1st JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1. Rs 5,000-crore Subsidy for Rooftop Solar Power- Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs has approved an increase in the budget for implementation of grid-connected solar
rooftop systems to Rs. 5,000 crore from Rs.600 crore up to the financial year 2019-2020.
This will support installation of 4,200 MW solar rooftop systems in the country in next 5
years.
2. Government constitutes Committee for Holistic interpretation of the provisions of
the Cinematograph Act/ Rules- The government constituted a committee for holistic
interpretation of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act and Rules headed by
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal.
3. Country’s first underwater tunnel to be come up in Andhra Pradesh- To boost
tourism in the new capital, Amaravati, the newest state capital in the country will
get India’s first ever underwater tunnel under the river Krishna. It is 3 km long and will
be used for vehicular traffic.
4. Pakistan’s Singer Adnan Sami gets Indian Citizenship- Home ministry officials
announced Adnan Sami will be granted citizenship.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) No UK financial aid to India from January 1 2016- India will no longer receive
financial aid from the UK, from January 1, 2016.
2) New coins for 2016 to feature Shakespeare and Beatrix Potter-New coins
featuring William Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter, the Army and the Great Fire of
London are set to be released in 2016.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
“eASIA” award 2015 for trade facilitation conferred upon DAVA project- The DAVA
(Drug Authentication and Verification Application) project has won the 2015 eASIA
Award under Trade Facilitation category by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and
Electronic Business (AFACT).
APPOINTMENTS
1) Air Marshal Bhadauria takes over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) of
Indian Air Force (IAF)- Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over as
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff of IAF.
2) Atul Sobti assumes charge as BHEL CMD- Atul Sobti assumed charge as chairman
and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd(BHEL).In September last
year the government had approved the appointment of Sobti as CMD, BHEL for a period
of 5 years.
SPORTS
1) Ravichandran Ashwin entitled with No. 1 Test bowler and all-rounder- As per ICC
ranking India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has ended 2015 as the number one Test
bowler and all-rounder.
2) Bajrang Punia, RituPhogatwin Gold at National Wrestling Championship- Indian
wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Ritu Phogat won gold medals in Men’s 65kg and Women’s
48kg Freestyle categories respectively on the first day of the Senior Nationals.
2nd JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) DBT Scheme for Kerosene from April 1, 2016- The government will unveil Direct
Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for kerosene from 1st April 2016, where the users will
buy the cooking fuel at market rate but will get financial support directly in their bank
accounts.
2) Jaya launches ‘Amma seeds’ scheme for farmers- Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has
launched the scheme ‘Amma Seeds’ available through ‘Amma Service Centres’ across
the state, executing an announcement made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2014 for
farmers’ welfare.
3) Telangana become first state to accept e-motor insurance policies- Telangana
becomes the first state in the country to legally accept Electronic motor insurance
policies. These policies can be stored and accessed on smart phones.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Facilities List Exchange- India and Pakistan exchanged the list
of their nuclear installations for the 25th consecutive year under a bilateral agreement that
bars them from attacking each other’s atomic facilities.
2) Saudi Arabia-led coalition announces end of Yemen ceasefire- Saudi Arabia has
announced the end ceasefire agreement with Yemen’s Houthi involve fighters and their
allies.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi Award Bestowed upon Sanjay Subrahmanyam- Veteran
South Indian classical vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been conferred with the 2015
Sangita Kalanidhi award.
2) Delhi Police enters Limca Book of Records for solving India’s biggest cash heist
case- Delhi Police entered into the Limca Book of Records for solving the biggest cash
heist case of the country in November 2015.
SPORTS
Qatar Masters Open chess tournament title clinched by Magnus Carlsen- World
champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Qatar Masters Chess Open 2015 after nine
exciting rounds of chess & and secures the first place with 7 points.
OBITUARY
1) Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole passed away- Natalie Cole, best known for the
songs ‘Unforgettable’, ‘Inseparable’ and ‘This Will Be’. She was 65.
2) Veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan passes away- Veteran Communist Party of India
leader A.B. Bardhan, 92, passed away after a long illness.
3RD JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Alstom delivers ‘Made in India’ coaches to Kochi Metro- Alstom the French
transportation equipment maker rolled out the first set of railway coaches for the
Kochi Metro project. The Kochi coach order is the second rolling stock contract for
Alstom in the country, with Chennai metro the first.
2) PM Modi inaugurated Indian Science Congress in Mysuru- Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurated the 103rd Indian Science Congress in Mysore,Karnataka. The event
is being held at the University of Mysore from January 3 to 7. Theme – Science &
Technology for Indigenous Development in India
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) Two Indian Capitals” in World’s top-30 “Super Cities”- According to the study
conducted by international real estate consultancy JLL, two Indian capitals have made
it to a top-30 list of the World’s most powerful, productive and connected cities.
2) Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran- Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir announced that Saudi Arabia was severing diplomatic ties with Iran after
demonstrators stormed its Tehran embassy to protest against Riyadh’s execution of a
Shiite cleric. Jubeir also said that all Iranian diplomats must leave Saudi Arabia within 48
hours
3) China creates three new Army units to modernise military- China has created three
new military bodies as part of reforms to modernise its military and improve its fighting
capacity. Mr. Xi said the three new units had been created as part of a modernisation
reform and “to realise the Chinese dream of a strong military”.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) 3 NPCI Awards conferred upon Corporation Bank- Corporation Bank has
bagged three awards at the “National Payments Excellence Awards 2015” event
recently. The function was organised by National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).
2) Flipkart wins ‘Website of the Year India 2015- Flipkart has been named the overall
winner of the ‘Website of the Year India 2015’ in an online poll which was conducted
by marketing analytics company MetrixLab.
APPOINTMENTS

Javed
Ahmed
appointed
DG
of
Police
of
Uttar
Pradesh-
The Uttar
Pradesh Government appointed Javed Ahmed as the new Director General of
Police(DGP). He will replace vacant Jagmohan Yadav who retired recently.
SPORTS

2015 SAFF football championship clinched by India- The 2015 South Asian Football
Federation (SAFF) championship has been clinched by India for the record seventh
time. The 2015 SAFF Championship was the 11th edition of men’s football
championship of South Asia organized by SAFF.
4TH JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) 5 key bills assented by Prez Pranab Mukherjee- As per the provisions of Article 111
of the Constitution of India, President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to five key
bills that were passed by both the houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in
the recently concluded winter session of Parliament.
2) Justice Lodha panel submits report to SC for reforms in BCCI- Justice R M Lodha
panel, had recommended suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals due
to their involvement in illegal betting and spot-fixing, submitted its report by advocate
Gopal Shankar Narayan to the Supreme Court registry. It will be considered by the bench
headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Mt. Aconcagua conquered by Amputee mountaineer Arunima Sinha- After
conquering Mount Everest, Amputee Mountaineer Arunima Sinha has added another
feather to her cap by conquering Mount Aconcagua, Argentina.
2) Padma Shri awardee VVS Laxman’s 281 awarded the Best Test InningsVangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman’s (41) masterly innings of 281 against Australia at
the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 14 March 2001 has been voted the greatest Test
performance of the last 50 years by a 25-member panel of
3) cricketers, writers, broadcasters, historiansand statisticians assembled by the January
issue of ESPN’s digital magazine the Cricket Monthly.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Syngene appoints Jonathan Hunt as CEO-designate- Syngene International(contract
research organization) has appointed Jonathan Hunt as CEO-designate after the retirement
of current CEO Peter Bains in March 2016.
2) Wipro names Abidali Neemuchwala as its new CEO, TK Kurien to be vice
chairman- Wipro, spponted Abidali Z Neemuchwala as chief executive officer (CEO),
succeeding T K Kurien( now executive vice-chairman).
3) Shekhar Saran assumes charge as CMD of CMPDI- Shekhar Saran assumed charge as
Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Ranchi-based Central Mine Planning & Design
Institute Ltd (CMPDI). He served as the Director (Technical) of CMPDI.
IMPORTANT DAYS

207th Birth anniversary of Louis Braille celebrated across the world- On 207th birth
anniversary of world’s greatest source of inspiration for the blind, an impressive
function was organized by the Department of Social Welfare at Residential School for
Blinds (RSB) at Roop Nagar.
5th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) India-Nepal friendship bus service resumes after gap of 27 years- A friendship bus
service between India and Nepal via Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed after a gap
of 27 years. These air-conditioned buses are painted with Indian and Nepalese flags.
2) Toilets made mandatory to contest Panchayat polls in Bihar- State election
commissioner (SEC) Ashok Kumar Chauhan announced that toilets will be mandatory
requirement for eligibility to contest panchayat elections in Bihar.
3) Women to constitute 33% of constables in paramilitary- With a view to enhance
representation of women in Central Armed Police Forces, Home Minister Rajnath
Singh has approved 33% of constable-rank personnel in paramilitary Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and 15% in the
border guarding forces Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and
Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) for being filled up by women.
4) Gadkari announces Rs 41,000 cr road projects for Telangana- Union Road
Transport
and
Highways
projects worth Rs
41,000
Highways from the
state
Minister
crore for
capital
Nitin
Gadkari has
Telangana,
Hyderabad
to
announced
including two
Bengaluru in
the road
Express
Karnataka
and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
WORLD THIS MONTH

IIM – B School courses lead in Central Asia- As per the study of Paris-based
international agency Eduniversal, which specialises in higher education, 3 post-graduate
courses of Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru have been ranked top in
Central Asia.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

2015 Costa Novel Prize conferred on Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins”- British
writer Kate Atkinson has won the Costa novel award for the second time in three years
for “A God in Ruins”. It is the companion novel to “Life After Life”.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Mary Barra – First Woman to chair GM as CEO- After achieving the feat of
becoming US automaker General Motor‘s first female CEO, now Mary Barra again
created history by elected as its chairman.
2) Sachin is brand ambassador for Novo Nordisk’s diabetes campaign- Novo
Nordisk, Danish pharmaceutical company announced Indian cricket star Sachin
Tendulkar as brand ambassador for the disease awareness campaign ‘Changing
Diabetes’initiated by it in India. It is the leading global insulin maker, is
providing free diabetes treatment and education to 4,000 children, who have been
suffering from Type-2 diabetes in India.
OBITUARY
Former Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia died- The 38th Chief Justice of
India, Sarosh Homi Kapadia(68), died in Mumbai.
About Sarosh Homi Kapadia:

28-month as CJI

Started as a Class IV employee and described integrity as his only asset.

First Parsi Chief Justice of India on May 12, 2010

Best known for his statistical acumen.

He stood his ground against a concerted move to stop the Allahabad High Court
from delivering the Ayodhya title suits judgment.

