January 2019 Current Affairs Important Highlights (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of January 2019. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Committees and Sports affairs of January month (from 1st to 31st January 2019). You will get pdf version of this list by 14th February 2019. All the Best and Happy Reading :)

January 2019 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners) 

• 1st India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) during 12th & 13th January 2019. The Dialogue was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov.
• 1st January 2019 was observed as 52nd World Day of Peace with the theme “Good Politics is at the Service of Peace”.
• 2002 batch UP Cadre IPS officer, Aparna Kumar became the 1st woman IPS officer to reach the South Pole. 
• 10 year old Abhinav Shaw became the youngest gold medallist in shooting at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune .
  
• 10th National Girl Child Day was observed on 24th January 2019. Theme of National Girl Child Day 2019 : 'Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow'.
• 25 states achieved 100 percent household electrification under Centre’s ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’ (Saubhagya), upto end of 2018. Only about 10 Lakh households are left to be electrified in 4 States viz., Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh.
• 26th January 2019 was observed as International Customs Day with the theme “SMART borders for seamless Trade, Travel and Transport."
• 27th January 2019 was observed as International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust with the theme “Holocaust Remembrance: Demand and Defend Your Human Rights”.
• 80th National Table Tennis Championships held Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack (Odisha).
• 9th National Voters Day was observed on 25th January 2019 with the theme “No Voter to be left behind”.
• A ministerial panel allowed flood-hit Kerala to levy 1% calamity cess under GST for a period of two years to fund rehabilitation work. The goods and services which will attract the cess would be decided by Kerala.
• A parliamentary panel headed by senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to address the problem of perpetually dysfunctional ATMs so as to avoid any situation of forced cash crunch. The Standing Committee on Finance has also asked banks to install adequate number of ATMs. The panel tabled its report in Parliament last week.
• A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel has decided to remove Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra from its Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.
• A special anti-money laundering court has declared liquor baron Vijay Mallya a "fugitive economic offender". With this, Mallya became the 1st person to be declared so under a new law.
• A special tourist train named ‘Samantha Express’, covering prominent places associated with chief architect of the Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha will embark on its maiden journey on April 14 from Nagpur.
• Aadhaar cards are now valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 travelling to Nepal and Bhutan.
• According to a recently released report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Indian banking sector witnessed an over 50% hike in cyber frauds in the financial year 2017-18. Banks collectively lost nearly ₹110 crore to cyber frauds, which amounted to less than 0.5% of the total money lost to frauds in 2017-18.
• According to a recently released report by World Steel Association (worldsteel), India has replaced Japan as the world's second-largest steel producing country. China retained its spot as the largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51% of production.
• According to RBI Report, number of complaints registered at banking ombudsman offices has increased to 25% owing to increased awareness and poor internal redressal mechanisms of banks. Also, jump of 159 % (almost 110 crores) was witnessed in volume of cyber fraud at banks in 2017-18.
• According to the Global Economy Watch report by global consultancy firm PwC, India is likely to surpass the United Kingdom in the world's largest economy rankings in 2019. The report further projected a GDP growth of 1.6% for the UK and 7.6% for India in 2019.
• According to the recently released 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report, India is among the most trusted nations globally when it comes to government, business, NGOs and media. China topped the Trust Index among both the informed public and the general population segments. India was at the 2nd place in the informed public category and 3rd place in the general population category.
• Ace Indian female wrestler Vinesh Phogat has become the 1st Indian athlete to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
• After Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, Chhattisgarh has become the third state to withdraw the General Consent given to CBI to probe cases in the state.
• Aiming at reducing toxic particulate matter in 102 Indian cities by 2024, the Environment Ministry launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year plan with 2019 as the first year, while 2017 will be the base year for comparison of concentration.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed MoU with Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) for joint research in Communication Navigation and Surveillance (CNS). It will enable transfer of skill by SAMEER in areas of Radio Frequency, Millimetre Wave and Antenna-related solutions to AAI domain experts.
• Alleging that the Centre is using the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the official communication of the flagship Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna to take credit for a jointly-funded project, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her government has decided to opt out the programme and to stop paying the state’s share. States are supposed to bear 40% of the project cost, while the Centre will foot 60% of the bill.
• An agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed in New Delhi among the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand in the presence of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari.
• An ambitious web-based single-window system titled Parivesh (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub) for environmental clearances was rolled-out at state levels on January 15. Parivesh is a web-based workflow application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ Clearances from Central, State and district level authorities.
• An MoU for sale of FASTags through petrol pumps of leading Oil Marketing Companies signed between Indian Highways Management Company Limited and Oil Marketing Companies BPCL, HPCL and IOCL. It will expand FASTag program’s distribution network which is presently active at selected bank branches. Its a bank-neutral FASTag which can be linked to customers’ choice of bank accounts.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced that his government will provide 100 units free power to Most Backward Classes (MCBs). The government would also give aid of up to ₹15 lakh to backward classes for foreign education.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu doubled the amount for pensioners in the state from ₹1,000 per month to ₹2,000. Around 5.4 lakh pensioners will be benefited from the decision which will be effective from January.
• As part of the Mission Shakti scheme, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans for women Self-Help Groups (SHGs). He also announced seed money worth ₹15,000 for new SHGs and ₹3,000 to purchase smartphones for digital empowerment.
• As per the announcement made to set up a high-level committee to review the implementation of clause 6 of the Assam Accord, the government has set up a committee headed by M.P. Bezbaruah (former Union tourism secretary). After Assam agitation of 1979-1985, Assam Accord was signed on 15th August, 1985.
• Ashok Chawla resigned as the Chairman of National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), India's biggest stock exchange.
• Australia defeated India by 34 runs in the first ODI to become the 1st country to win 1,000 international matches.
• Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne was on a 3-day visit to India. During her visit, Ms Payne held meetings with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She also participated in the Raisina Dialogue.
• Bandhan Bank is going to acquire mortgage lender Gruh Finance via a share swap, in a bid to cut the bank's promoter holding.
