68th Republic Day: Ashok Chakra to Havildar Hangpan Dada for sacrificing his life for nation
i.Havildar Hangpan Dada, who killed four terrorists before laying down his life in Kupwara on May 26 last year, has been awarded Ashok Chakra, the highest peace time gallantry award.
ii. His wife Changsen received the award from the President Pranab Mukherjee during the 68th Republic Day Parade in New Delhi.Havildar Hangpan Dada of Assam Regiment killed four intruding terrorists at the height of 13,000 feet in the harsh and icy Himalayan range of North Kashmir.
India ranks sixth on eight great powers in 2017: American foreign policy magazine
i.India is ranked at the sixth spot, behind China and Japan, in a list of eight great powers for the year 2017 by a leading American foreign policy magazine which is topped by the US.
ii.The list is topped by the US, whereas China and Japan are at tie for being on the second spot. Russia (fourth) and Germany (fifth) are the other two countries ahead of India. Iran is ranked seventh and Israel is on the eighth spot.
Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards 2016 announced
i.The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards 2016 on 36 persons which includes Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 05 persons, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 08 persons and Jeevan Raksha Padk to 23 persons, 07 awards are posthumous.Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of humane nature in saving the life of a person.
ii.The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak. Persons of either sex in all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award can also be conferred posthumously.
Telangana ranks 2nd in Walnut’s cashless score card
i.Telangana ranked second in the `Cashless India Scorecard’ prepared by Walnut app to track the growth of digital payments in the country.The scorecard is meant for comparing how each state is moving towards a cashless economy post- demonetisation based on an aggregate and anonymised analysis of Walnut’s over five million user data.
ii.It ranked States based on percentage increase in overall cashless transactions, growth in shoppers using debit or credit card for the first time and growth in merchants accepting digital payments.Based on these parameters, Gujarat, Telangana and Haryana emerged as the top three states with the highest growth in going cashless.
Kerala CM Inaugurates e-Health Kerala scheme at Peroorkada Hospital
i.The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan launched the IT Project, e-Health Kerala which is named Jeevan Rekha , at Peroorkada Model Government Hospital
ii.The project has been developed by the Health Department in association with the state IT Mission. It aims to create a centralized database that will have the complete healthcare records of all the citizens in the state through the digitization of government hospitals.
Mysuru gets India’s 1st post office passport kendra
i.The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar inaugurated India’s first Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) at Metagalli post office in Mysuru.
ii.The second POPSK simultaneously opened in Gujarat. The POPSK has been launched to expand the passport services over a wide area and simplify the process to travel abroad.
Arunachal launches ‘Dulari Kanya’ scheme to check infant mortality
i.Arunachal Pradesh launched ‘Dulari Kanya’, a special scheme to check infant mortality in the state.
ii.Governor V Shanmuganathan launched the scheme, under which the government will deposit Rs 20,000 in the bank account of a girl child, born in any government hospital.It would be paid along with the accrued interest after she attains 18 years of her age.
RBI Prohibits FDI in Non-Cooperative Countries
i.The Reserve Bank of India has prohibited the Indian entities on January 25, 2017 from making direct overseas investments in any entity that is located in ‘non co-operative countries and territories’, as identified by the inter-governmental body Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
ii.The move aims to bring down the global terror financing and thus prevent, detect and prohibit money laundering
Karnataka Bank inks pact with Tirth Agro Technology
i.Karnataka Bank Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajkot-based Tirth Agro Technology Pvt Ltd (manufacturer of agricultural equipment and implements) for financing agricultural mechanisation.
ii.Quoting P Jayarama Bhat, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank stated that the MoU aims to work together to promote agricultural mechanisation by utilising the experience the bank has in agricultural finance through its vast network of branches and the expertise of the company in the field of manufacturing of agricultural equipment and implements.
Meghalaya Governor resigns after allegations of sexual misconduct
i.Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan has resigned after a controversy was triggered by reports in local media, which accused him of sexual misconduct. 67-year-old Shanmuganathan tendered his resignation from the post.
ii.V Shanmuganathan was the Governor of the Indian state of Meghalaya, in office from 2015 to 26 January 2017. He also held an additional charge as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh since September 2016 till his resignation on 26 January 2017.
Sena medal for 3 soldiers who gunned down Burhan Wani
i.3 personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army have been awarded the Sena Medal for killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani
ii. Major Sandeep Kumar, Captain Manik Sharma and Naik Arvind Singh Chauhan led the operation on July 8, 2016.
Delhi Dynamos appoint Ashish Shah as new CEO
i.Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos announced that they have appointed Ashish Shah as their new CEO.
ii.His appointment effective as of January 23, 2017. Shah was the heading Chennaiyin FC when the team won the ISL title in 2015.
National Geoscience Award for Keshav Krishna
i.A Keshav Krishna, a scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has been selected for the National Geoscience Award for 2016.The award given by the Union Ministry of Mines is in recognition of his work in the field of geo-environmental studies.
ii.Krishna is presently involved in studies on environmental risk assessment related heavy metal contamination in soil, sediments and water in industrial areas, abandoned mine sites and their interactions with the environmental pollutants.
IIM-A’s annual cultural festival Chaos kicks off
i.The annual cultural extravaganza of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Chaos-2017, kicked off , with the theme of wanderlust.
ii.The focus of the theme is to let the attendees unleash their wanderlust, explore the extravaganza and take back memories to last a lifetime. The event will continue till January 29, 2017.
Trump appoints Indian-American attorney to key White House post
i.US President Donald Trump has appointed prominent Indian-American attorney Uttam Dhillon to a key White House position.Dhillon, who served as chief oversight counsel for the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee.
ii.He has been appointed as special assistant to the President on ethics and compliance matters.
Pharmaceutical Firm Johnson & Johnson to Buy Actelion for $30 Billion
i.The U.S. healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson buys Switzerland based bio-pharmaceutical firm, Actelion, for $30billion (27.9 billion euros).
ii.Johnson & Johnson will acquire all the outstanding shares of Actelion for $280 per share with the tender offer to start by mid-February.
Russian envoy Alexander Kadakin passes away
i.Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, a fluent Hindi-speaking career diplomat considered a great friend of India, passed away at a hospital here after a brief illness.
ii. He was 67.Kadakin, who was serving as the Ambassador here since 2009, was credited with playing a significant role in promotion of relations between India and Russia.
Sumo wrestler becomes first Japanese athlete to receive highest honour in 19 years
i.Japan based sumo wrestler Kisenosato was promoted to the highest rank of the wresting, Yokozuna on January 25, 2017 after winning his first title at the New Year Grand Sumo Japan WrestlerTournament with a 14-1 record.
ii.The 30-year-old Kisenosato, whose real name is Yutaka Hagiwara is the first Japanese born and bred wrestler to earn the coveted rank of “grand champion since 1998.
Usain Bolt Loses an Olympic Medal due to Positive Doping of Team-Mate Nesta Carter
Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt will have to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals won in the 4x100m relay event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to his Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter who was tested positive for a banned substance.
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