JANUARY 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS
- Pakistan to issue Panda Bonds to raise capital in China
- US, Israel quit UNESCO citing bias
- Pakistan, India exchange list of nuclear installations
- Qatar will cease to be a member of OPEC
- Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa have begun to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
- The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly.
- Pakistan’s Provincial Government declares Panj Tirath Hindu religious site as national heritage
- UN observes First-Ever World Braille Day on 4 January
- Sheikh Hasina to take oath as Bangladesh PM
- Norwegian PM on a state visit to India
- The Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza (SIDCOP), an initiative to bring Indian IT companies and Chinese enterprises closer to each other on a single AI enabled platform was launched on 10th January 201 This is a partnership by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) with Municipal Governments of Guiyang and Dalian.
- Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India is organizing the 9th International Micro Irrigation Conference on Modern Agriculture at Aurangabad in Maharashtra from January 16–18, 2019, in association with International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Indian National Committee on Surface Water (INCSW) and WAPCOS Limited.
- British Parliament rejects Brexit deal
- First human rights TV channel Launched in London
- The Indian Institute of Science has topped the rankings among Indian institutes with 14th rank; the second spot among Indian Institutes was occupied by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay with 27th rank.
- Sixty per cent of all wild coffee species are at the risk of extinction due to a deadly mix of climate change, deforestation and severe diseases.
- Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, will inaugurate the 2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 on the ‘Regulation of Homeopathic Medical Products; Advancing global collaboration’ being organized from 23-25 January, 2019 in Goa.
- Rio de Janeiro will be World Capital of Architecture for 2020: UNESCO
- President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa will visit India on 25-26 this month as a State Guest of Honour for Republic Day 2019.
- Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)-2019 is being conducted at Pune on 23-24 January 2019.
- 96-year-old Karthyayani Amma has been selected as the Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador for India.
- India and China sign protocol for exports of Indian tobacco leaves to China
- Syria and Iran signs long-term economic cooperation deal
- Dubai International Airport has retained its position as the world's busiest airport for the fifth consecutive year in a row in 2018.
- Yogi Government Clears "Cow Cess" To Protect Stray Cattle In UP
- Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair declared as an authorized Immigration Check post
- The Union Cabinet approved the proposed amendments to the Trade Unions Act 1926, aimed at giving statutory backing to central and state-level trade unions.
- President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Justice AK Sikri as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He will be replacing Justice Madan B Lokur.
- PM inaugurated the 106th session of Indian Science Congress.Reflecting on the theme of the event this year - ‘Future India: Science and Technology’ - the Prime Minister said that India's true strength will be in connecting its science, technology and innovation, with its people.
- India Pharma 2019 & India Medical Device 2019 to be held in Bengaluru on 18th– 19thFebruary
- The Indian Panorama Film Festival is being organized from 4th to 13th January, 201 The ten-day Festival is being organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting at Siri Fort Auditorium II, New Delhi.
- The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has recently launched the BhoomiRashi portal.
- Arunima Sinha becomes world’s first woman amputee to scale Mount Vinson(highest peak of Antarctica).
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of revival of North Koel (Mandal Dam) project amounting to Rupees 2500 crore and Kanhar Stone Pipeline irrigation system at Palamu in Jharkhand.
- The 27th New Delhi World Book Fair will begin at Pragati Maidan.
- Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani has inaugurated the Women’s Science Congress at the Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar.
- The North Central Railway, NCR has launched a mobile application to help people navigate through Prayagraj city during Kumbh Mela starting from January 1 'Rail Kumbh Seva Mobile App' will also provide information regarding all the 'Mela special' trains that will be run during the period.
- The Ministry of Textiles, Government of India had launched a Yarn Bank Scheme as one of the components of PowerTex India scheme with an aim to avoid fluctuation in yarn price.
- “Flying For All” Global Aviation Summit on 15-16 Jan 2019 in Mumbai
- Sittwe Port in Myanmar, constructed with India’s assistance, ready for operation
- UGC decides to set up Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE) to refine and strengthen research publication
- 4th Edition of Raisina Dialogue to begin in New Delhi
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore launched 'Sharing of All India Radio News with Private FM broadcasters' in New Delhi.
