Current Affairs Today 26th & 27th January 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 26th and 27th January 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

• International Customs Day (ICD) is observed on 26 January every year.
• The nation celebrated the 71st Republic Day with a grand military parade and exhibition of its history, cultural diversity and strategic weaponry at the Rajpath, Delhi.
• International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is observed on 27 January 2020.
• A festival to celebrate the spirit of India “Bharat Parv 2020” has begun at Red Fort Ground in New Delhi.’Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ and ‘Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’.
• Government has launched a 24×7 helpline number to provide support regarding queries on novel coronavirus.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the National Cadet Corps, NCC rally at the Cariappa Parade ground in New Delhi tomorrow.
• The government today announced sale of 100 per cent stake in debt-laden Air India.
• The ‘Innovation Festival’ kicked off at the Science Centre in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The city’s second ‘mahila dakghar’ – post offices operated by women staffers was inaugurated by operations member, Department of Posts, Arundhaty Ghosh at Mahim Bazaar.
• Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Padi Yubbe outdoor stadium to the people of Lower Subansiri district.
• Ganga Yatra under Namami Gange mission begins on 27 January from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.
• Maharashtra government launched its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme.
• Chhattisgarh government launches ‘Malaria-free Bastar’ campaign
• Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn arrived in New Delhi today on a three-day visit to India.
• Sri Lankan government has thanked India for conferring Padma Shri award on two of their citizens, Dr. Vajira Chitrasena and late Prof. Indra Dassanayake.
• Nepal’s Central Bank is saddled with Rs 7 crore of demonetised Indian currency but India is not making “adjustments” to take back the notes, hoping the scrapped notes would be accepted by its neighbour.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 3rd Global Potato Conclave at Gandhinagar, Gujarat tomorrow through video conferencing.
• West Bengal emerged as the top State in vegetable production in 2018-19.
• During the visit of Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to India, 15 agreements were signed between India and Brazil in various fields on 25 January 2020.
• Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida was appointed as the head of future EU diplomatic mission to the UK after Brexit on 24 January.
• Former managing director (MD) and chief executive officer(CEO) of Punjab National Bank (PNB), Sunil Mehta, took over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
• Uttarakhand, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (in the institution category) and Kumar Munnan Singh (individual category) have been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020.
• The chairman of “The Hindu Group” N. Ram has been selected as the outstanding media person in a national award instituted by Kerala Media Academy.
• President Ram Nath Kovind awarded Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), President’s Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Services and Police Medal (PM) for Meritorious Services to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel on the occasion of Republic Day 2020.
• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Shri awards on the occasion of 71st Republic day on 26 January 2020.
• The 62nd annual Grammy Awards were presented in Los Angeles on 26 January 2020.
• Paleontologists have unveiled a remarkable new species of the meat-eating dinosaur at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
• National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
• Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passed away.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

International Customs Day is observed on 26 January

• International Customs Day (ICD) is observed on 26 January every year.
• The day recognizes the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security.
• The day marks the anniversary of the formation of the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC).
• On this day, the customs agencies hold employee appreciation events.
• The agencies recognize the custom officers for their exemplary service
• The day was instituted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1953 during the session of the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC)
• It was renamed as World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1994. WCO has 179 member countries.
• The day focuses on the working conditions and challenges that customs officers face in their jobs.

Extra Shots:

WCO: The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

• Headquarters location: Brussels, Belgium
• Secretary General: Kunio Mikuriya (January 2009 – present)
• Founded: 26 January 1952
• Formerly called: Customs Co-operation Council (CCC)
• Membership: 182 customs administrations
• Type of business: Intergovernmental organization

India celebrated its 71st Republic Day on 26^th January

• The nation celebrated the 71st Republic Day with a grand military parade and exhibition of its history, cultural diversity and strategic weaponry at the Rajpath, Delhi.
• This day is celebrated by all Indians and 26th of January has been declared as a national holiday by the government of India.
• The Republic Day ceremony commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to martyrs at the National War Memorial instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti.
• The National Flag was unfurled followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute.
• The chief guest for this year’s republic day parade is Brazilian president, Jair Messias Bolsonaro.
• For the first time, a contingent of women bikers of CRPF performed daredevil stunts.
• Jammu and Kashmir participated in the parade for the first time as a Union Territory.
• Meghalaya’s Tableau depicted the Double Decker Living Root Bridge which is a main tourist attraction of the state.
• Anti-satellite weapons: Mission Shakti, Army’s battle tank Bhishma was also showcased in the parade.

