Current Affairs: Top Current Affairs of January 2014

National Affairs

• Today is the death anniversary of Hindu Rajput ruler MaharanaPratap.
• The first round of Pulse polio programme for children in the target age-group of zero to five years was be held in various parts of the country today.
• The Rajya Sabha will be reconvened from February 5 and may conclude on February 21, as part of the extended Winter Session.
• Lauding the work of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) during calamities, including one in Japan, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday said the Centre would soon recommend Disaster Mitigation Medals for the brave personnel.
• The 3rd Khundongbam Brojendro Theatre Festival-2014 organised by Khundongbam Brojendro Cultural Trust and Department of Arts and Culture kicked off at Maharaj Chandrakirti Auditorium, Palace Compound Imphal. The festival is being held under the theme “Theatre for Peace and Friendship”.
• Delhi Jal Board suspended 14 engineers against whom CBI had registered cases of alleged cheating and forgery in supply of sewerage equipment.
• Terror outfit Indian Mujahideen is planning to kidnap Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for release of its key member Yasin Bhatkal who was arrested from India-Nepal border on August 27 last year, police sources claimed today.
• Seventeen packets of heroin with street value of Rs 85 crore along with arms and ammunition were seized by the Border Security Force near the Indo-Pak border today.
• Assam govt approaches UNESCO to accord special status to historic ‘Junbeel Mela’ as a Heritage Festival & Heritage Site in Morigaon dist.
• Odisha government has issued direction to district authorities to ensure that no plastic tri-colour is used during the Republic Day celebration on January 26.
• Lauding the work of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) during calamities, including one in Japan, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday said the Centre would soon recommend Disaster Mitigation Medals for the brave personnel.
• Sharing its success on effective handling of cyclone Phailin in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today lauded the National Disaster Response Force’s role in the massive evacuation of people ahead of the calamity in October last.
• Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday announced that the Centre would release Rs 915 crore for reconstruction work in Odisha following Cyclone Phailin.
• Jammu and Kashmir Government today welcomed the Centre’s approval to impart training to 4,260 persons in the state under the Textiles Ministry’s Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS).
• Over two lakh employees of Haryana government, unhappy over their demands not being met, will go on a three-day strike from Monday even as the state imposed Section 144 to quell the agitation.
• After Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress Sunday named three more people, including famed painter Jogen Chowdhury, as its candidates for the Feb 7 Rajya Sabha elections.
• Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday and requested him to grant minority status to the Jain community.
• National Urban Health Mission was launched by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20th January 2014.
• Union Cabinet has granted the minority status to Jain community and this nod has enabled the community to avail the benefits in government schemes.
• The Union Cabinet approved to set up Rail Tariff Authority on 20 January 2014. Rail Tariff Authority will be an advisory body which will advise the Railway Ministry on fares. RTA will comprise of a chairperson and four members at the apex level.

International Affairs

• Egypt’s new constitution approved by 98.1 percent.
• Libya’s General National Congress declared a state of emergency in the country after fresh clashes erupted in the south when gunmen group seized a military base.
• Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and 25 others, including liberal activists and journalists, will be tried for “insulting the judiciary”, the fourth case slapped on the Islamist leader.
• Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and leader of Democratic Party (PD) Matteo Renzi signed a deal in Rome on electoral reforms
• India and UAE have agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy especially in areas of solar energy and wind power by signing an MoU in Abu Dhabi.
• IRENA and ADFD has announced approximately 41 million dollar in concessional loans for renewable energy projects in developing countries.
• UN had withdrawn the invitation for Iran to join the peace conference on Syrian crisis.
• The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China decelerated to 7.7 percent in 2013-14.

Awards and Honors

• ENBA Awards 2013 Winners
  • Best News Channel of the Year (English) – NDTV 24X7
  • News Channel of the Year (Hindi) – Aaj Tak
  • Best Anchor (English) – Shereen Bhan
  • Best Anchor (Hindi)  – Punya Prasun Bajpai
  • Best Editor-In-Chief (English) – Rajdeep Sardesai[18]
  • Best Editor-In-Chief (Hindi) – Shazi Zaman (Group Editor, ABP News)
  • Best In-Show graphics (Hindi) -Pradhanmantri (TV Series)(ABP News-MCCS)
  • Best In-Show graphics (English) – World view-Race for White House(CNN-IBN)
  • Best News Producer (Hindi) -Sweta Singh

 Science and Technology

• For the first time, a team of scientists have successfully collected sperm from an Australian monitor lizard in a bid to save the population decline of the goannas.
• CERT-In detected a private information stealing virus Dexter in the Indian online banking transactions space.

 Business and Economy

• Air India is doling out free air tickets to its 24,000 employees, even as it expects to incur a loss of Rs 3,900 crore this financial year and has a debt burden of Rs 35,000 crore.
• RBI has constituted an Expert Committee to Review Governance of Boards in India, which will be chaired by PJ Nayak, former Chairman and CEO of Axis Bank.
• Veerappa Moily, announced to set-up a MOT to carry out re-assessment work of hydrocarbon resources in 26 sedimentary basins in India.
• Union Government has extended the benefits of the NMP throughout India to boost manufacturing sector.

Deaths

• One of the pioneer photographers of India, who had taken pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel during the pre-independence, post-independence and post-liberalisation eras, Pranlal Patel (105) died.
• Christopher Chataway, a former 5,000-meter world record-holder has died at the age of 82.

Sports

• A 16-year-old boy  Lewis Clarke, from Bristol has become the youngest person to trek to the South Pole completing the 1,129km journey in 48 days.
• Lalita Babar completed a hat-trick of wins among the Indian women and set a new course record, while Pune-based Army Sports Institute’s Karan Singh was the best finisher among the Indian men in the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon at Delhi today.
• Experienced Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene joined the 11,000 Test runs club during the fourth day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah on Sunday.