Most remembered for his verdict in the Vodafone tax verdict.
6th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) MDoNER Calender-2016 released with theme “Rising North East”- The Union
Minister of State for Development of North-Eastern Region (MDoNER), Dr Jitendra
Singh has released MDoNER Calender-2016. Theme – Rising North East
2) First MOU on “UDAY” signed b/w GOI, Jharkhand & JBVNL- Government of
India, Jharkhand and the JBVNL (Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for operational & financial turnaround of
Discoms
under
the
Scheme UDAY
–
Ujjwal
Discom
Assurance
Yojana.
3) SC directed Gujarat government to make Gujarat State Cooperative Tribunal
functional- The Supreme Court (SC) directed the Gujarat government to make
functional the Gujarat State Cooperative Tribunal by filling up the vacant posts
including that of judicial members, which is the bone of contention.
4) Foundation Stone Laid for an “International Training Centre for Operational
Oceanography”- The Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth
Sciences Shri. Y. S. Chowdary laid Foundation for the building complex of
the International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCO-Ocean) at
Hyderabad. It will provide benefits in the form of of Potential Fishing Zones advisories
to fishermen, Ocean State Forecasts for mariners, Tsunami & Storm Surge Early
warnings, etc.
5) Union Government abolishes export duty on iron ore pellets- To compete with other
suppliers in global markets and make way for further excavation at mine sites, Mineral
exporters have urged the government to abolish export duty.The government levied 5%
export duty on pellets, 10% on bauxite and 30% on chromite and iron ore.
6) Bengaluru to Get India’s First Space Park- As part of Make in India initiative, Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided to open a 100 acre Space Park in
Bengaluru where private industries would be allowed to take up manufacturing of space
system related components.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) Pakistan-
Sri
Lanka
agree
to
expand
FTA
with
8
MoUs-
Sri
Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement by
inclusion of services and investment. Apart from this 8 MoUs and defence deal has been
signed between both the nations during the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif official
visit to Sri Lanka.
2) Forbes named 45 Indians in list of its achievers under 30- Forty five Indians and
Indian- origin people have made it to Forbes annual list of achievers under the age of
30 who are “changing the rules of the game or creating entirely new playbooks” across
varied fields.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman topped 2015 US Bestseller List-The book Go Set a
Watchman written by Harper Lee has been in lead in the 2015 US bestseller list.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Filippo Grandi designated as the UNHCR Chief- Filippo Grandi (58) an Italian UN
official took over as the new High Commissioner for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
2) LinkedIn
names
Akshay
Kothari
its
India
head-
Networking
website
LinkedIn announced Akshay Kothari, its principal product manager to head operations in
India replacing Nishant Rao. India has one of the largest users for LinkedIn after the
US. Earlier, he was working from Mountain View, California headquarter of LinkedIn.
3) Sushil Agarwal becomes Aditya Birla group CFO- Aditya Birla Group has
appointed Sushil Agarwal group CFO and Ashish Adukia as the deputy CFO the
group’s telecom venture, Idea Cellular who was earlier the group’s President of Corporate
Finance.
SPORTS

Pranav Dhanawade hits world record by scoring 1009 runs at school level
tournament- Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history by becoming
the first cricketer ever to notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten knock
of 1,009 in an inter-school tournament.
7TH JANUARY
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Stand Up India Scheme & Coversion of MUDRA Ltd approved- Union Cabinet has
approved
the “Stand
Up
India
Scheme” to promote
entrepreneurship
among SC/ST and Women entrepreneurs. Under this, the government aims to achieve
the target of at least 2.5 lakh approvals in three years from the launch of the scheme.
2) Rs.1000 crores allocated to LWE affected states- The Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh approved the State wise allocation of Additional Central Assistance
(ACA) of Rs.1000 crores to 35 worst Left Wing Extremism (LWE)affected districts
in 7 states.
3) Union Cabinet gives nod to MoU with Bangladesh for operation of traditional haatsThe Union cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval to MoU with Bangladesh
for Mode of Operation of Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border signed in 2010.
4) Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first River Information System of India- Union
Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated
theRiver Information System (RIS) at a function in New Delhi.
5) Government decides to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission norms- Ministry
of Road Transport & Highways has decided to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI
Emission norms directly by 01.04.2020 to address the issue of vehicular pollution.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
1) China admits first same sex marriage rights lawsuit- China’s first lawsuit on samesex marriage rights has been accepted by a court, marking a milestone for gay, bisexual
and transgender rights.
2) Signing of MoU between India and Singapore in the field of Civil Aviation- The
Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and Singapore on cooperation in the
field of civil aviation.
OBITUARY
First Muslim Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passes away- The 6th Chief
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away at All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi due to multiple organ failure. Sayeed
(79) was survived by his wife, three daughters including PDP President Mehbooba Mufti
and a son.

The Union government has declared a day of national mourning following his death.
National flags across the country flown at half-mast.

Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a holiday and a seven-day
mourning period as a mark of respect to Sayeed.
08th JANUARY
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Cabinet approved AMRUT for Punjab and Uttarakhand for 2015-16- The Ministry
of Urban Development has approved the Atal Mission plans for Punjab and Uttarakhand
for 2015-16.
2) Cabinet apprised of the signing of protocol with Czech Republic on heavy industryUnion Cabinet has been apprised of the protocol signed earlier between India and Czech
Republic in the field of heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities
construction.
3) India-France military exercise Shakti-2016 begins- Indian and French troops
commenced their 8 days counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise at the
Mahajan field firing range in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

The French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th
Armoured Brigade, which had taken part in the Afghan war. It has been led by Maj
Thibaut De Lacoste Larey mondie.

Indian side is being represented by the 2nd Battalion of Garhwal Rifles which is part of
the Sapta Shakti Command.
4) Kotak Life launches Premier Life Plan- Kotak Life launched Premier Life Plan as
company was expecting reviving business in the present fourth quarter. This is the tax
savings season, about 35 to 40 per cent total business for life insurance industry normally
happens during these three months. A few group insurance products will also be launched
soon. Kotak Premier Life Plan offers protection up to 99 years of age.
5) Government decides to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with MEAGovernment has decided to merge the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) with
the external affairs ministry. It was put forth by Sushma Swaraj, the cabinet minister for
both ministries.
6) BHEL commissions two substations in Afghanistan- Bhel has commissioned two
220/20kV substations in Afghanistan to expand its footprint in the strife-torn nation.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
People’s Choice Award bestowed upon Priyanka Chopra for “Quantico”- The winner
of Miss World pageant 2000, actress Priyanka Chopra (33) has won the Favourite Actress in
New TV series award at the 42nd People’s Choice Awards 2016 for her leading role in
American TV thriller series “Quantico”.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Odisha Govt designated Sam Pitroda as its Technical Advisor- Telecom engineer and
inventor Sam Pitroda has been designated as the Technical Advisor to the Odisha
Government. He will be responsible for the IT Enabled Services sectors of the state.
2) Asian Cricket Council (ACC) designated Sumathipala as its chief- Thilanga
Sumathipala, who was recently elected as the President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has
also become the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
3) Amitabh Bachchan replaces Aamir Khan as ‘Incredible India’ ambassadorGovernment’s famous Incredible India campaign to market the country to tourists
abroad, has appointed Bollywood veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan as its new
spokesperson for a
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
7th row of Periodic Table completed with addition of 4 elements- The International Union
of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has officially confirmed the permanent addition
of four new elements to the periodic table. The announcement has been made that all four
elements with atomic number 113, 115, 117 and 118 have met the criteria for discovery.
Riken Institute in Japan has been credited for the discovery of element 113 and it becomes
the first element to be named by researchers in Asia.
SPORTS
1) India rise three places in FIFA rankings after SAFF Cup triumph- Indian National
football team has climbed 3 steps above & reached at 163rd on the ladder of FIFA world
rankings.
2) Australia pulled out of U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh due to safety concernsAustralia have pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh starting on
January 27 due to threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh was as high as when the
senior team had pulled out of their tour last year and it is replaced by Ireland who were
runners-up in the qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur
09th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Kerala initiated “Sampoorna Arogya Keralam” project- Kerala has decided to
implement the “Sampoorna Arogya Keralam” which is aimed at to bring all
major government health services under one umbrella. At least 42 lakh families are
expected to benefit under this scheme.
2) QCI to make Report Card of Swachh Bharat Mission- To make a report on the
progress
of
Swachh
Bharat
Mission, Ministry
of
Urban
Development
has
commissioned Quality Council of India (QCI) which will rank 75 cities on sanitation
and cleanliness after an extensive survey.
3) President promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance,
2016- President has promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation)
Ordinance, 2016 to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968. Aim: To ensure
that the enemy properties that have been vested in the Custodian remain so and they do
not revert back to the enemy subject or enemy firm.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) Saudi Arabia is Third Happiest Country- Saudi Arabia became third country for the
world’s happiest countries in which almost no European. It has only been cracked to top
position by Fiji (beautiful islands) and Colombia (suffers from drug-related wars and
corruption).
2) China’s country code domain “.cn” becomes world’s largest- According to the data
released by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC),China’s country
code domain “.cn” has become world’s most commonly used in the internet with
16.36 million users, surpassing Germany’s ‘.de’ domain.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Central Banker of the Year Award 2016 bestowed upon Raghuram Rajan- The
mastermind that stabilizes the Indian economy, Raghuram Rajan (Reserve Bank of
India Governor) has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year Award
(Global and Asia Pacific) for 2016 by “The Banker”, a monthly publication of the
Financial Times Group focusing on banking.
2) Ananth Kumar presented India Pharma Awards 2016- The Union Minister for
Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Ananth Kumar gave away the 1st India Pharma
awards during India Medical Expo 2016 in Bengaluru motivate Indian Pharma and
medical devices industries.
3) Azim Premji the ‘most generous Indian’ in Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015Azim Premji has come out as the ‘most generous Indian’ in the Hurun India
Philanthropy List 2015 in a ranking of the most generous individuals from India. Premji
donated Rs 27,514 crore for education through The Azim Premji foundation, works in 8
states and has more than 350,000 schools.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Achyuta Samanta appointed as General President of 105th ISC- Dr. Achyuta
Samanta has been elected as the general president for the 105th Indian Science
Congress Association (ISCA) scheduled for 2017-18.
2) Pavan Kapoor to chair as India’s new ambassador to Israel- Pavan Kapoor,
presently High Commissioner of lndia in Maputo, has been appointed as the next
Ambassador of lndia to lsrael.
3) Gurbir Grewal designated as the top prosecutor in US County- A Sikh-American
attorney Gurbir Grewal (42) has been appointed as the top prosecutor in New Jersey,
becoming the first South Asian to occupy the post in the state.
4) CCI appointed DK Sikri as its new Chairman- Devender Kumar Sikri (62), a former
Gujarat
cadre
IAS
officer,
has
been
appointed chairman
of
the
fair-trade
regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
5) Gajendra Chauhan appointed Chairman of FTII- Actor-filmmaker Gajendra
Chauhan designated as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
SPORTS
1) Wayne
Rooney
named
2015
England Player
of
the
Year-
Professional
footballer Wayne Rooney has been named England Player of the Year (POTY)for
2015, retaining the title for the second successive year.
2) Sania, Martina start off 2016 with Brisbane title- Sania Mirza(India) and Martina
Hingis(Swiss) won their sixth title in line by lifting the WTA Brisbane trophy
defeating German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5 6-1 in mere
69 minutes.
10th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) “Laman Diva” is selected as “Make in India Week” logo- Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis unveiled “Laman Diva” as the logo of the first Make in India
(MII) Week scheduled to be held in Mumbai between February 13 and 18, which will be
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
2) International kite festival begins in Vadodara- International Kite Festival began
at Surat and Rajkot in Gujarat. Kite-flyers from 31 countries set to participate, which
will travel across the state before concluding at the Sabaramati riverfront in Ahmedabad
on January 14.
3) 43rd New Delhi World Book Fair opens- Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani
unveiled the 43rd New Delhi World Book Fair. It is nine day fair, publicized as
the largest in Asia, is hosting about 30 countries. Guest of honour: China
4) Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launches an online initiative to engage LPG
consumers and citizens- Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched an Online
Initiative to engage the LPG Consumers and Citizens of India. It is one of the many
initiatives for observing 2016 as the
5) Governor’s rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir- Governor’s rule was imposed in
Jammu & Kashmir under Article 92 (1) of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir
because Peoples Democratic Party-BJP alliance will reportedly take some time to form
the government again following the death of Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) Nepal designated to UNICEF’s executive board member- Nepal has been elected to
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) executive board, representing the group
of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.
2) Indian-American professor develops method to hunt dark matter- An international
team of scientists led by an Indian-American professor has discovered a new
method that may help in detecting dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter and explain
ripples in the outer disk of the galaxy.
3) Nissan successfully tested driverless car using at NASA Centre- With the help
from NASA space technology, automaker Nissan has successfully test-driven its allelectric, driverless car at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in California that will help
scientists send self-driving vehicles on deeper space missions.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Entrepreneur of the Year conferred upon Snapdeal’s Kunal Bahl- Co-founder and
CEO of e-commerce giant Snapdeal Kunal Bahl has bagged the “Entrepreneur of the
Year” Award, 2015 for his splendid business acumen.
2) Documentary on Malal Yousafzai nominated for 2016 BAFTAs- EE British Academy
Film Awards(BAFTA) has nominated He Named Me Malala, a documentary on Malala
Yousafzai(18) in the upcoming awards Documentary category for 2016.
3) Tata Steel bags PM’s trophy- Tata Steel Limited bagged eighth time Prime Minister’s
Trophy for being the ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ in the country for 2013
2014.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Bhanumurthy is the new COO of Wipro- Wipro has appointed Bhanumurthy B.
M. as the President and Chief Operating Officer and also appointed another senior
leader G. K. Prasanna as the head of a newly formed created unit, Marketing,
Innovations and Technology (MIT).
2) Urjit Patel reappointed as RBI deputy governor for three more years- Government
has re-appointed Urjit Patel as the deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India for
a three-year term. Patel is a doctorate from Yale University, also had a stint at IMF.
3) Sailesh appointed as The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of IndiaAppointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Senior IAS officer
Sailesh as Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RGCC) of India.
SPORTS
1) Qatar Open title bagged by Serbian Novak Djokovic- World No. 1 Novak
Djokovic defeated his rival Rafael Nadal by 6-1, 6-2 to win the Qatar Open title.
2) Australia won Hopman Cup 2016- Nick Kyrgios secured the Hopman Cup for
Australia Green by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4 to give his team a 2-0 victory
over Ukraine in Perth.
OBITUARY