International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is observed on 27 January

• International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is observed on 27 January 2020.
• The observation this year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War, and the ending of the Holocaust.
• THEME: “75 years after Auschwitz – Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”.
• The theme aims to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

The spirit of India ‘Bharat Parv 2020’ begins at Red Fort

• A festival to celebrate the spirit of India “Bharat Parv 2020” has begun at Red Fort Ground in New Delhi.
• It will continue till 31st of this month.
• OBJECTIVE: to encourage people to visit different tourism places of the country and to inculcate the spirit of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’.
• THEME: ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ and ‘Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’.
• More than 50 food stalls, 79 handicrafts stalls and 27 theme pavilions have been setup.
• The entry to the event for the public is free, however, they have to carry identity card for the entry.

Government sets up 24×7 helpline number for queries on Coronavirus

• Government has launched a 24×7 helpline number to provide support regarding queries on novel coronavirus.
• Under the directions of Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) call centre, 91-11-23978046, has been made operational.

Extra Shots:

Coronavirus:

Coronavirus causes an infection in the nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most viruses in this family are not dangerous. But some types of the virus are serious and may lead to death. Coronavirus was first identified in the 1960s. This virus can infect both humans and animals. The virus spreads from the infected people through coughing, sneezing, touching an infected person’s hands or face, or by touching things that infected people have touched.

PM Modi to attend NCC rally in New Delhi tomorrow

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the National Cadet Corps, NCC rally at the Cariappa Parade ground in New Delhi
• At the event, Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour and review the March Past by the various NCC contingents.
• Along with a cultural performance, NCC cadets will present before the Prime Minister their capabilities in fields such as adventure sports, music and performance arts.
• Every year, hundreds of NCC cadets come to New Delhi for the Republic Day Camp.

Government announces sale of 100% stake in debt-laden Air India

• The government today announced sale of 100 per cent stake in debt-laden Air India.
• The government has set March 17, as the deadline for submitting an expression of interest.
• As part of the strategic disinvestment, Air India would also sell 100 percent stake in low-cost airline Air India Express and 50 per cent shareholding in joint venture AISATS.
• Management control of the airline would also be transferred to the successful bidder.

Extra Shots:

Air India: Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Air India Limited, a government-owned enterprise, and operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 94 domestic and international destinations.

• CEO: Pradeep Singh Kharola
• Parent organization: Air India Limited
• Headquarters: New Delhi

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

‘Innovation Festival’ begins in Arunachal Pradesh

• The ‘Innovation Festival’ kicked off at the Science Centre in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Innovation Festival, a 1st of its kind in the state
• ORGANIZED BY : the Arunachal Pradesh State Council for Science & Technology in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation.
• AIM: to foster the culture of innovation among all people of the state, especially in all the educational institutions.
• More than 50 innovations are put on display by students from various educational institutions
• The two-day programme will witness interaction sessions, technical session and discussion among the innovators.

Extra Shots:

Arunachal Pradesh:

• Capital: Itanagr
• Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
• Governor: B. D. Mishra
• Literacy Rate: 66.95%
• National Park: Mouling National Park, Namdapha National Park

Mumbai gets second all-women post office

• The city’s second ‘mahila dakghar’ – post offices operated by women staffers was inaugurated by operations member, Department of Posts, Arundhaty Ghosh at Mahim Bazaar.
• All the official positions at the post office, from postmaster in-charge to counter persons, will be managed by women.
• They will manage and supervise all types of work including, Savings Bank Counters, Multipurpose registration booking counters, Aadhaar Centre, India Posts Payment Bank and Treasury work.
• The post office located in West zone of Mumbai.
• A market place and residential area of Mahim Bazaar in Mahim where all kinds of postal services will be provided by staff.

