6th February 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• US President Barack Obama has said that the "acts of intolerance" experienced by religious faiths of all types in India in the past few years would have shocked Mahatma Gandhi.
• The comments by Obama came a day after the White House refuted suggestions that the US President's public speech in New Delhi in which he touched upon religious tolerance was a "parting shot" aimed at the ruling BJP.
• Union Minister Arun Jaitley rejects these remarks, Says aberrations cannot alter India's history of tolerance.
• France and Germany present a new peace plan to end conflict in Ukraine. US extends full support to this plan.
• French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented this plan, a day after Kiev gave its tentative support for the proposal.
• Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena will embark on a four-day visit to India from 15th February.
• This will be Mr Sirisena's first foreign trip after becoming President.

National Affairs

• PM Narendra Modi Held First Meeting of NITI Aayog Today
• He discussed the state of the economy, especially the farm sector, and sought suggestions for the upcoming budget in this meeting.
• This meet would set the agenda for meeting of the Aayog's governing council comprising all Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of Union Territories (UTs) on February 8.
• The ex-officio members and special invitees of the Aayog also attended the first meeting of the body.
• The first Vice-Chairman of the Aayog, Arvind Panagariya, and full time member Bibek Debroy and V K Saraswat had joined last month.
• The ex-officio members are Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
• The Aayog's special invitees are Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani.

Awards & Honors

• Eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade, whose 1963 novel Kosala (Cocoon) changed the dimensions of Marathi novel, was selected for 2014 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour in India, by the Jnanpith Selection Board.
• Nemade is the fourth Marathi writer to win the literary honour after VS Khandekar in 1974, VV Shirwadkar alias Kusumagraj in 1988, and Govind Karandikar alias Vinda Karandikar in 2003.
• This is the 50th Jnanpith Award. 

Business & Economy

• Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has won a defence contract worth Rs 1,090 crore, to produce and supply 14 Do-228 aircraft to the Indian Air Force along with six reserve engines, one flight stimulator and related equipment.
• The HAL Do-228 aircrafts are manufactured by the Transport Aircraft Division at Kanpur.
• The Division has previously supplied 125 Hindustan Aeronautics Do-228 planes for the defence and other customers and has expertise in manufacturing the transport and trainer category of aircraft.

New Appointments

• US President Barack Obama has announced to appoint top Indian-American CEO Ajay Banga to a key administration position.
• Banga, chairman of the US India Business Council, has been appointed as member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Sports

• National Games 2015
• Gymnast Dipa Karmakar bags Five individual golds
• Services continue to top medals tally.

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