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Current Affairs January 31, 2020

Current Affairs Headlines: January 31, 2020
1. 9th India-Bangladesh joint exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong, Meghalaya

2. Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India
3. IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
4. Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
5. 12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi
6. Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
7. Nagoba Jatra festival celebrated in Telangana
8. India Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022
9. 9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world’s worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10
list
10. Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO
11. ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery facility , ‘iBox’
12. Indian Bank launched two-tailor made credit products for textile sector
13. Google commits $ 1 million grant to Internews for news literacy promotion in India
14. Tata AIG in collaboration with DFI to develop insurance products for drone industry
15. Journalist Yusuf Jameel won 2019 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism
16. Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became 1st hockey player to win World Games Athlete of
the Year
17. Shri Vinay Mohan kwatra designated as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal
18. OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI
19. Bala Devi the first Indian woman to sign up for a Rangers FC foreign football club
20. Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
21. Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away at 97
22. Former India basketball captain Matthew Satya Babu passes away 79
23. Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma passed away at 89
24. “Calcutta Nights” – Book reveals Kolkata’s best kept secrets
25. 72nd Martyrs’ Day observed on Jan 30, 2020
26. CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN
27. CM Naveen patnaik launches odisha’s 1st virtual police station in Bhubaneswar
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
9th India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong,
Meghalaya
As part of ongoing defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, 9th edition of the joint Indo-
Bangladesh military exercise named SAMPRITI-IX will be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from February
03-16, 2020. Both nations will work together in a counter terrorism environment under the United Nations
(UN) charter.
Key points:
i.A Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted during SAMPRITI-IX.
ii.The training will be concluded with a final validation exercise where both the army’s troops will perform
counter terrorist operation in a controlled and simulated environment.
About Meghalaya:
Capital- Shillong.
Governor- Tathagata Roy.
Chief minister- Conrad Sangma.
National Parks(NP)- Balpakram NP, Nokrek NP.
Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India