Phantasm star Angus Scrimm dies at 89- Angus Scrimm, the character actor who
played the Tall Man in the 1979 horror movie “Phantasm” and its four sequels, died at the
age of 89.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Shatrughan’s biography “Anything But Khamosh” releases- “Anything But
Khamosh” Shatrughan Sinha’s biography released by BJP veteran LK Advani at New
Delhi’s Claridges Hotel.
IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hindi Day- World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 every year, marking the
anniversary of first World Hindi Conference which was held in 1975. The first World
Hindi Conference was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Word Hindi
has originated from the Persian word Hind (land of Indus River). First book published
in Hindi was Prem Sagar.
11th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Mission Indradhanush added Four new vaccines- Union Minister of Health and
Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda has announced that a set of four new vaccines will
be added soon under “Mission Indradhanush”. As a part of India’s newborn action plan,
inactivated
polio
vaccine, adult
Japanese
Encephalitis
vaccine, Rotavirus
vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine will be added.
2) Railways gets its first ‘Make in India’ luxury coaches- Railway Board chairman AK
Mittal inspected first luxury ‘Make in India’ railway coaches at Habibganj
railwaystation(Bhopal). The coaches then sent to New Delhi and inspected by Railway
minister Suresh Prabhu.
3) Minister of Railways inaugurates Implementation of E-enabled Track Management
System (TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and Track
Inventory Management System on Northern Railway- Minister of Railways Suresh
Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated Implementation of E-enabled Track Management System
(TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and Track Inventory
Management System on Northern Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi to bring
efficiency and effectiveness in management practices.
WORLD THIS MONTH
Sri Lanka government proposes new constitution - Sri Lanka’s new government presented
its plan for a new constitution aimed at devolving power and preventing the sort of ethnic
tensions that led to a long and bitter civil war that ended in 2009.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
 Mangaluru Airport conferred as best in the country- Mangaluru International
Airport (MIA) has achieved the fifth rank in terms of customer satisfaction and
handling among the 53 two-tier airports in the country. The internal survey was done by
a private agency for the Airports Authority of India.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
1) Binny Bansal named Flipkart CEO- India’s largest e-commerce platform Flipkart.com
named co-founders Binny Bansal as its new chief executive officer (CEO). He will
succeed Sachin Bansal.
2) Vikas Thapar appointed as Vice President of Micromax- Micromax has
appointed VikasThapar as its new senior vice president for finance.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Viruses developed to protect “Muga silkworm”- Researchers at a university in
Britain have
developed
viruses
that
could
halt
the
decline
of “Muga”
caterpillar in India which produces one of the finest silks in the world.
SPORTS

Sloane Stephens claims second WTA title in Auckland- Sloane Stephens has claimed
her second WTA title after winning two matches in a day to triumph at the ASB Classic
in Auckland.
OBITUARY
1) First female F1 driver Maria Teresa de Filippis passes away- Maria Teresa de
Filippis, the first woman to race in a Formula 1 grand prix has died at the age of 89.
2) Noted Hindi writer and journalist RavindraKalia passes away- Noted Hindi writer
and journalist Ravindra Kalia (78) passed away. He had been suffering from liver
cirrhosis.
12th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Telangana became First State to make gender education compulsory- With an
introduction of bilingual textbook, “Towards a World of Equals” in engineering
colleges affiliated
to
the Jawaharlal
Nehru
Technological
University (JNTU-
Hyderabad), Telangana has become the introductory state in the country to make gender
education compulsory at the graduate level.
2) 100% primary education feat achieved by Kerala- Kerala has become the first
state in the country to achieve the status of 100% primary education. It has been
declared by Vice-President Hamid Ansari. This feat has been achieved on the sidelines
of state’s literacy mission “Athulyam Aksharotsavam”.
3) CIRB Hisar becomes second institute to clone buffalo in India- Scientists at Central
Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar have successfully produced a cloned
buffalo offspring “Cirb Gaurav”. The newborn cloned calf, weighed 40.4 kg at the time
of birth has been produced under the project entitled “Cloning for conservation and
multiplication of superior buffalo germplasm”. With this achievement CIRB becomes
world’s third and India’s second institute to produce cloned buffalo.
4) 20th National Youth Festival begins in Naya Raipur- The 20th National Youth
Festival has
commenced
in
capital
city
of
Chhattisgarh, Naya
Raipur.
Theme – “India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony”
5) India-Australia Social Security Agreement comes into operation- Social security
agreement signed between India and Australia came into effect enabling people of both
nations to avail retirement benefits in each other’s country to boost bilateral business
linkages. The Agreement signed in November 2014 came into operation on January 1,
2016.
WORLD THIS MONTH

India leads the 2016 outsourcing index- According to a study published by Londonbased global management consulting firm, A T Kearney’s 2016 Global Services Location
Index (GSLI), India become the world’s biggest outsourcing destination in terms
of financial attractiveness and business environment.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or award bagged by Lionel Messi- Argentina’s professional
footballer Lionel Messi has been conferred with the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for
the world player of the year beating his greatest rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
SPORTS
1) Sania topped while Bopanna 9th in doubles rankings- In the latest tennis WTA
rankings, Sania Mirza continues to top the women’s double chart with 11395 points
while her partner Martina Hingis of Switzerland maintained her second spot with
11355 points.
2) Stephen Fleming named coach of Pune IPL team- The new IPL franchise,
Pune appointed Stephen Fleming as their coach for the upcoming edition.
3) ICC announces MoneyGram as event partner- ICC and Money Gram International
announced an eight-year deal which confirms Money Gram as an event partner for ICC
occasions from 2016-2023.
OBITUARY

Iconic singer David Bowie dies at 69- The iconic singer David Bowie died from liver
cancer in New York. Bowie’s passing came just three days after the release of a music
video which featured chilling footage of the singer confined to a hospital bed with his
eyes covered by a bandage.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT released by PM- Honorable Prime
Minister Narendra Modi released a book titled “MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT“(My
India Noble India) through a video conference in Mumbai.
IMPORTANT DAYS

National Youth Day- National Youth Day (Yuva Diwas or Swami Vivekananda
Birthday) is celebrated with the great joy and enthusiasm in India every year on 12th of
January to commemorate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, maker of the modern
India. First declared: By the Government of India in the year 1984 to celebrate the
birthday of Swami Vivekananda as the National Youth Day
13th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Arvind Panagariya panel to fast-track bullet trains- To accelerate the MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for bullet trains between the two cities,
Prime Minister’s Office has constituted a committee the vice-chairman of the NITI
Aayog, Arvind Panagariya that will interact with the Japanese counterpart for taking the
next step in implementation.
2) BSF starts ‘Operation Cold’ along international border- Covering Sriganganagar,
Bikaner, Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan Border Security Force has launched
‘Operation Cold’ along the international border. It will continue till January 30. Aim: To
contain any infiltration or intrusion from Pakistan in fog and cold wave weather
conditions in the western desert.
3) 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)
Conference 2016 that is an annual gathering of overseas Indians held at the Pravasi
Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi.
4) SC stays Centre’s notification lifting ban on Jallikattu- Supreme Court stayed the
Centre’s notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu during the
festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
5) Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana- In a bid to provide a social
security to farmers, Union Cabinet has approved a new crop insurance scheme,
having premiums as low as 1.5% of the sum insured.
6) E-track management system initiated by Railway Ministry- To bring efficiency and
effectiveness in management practices, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar
Prabhu inaugurated implementation of E-enabled Track Management System
(TMS) and Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) China reshuffles military headquarters in major revamp- Chinese President Xi
Jinping reorganised four army headquarters by replacing them with 15 new agencies
under the Central Military Commission(CMC) headed by him.
2) US, Jordan signed JAP on cooperation to counter Nuclear Smuggling- United States
and Jordan signed a Joint Action Plan (JAP) to improve efforts against nuclear and
radiological smuggling. The partnership will help in enhancing the efforts to combat
nuclear terrorism. The JAP was signed by Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordan’s
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Washington.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Kullu folk dance in Guinness Book- The colourful Kullu folk dance “Nati” which
saw participation of 20,000 dancers during Kullu Dussehra festival on October 26
2015 has entered the Guinness book of world records. The jamboree of over 20,000
people danced to spread the message of “Beti Hai Anmol” (Girl child is precious).
2) Amitabh Bachchan made honorary life member of Mohammedan SportingBollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan bestowed honorary life membership of
Kolkata’s famed soccer outfit Mohammedan Sporting which is celebrating its 125th
anniversary this year.
APPOINTMENTS

