Current Affairs Today 20th & 21st January 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 20th & 21st Jan 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura celebrating statehood day on January 21

• Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura are celebrating their statehood day on January 21.
• On this day in 1972, all the three states became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

IIT Hyderabad launches India’s first B.Tech course in AI

• Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) launched 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.
• IIT-H is already offering an Masters in Technology programme in AI-Machine Learning (ML).
• Besides IIT, Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both of which are in the US, offer full-fledged B.Tech programmes in AI.
• The new course will have 20 seats and the eligibility is clearing the JEE-Advanced test.

Aparna Kumar becomes 1st woman IPS officer to reach South Pole

• Aparna Kumar has successfully reached the South Pole after covering 111 kilometres of walking on the snow.
• She also carried equipment weighing 35 Kilograms along with her.
• She has already scaled the top six mountain peaks of the six continents of the globe.
• She became the first woman IPS officer to reach the South Pole.

 2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 to be held in Goa from Jan 23

• The 2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 on the Regulation of Homeopathic Medical Products will be held in Goa from 23rd January.
• AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik will inaugurate the three day forum.
• 20 cuntries will participate in the event.
• This forum will strengthen regulatory framework worldwide, to assure that the users of Homoeopathy could have wider access to quality-assured homeopathic medicines

Indians over 65 and under 15 can now visit Nepal and Bhutan with Aadhaar

• Aadhaar cards are now valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 years travelling to Nepal and Bhutan, according to a Home Ministry communiqué.
• Indians other than those in the two age brackets will not be able to use Aadhaar to travel to the two neighbouring countries, for which no visas are needed, said the communiqué issued recently.
• Indian citizens going to Nepal and Bhutan don’t need a visa if they have a valid passport, a photo identity card issued by the government of India or an election ID card issued by the Election Commission, it added.
• Earlier, persons over 65 and under 15 could show their PAN card, driving licence, Central Government Health Service (CGHS) card or ration card, but not the Aadhaar, to prove their identity and visit the two countries

Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a celebratory day observed (starting in 2015) on 9 January by the Republic of India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India.
• The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.
• Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas began at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• Prime Minister of Mauritius,Pravind Jugnauth will be the chief guest. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Government signs agreements for Development Assistance Loans of Rs 3420 crore with JICA

• Japan will 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.
• The programme to promote SDGs in India focusses especially on social development.
• The loan agreements were signed between the Government of India and Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Nepal’s central bank bans use of Indian currency notes

• Nepal’s central bank has banned the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations.
• Under the new regulation issued, Nepali citizens cannot carry these denominations to countries other than India.
• Similarly, Nepalis are also not allowed to bring such notes from other countries. Indian notes of 100 or below, however, are allowed for trading and conversion.
• On December 13, the Nepal Cabinet had decided to publish the notification in the Nepal Gazette not to allow people to carry Indian currency notes above 100 denominations in Nepal.

Rio de Janeiro will be World Capital of Architecture for 2020: UNESCO

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro will be the World Capital of Architecture for 2020.
• Having defeated Paris and Melbourne, Rio will be the first city to receive the title under a program launched together by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) in November last year.
• The city will host the World Congress of UIA, in July 2020, an event that occurs every three years.
• According to UNESCO, the World Capital of Architecture is intended to become an international forum for debates about pressing global challenges from the perspectives of culture, cultural heritage, urban planning and architecture.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE

Himachal Pradesh approves 10% general category quota

• Himachal Pradesh has approved 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker sections in the general category, becoming the fourth state to do so.
• Gujarat, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh are the three other states to implement the reservation.
• The amendment was approved by the Parliament on January 9 and by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 12.

Jammu and Kashmir government sets up panel for school infrastructure

• The Jammu and Kashmir’s administration has set up a panel for implementation of saturation of toilets, drinking water and electricity in government schools in the state.
• The General Administrative Department (GAD) has ordered constitution of district-level committee on this issue.
• A five-member committee will be headed by the district development commissioner as chairman.
• The committee will prepare a detailed project report after undertaking actual assessment of deficient schools on the minimum requirement basis.
• The panel will monitor the works executed by different agencies, including public health engineering, power development department and engineering wing of the School Education Department and to ensure completion of works by February 28.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

India to surpass UK in world’s largest economy rankings in 2019: PwC

• India is likely to surpass the United Kingdom in the world’s largest economy rankings in 2019, to become world’s fifth largest economy, according to a report by global consultancy firm PwC.
• As per the report, while the UK and France have regularly switched places owing to similar levels of development and roughly equal populations, India’s climb up the rankings is likely to be permanent.
• PwC’s Global Economy Watch report projects real GDP growth of 1.6 per cent for the UK, 1.7 per cent for France and 7.6 per cent for India in 2019.
• According to World Bank data, India became the world’s sixth largest economy in 2017 surpassing France and was likely to go past the UK which stood at the fifth position.
• The US was the world’s largest economy with a size of 19.39 trillion dollars, followed by China at 12.23 trillion dollars at the second place in 2017.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS

Andry Rajoelina sworn in as President of Madagascar

• Andry Rajoelina was sworn in as President of Madagascar at capital city of Antananarivo.
• High Constitutional Court had declared him as winner of the Presidential election on 8th January with 55.66 percents of the votes.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Khelo India Youth Games: Maharashtra finish top with 228 medals

• The Khelo India Youth Games concluded in Pune with the hosts Maharashtra walking away with the overall trophy.
• They amassed 228 medals, comprising 85 gold, 62 silver and 81 bronze.
• Haryana, were second with 62 gold, 56 silver and 60 bronze for a total of 178 medals
• While Delhi were third with 48 gold, 37 silver and 51 bronze for a total of 136 medals
• The glittering Trophy was presented to the Maharashtra sportspersons and officials by Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar, and Maharashtra’s Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare, Vinod Tawde,  at a closing ceremony held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.

Ankita Raina wins ITF’s tournament in Singapore

• India’s Ankita Raina has won the International Tennis Federation’s 25,000-dollar Women’s tournament in Singapore.
• Ankita defeated top seed and world number 122 Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-2.
• She toppled four seeded players in the tournament to win her first title of the season and eighth overall.
• Ankita came into the tournament after competing at the Qualifiers of the ongoing Australian Open.
• She will play two more tournaments before gearing up for the Fed Cup, starting in the first week of next month at Astana, Kazakhstan.

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