HDFC Bank announced a partnership with Rajasthan Govt to promote and nurture startups in the state.

Under the partnership, HDFC Bank will team up with the Rajasthan govt 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

The 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.

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.

Nabard has fixed a target of credit linking 80,000 JLGs in West Bengal in 2017-18.

IICA, IPPB Sign MoU to Provide Training on Payment Banking

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.

SBI cuts base rate by 30 bps





State Bank of India (SBI) announced a 30-basis-point cut in old lending rate benchmarks — Base Rate and

Benchmark Prime Lending Rate — in a bid to bring new year cheer to customers whose loans are still linked to

these benchmarks.

With effect from Jan 01, 2018, the revised base rate is 8.65 per cent (8.95 per cent earlier) for existing customers

and Benchmark Prime Lending Rate is 13.40 per cent (13.70 per cent).

In terms of regulatory requirements, all rupee loans sanctioned by banks with effect from April 1, 2016 are priced

with reference to the marginal cost of funds based lending rates (MCLRs).

The benchmark one-year MCLR is 7.95 per cent.

National News

Rajyavardhan Rathore launches ‘Khelo India’ Anthem & Logo

Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore launched the official anthem and mascot of Khelo India School Games,

beginning Jan 31. The anthem also aims to focus on brotherhood, equality, and solidarity in sports.

The vibrant Khelo India logo, reflecting the freshness, agility and vitality of New India was also launched.

The three-stroke Khelo India logo, designed by Ogilvy India, has in-built modularity, allowing plenty of

adaptability and flexibility into endless pictorial forms.

The colour of the Indian flag evokes a sense of National pride and team-work.

The govt of India has approved Rs 1,756 crore for a period of three years for the revamping of 'Khelo India'.

Khelo India Games will focus on women-oriented sports and try to run a campaign to encourage women to come

out of their homes and play sports.

NITI Aayog to rank 115 aspirational districts by April 2018

Govt think-tank, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog announced at ‘Transformation of

Aspirational Districts’ conference to rank 115 backward (aspirational) districts by April 2018.

These 115 backward districts include 35 districts affected by Left Wing Extremists (LWE) violence, 55 districts

just affected by LWE and another 15 including districts in Jammu & Kashmir and northeast affected by

terrorism.

Ministry of Railways launches SFOORTI application

The Union Ministry of Railways has launched Smart Freight Operation Optimisation & Real Time Information

(SFOORTI) application to help plan traffic flows and optimize freight operations.

SFOORTI application will help Freight Managers to monitor and manage freight business using Geographic

Information System (GIS) views and dashboard.

SFOORTI application will help to track movement of freight trains over Zones/Divisions/Sections on GIS View.

Ministry of Petroleum launches Saksham 2018 Campaign

The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural

Gas has launched month long Saksham 2018 Mahotsav (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav).

Saksham aims at creating focused attention on fuel conservation through people centric activities and sensitize

masses about conservation and efficient use of petroleum products leading to better health and environment.

CIPAM-DIPP launches IP competition for college & university students

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) in collaboration with Department of Industrial Policy and

Promotion (DIPP) launched ‘IPrism’ for college and university students.

An Intellectual Property (IP) Competition launched by CIPAM-DIPP in association with ASSOCHAM and

ERICSSON India.

Environment Ministry refuses captive breeding of Chiru

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) refused to allow captive breeding of

Chiru (Tibetan antelope), whose underfur is used for making famous shahtoosh shawls.





The suggestion for captive breeding was made by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology,

Environment & Forests asking to consider captive breeding as it will add to livelihood of people of Kashmir.

Chiru is assessed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2017.

India misses 2017 deadline for Kala Azar elimination

India has missed Dec 2017 deadline announced for elimination of Kala Azar (black fever) in 2017-18 Budget by

the Union Govt.

In recent times endemic blocks have increased from 61 to 68 in 17 districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Elimination is defined as reducing the annual incidence of Kala Azar (KA) to less than 1 case per 10,000 people

at the sub-district level.

CABE sub-committee recommends free education for girls up to PG level

The sub-committee of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), looking into issues of girl’s education, has

recommended free and compulsory education for girls up to post-graduate level across the country.

The sub-committee is likely to submit an interim report to Union Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD)

during CABE meeting on Jan 15, 2018.

The meeting of sub-committee was held in Hyderabad, Telangana and was chaired by Kadiam Srihari, Deputy

Chief Minister and Education Minister of Telangana.

Railways launch online vendor registration system

The Railways has launched “New Online Vender Registration System” that will allow small and medium

enterprises to become railway vendors.

The new online vendor registration system has been developed by Research Designs and Standards Organisation

(RDSO), the research arm of the Railways which is headquartered in Lucknow.

Matunga station enters Limca Book for all-woman staff

The Matunga suburban station on the Central Railway (CR) of Mumbai division has figured in the Limca Book of

Records 2018 for having an all-woman staff.

The station is being manned exclusively by women staffers since July 2017, a first on the Indian Railways.

A team of 41 women staffers at the station includes personnel from the RPF, commercial and operating

departments.

National anthem not mandatory in cinema halls: SC

The Supreme Court modified its Nov 30, 2016 interim order and made it optional for cinema halls to play the 52-

second national anthem before every show.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, clarified that it is not mandatory to play the

anthem before screenings in cinemas.

It left the choice of whether to play the anthem or not to the discretion of individual cinema hall owners.

The apex court has accepted Union Government’s affidavit that said 12-member inter-ministerial committee has

been set up to suggest changes in Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

First PIO-Parliamentary Conference held in New Delhi

The first-ever Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference was held in the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra

(PBK) in New Delhi.

The conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was way of reaching out to Indian community

overseas by Central government.

It was organised by Ministry of External Affairs to forge stronger ties with PIO.

Govt to launch new scheme for free treatment of Hepatitis C

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is set to roll out a National Programme for Control of Viral

Hepatitis , a new scheme free treatment of Hepatitis C from the 2018-19 financial year.

The govt has embarked budget of Rs 600 crore for the next three years.

Hepatitis C is caused by a blood-borne virus which affects the liver.

Sofosbuvir is recommended under the new WHO treatment guidelines for Hepatitis C. Punjab started the free

treatment of all Hepatitis C patients in June 2016.

