ONE LINER OF THE DAY 31th JAN 2018.

1.Sandeep Lamichhane became the first cricketer from Nepal to land a deal an IPL contract. He was picked by Delhi Daredevils in the player's auction. The 17-year-old, the only Nepal player in the IPL auction, was sold at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.

2.PM of Nepal : Sher Bahadur Deuba. President : Bidhya Devi Bhandari. Currency: Nepalese rupee.Capital: Kathmandu.

3.Yogi inaugurates Mahesra bridge connecting Nepal to east UP : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the long-awaited Mahesra over bridge at Sonauli-Gorakhpur National highway (NH80). The bridge would connect Gorakhpur and other east UP districts to Nepal. It will also become a major route for people going from Gorakhpur to Balrampur, Maharajganj and Gonda.

4.State Bank of India (SBI) announced signing of a Information Utility (IU) agreement with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL), the first information utility registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), to share financial and security information under IBBI (IU) regulation 2017.

5.The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, just upstream of Talwara. The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.

6.India’s GDP growth fell to 7.1% in 2016-17 from 8.2% in 2015-16: CSO.According to Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, in line with the earlier official estimate of the country’s GDP growth in the last fiscal, India’s gross domestic product during 2016-17 grew at 7.1 per cent.

7.State Bank of India is exploring the possibility of issuing credit cards to farmers.The bank along with SBI Card, a joint venture company between SBI and GE Capital, is currently issuing farmer’s credit cards on a pilot basis in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.According to Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, SBI, farmers currently have access only to Kisan Credit Card (KCC) which is more like a debit or RuPay card linked to loan account.

8.The Nathpa Jhakri Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh, India. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and it supplies a 1,500 megawatts  underground power station with water.

9.The 19th India International Watch & Clock Fair “Samaya Bharati 2018” was held in Mumbai. The Fair, a grand horological event, was organized by India’s leading watch & clock magazine “Trade Post” under the auspices of Watch Trade Federation and supported by other trade bodies.

10.The third indigenously-built diesel-electric Scorpene-class submarine, INS Karanj, has been launched at the Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.

The first of the vessels, INS Kalvari, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 14, 2017 while the second, INS Kandhari was launched in January of that year and is undergoing sea trials.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 30th JAN 2018.

1.The album ‘24K Magic’ by Bruno Mars won seven awards including the Album of the Year and Best R&B Album at the 60th Grammy Awards this year.His single ‘That’s What I Like’ was named Song of the Year.

2.Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle will be given the 'Yash Chopra Memorial Award'. She will be the fifth winner of the award. The name of Asha Bhosle is in the Guinness World Records for recording over 11,000 songs in 20 different languages. The award will be presented to Asha Bhosle in February 2018. The award has been instituted by the TSR Foundation of T. Subbarami Reddy in memory of producer-director Yash Chopra, who died in 2012.

3.In accordance with the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary of Chhattisgarh was established in the year 1975.

4.Former world number 1 badminton player Prakash Padukone was conferred BAI’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution to the sport.He was conferred the award in the presence of his family and several top badminton players.

5.Union Information Technology and Electronics Ministry launched the Stree Swabhiman Initiative to ensure and maintain perfect health for Women and maintain Health Hygiene.The initiative was launched in partnership with Common Service Centres (CSCs).Jagat Prakash Nadda Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

6.In India, there are several days declared as Martyrs' Day (at national level also known as Sarvodaya day). They are named in honour of those who are recognised as martyrs for the nation.

30 January is the date observed at the national level. The date was chosen as it marks the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1948, by Nathuram Godse.

The anniversary of the deaths of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru on 23 March, 1931, is declared to be Martyr's Day.

India observes 21 October, the Police Commemoration Day.

Orissa observes 17 November, the death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai (1865–1928), the "Lion of Punjab", a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj.The birthday of Rani Lakshmibai, 

19 November,1828, queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi, is observed as Martyrs' Day in the region, and honours those who gave their lives in the rebellion of 1857, of which she was a leading figure.

