Jan 2015

T Suvarna Raju takes charge as chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics

Limited
1.

T Suvarna Raju has taken charge as chairman of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL).
He will be 17th chairman of HAL and will replace RK Tyagis following his retirement.

2.

Sergio Mattarella elected as President of Italy

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January 31, 2015No comments

Italys parliament has elected constitutional court judge Sergio Mattarella as the
countrys president.
He will Italys 12th president and succeed Giorgio Napolitano who had resigned earlier in
January 2015 citing reason of poor health before his 2020 expiry term.

3.

Serena Williams wins Australian Open 2015 Womens Singles title

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January 31, 2015No comments

Serena Williams of United States has won Australian Open 2015 Womens Singles
title.
In the finals she defeated Russias Maria Sharapova by score of 6-3, 7-6, 7-5.
With this win Serena Williams has won 6th Australian Open title and 19th Grand
Slam title.
4.

First Canister-based Agni-V missile successfully test-fired

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January 31, 2015No comments

For the first time, a canisterised version of Agni-V missile was successfully test-fired on
31 January 2015 from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.
This was the third successful flight test of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
and the first canister trial.
Test: The missile was launched from sealed canister, mounted on a TATRA truck. It was
carrying dummy payload. Test showed that dummy payload withstand temperatures
more than 3,0000 C and hit the target at pre-designated point in the Indian Ocean.
Implication: A canister-launch system of Agni-V missile will give the forces the requisite
operational flexibility. With this system, ballistic missile can be transported and can
launched from any place.

Agni-V missile

Agni-V ICBM is indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO).
It is Part of the Agni series of missiles, one of the missile systems under the
original Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
Range: 5,5005,800 km. It will allow India to strike targets across Asia and into
Europe
It is a 3 stage solid fuelled missile with composite motor casing in the second and
third stage.
It carries Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) payloads. A
single MIRV equipped missile, that can deliver multiple warheads at different targets.
Incorporate advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and
accelerometer for navigation and guidance.
First successfully test-fired by DRDO from Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa on
April 19, 2012. With this, India joined an elite nuclear club that also included China,
Russia, France, the US, the UK and possibly Israel.

5.

Scientist V K Saraswat joins as full-time member of NITI Aayog

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January 31, 2015No comments

Former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat has taken charge as full time-member of
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
V K Saraswat

6.

Senior IPS officer Krishna Chaudhary appointed as new ITBP DG

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January 31, 2015No comments

Senior IPS officer Krishna Chaudhary has been appointed the new Director General
(DG) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

7.

Gujarat government launches Taluka Planning Atlas project

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January 30, 2015No comments
Gujarat government has launched Taluka Planning Atlas (TPA) project.
It was launched by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at a function held in Gandhinagar,
Gujarat

8.

India tops Credit Suisse emerging consumer scorecard 2015

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January 30, 20151 Comment
India has topped in the list of Credit Suisse emerging consumer scorecard
2015, among the 9 emerging economies.
This scorecard was prepared by fifth annual Emerging Consumer Survey by the Credit
Suisse Research Institute.

Key facts
The survey had interviewed consumers across nine emerging economies including
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.
Ranking of other countries: Brazil (2nd), Indonesia (3rd), Saudi Arabia (4th),
China (5th), Turkey (6th), Mexico (7th), Russia (8th) and South Africa (9th).

9.

GNLF founder Subhash Ghisingh passes away

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January 30, 2015No comments

Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) founder Subhash Ghisingh has passed away in
New Delhi. He was 78.
He had spearheaded the Gorkhaland movement in the 1980s for a separate state for
ethnic Gorkha people living in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Eminent singer Shekhar Sen appointed as Chairman of Sangeet Natak

Akademi
10.

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January 29, 2015No comments

Eminent singer, composer, lyricist and actor Shekhar Sen has been appointed as the
chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA).

11.

Nation pays tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his 150th birth anniversary

About Lala Lajpat Rai

He was born on 28 January 1865 in Dhudike (now Moga district) of Punjab.

He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari meaning The Lion of Punjab also
known asSher-E- Punjab in Punjabi for his contribution to the freedom movement.
He was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio i.e. assertive nationalists Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal
Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal from 1905 to 1918. Lal Bal Pal trio had advocated
the Swadeshi movement involving the boycott of all imported items and the use of
Indian-made goods in 1907 during the anti-Partition agitation in Bengal which began in
1905.

He was lawyer by profession and had practiced his legal profession for few years
but later curtailed it to focus on all his efforts to the freedom struggle.
He was also associated with the foundation of Punjab National Bank in 1895
and laterLakshmi Insurance Company.
He also had helped to establish the nationalistic Dayanand Anglo-Vedic
School and became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati (founder of the Arya Samaj).
In 1888 and 1889 he was a delegate to the annual sessions of Indian National
Congress (INC) and was elected as its President in the Calcutta Special Session of 1920.
In 1921, he had founded Servants of the People Society, a non-profit welfare
organisation, in Lahore, which shifted based to Delhi after partition, and has branches in
many parts of India.
His books: As an author he had written many books which includes The Story of
My Deportation (1908), Arya Samaj (1915), The United States of America: A Hindus
Impression (1916), Unhappy India (1928) etc.
Death: He died on 17 November 1928 after sustaining serious injuries in lathi
charge carried by the police when he leading a non-violent protest against the Simon
Commission.

11.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar appointed as new Foreign Secretary

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January 29, 2015No comments

Union Government has appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as the new Secretary of

Ministry of External Affairs (i.e. Foreign Secretary).
His name was cleared by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.

12.

Kalyan Singh sworn in as Himachal Pradesh Governor

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January 28, 2015No comments

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh has sworn in as the 26th Governor of Himachal
Pradesh.

13.

Ancient star with five Earth size planets discovered by astronomers

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January 28, 2015No comments

Astronomers have discovered a star that is 11.2 billion years old and has at least five
Earth-size planets.
It was discovered by team of astronomers after analyzing data from NASAs planethunting Kepler spacecraft for over four years.

Key findings
This star is named as Kepler-444. It is 25 percent smaller than our Sun and is 117
light years from Earth.

14.

Maharashtra to observe Industries Day on September 17

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January 28, 2015No comments

Maharashtra government has announced that, September 17 (on Vishwakarma Jayanti)

will be observed as Industries Day in each district

Australian cricketer Sean Abbott wins Bradman young cricketer of the

year award
13.

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January 28, 2015No comments

Australian cricketer Sean Abbott has won Bradman young cricketer of the year award
2015.
While, Steve Smith was awarded the Allan Border Medal and being named both Test and
one day player of the year.
Sean Abbott is the bowler, who was unwittingly at the centre of the tragic death of
Phillip Hughes. In November 2014, he had delivered bouncer to Hughes that hit him in
head during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG against South Australia.

14.