Extra Shots:

Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• State Formed in: 1 May 1960
• Litracy Rate: 82.34%
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

Arunachal CM dedicates Padi Yubbe stadium to people

• Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Padi Yubbe outdoor stadium to the people of Lower Subansiri district.
• Named after the first cabinet minister from Apatani community, the stadium has a seating capacity of 4000.
• The chief minister also unveiled the memorial statue of Padi Yubbe.
• The Padi Yubbe Outdoor Stadium is the third after Pasighat and Daporijo to be completed and ready for use.
• Other big stadiums, in various stages of completion, are coming up at Chimpu near Itanagar, and Aalo (West Siang) and Tezu (Lohit).

Extra Shots:

Arunachal Pradesh:

• Capital: Itanagr
• Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
• Governor: B. D. Mishra
• Literacy Rate: 66.95%
• National Park: Mouling National Park, Namdapha National Park

Ganga Yatra under Namami Gange mission began on 27 Janury from Bijnor,UP

• Ganga Yatra under Namami Gange mission begins on 27 January from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.
• The yatra was launched by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan from Bijnor.
• AIM: to promote bio-diversity and to make the villages situated on the banks of the holy river more developed and prosperous.
• Participants: 8 Union ministers and many ministers of the State, incharge of the are participating in the 5-day Ganga Yatra.
• The main OBJECTIVE AND ACHIEVEMENTS of the programme are: Creating Sewerage Treatment Capacity, River Surface Cleaning, Creating River-Front Development, Bio-Diversity Conservation, Afforestation, Public Awareness, Industrial Effluent Monitoring, Ganga Gram

NAMAMI GANGE MISSION:

♦ The Namami Gange programme is an integrated mission for Ganga rejuvenation.

♦ The Flagship programme was approved by the Union Government in June 2014.

♦ The Centre allotted a budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore.

♦ The objective of the Namami Gange Mission is to provide comprehensive and sustainable solutions for major pollution hot spots along the stretch of 97 towns and 4,465 villages on the Ganga stem.

♦ In the Namami Gange programme, a total of 289 projects have so far been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 28,377 crore out of which 87 projects have been completed.

Note: Bijnor is a place where Ganga enters Uttar Pradesh. Ballia is a place where the Ganga river leaves the state to enter Bihar.

Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launches its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme

• Maharashtra government launched its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme.
• AIM: to provide a meal to the poor for just 10 rupees
• This scheme has been launched on a pilot basis.
• Under the scheme, thalis or lunch plates would be available to people at designated centres/ canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts.
• In Mumbai, district Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the “Shiv Bhojan Thali” canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital.
• A similar centre was unveiled by Tourism Minister and Mumbai suburban district Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray at the Collector’s office in Bandra.

Extra Shots:

Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• State Formed in: 1 May 1960
• Litracy Rate: 82.34%
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

Chhattisgarh government launches ‘Malaria-free Bastar’ campaign

• Bastar, the Red zone in south Chhattisgarh, is facing a different battle.
• The region which has so far not received the deserving attention, to fight the malaria menace, has the Annual Parasite Incidence (API) (malaria) of over 10—rated among the highest in the country.
• API-10 is equivalent to 10 confirmed cases per thousand population and Bastar is among the very few geographical locations endemic to malaria parasites—Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum.
• Going by the previous 3 years data, the prevalence of malaria cases recorded were highest during the months of January, July and November.
• So based on it, a three-phase ‘Malaria Free Bastar’ campaign would be carried out during these months so as to eliminate malarial parasites in its entirety.
• The state has now meticulously embarked upon a plan to eliminate Malaria from Bastar on mission mode through door-to-door ‘Mass Active Screening and Treatment’ process, which will continue till February 14 under the ‘Malaria-Free Bastar’ campaign.

