Current Affairs Update – 28th January, 2016

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs of 28th January, 2016. These are Important for the upcoming LIC AAO 2016 Exam.

• The Union Cabinet on 27 January 2016 approved increase in
  the Authorized Share Capital of the National Scheduled Castes Finance and
  Development Corporation (NSFDC).
• The target of NSFDC for the year 2015-16 is to cover 63000
  beneficiaries.

• With this, the Authorized Share Capital of NSFDC is
  increased from 1000 crore rupees to 1200 crore rupees.
• The approval will enlarge the quantum of funds available for
  economic activities, better coverage and enhanced outreach to double the Below
  Poverty Line (DPL) Scheduled Caste beneficiaries.
• Enhancement of share capital would expand its ambit of
  coverage and increase disbursement of funds to larger sections of the
  economically deprived scheduled caste population.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 27
  January 2016 gave its approval for the Hybrid Annuity Model as one of the modes
  of delivery for implementing the Highway Projects.
• The main object of the approval is to revive highway
  projects in the country by making one more mode of delivery of highway
  projects.
• Under this model, the government will provide 40 percent of
  the project cost to the developer to start work while the remaining investment
  has to be made by the developer.

• By adopting the model as the mode of delivery, all major
  stakeholders in the PPP arrangement – the Authority, lender and the developer,
  concessionaire – will have an increased comfort level.
• The increased comfort level will result in revival of the
  sector through renewed interest of private developers/investors in highway projects
  and this will bring relief thereby to citizens/travellers in the area of a
  respective project.
• It will facilitate uplifting the socio-economic condition of
  the entire nation due to increased connectivity across the length and breadth
  of the country leading to enhanced economic activity.

• The list of 20 smart cities out of the 98 shortlisted for
  the ‘Smart Cities Mission’ was released on Thursday. These 20 cities will be
  the first to receive funds, thus kickstarting the process of developing them
  into ‘smart cities’. The next two years will see the inclusion of 40 and 38
  cities, respectively.
• A ‘smart city’ is an urban region that is highly advanced in
  terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and
  market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal
  infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents.
  There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to
  automated sensor networks and data centres.
• Of the 98 cities and towns that five years down will
  graduate into smart cities, 24 are capital cities, another 24 are business and
  industrial centres, 18 are culture and tourism influenced areas, five are port
  cities and three are education and health care hubs.

1. Bhubaneshwar
2. Pune
3. Jaipur
4. Surat
5. Kochi
6. NDMC (New Delhi)
7. Ahmedabad
8. Jabalpur
9. Vizag
10. Solapur
11. Devangere
12. Indore
13. Coimbatore
14. Kakinada
15. Belgaum
16. Udaipur
17. Guwahati
18. Chennai
19. Ludhiana
20. Bhopal

• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has
  signed cooperation pacts with its counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan
  for cyber security.
• CERT-In is the nodal agency responsible for dealing with
  cyber security threats.
• The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) will promote closer
  cooperation for exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution
  and prevention of security-related incidents between India and the three
  countries, according to an official statement.
• The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was on
  Wednesday apprised of the three MoUs which were signed last November and
  December.

• The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  Thaawarchand Gehlot on 27 January 2016 launched the National level Job portal
  www.disabilityjobs.gov.in for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
• The Ministry aims to carry out skill training programme for
  5 lakh Persons with Disabilities in next 3 years.

• It was developed by the National Handicapped Finance and
  Development Corporation (NHFDC).
• The PwDs can avail the different facilities like self
  employment loan, education loan, skill training, link to scholarships and
  information about jobs at this portal.
• It will empower persons with disabilities by providing them
  all desired information for employment opportunities on single window platform.

• Aparna Kumar, IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, on 17
  January 2016 became India’s first civil servant to scale Mount Vinson Massif,
  the highest peak in the Antarctica.
• She hoisted the Tricolour and the flag of the Uttar Pradesh
  Police Service on Mount Vinson Massif.
• She set out on the Antarctic expedition on 5 January 2016,
  accompanied by a 10-member team of mountaineers from various countries.

• In an attempt to prevent possible misuse, Railway Ministry
  has introduced new checks on booking of e-ticket and i-ticket through IRCTC
  website.
• Under the new provisions a maximum of six tickets can be
  booked online by an individual user in a month on IRCTC website. This new
  provision will come into effect from February 15, 2016.