• Bengaluru Bulls beat Gujarat Fortune Giants in the finals of the 6th edition of 2018-19 Vivo Pro Kabaddi League held in Mumbai to lift their maiden trophy.
• Bengaluru Raptors have won their 1st ever Premier Badminton League title by defeating Mumbai Rockets, with a 4-3 win.
• Bihar government has decided to bring a separate Bill in the forthcoming budget session commencing from February 11 to implement 10 per cent quota in jobs and education for weaker sections in general category.
• Chennai's D Gukesh (12 years 7 months & 17 days) became the 2nd youngest Grandmaster in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat.
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced that his government will waive off irrigation tax worth ₹207 crore. The waiver will cover tax owed by farmers till October 2018 and will benefit around 15 lakh farmers.
• Chief of Army Staff of Nepali Army, Purna Chandra Thapa, has been conferred the Honorary Rank of General of Indian Army by President Ram Nath Kovind. He was honoured for his "commendable military prowess" and contribution to fostering "friendly association with India".
• China has passed a new law that seeks to "Sinicize (make Chinese in character or form)" Islam within the next five years, the latest move by Beijing to rewrite how the religion is practised.
• China National Space Administration announced that the cotton seeds taken by its Chang'e 4 mission have sprouted, marking the 1st time that biological matter has grown on the Moon. Note : The mission carried water and soil containing cotton and potato seeds, yeast and fruit fly eggs to develop a mini ecosystem.
• Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the Global Aviation Summit 2019 in Mumbai. The 2-day summit was organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation in association with FICCI.
• Congress-led Rajasthan government announced that it has decided to reverse name of Atal Seva Kendra, help centres at village panchayat level, to Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra, which was its original name.
• Days before Kumbh Mela, the Union Home Ministry has approved the Uttar Pradesh government’s proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj. A No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the MHA will now ensure that names of other institutes in the district, including railway station, High Court and university, are also changed.
• Deen Dayal Veterinary University in Uttar Pradesh will set up first goat fertility lab in state under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna at the cost of Rs 22 crores.
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved induction of women as jawans in the Army's Corps of Military Police.
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the Diffo Bridge over Chipu River in Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Dubai International Airport has retained its position as the world's busiest airport for international travel for the 5th consecutive year in 2018.
• Egypt is going to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations between 15th June and 13th July 2019.
• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the GST Council has raised the scope of composition scheme from ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore. A single annual return with quarterly tax payments has also been introduced under the scheme, he added. Free accounting and billing software will be made available to small assessees up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, Jaitley further said.
• Five nations - Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa assumed charge as Non-Permanent Members of United Nations Security Council (UNSC), for 2 year terms. It is Dominican Republic’s first time on UNSC. UNSC has 5 Permanent and 10 Non-permanent members. 5 UNSC Permanent members are - China, France, Russia, UK and USA.
• For the 1st time in history, 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams played a professional match against each other in a mixed doubles match at Hopman Cup. Federer along with his partner Belinda Bencic defeated Serena and her partner Frances Tiafoe.
• For the 1st time in India, IIT Hyderabad is going to launch a full-fledged BTech program in Artificial Intelligence (AI) from the coming academic year 2019-20.
• Former captain Sardar Singh has been included in a 13-member Hockey India selection committee. Head of this Committee : BP Govinda (member of the 1975 World Cup-winning team).
• Former South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of Cricket.
• France introduced its own tax on large internet and technology companies, calling it GAFA tax, (named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon), to ensure these firms pay fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe.
• Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who also holds Finance portfolio, presented annual budget of Rs. 19,548.69 crore for the year 2019-20 as against 17,123.28 crore rupees for the year 2018-19, representing an increase of 14.16 per cent over last year.
• Government amalgamated 3 Regional Rural Banks from Punjab into one - Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Sutlej Gramin Bank.
• Government has sanctioned 3 new Naval Air Squadrons to be set up in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
• Government proposed renaming Indian Forest Service as Indian Forest and Tribal Service, after Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) initiated an inter-ministerial consultation note to rename the service.
• Guatemala announced that it was pulling out of a United Nations-sponsored anti-corruption commission after more than a year of tension between the government and the group, which has investigated top government officials and people close to President Jimmy Morales.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared 500-metre radius of Ambaji and Somnath temples as 'vegetarian zone'.
• Gujarat has became the 1st state to implement the 10% reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category. It will also be applicable to jobs for which announcement has been made but procedure is yet to commence.
• Haryana Govt. launched 11 projects aimed at revival of mythical Saraswati River and ensure regular flow of fresh water into it.
• HDFC Mutual Fund went past ICICI Prudential MF to become India's largest asset management company, with HDFC MF managing assets to the tune of Rs 3.35 lakh crore, ahead of ICICI Prudential MF's 3.08 lakh crores.
• Hyderabad's Secunderabad Railway Station became the 1st railway station of South Central Railway (SCR) to hoist a gigantic Tricolour on a 100 feet tall pole in the circulating area of it's main entrance.
• ICICI Bank signed MoU with NBFC Small Business FinCredit India, to jointly provide credit worth up to Rs 1 crore to MSMEs for a tenure of 15 years.
• IIT Guwahati Researchers developed a paper kit to test freshness of milk and determine how well milk has been pasteurized. Filter paper is impregnated with chemical probes that preferentially react with Alkaline Phosphatase, which is an indicator of quality of milk.
• In a bid to align with "the best corporate practices", the Finance Ministry has asked Public Sector Banks (PSB) to gradually reduce the government's equity to 52%. This reduction of government stake will help banks to meet 25 % public float norms of market regulator SEBI.
• In Britain, lawmakers voted in favour of an amendment in BREXIT plan seeking alternative arrangements to replace the Irish border arrangement known as the Irish backstop.
• In Saudi Arabia, a new regulation is set to stop Saudi women from not knowing about their own divorce. From now onwards, courts will be required to notify women by text on rulings confirming their divorces.
• India and China have signed the protocol for exports of Indian tobacco leaves to China.