- Pranav R Mehta became President of the Global Solar Council
- PM launched Gangajal Project to Provide Better and More Assured Water Supply in Agra
- Women and Child Development Ministry launches “Web- Wonder Women” Campaign
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated electric vehicle charging station at North Block in New Delhi and hands over the electric vehicle to Finance Ministry officials.
- Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) have recreated space fuel by simulating interstellar conditions in the laboratory
- INDUS FOOD-II with the theme of ‘World Food Supermarket’ will be held on 14th and 15th January, 2019, at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
- Union Government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
- India and the five Central Asia nations have backed an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan that is Afghan-owned and Afghan-led. The understanding was reached at the first ever India-Central Asia Dialogue in Uzbekistan capital Samarkand
- Three-day 6th ‘Women of India Organic Festival’ inaugurated at Leisure Valley, Chandigarh
- Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to US Congress to run for President in 2020
- An agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project signed among the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. The project is aimed at meeting the drinking water needs of these states.
- Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019, thereby beginning the celebration of the National Youth Day
- Cabinet approves creation of the post of Vice Chancellor for National Rail & Transport Institute
- Shri Arun Jaitley Inaugurated Hunar Haat “HunarHaat” has proved to be a “credible brand” of “Indigenous Talent” of Indian artisans and craftsmen. “HunarHaat” has ensured “Development with Dignity” of artisans and craftsmen of the country.
- Gujarat becomes 1st state to implement 10% quota to EWS
- The government has drafted a five-year action plan to address the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country. An official of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said, the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, 2018 to 2023, aims to employ a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue. It involves education, de-addiction and rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families.
- IMD working to create models to forecast thunderstorms in advance
- The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Balangir in Odisha on 15 January, 201 He will dedicate Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) Jharsugudaand other developmental projects to the Nation.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the 13 km, 2 lane Kollam bypass on NH-66 in Kerala.
- Dr. T.C.A Anant, former Chief Statistician of India & Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).The Oath was administered by Shri Arvind Saxena, Chairman,UPSC.
- Prime Minister to inaugurate the project “Development of Spiritual Circuit: Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple-Aranmula-Sabarimala” in Kerala
- The Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with Doordarshan (DD), Prasar Bharati launched two science communication initiatives, DD Science and India Science .
- The 1st National Level Sports Meet for the students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) was inaugurated by Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs at G.M.C Balayogi Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
- Numligarh Refinery Assam capacity to be expanded from 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA
- Voter Awareness Forum (VAF) was launched by Election Commission of India in New Delhi.
- India’s Satyarup becomes world’s youngest mountaineer to climb 7 peaks, 7 volcano summits
- Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates UNNATI-- Unispace Nanosatellite Assembly & Training programme of ISRO in Bengaluru
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC)in Mumbai
- Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), the flagship scheme of the Central Government for employment generation has crossed the milestone of one crore beneficiaries
- Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities implements a scheme titled ‘Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)’.
- Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 10th edition of the India Rubber Expo - 2019 in Mumbai.
- Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) has announced the launch of a full-fledged bachelor's programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from the new academic session, a first for the country and only the third globally.
- Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 4260 metre long Pre Stressed Concrete Box Girder type bridge over Diffo river on Roing-Koron-Paya road in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Tourism Minister co-chairs the 7th ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers meeting at Ha Long City, Viet Nam
- Palestine takes over chairmanship of G77
- The Government has approved setting up of three new naval air squadrons in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as part of efforts to bolster the Indian Navy's overall strength.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai.
- PM Modi lays foundation stone of Medical College in Silvassa
- Defence Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched Defence Industrial corridor in Tiruchiraplli, Tamil Nadu.
- Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura are celebrating their statehood day. On this day in 1972, all the three states became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region (Reorganization) Act
- 15th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas begins at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,The theme this year is, 'Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India'.
- The government of Odisha announced a hike of Rs 200 per month in the social security pension under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY).
- Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari dedicated to the nation a 1210-meter span-bridge over the river Raavi in Jammu and Kashmir
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has set up a working group under former Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman UK Sinha.
- India Steel 2019 Exhibition and Conference inaugurated in Mumbai from 22nd to 24th January, 2019.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort in Delhi.As a mark of respect to Netaji, the Centre has named Ross Island in the Anadman and Nicobar Islands as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.
- India Navy begins coastal defence exercise 'Sea Vigil'
- The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premiere container port got listed amongst the top 30 container ports globally.
- Arunachal govt declares Pakke Hornbill Fest as ‘state festival’
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the creation of National Bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).
- ‘No Voter to be Left Behind’ has been selected as the theme for the National Voters’ Day 25 january.
- Naval Air Station (NAS) Shibpur was commissioned as INS Kohassa by Admiral Sunil Lanba.
- With a view to promote and showcase the Best of Indian cinema, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, through Directorate of Film Festivals, will be lending support to the organization of 2nd Jharkhand International Film Festival in Ranchi, Jharkhand from 1st to 3rd February, 2019.
- Government to launch Technology Mission Centre on Solar Energy & Water Treatment in Chennai
- ISRO successfully launched PSLV C44 carrying Kalamsat & imaging satellite Microsat R
- South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade.
- Uttar Pradesh celebrated it's 69th foundation day on 24 January.
- Fourth edition of Bharat Parv, showcasing the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat began at Red Fort in Delhi.
- Sugarcane juice declared ‘national drink’ of Pakistan
- 'Samantha Express' to cover places linked to Ambedkar & Buddha,The train will cover Chaityabhoomi (Mumbai), Mhow (Indore), Bodhgaya (Gaya), Sarnath (Varanasi), Lumbini (Nautanwa), Kushinagar (Gorakhpur), Deekshabhoomi (Nagpur), all places linked with either Lord Buddha or Ambedkar.
- Oxford chooses ‘Nari Shakti’ as Hindi word of 2018 at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) at the Diggi Palace.
- The Telangana government has decided to form a 'State Tiger Protection Force' to save the Big Cat population in the State.
- Indian Railways has named Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express
- Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated, 5.1-kilometer long “Atal Setu” bridge across river Mandovi in Panaji, Goa.
- The Southern Railway has bagged the number one position for cleanliness in all the 17 railway zones in the country.
- Ministry of Textiles will hold National Conclave on Technical Textiles on 29th January 2019 in Mumbai.
- Tata enters list of top 100 valuable brands according to the Brand Finance Global 500, 2019 report
- The Kerala government will soon launch a PravasiDividendPensionScheme
- Madhya Pradesh announces 'Yuva Swabhiman Yojana' for poor urban youth
- World’s biggest cyclothon ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ culminates in Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh state cabinet approved construction of a four-lane Ganga Expressway connecting Prayagraj to Western Uttar Pradesh.
- Uttarakhand's first tulip garden will come up over 50 hectares of forest land in Pithoragarh district.
- Maharashtra govt launched special scheme to curb infant deaths
- The Civil Aviation ministry launched the country’s first Geographical Indication (GI) store at Dabolim International Airport in Goa.
- India has improved its ranking on a global corruption index in 2018 by three points and moved to 78th position with a score of 41.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated National Salt Satyagraha Memorial to the nation at Dandi village in South Gujarat.
- The budget session of Parliament begins on 31 January.
- Shri K J Alphons inaugurates the First Swadesh Darshan project in Sikkim
- The United Nations announced 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements to highlight its first publication in 1869.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Survey on Retail Payment Habits of Individuals (SRPHi).Sigma Research & Consulting Pvt Ltd has been engaged by RBI to conduct the fieldwork of the survey.
- Cabinet approves merger of Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda
- RBI forms expert committee to rejuvenate MSMEs
- The Asia competitiveness institute (ACI) has released the Ease of Doing Business Rankings for Indian states.Andhra Pradesh came on first position while Maharashtra and Delhi came on second and third position respectively
- India to become world's third largest consumer market by 2030: WEF
- BHEL and LIBCOIN to Build India’s First Lithium Ion Giga Factory
- Bihar has been ranked the top state in terms of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) growth in financial year 2017-18, according to a report by Crisil.