• Individuals are allowed only two tickets per user-ID in a
  day from 8 am to 10 am.
• Individuals are allowed only two tickets per user-ID in a
  day for Tatkal booking from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.
• A maximum of 6 tickets can be booked online in a month by an
  individual.
• Quick Book Option is disabled from 08 am to 12 noon
• All types of ticketing agents (YTSK, RTSA, IRCTC agents
  etc.) have been debarred from booking tickets during the first thirty minutes
  of opening of booking i.e. from 08 am to 08:30 am for general bookings, and
  from 10 am to 10:30 am and 11:00 am to 11:30 am for Tatkal booking in AC and
  non-AC classes respectively.
• Booking is not allowed through e-wallet and cash cards from
  8 am to 12 noon.
• There is only one booking in one user login session except
  for return/onward journey between 08 am to 12 noon.

• WWF-India on 27 January 2016 claimed that they spotted the
  endangered snow leopards for the first time in the North Sikkim Plateau. The
  elusive snow leopard was found during its pilot project in which they installed
  camera traps in the region to understand the occurrence of snow leopards in the
  region.
• The camera traps helped them to yield results with the first
  photos of the species at four different locations in North Sikkim.
• Earlier, presence of snow leopards in the high altitudes of
  North Sikkim area were provided only by the yak herders, known as ‘Dokpas’, but
  these pictures have provided the first tangible evidence of their existence.

• Marking a “historic” change at International
  Monetary Fund (IMF), India, China and other emerging economies will now have
  more voting rights at the multilateral funding agency with the implementation
  of long pending quota reforms.
• For the first time, the four emerging economies — India
  China, Brazil and Russia — would be among the 10 largest members of the
  International Monetary Fund.
• Besides, more than 6% of quota shares would shift to dynamic
  emerging markets and developing countries. It would also mark the shift in
  shares from over-represented to under-represented IMF members.
• The much-awaited quota reforms, pending for many years, were
  approved by the US Congress in 2015. The 2010 Quota and Governance reforms were
  approved by the IMF’s Board of Governors in December 2010.

• The 1st Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum
  was held on 24 January 2016 in the Bahraini capital Manama.
• The meeting, which was opened by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister
  Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, was attended by Minister of External Affairs and
  Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj, foreign ministers of Arab States, and
  the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Nabil Elaraby.
• The meeting reviewed the achievements of the Arab-Indian
  cooperation since the establishment of the Arab-Indian Co-operation Forum in
  New Delhi in 2008 and adopted the Manama Declaration.

• Intelsat, the commercial satellite giant, on 27 January 2016
  announced that Inteslat 29e, the first of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput
  satellites, was successfully launched. The satellites were launched from French
  Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle.
• The high throughput platform should provide customers with
  superior connections at a lower cost.

• Indian lawyer and human rights defender Henri Tiphagne on 26
  January 2016 was selected for the 8th Human Rights Award by Amnesty
  International Germany.
• The award is a recognition of Tiphagne’s exceptional
  commitment to human rights. He will be conferred with the award at an official
  ceremony on 25 April 2016 at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin, Germany.
• Henri Tiphagne is the founder of the organization People’s
  Watch, one of the most notable human rights organizations in India.

• Rodney George Laver honoured with the Companion of the order
  of Australia on 26 January 2016 on the occasion of the Australia Day.
• He was conferred with the award for eminent service to
  tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at the national and international
  level, and as a role model for young sportsmen and women.
• He remains the only man to win the Grand Slam of all four
  major singles titles in the same year. He achieved this feat in 1962 before
  repeating it in 1969, the first full season of the Open era.

• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 27 January 2016
  presented the Raksha Mantri awards for excellence for the years 2012-13 and
  2013-14 in New Delhi.
• The awards are presented in recognition of exemplary
  performance amongst Ordnance Factories and the nine Defence Public Sector
  Undertakings (DPSUs).