On January 29, 2020, As per the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India, India’s youngest
state Telangana has emergered as Number 1 state in the ‘Decent work and economic growth’ category with
the score of 82 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India index in 2019. However, in overall
Telangana ranked 3rd after Kerala & Himachal Pradesh.
Key Points:
i.Telangana was followed by states of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka together with a score of 72.
ii.This ranking is according to UNDP & NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog statistics,
which was released on December 31, 2019.
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iii.There are a total of 17 SDG listed & telangana has witnessed a dramatic improvement in many of them in just
one year (8 out of 17 SDGs). Telangana also moved from the ‘Performer’ category (50 – 64 points) to ‘Front
Runner’ category (65 – 99 points).
iv.Telangana’s improvement:
In terms of Decent work and Economic Growth,Telangana has improved 82 % in the year 2019 while it has
improved 75 % in the year 2018.
In the field of Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Telangana has improved to 61 % from 16 %.
In sustainable cities and communities, it improved to 62 % from 44 %. it also made a huge leap in improvement
are Clean Water and Sanitation, moving up from 55 per % to 84 %. In affordable and clean energy, it posted 93
% performance against 63 % earlier.
Also in Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, it has moved from 66 to 77 in one year. Only the target for No
poverty still remains the same with 52 % on both the years. But there is a decrement in literacy and Health
sectors.
About NITI Aayog:
Formed– 1 January 2015
Headquarters– New Delhi.
Chairperson– Narendra Modi.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Amitabh Kant.
Vice Chairperson- Rajiv Kumar.
About United Nations Development Programme(UNDP):
Founded– 22 November 1965.
Headquarters– New York, United States(US).
Administrator– Achim Steiner.
IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
On January 30, 2020 the Indian Railways(IR) undertook the Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
project which aims for automatic identification & data collection of rolling stock with focus on improving the
safety and reliability. Two works for the RFID project have been sanctioned by the Railway board
worth Rs.112.96 Crores where coaches and wagons are to be RFID-tagged. The project is spearheaded by the
Rolling Stock Department of IR and will be implemented fully by 2021.
RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock:
i.Make in India initiative: The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS, the Information Technology arm
of the Indian Railways), GS1 India (global standard) and the Indian Industry have come up to implement in the
Indian Railways(IR) in alignment with ‘Make in India’ initiative.
ii.GS1 & CRIS work: The GS1 will ensure the work quality and proper adoption of international standards
while development and validation of solutions based on GS1 has been done by the CRIS.
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iii.Project features: Real time visibility of railway wagons through the National Rail Network(NRN) with the
help of RFID technology with GS1 global standards for unique & universal identification will be enabled. The
project will also enhance operational efficiency.
• The other features include RFID readers with equipment such as Train Presence Detectors (TPDs),
trackside condition monitoring equipment etc.
• Automating information capture about assemblies and components is a key element in the Indian
Railways implementation of Industry 4.0(next level automation trend).
iv.RFID tag testing: Across all locations of the country the RFID tags will be used with GIAI-202 standard
designed by CRIS. this GIAI-202 encoded tags were successfully tested at a speed of 182.7 kmph.
v.Implementation plans: Nearly 3,50,000 rolling stocks are expected to be tagged by 2021. So far
approximately 22,000 wagons and 1200 coaches have been fitted with RFID tags.
• Additionally, around 3500 fixed RFID readers are expected to come up where communication will
be done to a central control center using GS1’s LLRP (low level reader protocol) standard.
About Indian Railways (IR):
Fact- IR is one among the largest Railway systems in the world carrying about 23 million passengers per day
and over 3 million tons of freight every day over 65000 route kilometers.
Founded- 16 April 1853.
Headquarters- New Delhi.
Union railway minister- Piyush Vedprakash Goyal.
Minister of State(MoS) for railways- Suresh Chanabasappa Angadi.
Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
On January 30, 2020, The Central Government has aimed to achieve objective of Housing for all by
2022 (which coincides with 75 years of Indian independence) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen
(PMAY-G) scheme.
Key Points:
i.For the past 5 years, more than one crore 50 lakh rural houses have been sanctioned & completed by the
government.
ii.Under the 2nd phase of the scheme ,the eligible people will get one crore 95 lakh houses. Government has set a
target of 60 lakh houses for the current financial year-FY 20.
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)– Housing For all scheme:
It is an initiative by the Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor
with a target of building 20 million affordable houses by 31 March 2022.
It has 2 components:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor. It is run by Ministry of Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation. and
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G or PMAY-R) for the rural poor. It is run by Ministry of Rural
Development.
12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi

Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the 12th edition of the South Asia Conference at the Institute
for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) in New Delhi from January 28-29, 2020. The conference deals with
issues related to economic cooperation for development, changing political context in India’s neighbourhood
etc. The theme of the conference was India’s “Neighbourhood First” Policy: Regional Perceptions.
Key Points:
i.The Govt’s commitment of about $13.14 billion in credit-lines and about $4 billion in assistance to the
neighbouring countries over the last decade were discussed.
ii.Participants: All members of SAARC and Myanmar participated in the conference. Members of the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)countries were called for cooperation to end terrorism.
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iii.Members present: The IDSA Director General Ambassador Shri Sujan R Chinoy and other senior military &
civil officials of the Ministry of Defence(MoD) were present on the occasion.