BharatNet covers 1 lakh panchayats





The Union Govt has completed first phase of BharatNet project after successfully laying optical fibre cables

(OFC) in more than 1 lakh gram panchayats. BharatNet project is the backbone for the Digital India initiative.

As on December 31, 2017, 2,54,895 km of OFC has been laid covering 1,09,926 GPs out of which 1,01,370 GPs

have been made service ready.

Govt is expecting to preempt second phase’s original target of March 2019 by concluding it ahead of schedule by

Dec 2018.

Govt to launch e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and State

The Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) has proposed rolling out of e-Sansad in Parliament and e-

Vidhan in State Legislatures to digitize and make their functioning paperless.

It was announced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar after inaugurating 18th All India Whips’

Conference in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

The two-day conference was organised by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) focused on the efficient

functioning of legislatures.

Income Tax Department launches on-line chat service

Income Tax (IT) Department under the Union Finance Ministry has launched an on-line chat service on its

national website www.incometaxindia.gov.in.

It has been launched with a prominent icon stating ‘Live Chat Online- ask your query’.

World's Biggest Cleanliness Survey 'Swachh Sarvekshan 2018' Launched

The world's biggest cleanliness survey 'Swachh Sarvekshan Survey 2018' was launched in India by PM Narendra

Modi. It will be conducted from the Jan 04 to Mar 10.

The cleanliness survey was launched in 2016 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Health Ministry launches digital online oncology tutorial series

The Health Ministry launched the country’s first digital online oncology tutorial series designed in collaboration

with the Tata Memorial Centre.

The series is aimed at educating doctors in early detection, prevention, palliation, rehabilitation and treatment of

various forms of cancers.

Govt announces details of electoral bonds for political funding

The Union Govt has announced details of the electoral bonds for political funding that can be routed by donors to

political parties.

With this India becomes the first country in the world to have such unique bonds for electoral funding.

The Electoral bonds can be purchased for any value in multiples of Rs.1,000, Rs.10,000, Rs.10 lakh, and Rs.1

crore from any of the specified branches of State Bank of India (SBI).

The electoral bonds will be available for purchase for a period of 10 days each in months of January, April, July

and October with additional 30 days to be specified by Central govt in year of general election so that this does

not become a parallel currency.

The bonds will not carry the name of the payee and will be valid only for 15 days during which it can be used to

make a donation only to certain political parties.

Women & Child Development Ministry Inaugurated Online Portal NARI

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has inaugurated an online portal NARI in New Delhi

for the empowerment of women.

The portal will provide women with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for

women. The portal summarises over 350 govt schemes and other important information.





STATE News

65th meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education held in New Delhi

The 65th Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) held under Chairmanship of Union

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.

It will be undertaken jointly by Centre, State, Corporate Social Responsibility and community.

It will also promote Swacch Bharat, Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, Padhe Bharat, Sugamya Bharat and physical

education.

International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure held in New Delhi

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the International Workshop on Disaster Resilient

Infrastructure (IWDRI).

The two-day workshop is being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in

collaboration with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

12th International Film Festival on Art and Artist held in Bhubaneswar

12th International Film Festival on Art and Artist held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The 3-day non-competitive festival showcased 35-40 selected films and was attended by eminent artists, art lovers

and film makers from across the country.

The JDCA’s Film Festival is possibly the only film festival in India that is dedicated to Art.

The JDCA was established by renowned artist and Padma Bhushan awardee Jatin Das in 2006.

7th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2018 held in Karnataka

2018 Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was inaugurated by

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar in Bengaluru, Karnataka from January 14-20, 2018.

This is 7th edition of event and organised by Union Ministry of Culture.

2018 RSM aims to celebrate national integration and idea of unity in diversity of country.

Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat Programme was launched by PM Narendra Modi on Ekta Diwas (Oct 31, 2015) on

the occasion of birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.

4th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture & Forestry (AIMMAF) held in New Delhi

The 4th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) was held in New Delhi on

Jan 12, 2018.

The meeting was co-chaired by Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Thai

Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Grisada Boonrach.

The 5th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry to be held in Brunei Darussalam in 2019.

Bhopal Railway Station Gets Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine

Bhopal railway station becomes the India’s first railway station to have a sanitary napkin vending machine named

as ‘Happy Nari’.

The machine dispenses two sanitary napkins at the cost of Rs 5 only and accepts Rs 5 coins.

The sanitary pads vending machine has been installed at platform No.1 by the Railway Women Welfare

Association of Bhopal.

Delhi is richest state, Jain wealthiest community

According to wealth index released on the basis of fourth round of National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4)

Delhi is richest state and Jain wealthiest community in the country.

The NFHS-4 was conducted among more than 6 lakh households in 2015-16.

Delhi and Punjab are richest states with over 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile. They are

followed by Goa with 54.5% households in top bracket.

Bihar is poorest state half of its households in the bottom quintile.

Kerala Govt launches Kerala Accelerator Program

Kerala Govt has introduced Kerala Accelerator Program for three months, to promote startups in the early

revenue stage.





Kerala Accelerator Program, a virtual accelerator program, was launched by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in

association with Zone Startups India.

It will introduce startups to investors, relevant customers and industry connects.

National Youth Festival held in New Delhi

The 22nd National Youth Festival (NYF) with the theme 'Sankalp Se Siddhi' held in New Delhi on the occasion

of birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the youth icon of India.

NYF 2018 was organised by Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh

Government at Gautam Buddha University Greater Noida.

This is the first time that the NYF is being organised in National Capital Region (NCR).

The first National Youth Festival was held in 1995 in Bhopal.

4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference held in Nalanda

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference on “State and Social

Order in Dharma-Dhamma Traditions” at Rajgir in Nalanda district, Bihar.

The Conference is being organised by Nalanda University in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Religion

and Society, India Foundation, and the Ministry of External Affairs and Vietnam Buddhist University.

Its central theme was the ideal state and just social order based on dharmic principles.

Punjab govt rolled out e-Raktkosh web portal

The Punjab govt has rolled out e-Raktkosh web portal in all the 45 government blood banks.

The web portal provides guidelines and streamlines the workflow of blood blanks and storage centres across the

nation and interconnects all blood banks with a single network.