7.Ajay Bhushan Pandey, UIDAI CEO, said that there hasn’t been a single incident of Aadhar data breach or data theft in seven years, during a live Q&A session on Twitter.He also added that the best technologies from different companies have been used for data protection.

8. India has 21 million ‘unwanted’ girls : Economic SurveyThere are unwanted girls because couples keep having children until they produce a desired number of sons.The survey further acknowledged that the government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana scheme are all steps in the right direction.

9.Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao  is a social campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls. The scheme was launched with an initial funding of ₹100 crore (US$16 million). It has been the target of fraudsters in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar and Delhi. Launched : 22nd Jan 2015.

Sukanya Samriddhi Account (literally Girl Child Prosperity Account) is a Government of India backed saving scheme targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme encourages parents to build a fund for the future education and marriage expenses for their female child.The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra modi on 22 January 2015 as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. 

10.According to census data, the child sex ratio (0–6 years) in India was 933 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. A 2012 UNICEF report ranked India 41st among 195 countries. In the Population Census of 2011 it was revealed that the population ratio of India 2011 is 943 females per 1000 of males. The Sex Ratio 2011 shows an upward trend from the census 2001 data.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 29th JAN 2018.

1.India to host informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March : Trade ministers from various countries including Australia, Japan and Switzerland met for an informal WTO ministerial gathering in Davos to discuss the way forward for the global trade organisation.In this context, India announced that it will host an informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March. The meeting would be held in New Delhi on March 19-20.

2.India’s best marine products will be showcased for buyers from around the world at the 21st edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS) in Goa from January 27-29, while industry leaders and experts will deliberate on policies, market trends, technology and roadmaps to achieving an export target of US$10 billion by 2022.

3.One of the highest food producers- India stands on the 100th rank for the title ‘Hungry’. Out of 119, India stood on 100th rank which is disturbing for the nation with the highest population. ‘Global Hunger Index’ carried out by International Food Policy Research Institute chalked out nations that fall under ‘Starving’ category.  The 100 out of 119 countries on the GHI, while last year it was at 97 out of 118. Even though India’s 2017 GHI score—31.4—has improved over the years, its hunger problem remains categorized as “serious.” The rankings are based on four indicators: undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting, and child stunting. A GHI score of between 20 and 34.9 points reflects serious hunger levels; between 35 and 49.9, it is alarming, and extremely alarming if over 50.

4.The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne Park, Australia.  The 2018 Australian Open is the 106th edition of the tournament. Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in the final. It was Federer's 20th Grand Slam title. In women's' single, Caroline Wozniacki became the first Danish player to win a Grand Slam singles title, defeating Simona Halep in the final.

5.Ntangki National Park is located in small district Peren 35 kilometers from the busiest city of Nagaland, Dimapur.CM : T. R. Zeliang /  Capital : Kohima.

6.India Economic Survey is out. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has tabled the Modi government’s Economic Survey 2017-18 in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha of Parliament on Monday. Ahead of the Union Budget 2018,  India’s GDP is estimated at 7-7.5% in Economic Survey 2018. In FY18, the GDP was 6.75% .The Economic Survey 2017-18 in indiabudget.nic.in has stated that current high crude price is a matter of concern. Economic Survey 2018 prepared by Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian.

7.PulieBadze Wildlife Sanctuary is an important reserve in Kohima Town. With an area of 9.23 sq km it is adjacent to the two renounced peaks Dzukou Valley and Japhu Peak of Nagaland.

8.The world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan defeated Saina Nehwal in the finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta.

9.Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.The Khadi Haat was inaugurated on January 25 by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place here in presence of New Delhi Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Lekhi, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena, NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar and noted fashion designer Ritu Beri among others.