About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Fact- The current chair of SAARC is Nepal.
Founded- 8 December 1985.
Headquarters- Kathmandu, Nepal.
SAARC members- 8 (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).
Secretary General- MR. Amjad Hussain B. Sial.
Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
On January 30, 2020, The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a department of the Ministry of
Communications, has taken over the process of issuing and managing IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identity), a special 15-digit serial number of mobile phones in the country, from private body MSAI (Mobile
Standard Alliance of India).
Key Points:
i.The government has decided to change the system operated by MSAI and develop a new system called “Indian
Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR)” for implementing the SOP (Standard operating procedure). It has
been prepared by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). It is the Research and Development
(R&D) unit of the DoT for the implementation of SOP, which was issued by DoT in May 2015 to ban the import
of fake and fake IMEI numbers of mobile phones.
ii.The new ICDR has been launched as a pilot process on the web portal of the Central Equipment Identity
Register (CEIR), which is being used to block all services on stolen or lost mobile phones on any network.
iii.This system will work on all networks even if the person remove the SIM or change the IMEI number.
DOT Guideline for all mobile device manufacturers; asks them to switch to C-DoT-operated IMEI system
The DoT has issued a new guideline to all the Mobile Device manufacturers/Brand Owners , a Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP) ( Version 1.0).Under this it has mandated the mobile phone makers to replace the
Mobile Standard Alliance of India (MSAI)-operated IMEI system with that developed in-house by a state-owned
firm.
About IMEI:
The London-based industry organization GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe
Spécial Mobile) and its authorized organizations allot IMEI. When a mobile is lost, an IMEI number is required
to locate it.The process related to IMEI is being managed by the Mobile Standards Alliance of India (MSAI).
About Department of Telecommunications:
Founded– 1985
Minister– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State (independent charge)
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Nagoba Jatara festival celebrated in Telangana

On January 24, 2020 Nagoba Jatara tribal festival was celebrated in the state of Telangana. The festival is
prominently celebrated in Keslapur village, Indervelly Mandal, Adilabad district of Telangana. It is the 2nd
biggest tribal carnival which is celebrated by the tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa,
Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesaram clan of of Gond tribes.
Key Points:
i.The event concluded with a ceremony called ‘bheting’, which new brides entered into a family were
incorporated into the clan.
ii.The serpent god Nagoba is the clan god of the Mesrams and is worshipped annually during the Nagoba Jatara
festival.
iii.The Gusadi Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is the main attraction during the celebration.
About Telangana:
Capital- Hyderabad.
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Chief minister- Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao.
National Parks(NP)- Kasu Brahmananda Reddy NP, Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali NP, Mrugavani NP.
Indian Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022

On January 14, 2020, The Indian Railways has decided to provide ‘Content on Demand Service (CoD)’ on
trains and railway stations from 2022. With COD, passengers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted free
subscription based entertainment service such as movies, shows, educational programs during their journey.
They will also be able to enjoy high-quality buffer-free streaming on personal devices. Also, the CoD platform
will provide e-commerce services such as bookings for cab, bus and trains.
Key Points:
i.The project will be implemented by RailTel Corporation of India, a public sector enterprise of Government of
India (GoI) focusing on providing broadband and VPN (virtual private network ) services.
ii.RailTel has selected Zee Entertainment’s subsidiary Margo Networks Private Limited as the Digital
Entertainment Service Provider (DESP) to provide COD to trains and stations.
iii.CoD will be available in all premium / express / mail trains as well as suburban trains. In this, content will be
made available in both free / paid forms for a contract period of 10 years, including the first two years of
implementation.
About RailTel Corporation of India:
Founded– September 2000
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)- Puneet Chawla
About Indian Railways:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Founded– 16th April 1853
Minister of Railways– Piyush Goyal
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world’s worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10 list
On January 31, 2020 Dutch multinational developer & creator of location technology and consumer electronics
Tomtom has released its 9th edition of Tomtom Traffic Index 2019. As per the index, Bengaluru (Karnataka)
emerged as the worst traffic congested cities in the world. Along with Bengaluru, 3 more Indian cities were
ranked in the top 10 list. The index in brief are as follows:
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Tomtom Traffic Index 2019:
Report on India:
i.Indian cities in top 10 list: The other Indian cities ranked in the top 10 places
were Mumbai (Maharashtra), Pune (Maharashtra) and New Delhi in the 4th 5th and 8th places respectively.
ii.Traffic time: The drivers in Bengaluru spend an average of 71% of etc travel time stuck in traffic. Bengaluru
had least traffic on April 6,2019 while it had the highest on 20 August 2019 in which 103% congestion was
recorded. The worst rush hours were found to be on Fridays between 7PM &8PM. Avoiding commute in such a
time would save 5 hours per annum.
• The traffic time for drivers stuck in the other top 10 indian cities include 65% for Mumbai, 59% for
Pune and 56% for New Delhi.
iii.Congestion record:
• Bengaluru: The people of Bengaluru per annum spend an extra 243 hours, that is 10 days, three
hours in traffic.
• Mumbai: People from Mumbai spend an extra 209 hours, that is 8 days & 17 hours in traffic per
annum on road.
• Pune: The Pune city was featured for the first time in the traffic index and it has been estimated that
Pune people spend an extra 193 hours, i.e., eight days, one hour in traffic per annum.
• Delhi: People from Delhi spend extra 190 hours, i.e., 7 days, 22 hours in traffic per annum.
General report:
i.Top cities with worst traffic: Bengaluru was followed by Manila (Philippines) and Bogota (Colombia) in the
2nd and 3rd places respectively. Moscow (Russia), Lima (Peru), Istanbul (Turkey) and Jakarta (Indonesia)
were ranked in 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th places respectively.
ii.Global traffic congestion: Globally, the traffic congestion has increased during the last decade. 239 cities
(57%) and the new Traffic Index report had increased congestion levels between 2018 and 2019. Only 63
cities have shown measurable decreases.
iii.Least congestion level capital: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) was the least congested
national capital, it had just 10% congestion level in 2019.
iv.The report was prepared covering 416 cities across 57 countries on 6 continents to rank the urban
congestions worldwide.
Rank:
Rank City Country
1 Bengaluru (Karnataka) India
4 Mumbai (Maharashtra) India
5 Pune (Maharashtra) India
8 New Delhi India
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2 Manila Philippines
3 Bogota Colombia
About TomTom:
Founded- 1991.
Founders- Harold Goddijn, Corinne Vigreux, Peter-Frans Pauwels, Pieter Geelen.
Headquarters- Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Harold Goddijn.
Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO

On January 31, 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared novel Coronavirus(nCoV) as a global
health emergency during the second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health
Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 held in Geneva, Switzerland. The
outbreak which was more prominent in China has now continued to spread to other countries too.
Key Points:
i.So far 213 people in China mostly from Hubei city have died from the virus,with almost 10,000 cases
nationally. The WHO has identified 98 cases in 18 other countries other than China.
ii.CoV: Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to
more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS-CoV). nCoV is a new strain of the virus.
About World Health Organisation(WHO):
Founded- 7 April 1948.
Director General- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.
BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery facility , ‘iBox’
On January 29, 2020, ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank , an Indian
financial institution, has launched first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery tool for customers called “iBox”
at one of its branches in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The bank has started it in over 50 branches in 17 cities.
Key Points:
i.Under this facility, customers will now be able to take their debit, credit card, check book and return check
from the branch close to their home or office. The iBox terminals are installed outside the premises of the
bank’s branches, which can be used even after the bank closes.
ii.This facility will be more beneficial for people who are not present at their home to receive these
deliverables. Customers can also access it from their registered phone on even Sundays & holidays.
iii.How does this feature work:
When the customer’s package arrives at the iBox terminal, an SMS notification will be sent to them, which
contains the GPS(Global Positioning System) location of the iBox, an OTP(one-time password) and a QR (Quick
Response) code. After this, the customer goes to the iBox and inserts his registered mobile number and OTP or
QR code in it, after which the box opens and the customer can take his package.
iv.Some of the cities that currently installed iBox terminals include Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata,
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai.
About ICICI bank:
Founded– 1994
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
President– Sandeep Batra
Tagline– Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka
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Indian Bank launches credit products ‘Corporate Loan’ & ‘Ind Surya Shakthi’ for textile sector
On January 30, 2020 the Indian Bank has announced the launch of two tailor made credit products
i.e., Corporate Loan and Ind Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar which will be available across the country for
the benefit of the textile sector. The products were launched during a meeting with high officials of the textile
industry under the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Key Points:
Corporate Loan: Under it, the loans will be offered at affordable interest rates.
Surya Shakthi: It is a term loan to set up roof-top solar power plants for captive consumption. This loan is
expected to boost the renewable energy utilisation culture in the textile sector.
About Indian Bank:
Fact- Allahabad Bank will merge with Indian Bank, with effect from April 1, 2020. After the merger, Indian bank
will become the 7th largest Public sector bank in India with net worth Rs.8.50 lakh crore.
Founded- 15 August 1907.
Headquarters- Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Tagline- Taking Banking Technology to the Common Man, Your own bank, Your Tech-friendly bank.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Google commits $ 1 million grant to Internews for news literacy promotion in India
On January 29, 2020, In order to curb misinformation, Google News Initiative (GNI), a cooperative effort
between Google & a number of large traditional news media providers, has announced a $1 million grant for
global non-profit organization ‘Internews’ that will launch a new initiative to promote news literacy among the
Indian public.
Key Points:
i.The funding is part of a $ 10 million Google’s commitment worldwide to media literacy.
ii.Google News Initiative India Training Network will pick a team of 250 journalists, fact-checkers,
academics and activists of non-governmental organizations for the project, who will be trained by global and
Indian experts in 7 Indian languages.
iii.Then the new internet users living in non-metro cities in India will be trained by local leaders to better
access the internet and get the information they find.
iv.Over the past years, the GNI in collaboration with third-party firms like DataLeads has offered in-depth
verification training for over 15,000 journalists & students from more than 875 news organizations, in 10
Indian languages.
About Google:
Founded– 4 September 1998
Headquarters– California, U.S.
CEO– Sundar Pichai
About Internews:
Formation– 1982
Headquarters– California, United States(US)
President and CEO- Jeanne Bourgault
Tata AIG in collaboration with DFI to develop insurance products for drone industry
On January 30, 2020 the not-for-profit industry-led body Drone Federation of India (DFI) has announced to
collaborate with Tata AIG General Insurance Company Ltd (Tata AIG) for developing as well as
launching insurance products for the drone operators. The announcement was made during the recently
concluded Drone Festival of India at New Delhi.
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Key Points:
i.Tata AIG has obtained approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for necessary