In the next phase all 59 private blood banks of the state will be linked with the e-Raktkosh application software.

Delhi gets its common mobility card

The chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has launched a common mobility card scheme to aid seamless travel

between the city’s bus transport and the Metro system.

With this, Delhi has become the India’s first city to have a common mobility card, which can at present be used

on 200 DTC and 50 cluster buses plying on different routes, apart from metro trains.

The card, which will function like a debit card, will be operational in all DTC and cluster buses from April.

3rd Meeting of Council of Trade Development and Promotion held in New Delhi

The third meeting of Council of Trade Development and Promotion (CTDP) was held in New Delhi.

It was chaired by Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhu and was attended by CM of Goa,

Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, ministers from 11 states, senior state govt officials and industry bodies.

The Union Commerce and Industry Minister is Chairperson of CTDP.

Ministers’ in-charge of Trade and Commerce in State Governments/UTs are its members.

Flamingo festival held in Andhra Pradesh

The three-day annual Flamingo Festival was held at Pulicat lake and Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary in Sullurpet

mandal in Andhra Pradesh. The festival aims to promote tourism in Pulicat and Nellapattu.

Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lake or lagoon in India after Chilika Lake.

Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary is one of the biggest habitats for some hundreds of pelicans and other birds.

India’s second FTII to be set up in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the Union Govt as part of

tapping the potential of the Northeastern region. This would be the second such one in the country.

The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune, an autonomous institute operating under

the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Haryana becomes first state to launch High Risk Pregnancy portal

Haryana has achieved the distinction of becoming the first state in the country to launch High Risk Pregnancy

(HRP) Portal.

The portal helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level.

This initiative will increase the pace of decline in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

and Still Birth Incidence.





Haryana implemented birth companion strategy

Haryana had implemented the birth companion strategy under which one female attendant would be allowed

during delivery in the labour room.

The presence of a female birth companion during delivery is a step towards improving the quality of care in

labour rooms for improving the maternal and neo-natal outcome and for respectful maternity care.

West Bengal gets a State emblem

The official emblem of West Bengal was unveiled by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Jan 05.

The emblem designed by Ms. Banerjee features the Ashoka Pillar. The West Bengal government received the

Centre’s approval for the emblem on Jan 3.

The State emblem can be used in all the official work and documents of the State government.

26th World Book Fair held in New Delhi

The 26th edition of annual World Book Fair was held in New Delhi with the theme of ‘Environment and Climate

Change’ from Jan 06.

It was organised by National Book Trust (NBT), under Ministry of Human Resource Development in association

with India Trade Promotion Organisation.

The event's Theme Pavillion will have an international rights exhibition of nearly 500 titles published in English,

Hindi, and other Indian languages. The annual event will come to an end on Jan 14.

31st International Kite Festival (Uttarayan) launched in Ahmedabad

The 31st International Kite Festival (Uttarayan) launched at Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat .

The eight-day festival which will end on Makar Sankranti day (Jan 14).

The week-long colorful festival has been inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in the presence of

Governor Shri O.P.Kohli.

World Sweet Festival (WSF-2018) to be held in Hyderabad

The World Sweet Festival (WSF-2018) will held in Hyderabad from Jan 13 to showcase the cosmopolitan nature

of Hyderabad in a sweet way. WSF-2018 is being organized by the Telangana govt.

The sweets from around 25 states in India and 15 foreign countries will be displayed at the event.

Goa to host 3rd Edition of Science Film Festival

Goa will be hosting the 3rd edition of the Science Film Festival of India between Jan 16-19.

The festival, titled SCI-FFI Goa is being organised by the state-based Vidnyan Parishad, Goa's Department of

Science and Technology, the Entertainment Society of Goa and the Goa College of Art.

Meghalaya signs host city contract for 39th National Games

Meghalaya signed the Host City Contract with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for hosting the

39th National Games in 2022.

The tripartite contract was signed between the IOA, the Meghalaya State Olympic Association and the Meghalaya

govt.

Largest B2B Travel Event to be held in Karnataka

The Karnataka govt announced that 'Karnataka International Travel Expo' (KITE) will be held from February 28,

billing it as the "largest" B2B travel event in the country.

The three-day event aims 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.

GAIL commissions India’s second largest rooftop solar plant in UP

State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd commissioned India’s second largest rooftop solar power plant in Uttar

Pradesh.

India’s first largest rooftop solar plant was commissioned in Dec 2015 by Tata Power Solar in Amritsar, Punjab.

The second largest rooftop solar power plant is 5.76 MWp (Mega Watt peak) solar plant installed at GAIL’s

petrochemical complex at Pata in UP.

1st draft of National Register of Citizens in Assam released





The first draft of the much awaited National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam has listed 19 million people

out of the 32.9 million applicants as legal Indian citizens in a massive exercise aimed at identifying illegal

immigrants in the state that borders Bangladesh.

The NRC was last updated in Assam way back in 1951. Then, it had recorded 80 lakh citizens in the State.

India and Bangladesh share 4,096-km-long border, of which 262 km falls in Assam.

Vulnerable Odisha tribe Mankidia denied habitat in Similipal

Mankidia, one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha, were denied habitat rights

inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) under the historic Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest

Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Mankidia is a marginalised group that critically depends on making rope with siali fibre that’s richly available in

Similipal. The Mankidia would have been the first PVTG to have habitat rights.

Arunachal Pradesh declared open defecation-free State

Arunachal Pradesh was officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) state.

With this it becomes overall fifth state after Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana and Sikkim to be declared ODF

state. It is second State from Northeast, after Sikkim.

The announcement comes after three remaining districts – Upper Subansiri, Siang and Changlang were officially

declared ODF.

Arunachal Pradesh has total 21 districts and it attained this major cleanliness feat under Swach Bharat Abhiyan

much before (one year and 10 months ahead) the national deadline of Oct 02, 2019.

Teen Murti Chowk renamed after Israeli city Haifa

The iconic Teen Murti Chowk in central New Delhi has been renamed as Teen Murti-Haifa after Israeli City

Haifa in solemn ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin

Netanyahu.

This year marks the centenary year of Battle for Haifa. The renaming is aimed at being symbolic gesture of

India’s friendship with Israel.