10.UAE based Lulu group inked three MoUs with Telangana government with an aim to develop retail and food processing industry in the state. Lulu Group- largest employer in UAE is being promoted by NRI businessman Yusuffali MA.  Under the MoUs, Lulu will invest an amount of USD 400 million (Rs 2,500 Crores) to construct 1.8 million square feet area of the mega shopping mall, set up food processing plant and a logistics and export processing unit for fruit and vegetables. The foundation stone will be laid within next three months by the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, it said adding approximately 6,000 people will get employment.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 28th JAN 2018.

1. India and Vietnam released first ever set of commemorative postage stamps to mark the long-term friendly bilateral relationships between the two countries.The stamp was released by AN Nanda, Secretary, Department of Posts. The two set of stamps released carry picture of Sanchi Stupa and Thien Mu Pagoda.

2.Talcher Super Thermal Power Station or NTPC Talcher Kaniha, located in the Angul district of Odisha, is a 3,000MW coal-fired power plant owned and operated by NTPC.

3.Indian Railways has launched a one-of-its-kind touch-screen kiosk as a single-point inquiry station at New Delhi railway station.It comprises of touch-screen kiosks with a 40-inch display of 3D-digitized railway station map & helps the passenger at the touch of the screen.It will answer all queries of passengers including navigation for accessing various facilities available at the station.

4.Mobile wallet Paytm platform would invest ₹500 crore in 2018 to conduct merchant training and awareness initiatives to scale up its operations across the country.Paytm is hoping to cover one crore merchants across the country in the next 3-6 months from the existing 60 lakh merchant partners for the Quick Response (QR) code-based payments.Company’s QR-based payment solution supports all payment methods including credit or debit cards, net banking, Paytm-BHIM UPI and its wallet.

5.Since demonetization of old currency notes the Government of India has been making a big push for digital payments. To encourage cashless transactions and to promote Digital India initiative, the Government of India has launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for smartphones and for basic and feature phones it has introduced Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). The Government has also introduced BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) app which is a unified UPI app. Another introduction by the Government is the Aadhaar Pay that enables the people to make cashless money transactions using Aadhaar Card and their fingerprint for biometric authentication. To make the payments process easier the Government of India has now launched the Bharat QR Code payments transfer mechanism for cashless electronics payments.

6.Bharat QR Code will make use of QR codes system for payments across merchant outlets. QR code or Quick Response code is a two-dimensional machine-readable code that is made up of black and white squares. It is used to store URLs and other information. These can be read by the camera of a smartphone.According to RBI, the Bharat QR Code is the world’s first inter-operable payment acceptance solution. Bharat QR code aims at standardizing the QR code payment method through the country. Payment networks such as MasterCard, American Express and Visa have collaborated with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch and promote the Bharat QR payment method. However, different merchant outlets across the country uses different QR codes.

7.Kolkata has become the first Indian Metro to get a Floating Market. The market will be located on a water-body with boats doubling up as shops. The market, located on the eastern fringes of the city, was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.The aim is to rehabilitate over 200 shopkeepers from a nearby market that was demolished for the widening of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The market will host at least 114 boats, each one accommodating two shops.

8.Airports Authority of India has signed an agreement with Lao Air Traffic Management, Department of Civil Aviation for providing “SkyRev360”.SkyRev360 is a comprehensive e-data gathering, invoicing and collection system.SkyRev360 has been developed in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the Government of India’s Make in India initiative.

9.Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app, which comes with a panic button, for women’s safety here. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh government.Once triggered, the app would automatically send a message to the nearest police control room and start recording audio and video after 20 seconds.

10.UN International Fund for Agricultural Development & Indian govt has signed $168mn pact to raise incomes & food security for tribal farming households in northeast India.Target population is smallholder farmers who depend on rain-fed agriculture & shifting cultivation system – Jhum for their livelihoods.It will help rural farming households in tribal villages located in Mizoram & Nagaland.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 27th JAN 2018.

1.Delhi won their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after beating Rajasthan by 41 runs in the final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

2.India and Cambodia signed an MoU on the prevention of human trafficking under which the two countries will seek to increase bilateral cooperation on the issues of prevention, rescue and repatriation related to human trafficking.They also inked a pact for cultural exchanges through 2018-2020.Cambodia PM : Samdech Hun Sen. Capital : Phnom Penh , Currency : Rial.