Ashish Saraf appointed as Airbus Group’s vice president- European aircraft maker
Airbus Group designated Ashish Saraf as its Vice-President of Industry Development,
Strategic Partnerships and Offsets.
SPORTS
World Record by Sania-Martina as they win 29th match on trot- India’s Sania
Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis broke a 22 year old world record by winning
their 29th women’s doubles match in a row en route to their entry into the women’s doubles
final of the WTA Sydney International, in Sydney.
14th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) India
becomes
the
member
of
IEA-OES-
Union
Cabinet
gave
its
nod
for India becomes a member country of International Energy Agency – Ocean
Energy Systems (IEA-OES) by signing the Implementing Agreement (IA).
2) Tendulkar launches 2 Mumbai Rail Police safety initiatives- Cricket icon Sachin
Tendulkar launched two initiatives SAMEEP and B-Safe by Mumbai Railway Police .
3) MoU between India and Maldives for Health- the Union Cabinet chaired by the PM
Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives which was signed in January, 2014
on cooperation in the field of Health.
4) Loan Agreement signed between Government of India and JICA for Cleaning of
Mula-Mutha River in Pune- The Government signed a loan agreement with Japan
International Cooperation Agency(JICA) for pollution abatement of River MulaMutha under National River Conservation Plan(NRCP) in the presence of Minister of
State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash
Javadekar.
5) Supreme Court suggested Parliament to enact separate law for child rape- The
Supreme Court said rape of infants and children below 10 years of age is nothing but
brutal perversion and asked the Parliament to enact a separate law providing harsh
punishment. This is the first time that the apex court has distinguished infants and
children below the age of 10 from the general description of ‘minors’ given by law to
anyone below the age of 18. A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra said the Parliament had
to separately define the word ‘child’ in terms of rape.

India (1945-2015): Largest recipient of loans from World Bank- As per the World
Bank lending report, India is the largest recipient of loans from the World Bank,
amounting to $102.1 billion, between 1945 and 2015 (as on July 21, 2015). The World
Bank has been lending funds to India for rural and urban development projects related
to transport, water and irrigation, health, power and agriculture.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) India has largest diaspora population: UN report- As per the report of survey
on “Trends in International Migrant Stock” conducted by UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), India’s diaspora population is the largest in the
world with 16 million people from India living outside their country in 2015.
2) 2016 to be China – India Tourism Year: China- The China National Tourism
Administration (CNTA) announced the beginning of China-India Tourism Year on
the sidelines of the decision taken jointly in 2014 by PM Narendra Modi and Chinese
President Xi Jinping to observe the “India Tourism Year” in China in 2015 and
“China Tourism Year” in India in 2016. The opening ceremony will be launched on
January 14 at Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi.
3) SBI opens branch in Seoul, South Korea & launches dedicated branch for start-ups
in Bengaluru- Country’s largest lender SBI has opened a branch in Seoul, South
Korea to predominantly finance growing trade and investment relations between Korean
and Indian companies.SBI is second Indian bank after Indian Overseas Bank to have
branch in South Korea.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1. National Award on e-Governance bestowed upon EPFO- Employees’ Provident
Fund Organisation (EPFO) has been conferred with National Awardon e-Governance
2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN). The award will be
presented by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to the EPFO in
the 19th National Conference on e-governance to be held in Nagpur on January 22.
2. PepsiCo’s CEO becomes “most generous graduate” of Yale B-School- The prestigious
Yale School of Management is set to name its deanship in honour of PepsiCo’s Indiaborn CEO Indra Nooyi as she gifted an undisclosed amount to her alma mater. She
becomes the school’s biggest alumni donor. She is also the first woman to endow
the deanship at a top business school.
3. DHL Express appoints new Asia Pacific CEO- Global logistics provider DHL
Express has designated Ken Lee as its Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific region.
He will
4. R
Shivakumar
appointed
Chairman
of
Assocham
Karnataka-
R
Shivakumar, Chairman of Kumar Group of companies, Bengaluru, has been appointed
as theChairman of Assocham Karnataka Regional Council, the new regional outfit of
Assocham, New Delhi.
SPORTS
 FIFA dismisses Secretary General Jerome Valcke- FIFA’s emergency committee has
dismissed Jerome Valcke from the position of FIFA Secretary General with immediate
effect.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book titled Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity in Perspective released by Hamid
Ansari- Vice President Hamid Ansari released the book ‘Jawaharlal Nehru and the
Indian Polity In Perspective’ at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
OBITUARY

Celebrity General J.F.R. Jacob Passes Away- The Hero of 1971 war with
Pakistan, Lieutenant-General J.F.R. Jacob passed away due to prolonged illness in
New Delhi. He was 92.
15th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) “Sikkim” crowned as India’s First “Fully Organic State”- Sikkim has turned out to be
the India’s first fully organic state by implementing organic practices. As per
the guidelines laid down in National Programme for Organic Production, 75,000
hectares of agricultural land was gradually converted to certified organic land by
implementing organic principles.
2) IISER campus inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram- Union Human Resource
Development
Minister Smt.
Smriti
Zubin
Irani inaugurated
the
permanent
campus (Phase I) of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
(IISER) at Vithura near Thiruvananthapuram.
3) President gave nod to Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015- President Pranab
Mukherjee has given his assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015, raising the
ceiling of the impost from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per quintal, a measure that will help
sugarcane growers and cash-starved mills.
4) Sahayog – Kaijin 2016: India and Japan joint Coast Guard exercise- The 15th
edition of bilateral exercise between India and Japan titled “Sahayog-Kaijin 2016” has
begun off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal. It is biennial bilateral
exercise held once in two years.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) 4-member EPG suggested by Nepal to review accords with India- Ahead of Nepalese
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli maiden visit to India next month, the
Nepal government has proposed formation of a four-member Eminent Persons
Group to review the existing bilateral agreements with India including the strategic
Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950.
2) After
25
years,
Saudi
Embassy
officially
reopens
in
Baghdad-
Saudi
Arabia has reopened its embassy in Baghdad after a closure that lasted 25 years.
3) WHO declares world’s worst ever Ebola outbreak over- World Health Organisation
(WHO) announced that the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged West Africa for two years
was over after Liberia, the last affected country, received the all-clear. Liberia, the
country worst hit by the outbreak with 4,800 deaths, discharged its last two patients from
hospital, the father and younger brother of a 15-year-old victim.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award conferred upon David BeckhamUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and retired football professional David Beckham has
been
bestowed
with
the Danny
Kaye
Humanitarian
Leadership
Award at
the 6th biennial UNICEF Ball in Los Angeles for recognizing his tireless work to save
and improve the lives of children around the world.
2) Subhashini Vasanth honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award- Bollywood actor Sonam
Kapoor presented the Neerja Bhanot Award to Bangalore-based Subhashini Vasanth.
The Neerja Bhanot Award consists of Rs1.50 lakh, a citation, and a trophy.
3) Indian
designer
designer Suket
wins
Dhir won
International
the Rs
48.5
Woolmark
Prize-
lakh (A$100,000)
City-based
worth
fashion
prestigious
International Woolmark Prize. The announcement was made overnight in Florence by
the Organiser.
4) Israel gets fifth German-made nuclear-capable submarine “INS Rahav”- Israel has
marked the addition of a fifth German-made submarine to its fleet with a dedication
ceremony attended by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
.APPOINTMENTS

Ronaldinho announced as Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football
Tournament- Brazilian star Ronaldinho was appointed as Brand Ambassador of
Nagjee International Club Football Tournament will be played in Kozhikode in
February 5, 2016 to February 21, 2016.
OBITUARY

British actor Alan Rickman passes away- British actor and Director Alan Rickman, a
classically trained stage star and screen villain in the Harry Potter saga and other films
has died. He was 69.
IMPORTANT DAYS

Indian Army Day- On 15 January 2016 India celebrated 68th Indian Army day in New
Delhi. It has been started celebrating to respect the Lieutenant General of India, K. M.
Cariappa (Kodandera Madappa Cariappa) who was the first Indian Army’s
Commander-in-Chief.
16th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 inductedThe Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 with special
provisions to tackle child offenders in the age group of 16-18 years committing heinous
offences, came into force.
2) First ‘Mahila Troop’ inducted for High-Altitude Posts of “IC Border”- The recently
trained cohort of 500 women labor force has been positioned at high-altitude
posts along the India-China border. The first “Mahila” troop was commissioned into
the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Panchkula, Haryana.
3) Country’s first ‘water tourism’ to begin in Madhya Pradesh- The country’s
first “water tourism” will begin in Madhya Pradesh on February 12 to February 21
in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asia’s largest man-made water reservoirs
with an aim of attracting more tourists to the state.
4) Kamal Haasan & Gautam Ghosh included in Shyam Benegal Committee- Actorfilmmaker Kamal Hassan and director Gautam Ghosh have been inducted in
the Shyam Benegal committee that has been set up by the government to holistically
look into the functioning of controversy ridden Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC).
5) PM Modi to launched ‘Startup India’ campaign- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
launch the ‘Start-up India’ in New Delhi which is aimed at celebrating the
entrepreneurship spirit of country’s youth. It will be attended by CEOs and founders of
top start-ups from across the country and abroad.
“Start-up India, Stand-up
India” programme will connect bright minds and youth all over India who have the talent
and the capability to propel India’s growth.
6) Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi- Union Minister
of
State
for
Development
of North
Eastern
Region
Singh inaugurated the “Hall of Nuclear Power” in New Delhi.
(DoNER)
Jitendra
7) China’s Xi Jinping launches Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank- Chinabacked Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) in which India and 56 countries
have joined as founding members was formally opened by President Xi Jinping. The
bank was formally established in Beijing on December 25, 2015.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) NaMo presented Times Now “Amazing Indians Awards” 2016- Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi presented the “Times Now” Amazing Indians Awards 2016 in
recognition of great achievements in the face of adversity.
2) Delhi-based writer Ankita Anand won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on
Khap panchayats- Sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the
diktat of khap panchayats in Haryana has earned Ankita Anand, a journalist-writer
won the European Commission’s prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for
2015 (Asia-Pacific).
3) Amritsar in Guinness Book of World Records- An offbeat message against drugs
delivered through ‘largest bollywood dance performance‘ of students held at Khalsa
College has earned Amritsar a place in Guinness Book of World Records announced by
Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.
4) Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew
Exchange Fellowship- Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded
with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship in Singapore on January 13 for his
contribution in development and international harmony.
5) Second largest’ black hole in the Milky Way discovered- A team of Japanese
astronomers has discovered an enigmatic gas cloud just 200 light years away from the
centre of the Milky Way that can be the possible missing link in the black hole
evolution.This may be the first detection of an intermediate mass black hole(IMBH).
SPORTS
1) Marat Safin Inducted Into International Tennis Hall of Fame- Former World No.1
tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame,
the Russian Tennis Federation.
2) Mesut Ozil named 2015 German Player of the Year- Mesut Ozil has been
voted Germany national
team
player
of
the
year
for
the fourth
time.
The Arsenal playmaker was in outstanding form for his club during 2015 and has
awarded for his performances for the national team as well. The 27-year-old played a big
part in ensuring the world champions reached Euro 2016 and played in all but one
international for his country.
3) Sania & Hingis Win Sydney International Title 2016- Sania Mirza and Martina
Hingis’ are continued to lifted their second trophy of the season with the WTA Apia
International title after clinching their 30th win a row in Sydney.
OBITUARY