The three bronze statues at Teen Murti represent Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who were part of 15

Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade in British Indian Army.

International News

India, Bangladesh, Nepal approve Passenger protocol

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 (MVA).

Decision in this regard was taken at meeting of High-level officials of three countries held in Bengaluru,

Karnataka.

Nepal starts receiving internet connection from China

Nepal started receiving the internet connection from China after the commercial operation of Nepal-China optical

fibre link via Rasuwagadhi gateway across Himalayan Mountains.

It believed that initial speed by Chinese fibre link will be 1.5 Gigabit per second (gbps).

Nepal also receiving the Internet connection from India with the speed of 34 Gigabit per second (gbps).

Emmanuel Macron ranked 1st in Gallup international annual survey

French President Emmanuel Macron has been ranked first in the latest Gallup international annual survey

“Opinion of Global Leaders”, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and PM Narendra Modi.

The survey shows that PM Modi is a popular leader in the Indian subcontinent with 69% of respondents in

Afghanistan and 51% in Bangladesh holding a favourable view towards him.

China to build Counter-Terrorism Base in Northern Afghanistan’s Badakshan province





China announced to provide financial support to construct counter-terrorism base in Badakshan province of

northern Afghanistan that would prevent cross-border infiltration of the Chinese Uyghur militants.

The decision in this regard was taken during recent meeting of Afghanistan Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami

and Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan.

Iran Bans Teaching of English in Primary Schools

Iran has recently banned teaching of English language in primary schools to fight against western cultural

invasion.

Usually, the teaching of English starts in middle school in Iran, at the ages of 12 to 14, but some primary schools

below that age also have English classes.

Saudi Arabia allows to ferry Haj pilgrims via sea route

Saudi Arabia has approved the plan of India to revive the option of ferrying Haj pilgrims via sea route to Jeddah.

Both countries have signed bilateral annual Haj 2018 agreement.

It was signed by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Haj and Umrah Minister of

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Saleh bin TaherBenten at Makkah.

India and Saudi Arabia share ideals of global peace, progress and prosperity. Haj pilgrimage is one of strongest

pillars of India-Saudi Arabia ties.

Till now, around 3 lakh 59 thousand application have been received for Haj 2018.

The Union Govt for the first time had notified that Indian Muslim Women can now go to Haj without male

companion (Mehram).

The Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 started in Nepal

The Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 has been inaugurated by President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari at

Kathmandu in Nepal on Jan 05, 2018.

According to experts Nepal has approximately 40,000 MW of economically feasible hydro power potential and so

far it has developed just around 600 MW.

Iceland becomes the first country to enforce equal pay for women and men

Iceland became the first country in the world to enforce equal pay for women and men.

The new law came into force on Jan 01, 2018 which stated that companies and govt agencies employing at least

25 people will have to obtain govt certification of their equal-pay policies.

The new legislation was supported by Iceland’s centre-right govet, as well as the opposition, in a parliament

where nearly 50% of all members are women.

India excludes Pakistan from a Saarc initiative

India has excluded Pakistan from the list of Saarc member countries with which it will be connecting its state-of-

threat National Knowledge Network (NKN) for sharing scientific databases and remote access to advanced

research facilities.

The govt 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.

Pakistan is the only Saarc nation that has been left out of this initiative.

Six countries enter UN Security Council

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”.

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.

Three women and 12 men are among the 15 ambassadors who will soon be seated at the U-shaped table in the

center of the Security Council’s chamber.

The six countries who left the UN Security Council on December 31 are Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and

Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia, UAE introduce VAT for first time





Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) become first countries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to

introduce Value Added Tax (VAT) for the first time to increase their revenue away from oil reserves.

There are six members of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) viz, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and

United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ecuador grants citizenship to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

Ecuador granted citizenship to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in an attempt to resolve the political impasse

over his continued presence in the United Kingdom (UK).

Ecuador Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa informed that Assange, who is an Australian, became an

Ecuadoran citizen on Dec 12, 2017.

Science & Defence

WHO approves Indian typhoid vaccine for global use

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given its pre-qualification approval to Bharat Biotech’s Typbar-

Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TVC). It was developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech for global use.

Typbar-TCV is the world’s first typhoid vaccine clinically proven to be administered to children from six months

of age to adults, and confers long-term protection against typhoid fever.

Indo-US joint military exercise, Vajra Prahar to be held in Seattle

The Indo-US joint military exercise, ‘Vajra Prahar’ is going to be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in

Seattle in third week of January in line with the increasing military cooperation between both countries.

‘Vajra Prahar’ is Indo-US Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US started

in 2010. The last edition was held in Jodhpur in March 2017.

New moth species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

Researchers from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) discovered a new species of moth, scientifically

named Elcysma Ziroensis from Talley Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.

Elcysma Ziroensis is commonly called Apatani Glory, named after a local tribe called Apatani.

ISRO successfully launched weather observation satellite Cartosat 2 Series

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched weather observation satellite Cartosat 2

Series and 29 other spacecraft into the space from its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-40 from the Satish

Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The Cartosat-2 series satellite will provide high-resolution scene specific spot imageries.

The co-passengers on the PSLV-C40 comprised one micro and nano satellite each from India and three micro and

25 nanosatellites from six countries — Canada, Finland, France, Korea, UK and US.

“Iron Fist 2018” exercise between American and Japanese

The 13th edition of joint military drill exercise “Iron Fist 2018” started between American and Japanese forces at

Camp Pendleton in California on Jan 12 and will continue till Feb 12.

Iron Fist is an annual, bilateral training exercise where U.S. and Japanese service members train together and

share techniques, tactics and procedures to improve their combined operational capabilities.

Indian Navy decommissions INS Nirbhik and INS Nirghat warships

Indian Navy has decommissioned INS Nirbhik and INS Nirghat warships at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai

(Maharashtra), after a glorious 30 and 28 years respectively in the service of the nation.

These ships had participated in numerous operations including Operations Parakram and Vijay.

INS Nirbhik and INS Nirghat in their new avatars were commissioned at Poti in erstwhile USSR (now in Russia)

in December 1987 and December 1989 respectively.

China commissions new missile frigate

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy commissioned Rizhao, a new missile frigate, in a naval port in Dalian,

China.