• India and Norway have agreed to collaborate closely on the ocean economy and achieve global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The two countries also decided to step up bilateral trade.
• India and South Africa have signed a 3-Year Strategic Programme of Cooperation (2019-2021).aimed at further enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries.
• India and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on importing uranium from the Central Asian nation following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019.
• India captain Virat Kohli (10,430 runs in 212 innings) has become the 10th highest ODI run-getter, achieving the feat during his 45-run knock against New Zealand in the first ODI.
• India Captain Virat Kohli has maintained his No. 1 position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings.
• India has cut import taxes on crude and refined palm oil from Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries following a request from suppliers. The duty on crude palm oil was lowered to 40% from 44% while that on refined palm oil was cut to 50% from 54%.
• India won the four-match Test series against Australia 2-1 as the Sydney Test ended in a draw after the fifth day's play was washed out due to rain. This is the 1st time ever that India have won a Test series in Australia. India also became the 1st Asian team to win a Test series on Australian soil.
• Indian artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar's biography titled "The Small Wonder", was launched by the legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. This book has been co-authored by journalist Digvijay Singh Deo.
• Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri received the honorary membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) ahead of the India-Australia ODI series. Kohli and Shastri will hence join the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara of the West Indies to have received the honorary membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
• Indian cricketer Virat Kohli became fastest batsman to score 19000 international runs, getting past Sachin Tendulkar.
• Indian football team's head coach Stephen Constantine resigned after India were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup following a defeat by Bahrain .
• Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IMHCL) and leading Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) like BPCL, HPCL and IOCL signed an MoU for sale of FASTags through their petrol pumps.
• Indian mountaineer Arunima Sinha became world’s first woman amputee to climb Mountain Vinson Massif (highest peak of Antarctica with Height 4892 Metres). In 2013, she became first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest.
• Indian Navy undertook a 2 day exercise titled Sea Vigil. The 1st of its kind multi-agency drill covers the entire 7,516 km-long Indian coastline and exclusive economic zone and involves 13 coastal states and Union Territories to check the efficacy of maritime security and surveillance- Sea Vigil.
• Indian Oil Corp (IOC) commissioned its INR 5151 crores worth Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal in Ennore (Tamil Nadu), as first LNG import terminal IOC has built on its own.
• Indian professional badminton singles player Saina Nehwal became the 1st Indian woman to win Indonesia Masters title after her opponent Carolina Marin pulled out due to injury during the first game in the final.
• India's Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced that India will purchase $5 billion worth of oil and gas from the United States every year. India will also buy $18 billion worth of defence equipment.
• India's Ankita Raina has won the International Tennis Federation's 25,000-dollar Women's tournament in Singapore.
• India's fastest indigenous train (Train18) which will run from Delhi to Varanasi has been named as 'Vande Bharat Express'.
• India's first crematorium for cows, named 'gau mukti dham', will soon be built in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
• India's Kartik Sharma won the New South Wales men's Amateur Golf Championship in Australia.
• India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) announced that Hitachi Payment Services has agreed to pick up 26% stake in its card acceptance and digital payment platform SBI Payment Services. After this transaction completes, SBI's shareholding in its payments arm will reduce to 74%.
• India's largest life insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has completed acquisition of 51% stake in IDBI Bank, making it the lender's majority shareholder.
• India's T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur was named the Captain of the ICC women's T20I team of the year. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Suzie Bates was named the Captain of the ICC women's ODI team of the year.
• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik approved the J&K Reservation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2014. This bill grants reservation Pahari community.
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has launched Tokyo-based startup Star-ALE's mini-satellite aimed to deliver the world's first artificial meteor shower. The satellite carries 400 tiny balls, which will be enough for 20-30 events, that will glow as they rush down the atmosphere on being released.
• Japan has announced that it is going to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The withdrawal would enable Japan to resume commercial whaling activities.
• Japan has retained its top spot as the world's most powerful passport this year, with its citizens able to enter 190 countries without requiring a visa, according to the Henley Passport Index. India's passport was ranked 79th, having visa-free access to 61 destinations.
• Japan is going to give a loan of ₹3,420 crore to India for the construction of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (Phase 1) and for Japan-India cooperative actions towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India.
• Karnataka Transport Department has made GPS systems and Emergency 'Panic' buttons mandatory for passenger and commercial vehicles in the state from 1st January.
• Kerala defeated Gujarat by 113 runs to qualify for the Ranji Trophy semi-finals for the first time in their 61-year history.
• Kolkata based Indian Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta, climbed Antarctica's highest point, Mount Sidley, to become the youngest man in the world to have climbed the 7 highest volcanic peaks.
• Kumbh Mela, which is touted as the largest congregation of humanity in the world and a collective act of faith, will be held in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) over a course of 48 days during January 15 to March 4.
• Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was conferred with the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year Award, for the second time, in Senegal.
• Lok Sabha passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that seeks to improve ease of doing business, declog the NCLT and prescribe strong action against non-compliant companies.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath launched his government's ₹50,000 crore farm debt-waiver scheme titled 'Jai Kisan Rin Mukti Yojana'. This scheme would benefit 55 lakh small and marginal farmers.
• Maharashtra Government launched Atal Solar Krishi Pump Yojana, to reduce losses to farmers due to non-payment of electricity bills and also promote solar energy. Government would provide solar pumps at subsidised rates for farmers. Farmers with less than 5 acres will have to pay 5 % of cost of a 3 HP solar pump while farmers with over 5 acres will get a 5 HP solar pump for 30000.
• Malaysia's 49-year-old Sultan Muhammad V stepped down as the 15th king , marking the 1st time a king has abdicated in the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1957.
• Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi was on a visit to India. During this visit, she met Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and both leaders agreed to continue their traditionally close cooperation on issues of maritime security, counter-terrorism and medical cooperation.
• Market regulator Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a "Research Advisory" committee which will assist in formulating policy to undertake research relevant for development and regulation of capital markets.Head of this Committee : Sankar De.