Rajesh Vivek, Lagan Actor passed away- Television actor Rajesh Vivek
Upadhyay, who played the popular character of Guran in Bollywood blockbuster,
Lagaan passed away following a heart attack in Hyderabad. He was 66 years old.
17th JANUARY
NATION THIS MONTH
1) World’s largest Tricolour to be hoisted in Ranchi- Jharkhand is all set to beat a
record held by a flag in Faridabad, Haryana in March 2015 by getting the world’s largest
Tricolour flying atop the country’s tallest flagpole at the Pahari temple in Ranchi.
2) President launches countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2016- The President of
India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio programme for 2016 by
administering polio drops to children less than five years old, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
3) Union government released draft for the right of transgender person bill, 2015- The
right of the transgender person bill, 2015 was released in the 2nd week of January 2016
by the union government for the overall development and the welfare of the transgender
persons over the whole country.
WORLD THIS MONTH

UN demoted India GDP forecast for 2016 to 7.5%- Due to the slow
progress in execution of reform policies, United Nations has reduced its GDP growth
forecast for India for 2016 to 7.5% from 8.2%.
BANKING & FINANCE

World Development Report 2016 dubbed “Digital Dividends” released- Washington
D.C. headquartered World Bank released its annual World Development Report
(WDR) titled “Digital Dividends” with a focal point on the impact of the Internet, mobile
phones and communication technologies (ICTs) on economic development.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) 2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature conferred upon Anuradha RoyThe DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 has been conferred upon Anuradha
Roy for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Sri
Lanka.
2) 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015- The 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards
2015 were recently held to honor the best films of 2015 from the Hindi-language film
industry in Mumbai.
3) Easterine Kire wins The Hindu Prize, 2015- Easterine Kire, poet, novelist and
children’s writer from Nagaland, won The Hindu Prize, 2015, for her novel When the
River Sleeps, a book about a lone hunter seeking a faraway river, to take from it a stone
that will give him untold powers.
APPOINTMENTS

Tsai Ing-wen chaired as the Taiwan’s first Female President- Taiwan has elected
its first female president in a landmark election that could unsettle relations with
Beijing. Tsai Ing-wen defeated Eric Chu, the Nationalist Party’s Presidential candidate
for Taiwan’s presidential election.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China to land probe on dark side of moon in 2018- China has begun preparations for
a new lunar mission in 2018 when it plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon
not explored by humans so far, in a bid to create a new landmark in space exploration.
SPORTS

Virat Kohli breaks De Villiers’ record to reach 7000 ODI runs- Indian batsman Virat
Kohli broke AB de Villier’s record to become the fastest batsman to reach 7000
runs in One Day Internationals. Kohli made history during India’s third ODI against
Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 27-year-old smashed six boundaries and
a six to reach the record during the third ODI, Few days back, Virat Kohli will be
presented with Polly Umrigar Award for BCCI cricketer of the year.
OBITUARY

Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy dead- Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna
Roy passed away at the age of 82.
18th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) 900+ girls in sex ratio at birth recorded in Haryana- For the first time in 10 years, sex
ratio in Haryana has shown a mounting crossing the 900 mark with 903 girls per 1,000
boys as compared to earlier 879 females per 1,000 males.
2) NITI Aayog collaborated with IDFC for Enterprise Survey of Manufacturing FirmsAs part of ease of doing business enabler, NITI Aayog and IDFC Institute will jointly
conduct asurvey of manufacturing companies, including startups, across India. The
objective of the survey is to assess the business regulatory environment in each state
and union territory (UT).
3) BHEL commissions 660 MW supercritical thermal unit in UP- BHEL has
commissioned the second 660 MW supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal
Power Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh.
4) Exim Bank, Andhra Pradesh sign MoU to promote exports- Exim Bank of India and
the Andhra Pradesh government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
singed by Exim Bank chairman and managing director Yaduvendra Mathur and Andhra
Pradesh’s industries secretary Shamsher Singh Rawat for promoting exports in the state.
5) Kalraj Mishra releases Laghu Udyog Samachar Magazine on Startup India theme
in 13th Meeting of the NBMSME- The Start-up issue of Laghu Udyog
Samachar (January 2016) was released by Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister of
MSME at the 13th Meeting of the National Board for Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) India marked as 2nd largest fruit producer in Global List- According to
the handbook, published by the Oxford University, the upswing in fruit production
makes India the second largest global producer behind China. Though horticulture
has seen fruit production grow faster than vegetables but still latter constitute the largest
segment of this sector of agriculture. Grapes occupy the premier position in exports
with 107.3 thousand tonnes valued at Rs 1,086 crore in 2014-15. Other fruits which
attained significant position in exports are banana and mango.
2) US lift nuclear sanctions on Iran- The United States removed a wide range of sanctions
against Iran after International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that
Tehran has met its commitments to roll back itsnuclear programme, under an
agreement with China, France, Russia, UK, U.S and Germanyon July 14, 2015.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

National Bravery Awards 2015 to be conferred upon 25 “Lion Hearts”- 25
children (3 girls and 22 boys) have been selected for the National Bravery Awards
2015, which give due recognition to the children who distinguish themselves
by performing outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service. They receive
a medal, certificate and cash.
APPOINTMENTS
1) India’s Dinesh Sharma elected to board of directors of china backed AIIB- Dinesh
Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance has been elected to the 12-member
board of directors of AIIB
2) Tata Motors appoints Guenter Butschek as CEO & MD- Homegrown auto
major Tata Motors announced appointment of ex-Airbus COO Guenter Butschek as its
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director for two years after the death of its
former MD Karl Slym.
Zinnia: The first ever flower grown in space- Zinnia became the first flower that has
finally bloomed in outer space. The flower was grown as part of an experiment astronauts are
conducting on how plants grow in microgravity.

The flowers were grown inside the Veggie lab aboard International Space Station
(ISS) which was installed in early May 2014.