It is China’s indigenous missile frigate named after Rizhao city in Shandong Province of China.

The missile frigate, designed and made in China, is 140 metres long and 16 metres wide.

China launches two BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

China has successfully launched two BeiDou-3 satellites, BeiDou-3 M7 and BeiDou-3 M8, to provide navigation

and positioning services to countries along Belt and Road initiative (BRI) by the end of 2018.

BeiDou-3 M7 and BeiDou-3 M8 were designated as 26th and 27th satellites in BeiDou Navigation Satellite

System (BDS). This was first launch of the BeiDou satellites in 2018. The first BeiDou-3 satellite was launched in

March of 2015.

Army Air Defence celebrates 25th Raising Day

The Army Air Defence Corps celebrated its 25th Raising Day on Jan 10, with Adjutant General and Senior

Colonel Commandant Lt General Ashwani Kumar along with Lt General P. S. Jaggi and veterans laying wreaths

at the Amar Jawan Jyoti here to pay homage to the braves in a solemn ceremony.

The Corps of Army Air Defence was raised on Jan 10, 1994, and since then has grown in stature and has proved

its mettle in all major conflicts in the past..

Indian Coast Guard commissions patrol vessel, Charlie-435

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned Charlie-435, a state-of-the-art patrol vessel at Karaikal in the Union

Territory of Puducherry. It was commissioned by Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

The patrol vessel ‘Charlie-435’ is equipped with modern navigation and communication system.

Skeletal muscle tissue grown from stem cells

The team of Scientists from Duke University in North Carolina, US for first time has developed working human

skeletal muscle from stem cells in the laboratory. These are called “induced pluripotent stem cells” or iPSCs.

In this case, the iPSCs were coaxed into becoming skeletal muscle cells, which grew into “functioning human

skeletal muscle”, the team reported in the science journal Nature Communications.

Territorial Army battalion of ex-Armymen to clean Ganga

The Central govt has sanctioned the raising of a Territorial Army (TA) battalion comprising ex-servicemen of the

Army as part of its mission to clean the Ganga by 2020.

The Territorial Army (TA) battalion will be raised in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh as a pilot project.

This is a Composite Ecological Task Force (CETF) battalion of TA for National Mission for Clean Ganga

(NMCG).

The govt has allocated Rs 167 crore for the battalion under NMCG, the nodal agency for cleaning the Ganga.

Territorial Army, which comes under the Defence Ministry, is considered a second line of defence after the

regular Army.

NASA to launch two missions, GOLD and ICON

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch two missions, GOLD and ICON later in

this year.

The two missions have the objective to explore the ionosphere, located 96 km above Earth’s surface.

The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission will be launched in Jan 2018

and Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) will be launched later this year.

ICON will launched in low-Earth orbit (LEO) located at 560 km above Earth, like a close-up camera.

GOLD will be launched in geostationary orbit over Western Hemisphere, about 35,398 km above earth.

Defence Ministry clears Rs.2420 Cr worth contracts for Navy, Army

The Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved procurement of P-8I Training Solution for Indian Navy and

Low Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System (LICEWS) for Indian Army at total cost of Rs 2419.32 cr.

These proposals were earlier cleared by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and now final approval has now

been given by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

This system will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited for Rs. 470 crore.

Scientists discover four new balsam species

Scientists have discovered four new balsam species from various locations in Eastern Himalayas in northeastern

state of Arunachal Pradesh.





They are Impatiens haridasanii, Impatiens pseudocitrina, Impatiens nilalohitae and Impatiens roingensis.

Infrastructure project like road widening works, deforestation and other development activities are posing a threat

to the natural habitat of the new species.

Defence Ministry gives final nod for Barak missiles, PGM bombs

The Defence Ministry has given final approvals for the procurement of 131 Barak missiles for Indian Navy and

240 precision-guided munitions (PGM) for Indian Air Force (IAF) together estimated at Rs.1,714 cr.

The proposals were cleared by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The 240 KAB-1500 PGMs will be procured from Rosoboronexport of Russia at a cost of Rs.1,254 crore.

131 Barak surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and associated equipment will be bought from Israel’s Rafael Advanced

Defence Systems Ltd for Rs.460 crore.

China develops underwater surveillance networks in Indian Ocean, South China Sea

China has developed a new underwater surveillance network to help its submarines get a stronger lock on targets

while protecting the nation’s interests along the maritime Silk Road, which includes the Indian Ocean.

The project, led by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS),

is part of an unprecedented military expansion fuelled by Beijing’s desire to challenge the United States in the

world’s oceans.

India and Pakistan exchange list of nuclear sites

India and Pakistan have exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities with each other under the

Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations.

This is the consecutive 27th times both the countries have exchanged such list. The first list was exchanged on Jan

01, 1992.

The exchange is part of an agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours meant to prevent attacks on

nuclear facilities by each other.

It was signed by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Pakistani counterpart Benazir Bhutto on Dec

31, 1988.

NASA to launch Parker Solar Probe to explore sun’s outer atmosphere

NASA is going to launch Parker Solar Probe in 2018, to explore the sun’s outer atmosphere, onboard of Delta IV

Heavy launch vehicle.

The objective of the mission is to trace how energy and heat move through solar corona, to explore what

accelerates solar wind as well as solar energetic particle.

The probe is named for the very first time after living person, solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker.

2 new ginger species discovered in northeast

Scientists from Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered two new species of ginger named Hedychium

chingmeianum and Caulokaempferia dinabandhuensis in easternmost districts of northeast India.

Both the plants belong to the family of Zingiberaceae, to which the commonly found ginger (Zingiber officinale)

belongs.

Hedychium chingmeianum was discovered in Tuensang district in Nagaland, both bordering Myanmar.

Caulokaempferia dinabandhuensis was found growing in rock crevices, boulders and humus rich soil in the Shirui

Hills in Ukhrul in Manipur.

New night frog species discovered in Western Ghats

The new species of frog named Mewa Singh’s night frog (Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi) was discovered in

Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala in Western Ghats.

It has been named in honour of wildlife scientist Mewa Singh for his contributions to behavioural ecology and

primate studies.