regulations. DGCA regulations make insurance mandatory for operating remotely-piloted aircraft systems
(RPAS).
About Tata AIG General Insurance Company:
AIG abbreviation- American International Group.
Chairman- Saurabh Agrawal.
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Neelesh Garg.
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Founded- 22 January 2001.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Journalist Yusuf Jameel won 2019 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism
On January 30,2020 Senior journalist Yusuf Jameel from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) won the 2019-20 PEN Gauri
Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism for his outstanding contribution in journalism. This was the 2nd
edition of award instituted in 2018 by PEN South India and PEN Delhi in the name of editor late Gauri Lankesh,
who was assassinated in 2017. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a citation. The 1st edition was
given to cartoonist P Mahamood in September 2018.
Key Points:
i.Jameel was chosen for this award by a jury of scholar Chandan Gowda, editor Vinutha Mallya and poet Asiya
Zahoor.
ii.Previous works:Jameel has worked with both English & Urdu journalism, in print and in radio starting from
1980.
iii.Works in publications: He has also worked with various publications like Urdu daily Aftab, The Telegraph,
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Reuters, Time and the Asian Age.
iv.Awards: Jameel was awarded the International Press Freedom award in 1996 given by the Committee to
Protect Journalists(CPJ).
Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became 1st hockey player worldwide to win World Games
Athlete of the Year 2019
On January 31, 2020 Indian Hockey women’s team captain and 2020 Padma Shri awardee Rani
Rampal became the 1st ever hockey player to win the 2019 ‘World Games Athlete of the Year‘ award. The
announcement was made by the world games. Hailing from Haryana, Rani has obtained 1,99,477 votes from
fans worldwide.
Key Points:
i.In 2019, India won the FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey) series finals where Rani was named Player
of the Tournament.
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ii.About award: The award is an initiative of IWGA (International World Games Association) that recognizes
and honours an athlete or a team for their outstanding performance or for their social commitment or
particularly, fair behaviour. 2019 was the 6th edition of the IWA.
About FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey):
English abbreviation- International Hockey Federation.
Motto- FairPlay Friendship Forever.
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland.
President- Narinder Batra.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Thierry Weil.
About International World Games Association (IWGA):
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) -Joachim Gossow
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Vinay Mohan Kwatra designated as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal
On January 30, 2020, As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI), Shri Vinay
Mohan Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador
of India to Nepal. He will replace Manjeev Singh Puri.
Key Points:
i.Priorly, he was serving as India’s ambassador to France.
ii.He held various positions like 3rd Secretary and 2nd Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva
until 1993, Counsellor & Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China, Desk Officer at
Headquarters dealing with the United Nations (UN), and in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa &
Uzbekistan (from 1993 – 2003)
iii.He also worked as a Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister (PM)of India from October 2015 –
August 2017.
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About Nepal:
Capital– Kathmandu.
Currency– Nepalese rupee.
President– Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
Prime Minister– Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI
Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd (commonly referred as OPPO),a Chinese
consumer electronics and mobile communications company, has signed an MoU (memorandum of
understanding) with the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H), Telangana for research on new
technologies such as 5G (5th Generation) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Key Points:
i.This will facilitate state-of-the-art research and exchange of ideas in emerging and advanced
technologies.Several projects will be researched and developed over the next 2- years on cameras, photo
processing, batteries, 5G networks and AI.
ii.The agreement was signed by Mr. Tasleem Arif, Vice President and Head (R&D), OPPO India and Dr.
Sumohana S. Channappayya, Dean (Research and Development), IIT Hyderabad.
About OPPO:
Founded– 2001
Headquarters– Guangdong, China
Founder & CEO– Chen Mingyong
SPORTS
Bala Devi: 1st Indian woman to sign up for foreign football club, ‘Rangers FC’ of Scotland
On January 31,2020 Ngangom Bala Devi, 29 years old from Manipur, has become the first Indian woman
footballer to get a professional contract from Scotland’s Women Premier League club Rangers (Football Club)
for 18-months and to play for jersey No.10 after a successful trial in November, 2019. The formal
announcement was made by Rangers FC and Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Key Points:
i.Bala Devi is the Ranger’s first-ever Asian footballer.
ii.She is the current top-scorer for India, netting 52 times in 58 games & also the top international goal scorer in
the South Asian region.
iii.Bala Devi was named as AIFF Women’s Player of the Year twice (2015 &2016) and has been top-scorer in
the Indian Women’s League for 2 seasons.
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About Rangers FC (Football club):