With the success of this experiment, Zinnia has become the first flowering plant
grown outside Earth’s atmosphere.
SPORTS
1) 2016 Apia international title of tennis- The 2016 Apia International Sydney was a
joint 2016 ATP World Tour and 2016 WTA Tour tennis tournament, played on
outdoor hard courts in Sydney, Australia. It was the 123rd edition of the tournament.
2) India Regain Top Spot after Nearly Five Years- The Indian Test team led by Virat
Kohli climbed to the top of the ICC Test Rankings after South Africa crashed to a 0-2
series defeat against England in Johannesburg.
3) Popov claims 14th Delhi International Open chess title- Russia’s Ivan Popov has
bagged the title 14th Parsvnath Delhi International Chess Festival with prize money
of Rs. three lakh. The event was held in New Delhi.
OBITUARY
1) Former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao passes away- Former Sikkim
Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ventrapragada Rama Raodied at a
private hospital at the age of 81.
2) Punjabi singer Manpreet Akhtar dies- Noted Punjabi folk singer Manpreet
Akhtar passed away due to brain hemorrhage at a local hospital in Patiala. She was 55.
19 January 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1. National Conference on “Sustainable Agriculture, Farmer’s Welfare”- The two-day
National Conference on “Sustainable Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare” was chaired
in Sikkim. The conference will be attended by state government representatives, scientists,
academicians, bankers, experts and practitioners.
2. Provide access to answer sheets at Rs 2 per page: CIC- The Central Information
Commission has ruled the Universities and examining bodies for not to charge more than
Rs 2 per page for providing copies of evaluated answer scripts to students.
3. IIT Kharagpur launches innovation centre- IIT-Kharagpur has launched an innovation
centre. To promote the culture of innovation among its undergraduate students right from
their first year.
4. Jayalalithaa launches ‘Amma Call Centre’ for grievance redressal- Tamil Nadu Chief
J Jayalalithaa launched a round-the-clock call centre for ensuring fast response to
grievances.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1. India downgraded to 89th rank on GTCI- The annual Global Talent Competitiveness
Index (GTC) has downgraded India with 11 places and landed it to 89th position.
2. France declares economic emergency- French President Francois Hollande has
declared “a state of economic emergency” by announcing that it’s time to redefine
France’s economic and social model.
3. India, Israel to intensify counter terrorism coordination-India and Israel agreed to
intensify coordination to deal with the menaceof terrorism and discussed a wide-range
of bilateral and regional issues.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1. Govt inducted new category of award for “Most Film Friendly State/UT”- To promote
the Indian film industry and India’s “Soft Power”, Govt has instituted a new award
category under the National Film Awards titled “The Most Film Friendly State/UT”.
APPOINTMENTS
1. For the 9th succession Lalu Prasad Yadav designated as RJD Chief- Former railway
minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav (67) was elected as president of his party Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD) for the ninth consecutive term. He has been elected for the period of 3 years.
2. Mindtree appoints Ravanan as CEO, Natarajan as executive chairman- Mindtree (IT
firm)appointed Rostow Ravanan as its CEO and Managing Director and current chief
Krishna Kumar Natarajan moved on to the role of Executive Chairman with cofounder Subroto Bagchi stepping down from the position.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. Delhi government launches DVAT BILL app to boost tax collection- Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Siodia launched ‘DVAT BILL‘ App to boost Delhi Government’s tax
collection and bring in transparency and through this App, people can become a “VAT
Inspectors”.
20 JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1. Health Ministry releases results from 1st phase of HFHS-4 survey- The Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare released the results from the first phase of theNational
Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16. These are available on Ministry’s
website, www.mohfw.gov.in. Findings for the 13 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.
2. R V Easwar Committee’s report to simplify Income-tax Act, 1961 releasedUnion Ministry of Finance has released the draft report of 10 member
committee headed byJustice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify the
provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.
3. National Tariff Policy for Electricity gets nod from Cabinet- The Union Cabinet
approved the “National Tariff Policy for Electricity” aimed at tightening regulations
for setting power rates and promotion of clean energy in a support to Swachh Bharat
programme.
4. “Project Green Ports” launched to Reduce Pollution- Union Ministry of
Shipping launched the “Project Green Ports”, which is aimed at reducingthe pollution
levels at ports and managing the sewage treatment at ports.
5. Gadkari to inaugurate 19th National Conference on e-Governance-Union
Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari will
inaugurate the 19th National Conference on e-Governance to be held in Nagpur,
Maharashtra.
6. Telangana to introduce Course Credits for students- Telangana Government is
set to introduce ‘Course Credits’ in Secondary education for students to take part
in certain programmes, from the next academic year. These will add up as they move
on to higher classes.
7. Bihar Government approves 35 per cent job reservation for women- Bihar
Government has approved 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in
the state including reserved and unreserved category.
8. Maharashtra government inks MoU with Tata Trust for skill training of youthThe Maharashtra government and Tata Trust signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) for a skill training programme for the youth. The programme
has
been
undertaken
under
the
state
government’s
“Kushal
Maharashtra, Rojgaryukt Maharashtra” initiative.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1. India among top 5 most promising markets globally: PwC survey-The top five
markets considered as most important for overall growth are USA, China, Germany,
the UK and India. INDIA has emerged as one of the five most promising markets for
businesses globally as it offers one of the best opportunities for both domestic as well
as global companies.
2. 4 Indian Magnificoes among World’s 62 Super-Rich- As per a report by UK-based
charity Oxfam titled “An Economy for the 1%”, the wealthiest 62 people now own
half of the world’s population (3.5 billion people). The report highlighted the global
inequality.
Among
Industrialist Mukesh
those
affluent
Ambani,
IT
62,
there
titan Azim
are four
Premji,
Indian
pharma
names:
boss Dilip
Shanghvi and business magnatesHinduja Brothers.
3. IMF retains India GDP forecast at 7.5% for 2016- The International Monetary
Fund (IMF) kept India’s growth projection unchanged at7.3% in the current fiscal
and 7.5% in the next. India would continue to grow at a “robust pace”.
4. World tourism numbers hit record 1.18 billion in 2015- As per Madrid
headquartered United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the number of
international tourists rose by 4.4% worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18
billion despite concerns over terrorism.
5. India, UK to cooperate in infrastructure financing, address tax evasionIndia and the UK agreed to strengthen economic cooperation in various sectors
includinginfrastructure financing, addressing issues of cross-border tax evasion
and avoidance.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. PSLV-C31 carrying IRNSS-1E launched successfully from SDSC-Indian Space
Research
Organisation
(ISRO) launched PSLV-C31 rocket
successfully,
carrying 5th satellite (out of 7) of India Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS), theIRNSS-1E from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota,
near Chennai,
21 JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1. Cabinet approbated 50000 crore rupees for Infrastructure Projects in TN- Centre
has consented Rs. 50,000 crore for infrastructure development projects in Tamil
Nadu.
2. Policy on “Promotion of City Compost” assented by cabinet- Policy
on “Promotion of City Compost” has got a stamp of approval by the Union Cabinet
tolower the maximum retail price of city compost for farmers.
3. ISRO-KISR MoU on cooperation in the area of outer space- Memorandum of
Understanding has been inked between the Department of Space / Indian Space
Research Organization (DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research
(KISR) to cooperate & use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
4. Rs 4,918-crore approved for Highway Project in Bihar- For the widening of NH 2
stretch in Bihar and to expand its infrastructure, Cabinet has assentedRs 4,918crore.
5. Infrastructure Status vouchsafed to Shipyard Industry- Union government has
granted infrastructure status to theshipyard industry. This will enable shipyards to
avail flexible long-term funding at lower costs.
6. CCEA approves 5000 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects- Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs has given its nod for setting up over 5,000 MW of
Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects on build, own and operate basis.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1. Ex-post-facto approval on the approach adopted by India at the 10th Ministerial
Conference- PM Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the approach
adopted by India at the10th Ministerial Conference of the WTO held in Nairobi,
Kenya during 15-19 December 2015.
2. UN signs up Lionel Messi to help beat poverty- United Nations has appointed
Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi and pop sensation Shakira to promote
world body’s objective of eradication of poverty by 2030.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1. National Award for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals 2015-16 presented
by Ananth Kumar
2. Adele’s Hello enters Guinness Book of World Records- Adele’s (UK) recent hit
song “Hello” reached a staggering one billion viewson the popular video platform
YouTube in mere 88 days.
22 JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1. Andhra Pradesh Govt reestablished Commission for OBC- The state government
of Andhra Pradesh has reestablished the Andhra Pradesh Commission for
Backward Classes by exercising the rights vested in the section 3 of Andhra
Pradesh Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
2. 4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference held in New Delhi- 22 African
nations participate in the conference out of which nine were represented by their
Ministers.
3. India’s first LGBT radio taxi service announced- India’s first radio taxi service
for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) was flagged off in Mumbai on
Wednesday.
4. “Nai Manzil” Scheme Launched in Jammu and Kashmir- Nai Manzil Scheme is
an integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority Communities.
5. Indian Bureau of Mines & NRSC inked MoU for monitoring mining activity- In
a bid to monitor mining activity through satellite technology, Indian Bureau of
Mines (IBM)inked MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the
Department of Space.
6. IN-RNO joint naval exercise “Naseem Al-Bahr” kicked off- The 10th edition of
the bilateral Indian Navy-Royal Omani Navy biennial exercise began on 22 Jan
2016 – 27 Jan 2016 in the Arabian Sea.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1. Ocean Alert!! (Plastic > Fish) @2050- In accordance with the report by World
Economic Forum (WEF) and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the oceans will
contain more plastics than fish by 2050.
2. India ranked 22nd among world’s best countries- India ranked 22nd among
world’s best countries today India proved itself as the world’s fastest growing
economy. India ranked 22nd among world’s best countries, this report was released by
the World Economic Forum in the annual meeting. India that exports a wide range
of advanced products everything from jet engines to medicines to soybeans. India’s
growth rate is expected to rise to 7.5 per cent this year.
3. India to be fastest growing economy at 7.3% in 2016: UN report-UN report said
that India will be the fastest-growing large economy in the world. India’s Economy is
expected to grow by 7.3% in 2016 7.5% in 2017. India passes China to become
fastest growing economy.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1. Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace named as “World’s Best Hotel”-Travel
site TripAdvisor has
listed Umaid
Bhawan
Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan as
theworld’s best hotel of 2016 in 25 best hotels list. It is one of the world’s largest
private residences is named after the Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the
present owner Gaj Singh.
APPOINTMENTS
1. Amitabh Bacchan and Priyanka Chopra chosen as the brand ambassadors for
Incredible India
2. Pavel Filip designated as the Prime Minister of Moldova
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. TranServ launches India’s first social mobile wallet Udio- Digital payment
company, TranServ has launched India’s 1st Social Mobile Wallet, “Udio”, which
enables squaring of dues, sharing dinner bills or a cab ride a hassle free task
ENVIRONMENT
1. New tree frog genus named Frankixalus discovered in north-eastern IndiaIndian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju with his team has discovered a new genus
of tree hole-breeding frogs named Frankixalus in the forests of northeast India and
bordering parts of China.
SPORTS
1. Roger Federer Wins 300th Grand Slam Singles Match- World Number 3, Roger
Federer (34) clinched his 300th win in grand slams after defeating his Bulgarian
challenger Grigor Dimitrov by 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the
Australian Open.
23RD JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Union Government notified stricter standards for Sugar Industry to minimize water
pollution- Union Ministry Environment, Forest and Climate Change had notified
stricter environment rules for sugar industries in various states of the country to minimize
water pollution. The revised norms will lead to improved operational performance of
Sugar industry through accomplishment of wastewater discharge and conservation
standards and pollution control management protocol.
2) MSDE and DoT sign MoU for skill development in telecom sector- On the sidelines of
PM’s vision to make India the skill capital of the world, Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) inked MoU with Department of
Telecommunication (DoT) for the implementation of National Action Plan for Skill
Development in Telecom Sector.
3) Google Launches First Public Wi-Fi Service in India- The first free Public WiFi service has been launched by Indian Railways’ telecom wing RailTel in partnership
with Google at Mumbai’s central railway station. Minister of Railways Mr. Suresh
Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated the Wi–Fi service.
4) Union Government announced extension of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme in 61
more districts- Union Government has decided to extend the Scheme Beti Bachao, Beti
Padhao to 61 more districts in 2016 to improve the declining girl child sex ratio.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) Denmark crowned as “World’s Best Country for Women”- In accordance with
the “2016 Best Countries” ranking by US News and World Report, Denmark has made
it to be at the top of the list of world’s best country for women to live in. It was disclosed
during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
2) Haryana signs 8 MoUs in China on smart-cities etc- Haryana
Government signed eight momentum of understanding (MoUs) with top companies
of China to set up a USD 10 billion industrial park and smart cities in the state. These
MoUs were signed with top Chinese companies like Wanda Group, China Land
Development Company Private Limited, and ZTE Corporation.
3) India’s first BUR submitted to UNFCCC- Under the guidelines of Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), India submitted its first Biennial Update Report
(BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) reporting the emission of 2,136.84 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent
greenhouse gases in 2010.
4) In Human Development, Sri Lanka leads South Asian Region- As per the Global
Human Development Report (HDR) 2015 by UN Development Programme (UNDP),
Sri Lanka has stood at the top of the ladder in terms of human development.
24TH JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Centre sanctions funds for “Beating Retreat” ceremony in Tripura- Union
Tourism Ministry has consented fund under “Swadesh Darshan scheme”, to create
infrastructure for “Beating Retreat” ceremony at Agartala-Akhaura border with
Bangladesh, similar to that at Wagah in Punjab.
2) SEEMA DARSHAN an initiative by the Ministry of Human Resource
Development- SEEMA DARSHAN an initiative to provide an opportunity for the
children to experience the border environment and to encourage patriotism and
nationalism among the students. It aims to provide the students the experience of the
current security environment in the border areas.
3) Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme launched by AP Government- Andhra
Pradesh Government has launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to
support the tribal women in their quest for livelihood. The scheme seeks to reduce
rampant infant mortality and child marriages among tribal people.
4) India’s largest and tallest Tricolour unfurls in Ranchi- On the birth anniversary
of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the tallest and largest Indian national flag was
hoisted in Ranchi. The flag was unfurled by defence minister Manohar Parrikar,
which measures 99×66 feet and is pegged atop a flag post 293 feet high.
5) PM Modi publicized 100 secret files relating to Subhash Chandra Bose- On
the 119th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, PM Modi publicized
the 100 secret files on the freedom fighter for the first time whose disappearance 70
years agoremains a mystery.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) WEF elected Kim & Benioff to its Board of Trustees- World Economic Forum
(WEF) has accredited World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Salesforce CEO Marc
2) India’s Financial and National Capital listed in top Asia Pacific cities for
millionaires- In accordance with the Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report, by New World
Wealth, India’s National capital New Delhi and Financial capital Mumbai have been
listed among the top Asia Pacific cities for HNIs (high net worth individuals).
3) India, Bahrain to strengthen ties in trade, counter-terror- India and Bahrain signed an
agreement
to
strengthen
their
ties in
key
areas like trade
and
counter-
terrorism. The India-Arab League Cooperation Forum meeting was held in Bahrain.
The meeting was held between the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
4) Japan lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran- Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide
Suga approved the lifting of sanctions on Iran. This move will allow Japanese
companies to pursue investment in Iran’s oil and gas industry.
SPORTS
1) Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title bagged by P V Sindhu- Indian Shuttler P V
Sindhu has clinched the $120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title by defeating
Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour by 21-15 21-9 in a 32-minute clash.
2) Chanderpaul ends 22-year international career- Shivnarine Chanderpaul Veteran
West Indies batsman, the seventh highest Test match run maker, announced his
international retirement.
25TH JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) Maharashtra’s first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissionedThe first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant has been commissioned
in Hingna village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district Maharashtra. Solar power is the
conservation of sun energy to usable electricity. Solar Power is a sustainable and
renewable resource of energy.
2) New port development policy approved by Maharashtra- Maharashtra govt has
given its consent to new maritime policy for port development to create better facilities
around 720 km coastal region of the state.
3) Union Cabinet clears President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh- The union cabinet
clears the President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.Union Government takes the
decision when the state assembly becomes unsuccessful to act in accordance with the
provisions of Article 174 of the Constitution.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India comes out to be the 3rd largest Steel Producer- Last 5 months of 2015 have
pushed the steel production in India to 2.6% compared to output of 87.3 mt in 2014
whereas the world steel output went down 2.8% in 2015 to 1.6 billion tonne.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Padma Awards – 2016- The list of the India’s most prestigious and revered
honours, “Padma awards” 2016 is out. 114people will be bestowed with the Padma
awards this year.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
1) Amit Shah re-elected BJP president- For a second term, Amit Shah (51) was elected as
the president of the Bharatiya Janata full time tenure of three years. He received 17
proposals from 20 state units.
2) Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa elected as the President of Portugal- Marcelo Rebelo de
Sousa elected as President of Portugal by winning 52.4% of the votes against nine rivals.
He will succeed Anibal Cavaco Silva. The 67-year-old law professor has had a long
career in the public eye.
26th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) India’s 67th Republic Day with Unique Traits- Today India commemorated and
honoured the 67th birth anniversary of its Constitution as Republic day. The main
Republic Day celebration was held at the Rajpath in New Delhi. Along with
ceremonious parades as a tribute to India, there was something different to this year’s
republic day.
2) Indian, Chinese troops meet on LAC, commit to cordial ties- Indian and Chinese
troops meet on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh sector of Jammu and
Kashmir for the ceremonial Border Personal Meetings on the occasion of 67thRepublic
day of India. Both the troops express their commitment towards enhancing the friendly
relations and maintaining peace along boundary.
3) The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Amendment Act came into force- The Central Government will enforce the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Amendment Act, 2015 for
prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes with effect
from January 26, 2016. The Lok Sabha on August 04, 2015 and Rajya Sabha on
December 21, 2015, had already passed the Bill. After framing the rules for performance,
now it will be enforced by the Central Government with effect from January 26, 2016.
4) Andhra Pradesh govt to introduce `priest at your doorstep’- Andhra Pradesh
government has decided to introduce a novel scheme, “Bhaktuni Chentaku
Bhagvantudu” -God visiting the devotee. This is a free service. The Scheme has been
launched from the Telugu New Year Ugadi. Under the programme, the priest of the local
temple will visit families to bless them on seven special occasions related to birth and
marriage. In case of death, the priest from the local Shiva temple will visit the family
concerned.
5) India gifted ambulances and buses to Nepal- In a bid to strengthen the education and
health services in the Himalayan nation, India has donated 40 ambulances and 8 buses to
various hospitals, non-profit charitable organisations and educational institutions
in Nepal at a function at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu on 67thRepublic day of India.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) Three Indian B-schools in top 100 on FT’s global MBA list- As per the Financial
Times Global MBA Ranking for 2016 three of the India’s top business schools are
outline among the 100 best schools globally. France’s INSEAD is at the top of the list of
the Business (B)-schools is also known as the “business school for the world”
2) Pakistan plans its first mega nuclear power plant- Pakistan is all set to initiate a
country’s first mega nuclear power plant with power generation capacity of 2,000
megawatts.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Gallantry Awards 2016- On the eve of the 67th Republic Day Celebrations, President
Pranab Mukherjee has approved 365 gallantry and other defence awards to honour
extraordinary bravery and courage as well as distinguished service of the armed forces
personnel and others. These awards were established in 1952.
SPORTS