RANKING & REPORTS

Gujarat tops logistics performance index chart

Gujarat has topped in the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index, a perception-based index of

mobility of goods and efficiency of logistics chain, closely followed by Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.

Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index developed by the commerce and industry ministry along

with Deloitte.

It was released by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhu after the third meeting of the Council

for Trade Development and Promotion in New Delhi.

HRD Ministry releases All India Higher Education Survey

According to latest All India Higher Education Survey (AIHES), released by HRD Ministry, the Gross Enrolment

Ratio (GER) in higher education of Indian has registered an increase from 24.5% in 2015-16 to 25.2% in 2016-17.

The survey findings were based on responses of 795 universities, 34,193 colleges and 7,496 standalone

institutions.

There are total of 864 universities, 40,026 colleges and 11,669 standalone institutions in the country.

India is aiming to attain GER of 30% by 2020. Six states have registered GER higher than national average

(25.2%).

Tamil Nadu with GER 46.9% leads the list followed by Himachal Pradesh (36.7%), Kerala (34.2%), Andhra

Pradesh (32.4%), Haryana (29%) and Punjab (28.6%).

Bihar has lowest GER with just 14.4% of its eligible population (in age group of 18 to 23 years) pursuing higher

education.

India registered its best performance on the GPI in last seven years — 0.94 in 2016-17 from 0.86 in 2010-11.

India’s fastest supercomputer, Pratyush unveiled

India’s fastest and first multi-petaflops (PF) supercomputer named Pratyush was unveiled at Pune-based Indian

Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). The supercomputer has been named as ‘Pratyush’ meaning Sun.

Pratyush is the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world dedicated for weather and climate research, and follows

machines in Japan, USA and the United Kingdom.

Pratyush has 6.8 PF computational power installed at two Govt Institutes. 4.0 Peta Flops HPC facility at IITM,

Pune and 2.8 Peta Flops facility at NCMRWF, Noida.

Peta Flops is a measure of a computer’s processing speed.

One petaflop is a million billion floating point operations per second and is a reflection of the computing capacity

of a system.





Governors’ committee submits report to President Kovind

The committee of governors submitted a report, titled ‘Rajyapal —Vikas Ke Rajdoot: Catalytic Role of

Governors as Agents for Change in Society’ on best practices to President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati

Bhavan.

This committee was constituted to examine the role of governors in taking forward the developmental process.

The five-member committee, which oversaw the drafting of the report, included ESL Narasimhan, governor of

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; Banwarilal Purohit, governor of Tamil Nadu; Ram Naik, governor of Uttar

Pradesh; Tathagata Roy, governor of Tripura, and Acharya Devvrat, governor of Himachal Pradesh.

APPROVALS & MoUs

GCCI signed an MoU with South Korea

The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has signed a MoU with South Korea for Business co-

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

The MoU aims 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.

India, Sri Lanka sign four agreements

India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements for collaboration in Information and communication technology

(ICT) sector between both countries.

The MoU was signed by Union minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad with his Sri Lankan

counterpart in Colombo.

Sri Lanka became first country to be connected to NKN through Gigabyte (GB) optical fibre network.

IndianOil signs LoI with 2 Israeli firms

Indian Oil Corporation has signed Letters of Intent (LoI) with Phinergy, an Israeli start-up company, and YEDA,

a technology spin-off company from Weizmann Research Institute, Israel.

The agreement with Phinergy will allow Indian Oil to work on adoption of advanced energy systems for the

Indian market both for mobility and stationary industrial applications.

The Letter of Intent signed with YEDA (Weizmann Institute) will allow research collaboration between both the

organisations for developing solar to green fuel technologies through concentrated solar thermal route.

India, Israel sign 9 agreements

India and Israel signed nine agreements to boost cooperation in the areas of space, cyber security and oil and gas

between both countries.

The agreements were signed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin

Netanyahu in New Delhi.

Netanyahu is the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India in span of last 15 years and second one overall.

Ariel Sharon was first and only Israeli Prime Minister to visit India in 2003.

Agreement on Film-co-production





Protocol on Amendments to Air Transport Agreement

MoU on Cyber Security Cooperation between India and Israel

Memorandum of Intent (MoI) between Invest India and Invest in Israel

Medical Centre on Cooperation in field of Research in Homeopathic Medicine

Letter of Intent (LoU) between IOCL and Phinergy Ltd.

MoU between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Mnistry of Energy on Cooperation in

Oil and Gas Sector

LoI between IOCL and Yeda Research and Development Co Ltd for cooperation in the area of

concentrated solar thermal technologies

MoU between Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Ministry of AYUSH and Centre

MoU between Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and Technion-Israel Institute of

Technology for cooperation in field of space

India, UK ink MoUs

India and United Kingdom (UK) have signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) dealing with return of

Indians residing in Britain as illegal migrants and sharing of criminal records and intelligence.

The MoUs were signed between India’s Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and UK’s Minister

of Immigration Caroline Nokes in London.

MoU on return of illegal Indian migrants.

MoU on criminal records exchange.

Water Resources Ministry ink MoU with Bihar & Jharkhand

The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has inked Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Bihar and Jharkhand for completion of balance works of North Koel reservoir project.

The project is situated on North Koel river, tributary on Sone River.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 30 months at the estimated cost of Rs. 1622.27 crores, of which Rs.

1013.11 crores will be borne by Union Govt.

60% will be financed by Central Govt from LTIF and remaining 40% of cost will be borne by the States through

loan financed by NABARD.

Umesh Sinha Committee for considering social media expansion

The Election Commission (EC) has constituted 14 member committee headed by Umesh Sinha to suggest changes

to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act) in view of social media expansion.

Section 126 of RP Act, 1951 prohibits displaying any election matter by means of television or similar apparatus,

during the period of 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency.

Govt notifies the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017

The govt has notified the Companies (Amendment) Act 2017, which is set to ease the implementation of the

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. The Amendment Act amended some provisions of Companies Act, 2013.

It aims to help in simplifying procedures, make compliance easy and take stringent action against defaulting

companies.

Currently, Section 53 of the Companies Act 2013 prohibits the issuance of shares at a discount, something the

new Act has changed.