Rangers Football club is a Scottish professional football club in Govan district of Glasgow, Scotland.
Founded- March 1872.
Chairman- Dave king.
Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
On January 31,2020 Christine Margaret Sinclair, 36 years old, Canadian soccer player ,became the all-time
top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer. Sinclair surpassed the record of American Abby Wambach
(original name Mary Abigail Wambach) who scored 184 goals.
Key Points:
i.Sinclair scored her 185th goal against St. Kitts & Nevis national football team.She achieved this feat during 5th
CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship 2020 at H-E-B Park (stadium in Edinburg), Texas,
United States (US).
ii.She made her first international goal in March 2000 when she was 16 years old.
iii.CONCACAF- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.
OBITUARY
Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away at 97
On January 30, 2020 Ajmal Sultanpuri, urdu poet passed away at the age of 97 in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh
(UP) due to age related illness.
He was born in 1923 in Harakhpur in Sultanpur district, UP.
Key Points:
i.Award: Ajmal Sultanpuri was awarded the “LifeTime Achievement Award” by Uttar Pradesh (UP) Urdu
Academy in March 2016 for his contribution to Urdu poetry.
ii.The two popular poems of Ajmal Sultanpuri are “Kahan Hai Mera Hindustan” and “Agar Main Tera
Shahjahan”.
Former India basketball captain Matthew Satya Babu passes away 79