• Mary Kom, who had become the 1st ever woman boxer to win 6 world championship titles in November last year, has been ranked No. 1 by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in the light fly (45-48kg) category.
• Microsoft Co-founder and the world's second richest person, Bill Gates praised National Health Protection Scheme (Ayushman Bharat scheme) on completing 100 days of its launch. The free healthcare scheme recorded 6,85,000 beneficiaries in the first 100 days.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Taro Kono arrived in Delhi on a 3-day visit to India. He held a meeting with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj. He also attended the India Japan Friendship Forum.
• Minister of State in Department of Space Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated UNNATI programme of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru. UNNATI is an acronym for Unispace Nanosatellite Assembly and Training.
• Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 at a function in New Delhi. The festival will continue till 24th of next month. Theme of the festival : Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and contribute to policy.
• Ministry of Human Resource Development approved establishment of a Centre for Classical Language at Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University at Tirur (Kerala).
• Ministry of Human Resource Development constituted a Task Force under Chairmanship of Jitendra Nagpal, to inquire reasons of suicides reported in Javahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
• Ministry of Information & Broadcasting hiked advertisement rates for print media by 25% above existing rate structure for advertisement in print media by Bureau of Outreach and Communication (erstwhile DAVP). Last such revision was in 2013 when an increase of 19% was announced over and above rates of 2010.
• MoU signed between IIT Bombay and PSU Oil Companies and EIL, for setting up Centre of Excellence in Oil, Gas and Energy, to meet needs of Mission Green by encouraging Research in sector and capacity building.
• Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) announced that it will soon stop stamping of boarding passes by security personnel for domestic passengers.
• Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has become India's only port to be among the top 30 global container ports as per a Lloyds Report.
• Myanmar's parliament has voted to create a committee to propose amendments to the country's military-enacted constitution, which grants the armed forces the power to block any change.
• Nagaland got its 1st Astro Turf Football Pitch at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima on the occasion of 100th Birth Anniversary of the legendary footballer, Dr. T. Ao (Talimeren Ao).
• Naomi Osaka (Japan) won the Australian Open 2019 women's singles title by defeating Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic).
• National Green Tribunal imposed fine of INR 100 crores on Meghalaya government for its failure to curb illegal coal mining in the state, after a committee report found that majority of mines in state were operating without a lease / licence.
• Nepalese External Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali met his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi. They reviewed recent developments in bilateral ties across diverse sectors, including in the areas of agriculture, railways and inland waterways as well as the pace of implementation of ongoing development and connectivity projects.
• Nepal's Army Chief Purna Chandra Thapa arrived in New Delhi on a 4-day official visit. It is his 1st official bilateral visit after taking over the command of the Nepal Army. He will be conferred with the Honorary Rank of ‘General of Indian Army’ by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• Nobel Peace Prize winner and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai is coming up with a new book titled "We are Displaced".
• Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg was on a 3 day visit to India. She held talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on a host of issues. Solberg also delivered the inaugural address at the 4th Raisina Dialogue and address India-Norway Business Summit. Theme of 4th Raisina Dialogue 2019 : "A World Reorder: New Geometries; Fluid Partnerships; Uncertain Outcomes”.
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ (LED bulbs in our houses) scheme which will benefit about 95 lakh families in the State.
• On the occasion of his 78th birthday, veteran actor-producer Sanjay Khan announced his second book titled, ‘Assalamalaikum Watan’. His first autobiography 'The Best Mistakes of My Life' was released in 2018.
• Pakistan has announced that it is going to withdraw the facility of on-arrival visas for Afghan Nationals.
• Palestine has taken over the chairmanship of G77 (Group of 77) from Egypt.
• People in the southern Philippines have voted to create a new Muslim autonomous region known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
• PM Modi inaugurates Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Ahmedabad. This is a state of art, super-speciality public hospital built by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and is equipped with all modern amenities, including an air ambulance.
• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Subhas Chandra Bose Museum at Red Fort to mark the leader's 122nd birth anniversary.
• President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Birendra Prasad Baishya, has been named Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Chef de Mission = the person in charge of a national team at an international sports event.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has approved The Constitution (One Hundred And Third Amendment) Act, 2019, which introduces a 10% reservation for economically weaker sections among general category for jobs and educational institutions.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Chief guest at the convention : Pravind Jugnauth (Prime Minister of Mauritius). Theme of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 : "Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India".
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated National Salt Satyagraha Memorial to the nation at Dandi village, situated in South Gujarat on Arabian sea coast.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 106th edition of Indian Science Congress (ISC)-2019 on 3rd January 2019 at Jalandhar, Punjab. Theme of 106th ISC 2019 : ‘Future India: Science and Technology’.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The 3-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit witnessed the participation of the heads of five countries Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Denmark, Czech Republic and Malta – and over 30,000 national and international delegates.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Armoured Systems Complex (ASC), developed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at Hazira near Surat in Gujarat. This Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) is India’s 1st private facility where the K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer guns will be manufactured.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Gangajal Project, which will provide Agra with better and more assured water supply, at an estimated cost of Rs.2880 crores. Gangajal project aims to bring 140 cusecs of Ganga water to Agra. This will help meet the drinking water demands in the city.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana under which a group of Indian diaspora will be taken on a government-sponsored tour of religious places in India twice a year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 13-km-long, two-lane Kollam bypass on National Highway 66 in Kerala. With a project cost of ₹352 crore, the bypass will cut the travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts of the state.
• Prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on 21st January 2019 at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The 3 days long event will attract many eminent persons of Indian origin from the world over.
• Private Equity (PE) and Merger and Acquisition (M&A) transactions in India crossed the $100-billion mark in the year 2018, breaking all previous records. India attracted nearly $35 billion during the year by way of private equity. A total of over 1,640 transactions were carried out in the country during the year.
• Private sector lender IDFC Bank has announced that its name has been changed to IDFC First Bank following the completion of its merger with non-banking financial company Capital First. Important Note : Capital First Founder and Chairman V Vaidyanathan has been appointed the Managing Director and CEO of the merged entity.