Extra Shots:

Chhattisghar:

• Capital: Raipur
• Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel
• Governor: Anusuiya Uikey
• Literacy Rate: 60.21%
• National Park: Indravati (Kutru) National Park, Kanger Valley National Park, Guru Ghasi Das (Sanjay) National Park

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Minister of Foreign, European Affairs of Luxembourg arrives in New Delhi on 3-day visit to India

• Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn arrived in New Delhi today on a three-day visit to India.
• During his stay, Mr Asselborn will meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar tomorrow.
• He will visit Rajghat today to pay tributes to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.
• Mr Asselborn is also scheduled to address an event in New Delhi tomorrow.

Extra Shots:

Luxembourg (Capital/Currency): Luxembourg City/ Euro

• Prime Minister: Xavier Bettel

Sri Lankan govt thanks India for conferring Padma Shri award on two of their citizens

• Sri Lankan government has thanked India for conferring Padma Shri award on two of their citizens, Dr. Vajira Chitrasena and late Prof. Indra Dassanayake.
• Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a message that it is an honour to have two daughters of Sri Lanka, pioneers in their fields, being awarded with one of the highest civilian awards in India.
• He congratulated Dr. Chitrasena for being awarded on the occasion of 71st republic day of India.
• Vajira Chitrasena is considered a living legend of Sri Lankan dance at the age of 87. She has contributed to enriching India-Sri Lanka relations through the promotion of dance and blending the art forms of both countries especially the Kandyan and Odissi dance forms.
• Late Professor Indra Dassanayake was one of the pioneers to introduce and promote Hindi language in educational institutions of Sri Lanka. Because of her efforts, Hindi is taught in more than 80 institutions and schools of Sri Lanka apart from six major universities at present.

Extra Shots:

Sri Lanka(Capitals/Currency): Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte/Sri Lankan rupee.

• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
• President: Maithripala Sirisena

Nepal wants India to take back demonetised notes worth Rs 7 crore from its Central Bank

• Nepal’s Central Bank is saddled with Rs 7 crore of demonetised Indian currency but India is not making “adjustments” to take back the notes, hoping the scrapped notes would be accepted by its neighbour.
• The Indian government on November 8, 2016 announced the ban on old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to curb black money in the system.
• Around INR 7 crore (demonetised currency) is deposited in our Central Bank. It went through the banking channel, I don’t know why India is not making adjustment (in the matter)
• Of the Rs 15.41 lakh crore worth Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in circulation on November 8, 99.3 per cent or notes worth Rs 15.31 lakh crore have returned to the banking system.

Extra Shots:

Nepal (Capital/Currency): Kathmandu/ Nepalese rupee

• President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
• Vice President: Nanda Kishor Pun
• Prime Minister: Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

PM Modi to address 3rd Global Potato Conclave in Gujarat tomorrow via video conferencing

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 3rd Global Potato Conclave at Gandhinagar, Gujarat tomorrow through video conferencing.
• The conclave is the third in the series.
• During last two decades, two Global Potato Conferences were organized in 1999 and 2008.
• The three-day Conclave will provide an opportunity to bring all stakeholders at one common platform so that all the issues are discussed and future plans are made involving everyone related to the potato sector.
• ORGANIZED BY: Indian Potato Association in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi and ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla and International Potato Center, Lima, Peru.
• This mega event has three major components, The Potato Conference, The Agri Expo and Potato Field Day.
• It will have 10 themes out of which 8 themes are based on basic and applied research.
• Gujarat is one of the leading producers of Potato in the country. The State uses modern methods of agriculture like sprinkler and drip irrigation for cultivation.

Extra Shots:

Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• State formed on: 1 May 1960
• Literacy Rate: 79.31%
• National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch

RANKS AND INDICES

West Bengal: Highest Vegetable Producing Indian state in 2018-19

• West Bengal emerged as the top State in vegetable production in 2018-19.
• West Bengal has overtaken Uttar Pradesh.
• They produced 29.55 million tonnes (mt) of vegetables last year against 27.70 mt in the year before.
• Vegetable production in Uttar Pradesh came down to 27.71 mt in 2018-19 from 28.32 mt the previous year.
• Andhra Pradesh continued to hold on to the pole position in fruits with 17.61 mt, followed by Maharashtra (10.82 mt) and Uttar Pradesh (10.65 mt).