On January 30,2020 P Matthew Satya Babu, a former Indian basketball captain passed away at the age of 79 in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
Key Points:
i.Matthew Satya Babu had represented India in the Asian Basketball Championship in Seoul, South Korea in
1967, Bangkok, Thailand in 1969 and Manila, Philippines in 1970.
ii.Babu led the country in the 6th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970 & also qualified as NIS (National Institute of
Sports) basketball coach & ‘B’ panel Basketball Federation of India referee.
iii.Babu had represented National Championships for Andhra Pradesh (AP) from 1962 to 1964 & Indian
Railways (IR) from 1965 to 1975 and represented 2 teams in volleyball also.
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iv.He was the coach for Indian Railways (IR) (men & women) teams in the national championships and was
also the head coach Tamil Nadu(TN) state team.
Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma passed away at 89

On January 29, 2020 Famous Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma, 89 years old passed away at his home Nalbari,
Assam due to age-related ailments.
Awards: Sarma had received Soviet Nehru Award in 1968 & the Sitanath Brahma Chowdhury Award from
Assam Sahitya Sabha.
Key Points:
i.Sarma was an academic, intellectual and an example of Hindu-Muslim unity in Assam and authored nearly 100
books. He was a retired professor of Nalbari college, Assam and his last book ‘Antim Jatra’ was released in 2019.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