• Puducherry government has decided to ban the production, sale and use of single-use plastic products in the union territory from 1st March 2019.
• Pune authorities will soon introduce a pilot robot named ‘Roadeo’ which will function as a quasi-traffic policeman and caution commuters about traffic rules and offences.
• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced to raise the unemployment allowance for the youth of the state from March 1. According to this new rule, Girls will get ₹3,500 and boys ₹3,000 as unemployment allowance for two years.
• Rajasthan government is going to introduce free education for girls in all state-run institutions from next academic session.
• RBI released 18th issue of Financial Stability Report (FSRM), stipulating Global and domestic macro-financial risks and current economic scenario. It says global growth outlook for 2018 and 2019 remains steady although underlying downside risks have risen. Asset quality of banks showed an improvement with gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of SCBs declining from 11.5% in March 2018 to 10.8% in September 2018.
• Retired Justice Srikrishna's enquiry panel has found that ex-CEO of ICICI, Chanda Kochhar violated the Bank's code of conduct.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a main guest to the Eastern Economic Forum in September.
• Saudi Arabia is going to set up a $10 billion (over ₹70,000 crore) oil refinery in Pakistan's port of Gwadar.
• Saudi Arabia, which does not currently possess nuclear weapons, has built its 1st-known ballistic missile factory. The factory is reportedly in the same location as the al-Watah missile base which first became public in 2013.
• SBI Life Insurance signed bancassurance pacts with Syndicate Bank and Allahabad Bank, to offer a its insurance solutions to customers of these Banks.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed custodial services in commodity derivatives market, enabling participation of institutional investors such as mutual funds and portfolio managers in commodity derivatives market. Existing custodians will be permitted to add commodities as an asset class and provide physical delivery of both securities and commodities.
• Senior National Women's Judo Championship 2019 held at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
• Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling launched the 'One Family, One Job' scheme. This scheme envisions jobs to a member of every family which does not have a government job in the state.
• Sikkim will be the 1st state to roll out Universal Basic Income (UBI) and has started the process to introduce the unconditional direct cash transfer scheme.
• Six days cultural extravaganza Bharat Parv concluded in New Delhi on 31st January.
• Social media giant Facebook has announced that they are creating an independent Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence with an initial grant of $7.5 million over a period of five years.
• South African allrounder Albie Morkel retired from all forms of cricket.
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was on a 2-day visit to India. He was the Chief Guest at the 70th Indian Republic Day Parade. He is the 2nd President of South Africa after Nelson Mandela to be the Chief Guest at the parade.
• Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate into allegations of corruption and malpractices that had taken place from 15th January 2015 to 31st December 2018. Chairman of the Committee : Upali Abeyratne (Retired Supreme Court Justice).
• State-run Bank of Baroda (BoB) has announced that it will double the minimum quarterly average balance limit for savings accounts in its metro and urban branches from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000. The minimum balance for semi-urban branches will be increased from ₹500 to ₹1,000 while there is no change for such accounts in rural branches.
• State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed a business partnership agreement with French company Be-Bound. Aim of this MoU : To offer data connectivity through SMS in areas where there is no Internet connectivity or signal breaks.
• Sugarcane juice has won the Pakistan government's Twitter poll to become the 'National juice' of the country.
• Switzerland's Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic defeated Germany's Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber to lift the 4th Hopman Cup title. With this, Federer became the 1st person in history to win the Hopman Cup on three occasions.
• Syria has signed a long-term economic cooperation deal with Iran. Both sides also signed agreements to expand the ports in Latakia and Tartus.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami announced in the state Assembly the creation of the 33rd district named Kallakurichi. This new district will be carved out by bifurcating Viluppuram.
• Telangana government has been given the approval for its Rs. 13,384.80 crore Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project. This project aims to divert Godavari river water to irrigate 2.72 lakh hectare in three districts.
• The 1st ever India-Central Asia Dialogue was held at Uzbekistan capital Samarkand. The Dialogue was chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov.
• The 1st-term Democratic Senator of California, 54-year-old Indian-origin Kamala Harris launched her 2020 campaign for the post of the US President.
• The 2nd edition of Khelo India Youth Games officially began in Pune, Maharashtra. More than 9,000 players from different states are participating in 18 different events.
• The 2nd India-Myanmar bilateral Army exercise 'IMBEX 2018-19' commenced at Chandimandir military station, Haryana. Aim of IMBEX 2018-19 : To train the Myanmar delegation for participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
• The 4th edition of Bharat Parv, showcasing the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat began at Red Fort in Delhi. Objective Bharat Parv : To generate a patriotic fervour and promote rich cultural diversity of the country.
• The 4th edition of the annual cleanliness survey Swachh Survekshan 2019 was launched in New Delhi. It will be conducted across 4,237 towns and cities. Objective of Swachh Survekshan 2019 : To encourage largescale participation of citizens and to ensure sustainability of the initiatives taken towards garbage-free and open defecation-free cities.
• The African nation of Angola has decriminalised homosexuality after the parliament removed the "vices against nature" provision.
• The Armed Forces will celebrate the Veterans Day on 14th January 2019. January 14 is celebrated as ‘Veterans Day’ as a mark of respect, recognition and service rendered by Field Marshal K M Carriapa OBE, the 1st Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army, who retired on this day in 1953.
• The Asia competitiveness institute (ACI) has released the Ease of Doing Business (EDB) Rankings for Indian states. Andhra Pradesh has topped the rankings. Maharashtra and Delhi came in second and third place respectively.
• The Bank of China has offered a loan of $300 million to Sri Lanka, which could be raised to $1 billion. Note : Sri Lanka faces record high repayments of $5.9 billion this year.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will take place entirely in India despite the upcoming general elections which are expected to take place in April-May. The detailed schedule will be out soon.
• The Cabinet approved the establishment of 3 new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)- two in Jammu and Kashmir (Vijayanagar, Awantipora) and one in Gujarat (Rajkot) under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme.