Extra Shots:

West Bengal:

• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamta Banerjee
• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• State Formed in: 1947
• Literacy Rate: 76.26%
• National Park: Buxa National Park, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Sunderban National Park, Jaldapara National Park

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

India signs 15 MoU with Brazil including Cyber Security

• During the visit of Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to India, 15 agreements were signed between India and Brazil in various fields on 25 January 2020.

The MoUs are:

1) MoU on Bioenergy Cooperation

2) MoU for Cooperation in the field of Oil and Natural Gas

3) Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty

4) Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters

5) MoU in the field of Early Childhood

6) MoU on Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine

7) MoU in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.

8) Cultural Exchange Programme for the period 2020-2024

9) Agreement on Social Security

10) MoU on Cooperation between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) of India and the General Coordination of Network Incident Treatment Centre, Department of Information Security, Institutional Security, Cabinet of the Presidency of Brazil (CGCTIR/DSI/GSI) on cooperation in the area of Cyber Security

11) Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation for implementing the agreement on scientific and technological cooperation for the period 2020-2023

12) MoU on Cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources

13) MoU between Invest India and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency

14) Joint Declaration of Intent (DoI) for Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

15) MoU for establishing a nodal institution in India to carry out research on Bioenergy

Extra Shots:

Brazil (Capital/Currency): Brasilia/ Brazilian real

• President: Jair Bolsonaro

APPOINTMENT

Diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida is appointed as first post-Brexit UK ambassador

• Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida was appointed as the head of future EU diplomatic mission to the UK after Brexit on 24 January.
• The UK’s exit was scheduled for 31 January 2020.
• Almeida will head the first EU delegation to the UK as of the first day of February.
• Joao Vale de Almeida is an experienced EU diplomat

Sunil Mehta got appointed as Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association

• Former managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Punjab National Bank (PNB), Sunil Mehta, took over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
• Mehta will replace VG Kannan, who resigned from office as chief executive of IBA on December 31, 2019.

Extra Shots:

IBA: Indian Banks’ Association, formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India – an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai.

• CEO: V. G. Kannan
• Headquarters location: Mumbai
• Founded: 26 September 1946

AWARDS

Uttarakhand’s DMMC selected for S. C. Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020

• Uttarakhand, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (in the institution category) and Kumar Munnan Singh (individual category) have been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020.
• This award is given for their commendable work in Disaster Management.

Extra Shots:

Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar

The award was instituted to recognise the excellent work done by individuals and institutions in India in the field of disaster management. It is announced every year on January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The winner institution receives a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh and the money is to be used disaster management-related activities only. In the case of the winner being an individual, the person gets a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

The Hindu Group chairman N. Ram selected for Kerala National Media Award

• The chairman of “The Hindu Group” Ram has been selected as the outstanding media person in a national award instituted by Kerala Media Academy.
• The award was instituted for fearless and brilliant journalistic work at a national level.
• The award carrying a cash prize of Rs1 lakh, citation and sculpture were announced as part of the academy’s 40th-anniversary celebration.

Extra Shots:

The Hindu Group is a publishing company located in Chennai. The initial publication of The Hindu Group was The Hindu, a daily newspaper that began as a weekly in 1878.

• Headquarters location: Chennai
• Founded: 1878

President Kovind awarded Police Medal for Gallantry for RPF, RPSF

• President Ram Nath Kovind awarded Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), President’s Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Services and Police Medal (PM) for Meritorious Services to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel on the occasion of Republic Day 2020.

The awardees are:

Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG):

• Late Shri Jagbir Singh Rana

President’s Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Service:

• Shri Ambika Nath Mishra, Shri Bharat Singh Meena

Police Medal (PM) for Meritorious Service:

• Yugal Kishore Joshi, Anil Kumar Sharma, P. P. Joy, Deep Chandra Arya, T. Chandrasekhar Reddy, K. Chakravarthi, Satish Ingle, Deo Kumar Gond, G. S. Vijaykumar, D. Balasubrahmanyam, Mahfajul Haque, Darshan Lal, Nemee Chand Saini, Alok Kumar Chatterjee, Ashok Kumar Yadav.