3.India and Cambodia today inked  pacts, including one to improve cooperation in prevention, investigation of crimes and legal assistance in criminal matters, besides a line of credit from India to fund Cambodia's Stung Sva Hab water resources development project for USD 36.92 million.The pacts were signed after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Hun Sen, who agreed to further enhance bilateral defence ties, including through exchanges of senior-level defence personnel and capacity building projects.The two leaders also discussed exploring ways to intensify the development partnership and boost ties in key sectors, including trade and investment, energy conservation, agriculture, and tourism and culture.

4.The Country celebrates its 69th Republic Day on 26th January in Rajpath, New Delhi to be resplendently displaying the country's pride and glory. Heads of 10 ASEAN countries are chief guests at Republic Day.The family members of Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala (Posthumous) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), who died fighting militants in Kashmir valley, received India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, Ashok Chakra. 

5.Noted Kannada actor Chandrashekhar popularly known as ‘Edakallu Guddada Mele’ Chandrashekhar, passed away in Canada.Chandrashekhar was debuted as a child artiste with Namma Makkalu in 1969 but got his big break from the film Edakallu Guddada Mele.

6.Book titled “Dilli Meri Dilli: Before and After 1998”, written by Sheila Dikshit, who was Chief Minister of Delhi for an uninterrupted 15 years, the book, with the help of rare and carefully curated photographs, offers an engrossing narrative about the journey of India’s capital city and its evolution over the centuries.

7.Vindhyachal Thermal Power Station is Located in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, with an installed capacity of 4,760MW.It is a coal-based power plant owned and operated by NTPC.

8.Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) (27 January) is a national commemoration day in the United Kingdom dedicated to the remembrance of those who suffered in The Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution, and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

9. The Central government on Friday said "Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks" will offer social security scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to their subscribers.

"To strengthen the existing channels of APY distribution, it is felt that these new Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks will provide a boost to the outreach of subscribers under APY," the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

According to the Ministry, currently there are 11 Payments Banks and 10 Small Finance Banks that have received license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start their operations.

"In order to familiarise these Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks in APY, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has conducted an Orientation Meeting on January 15, 2018 in New Delhi for all the Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks and discussed the implementation of Scheme in these banks".

10. Payments banks is a new model of banks conceptualised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These banks can accept a restricted deposit, which is currently limited to ₹1 lakh per customer and may be increased further. These banks cannot issue loans and credit cards. Both current account and savings accounts can be operated by such banks. Payments banks can issue services like ATM cards, debit cards, net-banking and mobile-banking. Bharti Airtel set up India's first live payments bank. The RBI will grant full licenses under Section 22 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, after it is satisfied that the conditions have been fulfilled.On 23 September 2013, Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households, headed by Nachiket Mor, was formed by the RBI.The minimum capital requirement is ₹100 crore. For the first five years, the stake of the promoter should remain at least 40%. Foreign share holding will be allowed in these banks as per the rules for FDI in private banks in India. The voting rights will be regulated by the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Small finance banks are a type of niche banks in India. Banks with a small finance bank license can provide basic banking service of acceptance of deposits and lending. The aim behind these to provide financial inclusion to sections of the economy not being served by other banks, such as small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entitiesThe firms must have a capital of ₹100 crore. Existing non-banking financial companies (NBFC), micro-finance institutions (MFI) and local area banks (LAB)[Local area banks are non scheduled banks.They were set up with the twin objectives of providing an institutional mechanism for promoting rural and semi urban savings and for providing credit for viable economic activities in the local areas.They were established as public limited companies in the private sector.They are promoted either by individuals, corporate, trusts or societies.They are governed by the provisions of Reserve Bank of India act 1934, Banking Regulation act 1949 and other relevant statutes.They are to be registered as public limited companies under the Indian companies act 1956

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 26th JAN 2018.