• The Cabinet approved the merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda. The merged bank will become India's second-largest state-run bank (after State Bank of India) and will "help create a strong globally competitive bank", the government said.
• The Cabinet approved the creation of National Bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT). The tribunal is the forum of second appeal in GST laws and the first common forum of dispute resolution between Centre and states.
• The central banks of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have launched a common digital currency titled "Aber".
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked former Air India Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav for allegedly violating procedures during promotions.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon Group MD Venugopal Dhoot in connection with alleged irregularities in the ₹3,250-crore Videocon loan case.
• The Centre has amalgamated 3 Regional Rural Banks (RRB) -- Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Sutlej Gramin Bank -- into a single RRB.
• The Centre has approved additional Central assistance of ₹7,214.03 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to 6 states and one union territory. The fund was sanctioned to Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Puducherry.
• The Centre announced that it allocated an additional over ₹6,000 crore for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This takes the total allocation to ₹61,084 crore in 2018-19, making it the highest ever in a financial year.
• The China National Space Administration's (CNSA) robotic probe, Chang'e 4 has become the 1st ever to land on face of the Moon not seen from the Earth. The mission aims to take detailed measurements of the Moon's terrain and mineral composition.
• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, which makes minority immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have entered India before December 31, 2014 eligible for Indian citizenship, has been passed in the Lok Sabha.
• The construction of world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) is underway. The stadium is tipped to have a capacity of 1,10,000, overtaking the 1,00,024-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved indigenous construction of 6 submarines worth 40 thousand crore rupees. The Defence Acquisitions Council has also approved the acquisition of about five thousand MILAN Anti Tank Guided Missiles for the Army.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired Barak 8 LRSAM (Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile) from naval warship INS Chennai off the coast of Odisha. The Barak 8 LRSAM missile defence system has been jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries.
• The European Space Agency has signed a contract with rocket maker ArianeGroup with plans to mine the Moon to extract regolith before 2025.
• The founder of FreeCharge, Kunal Shah, has recently launched his new venture titled Cred, a financial services platform targeting consumers with high creditworthiness. Cred allows users to keep track of due dates of multiple credit cards and pay their credit card bills in one place.
• The Goa Cabinet has approved a proposal to impose a fine of ₹2,000 on people who drink alcohol or cook in public and a fine of ₹10,000 if a group of people is doing so.
• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has formed a 7-member Group of Ministers (GoM) under the GST regime and suggest remedial measures. It will analyse tax rate of GST and suggest a composition scheme for residential construction units. Head of this Panel : Nitinbhai Patel (Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister)
• The government announced Padma Bhushan for former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was cleared in the 1994 spying case by the Supreme Court last year.
• The government announced that the new 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the general category will be applicable to all central government posts from 1st February 2019.
• The government constituted an 8-membered GST ministerial panel to suggest whether a uniform tax rate should be imposed on lotteries or the current differential tax rate system be continued.Head of this Panel : Sudhir Mungantiwar (Maharashtra Finance Minister).
• The government decided to recapitalise state-owned Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) to the tune of ₹6,000 crore. It also approved an increase in the authorised capital of the bank from ₹10,000 crore to ₹20,000 crore.
• The government has allowed Iran's Bank Pasargad to open a branch in Mumbai while India's state-owned UCO Bank will be opening a branch in Iran.
• The government has cut down customs duty on import of parts and components for electric vehicles to 10-15%, down from the previous 15-30%.
• The government has drafted a 5-year action plan to address the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country. The National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, 2018 to 2023, aims to employ a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue.
• The government has introduced the Aadhaar amendment bill in Loksabha. This bill aims to provide legal backing for voluntary seeding of biometric Aadhaar ID for mobile SIM card and bank account authentication purposes. The bill also gives minors an option to opt out of Aadhaar scheme upon turning 18 years.
• The government launched Web- Wonder Women Campaign to celebrate the exceptional achievements of women who have influenced and impacted society through social media.
• The GST Council is going to set up a 7-member committee to look into revenue shortfall being faced by the states after the GST roll-out, and suggest steps for augmenting collections. Head of this Committee : Sushil Modi (Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Bihar).
• The Home Ministry has declared Nagaland “disturbed area” for six more months till June-end under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice.
• The Human Resources Development Ministry signed an agreement with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for India’s Participation in Programme for International Student Assessment- PISA 2021.
• The Indian Army is going to conduct a military exercise titled 'India-Africa Field Training' with African nations at the Aundh Military station and College of Military Engineering in Pune. Aim of this Exercise : To synergise United Nations peacekeeping operations.
• The Indian Army is going to purchase over 3,000 Milan 2T anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) from France in a deal worth over ₹1,000 crore.
• The Indian government is going to construct 44 "strategically important" roads along the India-China border spanning across 5 states (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh). The total cost of the project is estimated to be around ₹21,000 crore.
• The Indian Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that seeks to do away with the no-detention policy in schools. The key aim behind the move is to rebuild the education system of the country, which is at present broken.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched a small communication student-made satellite Kalamsat-V2 and imaging satellite Microsat-R through its PSLV-C44 into the intended orbit.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru for its ₹10,000-crore manned space mission 'Gaganyaan' scheduled for 2021.
• The indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) of India has successfully carried out air-to-air missile firing. It is for the 1st time in India that a helicopter had carried out air to air missile engagement.
• The Kerala government has decided to bring an ordinance to prevent the damage of private property in the name of hartals and communal violence. The ordinance will have provisions to punish the guilty with five years of imprisonment and fine.
• The Khelo India Youth Games 2019 concluded in Pune yesterday with the hosts Maharashtra walking away with the overall trophy.
• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government of Pakistan has declared the ancient Hindu religious site of Panj Tirath (Peshawar) as National heritage.
• The Last Budget session of the Parliament before the General elections will be held from 31st January to 13th February 2019. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Interim Budget for 2019-20 fiscal on 1st February 2019. This will be the 6th consecutive budget to be presented by Jaitley.