Similarly, Section 197 of the Companies Act 2013 requires the approval of the company in a general meeting for

the payment of managerial remuneration in excess of 11% of the net profits.

Section 247 of the Companies Act 2013 prohibits a registered valuer from undertaking valuation of assets in

which he has a direct or indirect interest.

Indian Navy signs MoU with Cochin Port Trust

The Indian Navy has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) towards

leasing of 228 metres of berths, Q2 and Q3 at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years.

The MoU was signed between the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of Southern Naval Command Commodore

Deepak Kumar and Gautam Gupta, Traffic manager of the Port Trust.

This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.





Lok Sabha passes Bill to hike salaries of judges

The Lok Sabha has passed High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service)

Amendment Bill, 2017 to hike the salaries of judges of the Supreme Court (SC) and High Courts (HCs).

The Bill will amend HC Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954 and SC Judges (Salaries and

Conditions of Service) Act, 1958.

It proposes to hike the salary of Chief Justice of India (CJI) to Rs.2.80 lakh a month and that of judges of

Supreme Court and Chief Justices of High Courts to Rs. 2.5 lakh a month.

It increases salary of Judges of High Courts to Rs.2.25 lakh a month. The salary hike will come into force with

effect from Jan 01, 2016.

Railways, HRD and S&T Ministry ink MoU

Three Ministries of India viz. Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) and

Ministry of Science & Technology have signed an MoU for joint funding of Technology Mission for Indian

Railways (TMIR).

The percentage division of the funding between the three ministries for Technology Mission for Indian Railways’

is Ministry of Railways: 30% , Ministry of HRD: 25% and Department of Science & Technology: 25%.

Under the MoU, Ministry of HRD and Ministry of S&T have agreed to fund TMIR projects to the tune of Rs 75

cr each while Railways and Industries would also be contributing to their respective shares.

Namami Gange projects worth Rs. 295 crore approved by NMCG

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved five projects worth Rs. 295.01 crore.

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.

Parliament passes NABARD (Amendment) Bill, 2017

The Parliament has passed the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD Amendment)

Bill, 2017 with the approval of Rajya Sabha.

The Bill seeks to amend National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Act, 1981.

The Bill allows Union Govt to increase capital of NABARD from Rs. 5000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore.

Further, it allows Union Govt to increase the capital more than Rs 30,000 crore in consultation with the Reserve

Bank of India (RBI), if necessary.

The Bill provides that Union Govt alone must hold at least 51% capital share of NABARD.

Currently, RBI holds 0.4% of paid-up capital of NABARD and remaining 99.6% is held by Union govt and this

causes conflict in RBI’s role as banking regulator and shareholder in NABARD.

Parliament passes Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill, 2017

The Parliament has passed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

The Bill amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 and replaces Ordinance promulgated in Nov 2017

to pave way for tightening loopholes in existing code and make resolution process more effective.

Cabinet approves establishment of new AIIMS at Bilaspur

The Union Cabinet approved establishment of new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bilaspur in

Himachal Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) with the cost of Rs.1351 cr.

The new AIIMS will be completed in a period of 48 months.

Under this scheme, AIIMS have been established in Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur,

Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna while work of AIIMS Rae Bareli is in progress.

Also, three AIIMS in Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh)

have been sanctioned in 2015, two AIIMS have been sanctioned at Bathinda and Gorakhpur in 2016 and an

AIIMS in Kamrup (Assam).

MHA exempts cruise tourists with e-visa from biometric enrolment till 2020

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has exempted the cruise tourists arriving with e-visa from the requirement

of biometric enrolment for a period of three years i.e. till 2020.

This exemption has been taken on request of the Ministry of Shipping.





Cabinet approvals

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval.

Approves amendments to FDI Policy The Union Cabinet gave its approval to a number of amendments in the FDI Policy, aimed at liberalising and

simplifying the FDI policy in several sectors so as to provide ease of doing business in the country.

The liberalisation of the FDI policy, which includes allowing 100 per cent FDI under automatic route for Single

Brand Retail Trading, 100 per cent FDI under automatic route in Construction Development, allowing Foreign

airlines to invest up to 49 per cent under approval route in Air India and allowing FIIs/FPIs to invest in Power

Exchanges through primary market.

While extant FDI policy on SBRT allows 49 per cent FDI under automatic route, and FDI beyond 49 per cent and

up to 100 per cent through government approval route, it has now been decided to permit 100 per cent FDI under

automatic route for SBRT.

Approves fixed term for chairperson and members of National Trust The Union Cabinet decided to fix three-year term of chairperson and the members of the board of the National

Trust, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Approves MoU between India and Canada for cooperation in field of S&T The Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canada for cooperation in field of

Science & Technology. CCEA approves continuation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval to continuation of Members of

Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till term of 14th Finance Commission i.e. Mar 31, 2020.

The continuation will entail annual allocation of Rs.3,950 crore and total outlay of Rs. 11,850 crores over next 3

years.

CCEA approves extension of norms for mandatory packaging in Jute Materials

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved extension of mandatory packaging norms of

foodgrains and sugar in jute material for Jute Year 2017-18 (i.e. July 2017 to June 2018).

The mandatory extension was approved under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.

The approval mandates that 90% of food grains and 20% of sugar products shall be mandatorily packed in jute

bags.

Cabinet approvals

Approves implementation of Jal Marg Vikas Project on NW-1 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Modi approved implementation of Jal Marg

Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of navigation on 1,380-km Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National

Waterway-1 (NW1) on Ganga River.

The project, which is expected to be completed by March, 2023, will be implemented at a cost of over Rs. 5,370

crore rupees with the technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank.

Nod to India, UK pact to improve public transport The Union Cabinet has approved the signing and implementation of the MoU between Ministry of Road

Transport and Highways and 'Transport for London', a statutory body established under the Greater London

Authority Act, 1999 (UK) to improve public transport in India.

Approves Indo-Myanmar agreement on land border crossing The Union Cabinet approved agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing for movement of

people across border of both counties.

Approves construction of bi-directional Zojila tunnel in J&K The Union Cabinet has approved construction, operation and maintenance of 2-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel

on Srinagar--Leh section connecting NH-1A in Jammu & Kashmir at estimated cost of Rs 6,089 crore.

The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to strategically important Leh region.