1. Excellence in performance – BEL
2. Best performance in Exports – BEL

1. Excellence in performance – HAL
2. Best performance in Exports – BEML

• The Supreme Court on Thursday recalled its December 16 order
  appointing controversial Justice Virendra Singh, a former judge of Allahabad
  High Court as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh, and named another retired judge as
  the new ombudsman.
• While taking back its decision, the apex court appointed
  Justice Sanjay Mishra, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court as new
  Lokayukta of UP.
• Referring to the objections raised by the Chief Justice of
  the High Court on the name of Justice Singh, the bench said, .
• Earlier on December 16 last year, in an unusual order, the
  apex court had exercised its constitutional authority and appointed Justice
  Singh as Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta, while expressing dismay that its several
  orders directing to make appointment to the post had not been “heeded” by the
  constitutional functionaries —— the chief minister, the leader of opposition
  and the chief justice of the Allahabad high court.

• MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga has been appointed as a co-chair
  of American India Foundation (AIF), a nonprofit organisation that is devoted to
  accelerating social and economic change in India.
• In addition to his role at MasterCard, Banga is a member of
  President Barack Obama’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
• He serves on the board of directors of the US-India Business
  Council (USIBC), where he recently completed his tenure as its longest-serving
  chairman.
• He is also a member of the US-India CEO Forum.

• International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims
  of the Holocaust was observed on 27 January 2016 across the world. The day was
  proclaimed so by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The theme for the Holocaust remembrance and education
  activities in the year 2016 including the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony is The
  Holocaust and Human Dignity.

• Australian batsman David Warner on 27 January 2016 defeated
  captain Steve Smith for the prestigious Allan Border Medal for 2016.
• Warner polled 240 votes from players, umpires and media
  representatives to beat 2015 winner and skipper Steve Smith on 219. Pace bowler
  Mitchell Starc was third on 183 votes.
• Warner also won the Test Player of the Year Award with 30
  votes ahead of Smith on 24.
• One Day International Player of the Year award was conferred
  to Glenn Maxwell.

• 14-year old Ishika Shah on 26 January 2016 won the 12th
  Sub-Junior National Snooker championship title in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. To
  win the title, she defeated Anushi Seth by 50-2, 50-33 in the final match.
• To reach the finals, she defeated the defending champion
  Doyel Dey in the semi-final. Incidentally, Ishika lost the title to Doyel in
  the summit clash held in Kolkata in 2015.
• However, Doyel retained the sub-junior billiards title. The
  title was awarded to her when the original winner, Lahiri Sinapara, was found
  two months over-aged than the prescribed 18 years age limit.

• Matthew Mitcham, the Australian Olympic diving gold
  medalist, announced his retirement from the sport on 28 January 2016.
• Mitcham won the 10m platform at the 2008 Beijing Games, and
  also claimed gold in the 10m synchro platform at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
  Glasgow.
• His final dive at the Beijing Games remains the highest
  individual score in Olympic diving history. In the competition judges gave him
  perfect 10 in four out of seven 10m platform.

• Pakistan Opener Imran Farhat on 27 January 2016 retired from
  international cricket. He made the announcement after getting No-Objection
  Certificate from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
• With this, he would be eligible to play a T20 tournament for
  retired cricketers called Masters Champions League (MCL).
• It is the PCB’s policy that players who sign for the MCL
  have to completely retire from International Cricket. However, they can play
  the domestic cricket.

• Tennis’s governing bodies on 27 January 2016 constituted the
  Adam Lewis headed Independent Review Panel (IRP) to safeguard integrity in
  tennis.
• An announcement in this regard was made by the Chairmen and
  CEOs of the Governing Bodies of International Tennis – Association of Tennis
  Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis
  Federation (ITF) and the Grand Slam Board.
• The IRP was formed to review the functioning of the existing
  anti-corruption mechanisms and suggest measures to further safeguard the
  integrity of the game.

• A book on India’s partition and its fatal consequences has
  won a prestigious USD 5,000 prize in the US.
• Nisid Hajari’s book Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of
  India’s Partition won the 2016 William E Colby Award, a statement said.
• Midnight’s Furies, Hajari’s first book, covers the 1947
  partition of India and the violence that surrounded that event.
• Named after the former CIA director, William E Colby, the
  prize is awarded annually by Norwich University to a first-time author in
  recognition of a work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major
  contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations,
  or international affairs.

• The captain of the champion Indian basketball team in the
  first Asian Games in 1951, Ranbir Chopra, died on 25 January 2016 in
  Kapurthala, Punjab. He was 86.
• Chopra had been part of the Punjab team that won the
  national title in 1951 in Ludhiana. He was also the coach of the Indian team
  that toured Pakistan in 1962.

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