“Calcutta Nights” translation of ‘Raater Kolkata’ done by Rajat Chaudhuri
On January 29,2020 Rajat Chaudhuri, translated the book “Calcutta nights” (originally ‘Raater Kolkata’) into
English and was published by Niyogi Books. The book was first written in Bengali by Hemendra Kumar Roy,
famous Bengali writer and was published in 1923.
Key Points:
i.Calcutta nights is the real life story of the enigmatic ‘Meghnad Gupta’,pen name of the famous Bengali writer
Hemendra kumar Roy.
ii.The book reveals the darkest secrets of Kolkata to the readers.
iii.The book discusses about past Calcutta, the capital of British India attracted many people from different
parts of the country besides europeans & other foreigners.
IMPORTANT DAYS
72nd National Martyrs’ Day/Shaheed Divas observed on Jan 30, 2020
The National Martyr’s Day is observed annually on January 30. The year 2020 marks the 72nd anniversary of
the Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Divas to pay homage to the freedom fighters who lost their lives for India’s
Independence from British rule. This day also marks the 72nd death anniversary of India’s Father of the nation
Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on Jan 30, 1948 by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Similarly, Martyrs’ Day is
also observed on March 23 to remember the sacrifice of Freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and
Sukhdev Thapar.
DST Secretary Prof. Ashutosh Sharma inaugurates Digital Gandhi Gyan Vigyan Exhibition Phase-II in
New Delhi:
The secretary of the department of Science & Technology (DST), Prof. Ashutosh Sharma inaugurated Phase II
of the Digital Gandhi Gyan Vigyan Exhibition in New Delhi. The exhibition showcased events related to Gandhi’s
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life through Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) based exhibits. The exhibition was launched in
collaboration with with M/s Vizara Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Delhi, a technology start-up under incubation of
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D).
The following five Exhibits were showcased at DST Office at Technology Bhavan in New Delhi. They were
• ViRaasat Sabarmati Ashram: It is a mixed reality installation with a 3D model of the Ashram with
interactive virtual walk-through and a guided tour.
• Gandhi’s Utensils: Models of Gandhiji’s Utensils using AR showcasing food, his changing food habits
over time and the science behind his food choices were shown.
• Letters: The letters of Gandhi mounted on a wall and augmented by an AR app was placed to show
related text, images, videos etc.
• Indian map: A physical map of India with AR was displayed showing Gandhiji;s travel over India
using smartphone/Tablet.
• Gandhi Mementos: a 3D printing of Gandhi’s mementos were augmented with an AR app
called Digital GandhiAkar PrakaAR. Click here to know more
Jitendra Singh launches DoPT’s online certificate course on Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary
World:
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of
State(MoS) in Prime Minister’s Office(PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space,
Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Department of Personnel and Training’s (DoPT) online certificate course on
“Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World” at a function in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.Collaboration: It is an initiative by DoPT under iGOT programme in collaboration with the Centre for Gandhi
and Peace Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) New Delhi and Gandhi Smriti and
DarshanSamiti (GS & DS). Click here to know more.
Nitin Gadkari Launched Special Edition of Khadi Watches; Khadi used on dial and strap for 1st time
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Minister of Shipping(MoS) and Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari launched limited edition series Kadhi
wrist watches designed by Titan watches in collaboration with KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries
Commission), in New Delhi. Khadi has been used on the dial and strap of the watches for the first time ever.
Key Points:
i.Members present: Minister of State(MoS) of MSME, Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Shri Pratap
Chandra Sarangi, Chairman of KVIC Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Titan watches
Shri Ravi Kant were present in the occasion.
About Mahatma Gandhi:
Fact1- Born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat, Gandhi was an Indian
lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist.
Fact2- He formed the non-violence movement to to attain India’s independence.
16 | P a g e
STATE NEWS
CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN
On January 30,2020 Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced a new
scheme , ‘Direct Consent to operate (CTO) scheme for green industries’ to get faster clearances from
government for green category industries. The scheme was announced at the 125th year celebrations of the
Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) held in Chennai, TN.
Key Points:
i.Scheme feature: Under this new scheme the green industries need to obtain permission for establishment
purpose & need not wait for final approvals for starting construction work. The scheme would benefit upto 63
types of green industries.
ii.Other announcement: Mr Palaniswami also announced an initiative for land use reclassification in non-plan
areas where the approval will be given within 50 days. Previously the approval was done between 6 months to
2 years.
iii.The CII’s role during global investors meeting 2019 was highlighted in which 63 new Memoranda of
Understandings (MoU) worth Rs.19,000 crore were signed by the Government. Through this initiative 83,000
new jobs are expected to be created in the State.
iv.Members present: Tamil Nadu Governor Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Shobana Kamineni, past president, CII &
executive vice chairman of Apollo Hospital and other officials were present on the occasion.
About TamilNadu:
Founded- November 1, 1956.
Districts- 37.
State Animal- Nilgiri Tahr.
State Dance- Bharatanatyam.
State Bird- Emerald Dove.
State Flower- Gloriosa Lily.
State Sport- Kabaddi.
State Tree- Palm tree.
CM Naveen Patnaik launches Odisha Police’s transformational projects including state’s 1st
virtual police station
On January 28, 2020, The Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the
state’s 1st virtual police station at State Crime Record Bureau in Bhubaneswar, which will facilitate online
registration of FIR (first information report) in unknown motor vehicle theft cases. If a case remains undetected
for 21 days, the final form will be automatically reflected at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and
Systems (CCTNS).
Key Points:
i.The CM also launched the Road Accident Case Documents Module and Medico-Legal Opinion System that
aimed to reduce human interface with government offices.
ii.The Road accident case module can be accessed from the website www.imsop.odisha.gov.in. & Medico-Legal
System will help both the police and medical professionals,where the police can submit requisitions online for
medical examination of victims & doctors will upload their medical examination reports online.
iii.These initiatives were launched as a part of state’s 5T initiatives (Transparency, Teamwork, Technology,
Time and Transformation).
About Odisha:
Capital– Bhubaneswar
Governor– Ganeshi Lal
Sweet– Rasagola
Dance– Odissi
17 | P a g e
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Current Affairs January 31, 2020

1. 9th India-Bangladesh joint exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong, Meghalaya

Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India

12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi

civil officials of the Ministry of Defence(MoD) were present on the occasion.

Nagoba Jatara festival celebrated in Telangana

Indian Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022

Tomtom Traffic Index 2019:

Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO

BANKING & FINANCE

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

About Rangers FC (Football club):

Former India basketball captain Matthew Satya Babu passes away 79

Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma passed away at 89

BOOKS & AUTHORS

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