- SBI Card and Etihad Guest, have joined hands to launch a travel specific Visa credit card for members and Indian travellers.
- Brazil's Bolsonaro takes oath as President
- General Manager of South Central Railway, Vinod Kumar Yadav, has been appointed as Chairman of Railway Board and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India.
- IPS Kumar Rajesh Chandra appointed as Director-General of SSB
- India born Gita Gopinath joins IMF as Chief Economist
- IndiGo appoints Ronojoy Dutta as CEO
- Dilip Sadarangani is appointed as the chairman of Federal Bank
- Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar assumes charge as Vice Chief of Naval Staff
- Veterans Asha Parekh, Farooque Shaikh will be honoured by Bimal Roy Memorial and Film Society
- Exhibitor of the Year Award for DRDO at 106th Indian Science Congress
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award, at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi.
- Namita Gokhale awarded Sushila Devi Literature Award for her work “Things to Leave Behind”.
- Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 announced Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for the year 2015 for their contribution in Rural Development, Education, Development of natural resources For 2016 jointly to AkshayaPatra Foundation for its contribution in providing mid-day meals to millions of children across India and Sulabh International for its contribution in improving the condition of sanitation in India and emancipation of manual scavengers. EkalAbhiyan Trust for the year 2017 for their contribution in providing Education for Rural and Tribal Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gender and Social Equality .Shri YoheiSasakawa for the year 2018 for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world.
- Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian athlete to be nominated in Laureus World Comeback of Year Award
- Bharat Ratna CNR Rao chosen for Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials
- US-based Indian poet Ranjani Murali received the 'Woman's Voice Award' at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF).
- BJP MP Anurag Thakur honoured with Sansad Ratna Award
- The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind confered the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2019 at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
- Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Presents Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) Awards
- Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashashchandra awarded Saraswati Samman 2017
- Short film 'Period. End of Sentence' gets Oscars nomination
- Government institutes Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar.It will be announced every year on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
- Padma Awards 2019 announced.Recipients of Padma Vibhushan awards are as follows:Ms. Teejan Bai,Shri Ismail Omar Guelleh,Shri Anilkumar Manibhai Naik,Shri Balwant Moreshwar Purandare
- Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika to be conferred with Bharat Ratna
- NRL receives 'Best Miniratna PSU' award
- ICAR's 'Kisan Gandhi' tableau wins first prize at R-Day parade
- India bags the Award of Excellence for ‘Best in Show’ at New York Times Travel Show 2019
- 80th National Table Tennis Championship begins in Cuttack
- Head Constable Rani wins gold medal in Senior National's Judo C'Ship
- India thrash Thailand 4-1 in AFC Asian Cup
- India win first-ever cricket Test series in Australia
- Maharashtra to host 2nd edition of Khelo India Youth Games
- President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Birendra Prasad Baishya, has been named Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri receive honorary membership of Sydney Cricket Ground
- ten year old abhinav Shaw becomes youngest gold medallist in shooting
- Bengaluru Raptors win Premier Badminton League title
- Khelo India: Srihari Nataraj bags 7 Gold medals
- India's Ankita Raina has won the International Tennis Federation's Women's tournament in Singapore.
- Virat Kohli becomes first player ever to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year
- New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson won the Spirit of Cricket award
- Shami becomes fastest Indian to reach 100 ODI wickets
- South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of Cricket.
- Naomi Osaka wins Australian Open Grand Slam Singles title
- Saina Nehwal wins Indonesia Masters 2019
- The Velammal-AICF International Women Grand Master round-robin chess tournament begins in Chennai.
- Djokovic beats Nadal to win his seventh Australian Open title
- Kartik Sharma wins New South Wales men's Amateur Golf Championship
- ICC suspends Ambati Rayudu from bowling in International Cricket