Padma Awards 2020-Full list

• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Shri awards on the occasion of 71st Republic day on 26 January 2020.

The three categories of one of the highest civilian Awards of the country are:

1) Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service

2) Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order

3) Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field

• In 2020, the President has approved the conferment of 141 Padma Awards. In the duo case, the award is counted as one.

The detail lists of Awardees are listed below:

PADMA VIBHUSHAN: A total of 7 Padma Vibhushan awards were presented.

NAME	FIELD	STATE/COUNTRY
George Fernandes (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Bihar
Arun Jaitley (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Delhi
Sri Vishveshateertha Swamiji Sri Pejavara Adhokhaja Matha Udupi (Posthumous)	Others-Spiritualism	Karnataka
Sir Anerood Jugnauth	Public Affairs	Mauritius
M. C. Mary Kom	Sports	Manipur
Chhannulal Mishra	Art	Uttar Pradesh
Sushma Swaraj (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Delhi

 

PADMA BHUSHAN:A total of 16 Padma Vibhushan awards were presented.

NAME	FIELD	STATE/COUNTRY
Neelakanta Ramakrishna Madhava Menon (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Kerala
Syed Muazzem Ali (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Bangladesh
Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Goa
Krishnammal Jagannathan	Social Work	TamilNadu
Muzaffar Hussain Baig	Public Affairs	Jammu and Kashmir
Ajoy Chakravorty	Art	West Bengal
Manoj Das	Literature and Education	Puducherry
Balkrishna Doshi	Others-Architecture	Gujarat
S. C. Jamir	Public Affairs	Nagaland
Anil Prakash Joshi	Social Work	Uttarakhand
Dr. Tsering Landol	Medicine	Ladakh
Anand Mahindra	Trade and Industry	Maharashtra
Prof. Jagdish Sheth	Literature and Education	USA
P. V. Sindhu	Sports	Telangana
Venu Srinivasan	Trade and Industry	TamilNadu

 

PADMA SHRI: A total of 118 Padma Vibhushan awards were presented.

Grammy winners 2020 list

• The 62nd annual Grammy Awards were presented in Los Angeles on 26 January 2020.
• The ceremony was billed as music’s biggest night.
• The winners were awarded in more than 80 categories.

The top award winners are listed below:

FIELD	WINNER
Record of the Year	Bad Guy, Billie Eilish
Album of the year	When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go, Billie Eilish
Song of the year	Bad Guy, Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell
Best new artist	Billie Eilish
Best country album	While I’m Livin’, Tanya Tucker
Best rap album	“Igor,” Tyler, The Creator
Best Folk Album	Patty Griffin
Best Country Solo Performance	“Ride Me Back Home,” Willie Nelson
Best Music Video	Old Town Road
Best Rock Album	Social Cues ,Cage The Elephant

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Researchers discovered a new species of Allosaurus in Utah

• Paleontologists have unveiled a remarkable new species of the meat-eating dinosaur at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
• It is suspected that the species must have evolved at least 5 million years earlier than fragilis.
• The new meat-eating species has been named dinosaur Allosaurus jimmadseni.
• Allosauroids are a group of small to large-bodied, two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous periods.

OBITUARIES

NBA legend Kobe Bryant passes away

• National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
• Bryant was a 5-time NBA champion and 2-time Olympic gold medallist is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history.

Extra Shots:

NBA: The National Basketball Association is a men’s professional basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams. It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.

• Commissioner: Adam Silver Trending
• Current champion: Toronto Raptors
• Number of teams: 30
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passes away

• Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passed away.
• He was awarded Senior Fellowship in Visual Art Photography by Union Ministry of Culture during 2008-09.
• He received a gold medal in painting from Queens College, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) & Rajiv Gandhi Foundation award for his photography and painting.

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