After the completion, it will be Asia’s largest 2-lane bi-directional tunnel.





The Zojila Tunnel will be situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway (NH-

1A).

Approves India and Israel MoU on Cooperation in Oil and Gas Sector The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of MoU between India and Israel on cooperation in the Oil and Gas

Sector.

Appointment

Appointments Appointee Secretary (Economic Relations) in External Affairs

Ministry

T S Tirumurti

Best Central Bank Governor Ravi Menon

Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale

Deputy of National Security Advisor (NSA) Rajinder Khanna

ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Chief Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

MD of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd

(IIFCL)

Pankaj Jain

First Woman Lawyer to be directly promoted as SC Judge Indu Malhotra

Chairman of ISRO K. Sivan

Chairman of the Geneva-based World Business Council

for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Sunny Verghese

MD and CEO of NPCI Dilip Asbe

Brand Ambassador of Sikkim AR Rahman

Awards

Aishwarya Tipnis conferred France’s top cultural award

The Delhi-based conservation architect, Aishwarya Tipnis has been conferred France’s top cultural award

"Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres" for her outstanding commitment to preservation of French heritage in

India in Kolkata.

Sudhir Dalvi honoured with Janakavi P Sawlaram award

Actor Sudhir Dalvi has been honoured with the Janakavi P Sawlaram award in Mumbai.

Well-known dancer Jaishree T was bestowed with the Ganga Jamuna award, which is instituted in memory of a

popular song written by Sawlaram.

Soumitra Chattopadhyay conferred with the France’s highest order of merit ‘Legion of Honour'

Soumitra Chattopadhyay, the legendary film and theatre actor, will be conferred with the France’s highest order of

merit ‘Legion of Honour at the 42nd International Kolkata Book Fair 2018.

42nd International Kolkata Book Fair 2018 will open on Jan 30 and conclude on Feb 11.

75th Annual Golden Globe Awards

The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards has been awarded honoring the best in film and American television of

2017. The ceremony was organized at Beverly Hills, California, United States (US).





The Golden Globe Awards are the annual awards that honour the best in Motion Pictures and American

Television for the previous year.

Best Motion Picture Drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: Lady Bird.

Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water).

Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) as Winston Churchill.

Best Actress iMotion Picture-Drama: Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

as Mildred Hayes.

Best Original Song: “This Is Me” (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) – The Greatest Showman Best Animated

Feature Film: Coco.

Best Foreign Language Film: In the Fade (Germany/France).

Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Oprah Winfrey

Sports

Sarjubala Devi won the gold in 2018 National Women’s Boxing Championships

Former world silver medallist Sarjubala Devi from Manipur claimed the gold in 48kg category in the 2018

National Women’s Boxing Championships in Rohtak. She was also given the best boxer trophy.

Former world and Asian champion L Sarita Devi representing the All India Police, AIP picked up a gold medal in

the 60 kg category.

The other gold winners were Sonia Lather representing Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) in 57 kg

category, Meena Kumari of AIP in 54 kg category and Rajesh Narwal from RSPB in 48 kg category.

RSPB emerged as the overall champions.

Aditya Mehta won 2018 Kolkata Open International Invitation Snooker Championship

Aditya Mehta, an Indian professional snooker player & Asian Games medallist, won the 2018 Kolkata Open

International Invitation Snooker Championship in Kolkata, West Bengal.

He defeated Englishman Professional Player Alfie Burden by 5-4.

Aanchal Thakur becomes the first Indian to register an International Medal in Skiing

Aanchal Thakur, a 21-year-old from Himachal Pradesh, becomes the first Indian to register an international medal

in skiing. She clinched bronze in the slalom race category at Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup.

Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup was organised by Skiing’s international governing body, Federation International de Ski

(FIS) at the Palandoken Ski Centre, in Erzurum in Turkey.

Federer-Bencic lead Switzerland to Hopman Cup title

Switzerland won their third Hopman Cup as Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany's Alexander Zverev

and Angelique Kerber 4-3(3) 4-2 in the deciding mixed doubles to secure a 2-1 victory in the final at the Perth

Arena.

It was Federer's second Hopman Cup triumph after victory in 2001 alongside then world number one Martina

Hingis.

Gilles Simon won the Tata Open Maharashtra Tennis trophy

Gilles Simon of France has won the Tata Open Maharashtra Tennis trophy at Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.

In the summit clash, the unseeded French player humbled big-serving second seeded Kevin Anderson in straight

sets 7-6, 6-2. The tournament is India’s only ATP event.

Elina Svitolina wins Brisbane International for 10th WTA title

Elina Svitolina got the perfect boost ahead of the Australian Open by lifting the Brisbane International title with a

6-2 6-1 win over qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Svitolina, ranked sixth in the world, fired 10 aces and never faced a break point on the way to a 10th career tour

title.

Vidarbha wins 2017 Ranji Trophy tournament





Vidarbha cricket team won 2017 Ranji Trophy tournament. With this Vidarbha won his first Ranji Trophy title.

Vidarbha thumped 9-wicket win over Delhi in the final match held at Holkar stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Indian Golfer Shiv Kapur Wins Royal Cup

Indian golfer Shiv Kapur won the Royal Cup at Pattaya, which is his third Asian Tour title of 2017.

He, who had just one win in almost 11 years till April 2017 now won three times in last eight months.

This latest win marks Kapur’s fourth Asian Tour win and sixth international title as he won twice on European

Challenge Tour.

Harjinder Singh appointed as the Chef De Mission for WOG-2018

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appointed Harjinder Singh as the Chef De Mission for the 23rd

Winter Olympic Games (WOG-2018) to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Feb 2018.

Currently, he holds the post of General Secretary in the Ice Hockey Association of India.

Important days

Date Day Theme Jan 12 National Youth Day

Jan 10 World Hindi Day

Jan 09 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas "Ancient Route, New Journey: Diaspora in

the Dynamic ASEAN INDIA Partnership"

Jan 08 African National Congress

Foundation Day

Jan 01 Army Medical Corps

Establishment Day

Obituary

NASA astronaut John Young

Famous Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri

Former Director-General and first Chief of international organization World

Trade Organization (WTO)

Peter Sutherland

Famous story writer Doodhnath Singh

ALL THE BEST !!




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