Team India return to No.1 Test spot- Indian Test team return to the top of the
International Cricket Council (ICC’s) Test Rankings after South Africa packed up to a
0-2 series beat against England in Johannesburg.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Mamata Banerjee released her book on “tolerance”- While inaugurating the 40th
Kolkata
International
Book
fair, West
Bengal
chief
minister
Mamata
Banerjee released ten books including a book on “Tolerance” which is penned by her.
Banerjee has dealt with religion in her book and explained that religion cannot be “white
or black”.
IMPORTANT DAYS

International
Customs
Day-
On 26
January every
year
the Customs
administrations of 180 Member States of the World Customs Organisation organize
various national events to celebrate the first session of the Customs Co-operation
Council. Theme – “Digital Customs – Progressive Engagement”
27th JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) French President Francois Hollande visit to India – An Overview- French
President Francois Hollande was on 3 days visit to India. He was chief guest of the
Republic Day parade. This is President Hollande’s 2nd State Visit to India and the 5th time
(earlier 1976, 1980, 1998 and 2008) that a French Head of State has been invited as the
Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day celebrations.
2) India’s first blind friendly train flagged off- Indian Railway flagged off India’s first
blind friendly train, from Mysuru to Varanasi. The train is financed by Pratap Simha,
Mysuru Member of Parliament (MP), from the MPLAD Fund. The train was
inaugurates by Mr Prtap Simha.
3) Railway broadband to touch 500,000 homes in Digital India within 2 years- Railway
broadband reaches 500,000 households through its Rail wire network. In the next two
years the network is providing a host of services at the block level. Indian Railways is
an Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India (GoI)
through the Ministry of Railways.
4) Indo-Russia
agreement
on
competitive
research
projects-
Indian and Russian researchers have been signing an agreement for a period of six
months in the areas of basic and Exploratory Sciences.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) “Toyota” leads the chart of Global Vehicle Sales 2015- Japanese automaker Toyota has
been emerged as the world’s biggest automaker for the4th straight year by selling 10.15
million vehicles in 2015.
2) Danish Parliament approved Seizure of Migrant Assets- the Danish parliament has
approved a controversial law allowing authorities to seize refugee’s cash and
valuables and delay them being reunited with their families.
3) Coca Cola launched dairy drinks in India- Beverages major Coca Cola has
launched milk-based beverages under the brand name “Vio”.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) “Order of Australia” bestowed upon Kerala dentist Sajeev Koshy- Melbourne
based Sajeev Koshy, a dentist by profession, has been honoured with the highest civilian
honour, the Order of Australia to recognise his services to dentistry in Victoria,
Australia. He hails from Kerala.
2) Actress Rekha conferred 2016 Yash Chopra Memorial Award- Veteran Bollywood
actress Rekha was honored with
Award in Mumbai.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
the third
Yash
Chopra
Memorial
1) Alice Vaidyan, new CMD of GIC Re- Alice Vaidyan is the new Chairman and
Managing Director of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), the National
Reinsurer.
2) Lava International promotes Navin Chawla to COO- Lava International ltd has
promoted Navin Chawla as chief operating officer (COO) of the company. Lava
is Mobile handset maker International Company. Lava International was established in
the year 2003.
SPORTS
Heena secures Olympic quota with gold medal- India’s top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu
secured an Olympic quota for the country by clinching gold medal in women’s 10-m air
pistol at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers for Shooting.

She is a first Indian Pistol shooter to have won a Gold medal in the 2013 ISSF
World Cup Finals -Pistol in 10 metre Air Pistol

She is also the first Indian Pistol shooter to be Ranked World No.1.

Heena is the first Indian shooter who has appeared on the ISSF magazine’s
cover page.
OBITUARY
1) Trailblazer
of
“Artificial
Intelligence”
passed
away-
Marvin
Minsky,
a mathematician, computer scientist and pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)
died due to cerebral hemorrhage. He was 88.
2) American actor Abe Vigoda passes away- American actor Abe Vigoda known for roles
in The Godfather and Barney Miller, passed away due to old age complications. He was
94.
28th JANUARY
NATION THIS MONTH
1) First
list
of
20
smart
cities
publicized
with
Bhubaneswar
on
Top-
Bhubaneswar capital city of Odisha has outpaced all other rivalry cities of the nation by
clinching the top rank in Smart Cities contest, which had received proposals for 97 cities
from state governments.
2) Union Cabinet approves raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions- Union Cabinet has
approved the plan of rising 17 India Reserve Battalions (IR Bns) in Jammu & Kashmir
and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States.
3) Rajasthan Government inks MoU to join UDAY Scheme- Rajasthan government
signed MoU with the Central Government of India to join Ujwal DISCOM Assurance
Yojana (UDAY) scheme.
4) RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan joins WEF task force- RBI governor Raghuram
Rajan joins World Economic Forum (WEF) task force to study the global finance
system. The 46th Annual Meeting of WEF was held in held in Davos, Switzerland.
5) India surpassed Thailand as World’s largest Rice exporter- As per the Bangkok
based Thai Rice Exporters Association, India has outpaced Thailand as the world’s
largest rice exporter in 2015. In 2015 India has shipped 23 million tonnes of rice while
Thailand exported 9.8 million tonnes of rice in 2015, a downgrade of 10.8%. Vietnam is
the third largest exporter of rice.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) IMF announces implementation of long due quota reforms- The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced to implement long due quota reforms. The US
Congress has approved these reforms which give more voting rights to the emerging
economies India and China.
2) Bill Gates topped the list of “50 World’s Wealthiest People”- As per the list released
by wealth-tracking website Wealth-X in collaboration with Business Insider, Co-founder
of Microsoft, Bill Gates, sat down again in the top slot of 50 wealthiest people in the
world list with a net worth of enormous $87.4 billion. There were only 4 female
billionaires in the list, among them, Alice Walton, Walmart heiress, was the wealthiest
woman with a net worth of $33.2 billion .
3) Astronomers discovered largest solar system- Astronomers of Royal Astronomical
Society (RSA) have discovered the largest known solar system in the form of gas giant
located one trillion kilometres away.