1.Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored 7 girls and 11 boys with the National Bravery Awards. Praising the resolve of the awardees. The children felicitated by him in the past hailed from "rural and simple background". The awardees include a 14-year-old Karnataka girl who died while trying to save two boys from drowning.

2.Usha Ananthasubramanian, managing director at Allahabad Bank has become the first woman chairman of the Indian Banks' Association, the 71-year old industry body for banks. IBA announced that its managing committee elected Ananthasubramanian as the chairman till August. She will be superannuating on August 31. 

3.India moved up on a global index of talent competitiveness to the 81st position, according to the Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum (WEF). Switzerland topped the list. India has improved its position from 92nd in 2017 on the index that measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent. Among BRICS countries, China has topped with 54th position. Among the countries, Switzerland is followed by Singapore and the US.

4.‘Father of South African jazz’, who had career spanning more than five decades, dies aged 78.South Africans have paid tribute to Hugh Masekela, the legendary jazz musician and activist.

5.Punjab chief minister  launched the release of benefits under 'Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana' aimed at the inclusive growth of the distressed sections of the society.


He appealed to the state's debt-ridden farmers not to commit suicide since his government was committed to the total implementation of its farm debt waiver scheme by November 2018.

6.Rakhi Halder created a new national record and en route to a gold medal in the 63kg women’s category in the 33rd Women Senior National Weightlifting Championships, in Mangaluru,.Rakhi lifted 128kgs for a total of 230kgs to create a new national record, bettering Karnam Malleswari’s feat (127kg) created in Athens in 1999.

7.The Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, and M/S IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd for construction of the 14.150  km long, 2-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir. This would be India’s longest road tunnel and the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia. The construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil, and Leh. The total capital cost of the project is Rs 6808.69 crore. The construction period of the project is seven years.

8.Cultural extravaganza Bharat Parv will be held at the Red Fort in Delhi as part of the Republic Day celebrations. The prime objective of the event is to promote rich cultural diversity of the country, generate a patriotic mood and to ensure wider participation of the general public. The Bharat Parv event includes a display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by Armed Forces Bands, Cultural Performances from a different region.

9.Anshi National Park  - Karnataka :This park is present in the Uttara Kannada district and spreads over an area of 250 km^2.

10. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed a MoU with SME Corporation Malaysia for the exchange of information and cooperation in areas such as policies to aid the development of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the two countries. Besides, three other agreements were also signed between Indian and Malaysian entities to strengthen cooperation among smaller businesses in these countries

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 25th JAN 2018.

1.National Voters Day is celebrated on January 25 of every year.  It has been commemorated throughout the State with the theme “Assessable Elections”. The day marks the foundation of the Election Commission of India established on 25th January 1950. The 8th National Voters’ Day is dedicated to those born in the year 2000 who completed 18 years this year on January 1 will become new voters. To increase awareness about the active participation in the electoral process, token award are given to new voters at some districts level by the states across the country. 

2.The government today announced four new schemes to promote young scientists and researchers in the country.  The1st Scheme : Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said the Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE) Scheme will connect the educators to leading public funded institutions like IIT, IISc or national institutions like CSIR to pursue research.They will be paid Rs 5 lakh yearly, and a monthly out- of-pocket expense of Rs 5,000. This will be in addition to the salary from their existing employer.

 The 2nd Scheme : Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship -- offers support to 100 PhD scholars for training in universities/laboratories abroad up to 12 months during their doctoral research.They would be given a monthly fellowship equivalent to USD 2,000, one-time contingency allowance of Rs 60,000 to cover travel and visa fee.

 The 3rd Scheme : Distinguished Investigator Award -- offers a maximum of 100 fellowships to principal investigators of Science and Engineering Research Board/Department of Science and Technology projects.The selected 100 researchers will be given a monthly fellowship of Rs 15,000 for three years and an optional research grant, based on peer review of the project proposal submitted.