• The Lok Sabha passed the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 by voice vote after a brief discussion. This bill seeks to provide regulation for the use and application of DNA technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of certain category of persons including the victims, offenders, suspects, under trials, missing persons and others. The bill also seeks to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Personal Laws (Amendment Bill), 2018, which seeks to remove leprosy as a ground for divorce via a voice vote. The draft law seeks to remove the disease as a reason for divorce in five personal laws – Hindu Marriage Act, Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, Divorce Act (for Christians), Special Marriage Act and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act.
• The Maharashtra government announced disbursement of ₹2,900 crore for relief measures in drought-affected areas of the state. 151 tehsils, 268 mandals, 923 villages have been declared drought affected in the state.
• The mass Hindu pilgrimage, Kumbh Mela began on 15th January on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Important Note : Kumbh is the world's largest religious and cultural human congregation.
• The Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre, announced that Women constitute 13% of the IAF's workforce, the highest among the three armed services. Women comprise 3.80% of the Army's workforce and 6% of the Navy's personnel.
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has introduced a 70-point grading index to assess the quality of school education offered by states.
• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the merger of Telecom operator Bharti Airtel with loss-making telecom firm Tata Teleservices.
• The National Wildlife Board has given its approval for the Trishna Gas project of ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) which falls in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gomati district of Tripura.
• The Nepal Government is set to introduce a law which makes it mandatory for the children to deposit 5 to 10 per of their income into the bank accounts of parents to ensure their well-being.
• The Panel headed by B V R Mohan Reddy (IIT-Hyderabad chairman) has suggested All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) not to allow setting up of new Engineering colleges from 2020.
• The Parliament has given its approval to the National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018. This bill aims to protect the interest of the students who had completed courses from unrecognized institutes.
• The Parliament of Macedonia has passed the resolution to amend the constitution of the country to rename it as the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
• The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) will be held at Varanasi on January 21 and would be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22. Theme of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) 2019 : “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India.”
• The President of World Bank, Jim Yong Kim announced that he will be leaving his post on 1st February 2019, more than three years ahead of the end of his term. World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva will take over as interim President on February 1.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has agreed to provide $400 million to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) under the SAARC swap facility.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed a one-time restructuring of existing debt of up to 25 crore rupees for the companies which have defaulted on payment but the loans given to them have continued to be classified as standard assets. The decision will help the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which are facing cash crunch in the wake of demonetisation and GST implementation.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed Paytm Payments Bank to restart opening new accounts after more than six months. The bank had violated KYC norms, failed to maintain the prescribed net worth of ₹100 crore and also violated the end-of-the-day ₹1 lakh limit per account.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a committee on "deepening of digital payments". Head of this Committee : Nandan Nilekani (Co-founder, Infosys).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed an expert committee to look into the various challenges being faced by MSMEs and suggest ways and measures to rejuvenate them. Chairman : U K Sinha (Former Chairman, SEBI).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Survey on Retail Payment Habits of Individuals (SRPHi). The Survey will capture payment habits of individuals in 6 cities, including four metropolitan towns.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made changes with the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) to allow charitable institutions, central government entities and state government entities to deposit gold under GMS.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set up an expert committee to suggest long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector. Head of this Committee : U K Sinha (Former Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India).
• The Reserve Bank of India released the 18th issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR). The FSR reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability, as also the resilience of the financial system. The Report also discusses issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector.
• The Supreme Court has suggested setting up of a 3-member panel to suggest reforms for conducting of competitive examinations fairly by government bodies. This panel includes Nandan Nilekani (co-founder of Infosys), and Vijay P Bhatkar (renowned computer scientist).
• The Supreme Court gave its nod to ongoing projects under the government's ambitious Chardham development plan, which proposes to provide all-weather connectivity to the four holy towns of Uttarakhand. The Chardham project intends to connect four towns of the hilly state -- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath -- by all-weather roads.
• The Swasth Bharat Yatra, the world’s biggest cyclothon to push people to eat right, culminated in New Delhi.
• The Swedish aerospace and defence company (Saab) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore air traffic management (ATM) solutions for airports operating under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).
• The Tableau of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) in the Republic Day Parade has won the 1st prize for its Kisan Gandhi theme. The tableau with the theme "Mishrit Kheti, Khushiyon Ki Kheti" portrayed Gandhi with goats and a cow and Kasturba engaged with charkha and caring animals. Tripura bagged the 1st prize for the state tableau with the theme 'Empowering Rural Economy the Gandhian Way'.
• The total value of BHIM-UPI transactions crossed 1 Lakh Crore Rupees mark in December 2018.
• The Tripura government has unveiled an official logo for the state's tea to popularise the beverage and to promote the potentiality of tourism. The logo features Tripura's iconic landmark, the "Neermahal" which is the largest and one-of-its-kind water palace in India. Note : Tripura is the 2nd largest tea producing state in the northeast (1st state is Assam).
• The UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the maker of world's longest aircraft Airlander 10, has received the Civil Aviation Authority's approval to go into full production with the model.
• The Union Cabinet approved the restructuring of existing National Health Agency as "National Health Authority" for better implementation of Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). With this approval, the existing society "National Health Agency" has been dissolved and will be replaced by National Health Authority as an attached office to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• The Union Cabinet has approved ₹4,241.97 crore for next-generation "Integrated E-filing and Centralised Processing Centre 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department". Aim of this Project : To cut down the processing time for Income Tax Returns from 63 days to one day.
• The Union Cabinet has approved a 10% reservation for economically backward section in the General category in jobs and educational institutions. This reservation will be over and above the existing 50% reservation. People with annual family income below ₹8 lakh and those with agricultural land below five acres will likely benefit from this reservation. Those who have residential property below 1,000 sq ft may also avail the quota.
• The Union Cabinet has approved India’s Currency Swap Agreement with Japan. The $75-billion bilateral currency swap arrangement is a milestone in mutual economic cooperation and special strategic and global partnership between two countries.
• The Union Cabinet has approved Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities in Assam, including the Moran and Matak communities. A bill in this regard will be introduced in the Parliament in the near future.