This solar system has large planet known as 2MASS J2126-8140 that takes nearly a
million years to orbit its star.

The newly discovered solar system is 140 times wider than Pluto’s path around
Sun and has a mass between 12 and 15 times of Jupiter.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Parrikar presented Rakshamantri Award for excellence for 2012-13 and 2013-14Manohar Parrikar the Union Minister for Defense presented Rakshamantri Award for
excellence for year 2012-13 and 2013-14 in New Delhi. The awards were presented
for three categories.
APPOINTMENTS

Sachin Tendulkar designated as Brand Ambassador of Pleasure Cruise- Cricket
legend Sachin Tendulkar accredited as the brand ambassador of a newly-launched
pleasure cruise along with his former Australian opponents, Shane Warne and Brett

UP launches helpline number for journalists- Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on
launched a dedicated helpline for journalists with number1880 help and assists the media
persons.
SPORTS

Ishika Shah bagged 12th Sub-Junior National Snooker championship- The National
sub-junior snooker title has been clinched by Ishika Shah (14) by defeating Anushi
Seth with 50-2, 50-33. The championship was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
OBITUARY

Former India basketball captain Ranbir Chopra died- The first captain of
the independent Indian basketball team Ranbir Chopra was died onJanuary 25. He
was the captain of Indian team at the first Asian Games, in Delhi in 1951.
IMPORTANT DAYS

150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai- 28th January 2016 is celebrated as
the 150th birth anniversary of the greatest Indian freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. He
was born in Dhudike, Punjab on 28 January 1865. He is popularly known as Punjab
Kesari and he is described as “a pillar of extremist nationalism in India“ due to his
great contribution in the freedom moment.
29th JANUARY
NATION THIS MONTH
1) UP IPS Aparna Kumar scales Mount Vinson Massif: the highest peak in AntarcticaAparna Kumar UP cadre IPS officer become the country’s first civil servant to scaled
Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in the Antarctica. She is the first civil servant to
mount the highest peak.
2) Madhya Pradesh to impose ban on polythene from January 2017- After reviewing the
activities of Urban Development and Environment and Housing Department in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to impose
banon polythene in entire state from January 2017.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) 31 countries signed MCAA to boost transparency in international tax matters- An
agreement between 31 countries has signed named Multilateral Competent Authority
Agreement (MCAA) to increase the transparency in functioning of multinational
enterprises (MNEs) by giving permission to automatic exchange of Country-by-Country
reports by tax administrators.
2) Japan’s
Central
Bank
adopts
Negative
Interest
Rate
policy-
Tokyo
headquartered Bank of Japan has imposed a negative interest rate of -0.1% on accounts
it holds for commercial banks. It will start to charge them for looking after their cash.
Stockholm to get World’s first 5G Network- Stockholm soon becomes the world’s first
city to get the ultra high speed 5G mobile network.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Allan Border Medal 2016 presented to David Warner- Batsman David Warner has
been conferred with Allan Border medal for 2016, becoming the11th player to receive
Australian cricket’s greatest individual honour.
2) William E Colby award bestowed upon “Midnight’s Furies” – A Book on India’s
Partition- USD 5,000 William E Colby Award 2016 of US has been conferred upon
book “Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition” authored by Nisid
Hajari.
3) V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award bestowed upon Wild life film maker
Naresh Bedi- Wildlife film maker & Padma Shri awardee Naresh Bedi has been
honoured with V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award during the inauguration
of 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation
Films – MIFF 2016.
4) Henri Tiphagne selected for Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2016Indian activist and lawyer Henri Tiphagne has been selected for Amnesty
International Germany’s human rights award 2016. The award will be present to him
in April at the official ceremony at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin.
5) Abhinav Bindra honored by ISSF- Abhinav Singh Bindra the Indian shooter and the
World Olympic champion have been honored by the International Shooting Sport
Federation (ISSF) with the Diploma of Honors and President’s Button for his contribution
as an athlete.
APPOINTMENTS
1) Twitter Inc has appointed Leslie Berland as CMO- Chirping Twitter has
designated Leslie Berland as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Earlier she was
working with American Express (AmEx) as executive vice-president of global
advertising, marketing and digital partnerships.
2) Gurdeep Singh designated as CMD of NTPC- Managing director of Gujarat State
Electricity
Corporation
Limited
(GSEC) Gurdeep
Singh has
been
appointed
as chairman and managing director (CMD) of central PSU National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) for the period of 5 years.
3) Justice Sanjay Mishra appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh- The Supreme Court
of India has accredited Justice Sanjay Mishra, a former judge of the Allahabad High
Court, as the Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.
SPORTS
1) BWF ranking elevated P V Sindhu to World No. 11- In the latest BWF ranking,
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold clincher P V Sindhu’s rank has upgraded by one
move to World’s No. 11. On the other hand, shuttler Saina Nehwal remained consistent
and sat down again at 2nd position with 78482 points.
2) Pakistan Cricketer Imran Farhat retired from International Cricket- Pakistan’s
opening batsman Imran Farhat announced his retirement from International cricket. He
made his decision after getting a No-Objection Certificate to participate in the Masters
Champions League (MCL).
OBITUARY

Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug died- Former minister and
freedom fighter Maheswar Baug passed away due to brief illness at the district
headquarter hospital in Odisha. He was 85.
30TH JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) “Start up India, Stand up India” instigated in Thane- The ambitious flagship
programme, “Start Up India, Stand Up India” has been launched in Thane by Deepak
Ghaisas, who was the first Indian to receive the CFO Asia Award in 2001.
2) Union Government forms technical group to monitor Zika virus situation- The
Union Health Minister JP Nadda set up a Central monitoring team which constitutes a
technical group to monitor the Zika situation. The Mosquito-borne Zika virus has
created a panic over thousands birth defects. Babies with abnormal condition are born in
the region due to the effect of the virus in Latin America.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) USAID extends funding for projects for TB-free India- US Agency for
International Development’s (USAID) has extends the funds for the TB-free India
project. India has the highest number of tuberculosis cases in the world. In India
nearly2.2 million TB cases are annually reported.
2) Apple takeover educational startup Learnsprout- Apple Inc. has acquired San
Francisco-based education-technology startup LearnSprout, which creates software for
schools and teachers to track students’ performance.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Nitish Kumar first – rated for the K Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2015- Chief
Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has been selected for the K Veeramani Award for Social
Justice 2015 for his contribution towards social justice as Chief Minister.
Morton Mower, Michael Marmot win 2015 Prince Mahidol Award- The most
prestigious Prince Mahidol Awards has been awarded to Professor Morton M Mower and
Sir Michael Gideon Marmot.Morton M Mower is from the United States and he did his best
in the field of medicine, while Sir Michael Gideon Marmot from Britain gives his best in the
field of public health.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
1) Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey appointed as Chief Commissioner for Persons with
Disabilities- Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey is appointed as the Chief Commissioner for
Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) for three years by the Union Government.
2) J.S. Deepak new Telecom Secretary- Department of Telecommunications has
designated J.S. Deepak as its Secretary. He will succeed Rakesh Garg. He will be
responsible for the May-June sale of spectrum, which is expected to be the country’s
biggest auction of airwaves.
SPORTS

Graham Xavier Ford accredited as chief coach of Sri Lanka- Graham Xavier
Ford designated as the chief coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team for his second stint. He
will succeed Marvan Atapattu.
OBITUARY

Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner dies at 74- Jefferson Airplane guitarist and cofounder Paul Kantner passed away due to organ failure. He was 74. Paul Lorin Kantner
was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, known for co-founding Jefferson
Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era, and its more
commercial spin-off band Jefferson Starship.
31ST JANUARY 2016
NATION THIS MONTH
1) GOI to create ‘Khadi Gramudyog’ network- Government of India (GOI) wants
to create a network of Khadi Gramudyog across villages in India on the 68th death
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and a book titled Nathuram Godse – The Story of
an Assassin is also released on the occasion.
2) Kerala to initiate G-Taxi for transgenders- After “Wings Rainbow” in Mumbai
now Kerala is
all
set
to
launch
to G-Taxi
(Gender
Taxi)which
will
be
operated owned and operated by members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender) community. It is first of its kind in Kerala.
WORLD THIS MONTH
1) India ranks 4th in number of think tanks, after US, China and UK- India ranks
4th on the list of nations with the most number of think tanks, with nearly 100 new
taking the country’s totals to 280 in 2015. More than 6,800 thinktanks exist worldwide.
US top the list with 1,835 thinktanks for 2015.
2) Japan unveiled first stealth fighter aircraft X-2- Japan unveiled country’s first stealth
fighter aircraft X-2, X-2 is likely to go through its first test-flight in February 2016.
3) Jet Airways introduces a booking feature called “FareLock”- Mumbai Airlines Jet
Airways introduces a booking feature called “FareLock” that allow passengers to keep a
selected fare for a limited period before confirming the purchase later. FareLock is
applicable for Jet Airways’ network only its mobile site is jetairways.com. Once the
passenger selects the FareLockoption, they have to pay a nominal fee of Rs 350 for
domestic ticket and Rs 700 for an international ticket to conform the fare.
4) Alibaba’s first Indian trade facility centre opens- Wholesale trading platform,
China’s Alibaba.com launched its first physical trade facility centre in Jaipur and
a Hindi portal, aimed at connecting small and medium businesses with global buyers.
5) Iran, Airbus signed deal to buy 118 Airbus planes- Iran, Airbus has signed a deal to
buy 118 Airbus jets worth $27.The deal was signed when Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani visit by to France.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
1) Russian “Order of Friendship” bestowed upon Ramayah Shanmuga SundarDirector of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) construction site, Ramayah
Shanmuga Sundar has been conferred with “Order of Friendship” by Russia to recognize
his contribution towards the implementation of the NPP Kudankulam project.
2) Tom Hanks named America’s most popular movie star- Tom Hanks has been
named America’s most popular movie star for the fifth time. The 59 year old Hanks
also nab the title in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2013.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Blue Star appoints Vir S Advani as MD- Air conditioning and refrigeration major Blue
Star
Ltd has
designated Vir
S
Advani as
its
Managing
Thiagarajan as Joint Managing Director w.e.f. April 1, 2016.
Director and B
Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico- A
1991-batch IFS officer Shri Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi has been appointed as the next
Ambassador of India to Mexico.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

A British woman Sue York became the first person in the world to have a pancreas
transplant- Sue York a British woman becomes the first person in the world to have a
pancreas transplant due to her severe needle phobia.
OBITUARY

Senior journalist T.N. Gopakumar passes away- TN Gopakumar Editor-in-Chief of
Asianet News and Veteran journalist at the age of 58 passes away due to cardiac arrest in
Thiruvananthapuram. He was the receiver of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his
book ‘Suchindrum Rekhakal’.