• The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the Draft National Policy on Domestic Workers. This policy aims to provide social security benefits to an estimated 39 lakh people employed as domestic workers by private households, of which 26 lakhs are female domestic workers.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has recognised Rio de Janeiro as the 'World Capital of Architecture' for 2020.
• The United States and Israel officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the close of 2018.
• The United States will begin the process of the withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on February 2.
• The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the proposal to rename Mughalsarai tehsil as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya tehsil after the late RSS leader.
• The Uttar Pradesh cabinet cleared a policy for implementation of a 0.5% cow welfare cess or 'gau kalyan' cess.
• The White House announced that US President Donald Trump is going to hold a 2nd summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late February. Note : Earlier on 12 June 2018, both leaders met in Singapore and signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains.
• The word 'Nari Shakti' (women empowerment) has been chosen as the Hindi Word of the Year 2018 by Oxford Dictionaries.
• The world’s first television channel dedicated to human rights was launched in London with a promise to deliver hidden stories ignored by mainstream media into people’s living rooms.
• The world's longest 3D-printed concrete pedestrian bridge, which is 26.3 metre-long and 3.6-metre-wide, opened in Shanghai (China).
• Three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recounted the benefits of “camel milk”, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF) has launched Amul Camel Milk in selected markets of Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Kutch in Gujarat.
• To "help Pakistan achieve financial stability and overcome economic challenges", the State Bank of Pakistan and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development signed an agreement. According to this agreement, Pakistan is going to get $3 billion in bailout package from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• To address the farm distress in the state, the government of West Bengal has announced the Krishak Bandhu scheme. The scheme bears similarity to the Telengana government’s flagship ‘Rythu Bandhu Scheme’ in terms of providing financial assistance to farmers and landless labourers.
• To avoid fluctuation in yarn price, government has launched a Yarn Bank Scheme as one of the component of PowerTex India. The Scheme provides interest free corpus fund up to Rs.2.00 crore to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)/Consortium formed by powerloom weavers to enable them to purchase yarn at wholesale rate and give the yarn at reasonable price to the small weavers to avoid middleman and local supplier's brokerage charge on sales of yarn.
• To celebrate and promote women farmers and entrepreneurs in the organic sector from the remotest parts of India, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has organized a 3-day 6th ‘Women of India Organic Festival’ from , at Leisure Valley, Chandigarh.
• To ensure the country's effective participation in the Group of 20 industrialized nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order on setting up an Interdepartmental Commission. The 17 member strong commission is meant to coordinate work of federal agencies in ensuring Russia's participation in annual summits.
• To make card transactions more secure, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted card networks to offer Tokenisation services to any token requestor (a third-party app provider). Tokenisation involves the creation of a unique alternative code or 'token' that will mask sensitive card details.
• To mark the 102nd birth anniversary of Former Tamil Nadu CM DR M G Ramachandran, the state government released 2 commemorative coins in the denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 5.
• To mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a Rs. 350 commemorative Coin and stamp. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th and last of the human Gurus of Sikhism.
• To promote electoral awareness, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the setting up of Voter Awareness Forums (VAF) in ministries, government departments, non-government departments and other institutions.
• To provide regular pension to Non Resident Keralites, the Kerala government will soon launch a 'Pravasi Dividend Pension Scheme'.
• To raise loans from Chinese capital markets, the government of Pakistan is going to launch Panda Bonds.
• Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb launched a project for Sustainable Catchment Forest Management (SCATFORM) at State Forest Academy Ground in Hatipara in West Tripura.
• Tropical Storm Usman hit Philippines’ Bicol region in Manila, causing huge losses.
• Tulsi Gabbard, the 1st-ever Hindu elected to the US Congress, has announced that she will run for President in 2020.
• Typhoon Storm Pabuk struck Southeast asian nations Thailand, with impact in vietnam and malaysia too.
• Union Cabinet has approved tripling the capacity of Numaligarh Refinery of Assam, from 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA at a cost of ₹22,594 crore.
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industries, Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 10th edition of the India Rubber Expo - 2019 in Mumbai. The India Rubber Expo is Asia's largest rubber expo, which offers a unique opportunity for Indian companies to meet and collaborate with overseas companies.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 4-lane, 5.1-kilometer long “Atal Setu”, the 3rd Cable bridge across river Mandovi in Panaji, Goa. This is the third bridge across Mandovi River.
• Union Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the 27th edition New Delhi World Book Fair at the Pragati Maidan on 5th January 2019. Theme of 27th New Delhi World Book Fair : “Readers with special needs”.
• Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that the government will soon make it mandatory to link Aadhaar with Driving Licence.
• US lawmakers introduced a bill in the US Congress to terminate Pakistan's designation as a 'Major non-NATO ally'.
• US president Donald Trump signed the ‘Asia Reassurance Initiative Act’. This law aims at countering the encroaching influence and growing threat from China, and to reinvigorate U.S. leadership in Asia.
• US-based Boeing has retained its position as the world's largest planemaker for the 7th year in a row, delivering a record 806 aircraft in 2018.
• Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved construction of a 4 lane Ganga Express way connecting Prayagraj to Western UP which would cost about Rs 36,000 Crore.
• Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) declared as authorized Immigration Check post for entry into/exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers.
• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that his country is breaking off diplomatic ties with the United States after his American counterpart Donald Trump recognized Opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American country’s interim President.
• Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 25th edition of Partnership Summit 2019 in Mumbai. Theme of the Summit : New India Rising to Global Occasions.
• Vice-Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh launched a book titled ‘A Crusade against corruption’. This book has been authored by Manohar Manoj.
• Vidarbha's 40-year-old batsman Wasim Jaffer appeared in his 146th Ranji match to become the most capped player in the history of the Ranji Trophy. Jaffer had also become the 1st player to reach 11,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy.
• Wimbledon is going to honour 2-time Wimbledon champion and former world number one Andy Murray with a statue at the All England Club.
• World's richest person Jeff Bezos-led Amazon surpassed software giant Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company.

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