The 4th Scheme : Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR)' aims to encourage science writing.The scheme seeks to tap the potential of over 20,000 PhD scholars in science to popularise and communicate their research outcome."The schemes focus on youth to empower, recognise and motivate them," Vardhan said, while announcing the new schemes.

3.The Union Government announced 88,139 crore rupees capital infusion in 20 public sector banks, PSBs, during the current fiscal ending 31st March to boost lending and revive growth. IDBI Bank will get the most- Rs10,610 crore followed by State Bank of India 8,800 crore rupees. The 20 banks that will receive the capital infusion during this phase include Bank of India, UCO Bank, and Punjab National Bank. In October last year, the government had announced over two lakh crore rupees bank recapitalization plan spread over spread over two financial years  2017-18 and 2018-19.

4.Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Shri Rakesh Srivastava launched the Management Information System (MIS) portal for Anganwadi Services Training Programme in New Delhi. The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC), has developed a Management Information System (MIS) portal for submitting applications/estimates by NGOs for carrying out Anganwadi Services (ICDS) Training through AWTCs/MLTCs. The first phase of the portal will enable NGOs to submit proposal to the respective States/UTs.

5.Indian Overseas Bank signed a MoU with National Housing Bank for the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme (RHISS) of the Ministry of Rural Development. The main aim of the RHISS is to prove a subsidy for housing loans taken by those living in rural areas for construction and modifications of their dwelling units. The interest subsidy under the scheme is 3 per cent for a loan amount of Rs2 lakh for 20-year tenure.   Indian Overseas Bank has become one of the first public sector banks to implement the scheme. The subsidy is offered at three per cent for a loan amount of Rs. 2 lakh and with a loan tenure of 20 years.

6.India’s first ever International Dam Safety Conference kicked off in Tiruvanantapuram inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Two-day conference aims to discuss several issues plaguing dam safety. Challenges in dam safety management across the globe, an overview of the centrally-funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project and World Bank initiatives are some of the issues that will be discussed at the conference. Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal will preside over the function.

7.Anamalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and previously as Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu state.

8.The Minister of State (IC), for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik laid the foundation stone for Central Research Institute (CRI) in Jaipur. This will be the third CRI under the aegis of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous body of Ministry of AYUSH for undertaking scientific research in Homoeopathy, with 23 institutes across the country.

9.Multilateral lending agency World Bank and India inked $ 120 million loan agreement which will help increase access to improved water supply services in peri-urban areas in Uttarakhand.The agreement was signed between Government of India, Government of Uttarakhand and World Bank Board.

10.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli. The award of merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities undertaken in the temple without in the least affecting its traditional splendor and Vedic rituals. It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams).

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 24th JAN 2018.

1.The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 km2, and located about 12 km from Kothamangalam (Kerala state, India), was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala.

2.According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is projected to grow at 7.4% in 2018 as against China’s 6.8%, making it the fastest growing country among the emerging economies. Due to demonetization and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), India’s economy slowed down a little bit to 6.7% in 2016.  In 2017, India’s growth rate dropped to 6.7%. In its latest World Economic Outlook update released in Davos, Switzerland on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, the IMF projected a 7.8% growth rate for India in 2019. 

3.The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the 2018 edition of the Women’s World T20 will be hosted by West Indies in November 2018. Hosts Windies will defend the title they won over Australia in Kolkata in 2016.  The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies through a bidding process and have been ratified by the ICC. 

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 23rd JAN 2018.

1.The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018, also known as CHOGM 2018 is the next and 25th meeting of the heads of government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It will be held in the United Kingdom.

2.First Post Office Passport Seva Kendra inaugurated by Sushma Swaraj.Smt. Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the first Post office Passport Seva Kendra(POPSK) of Puducherry at Karaikal.The POPSK at Karaikal is the 60th POPSK to have become functional since the launch of the scheme in January 2017.

3.Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. Mr. Rawat is the 22nd CEC of India. He succeeded Achal Kumar Joti. The government also appointed former finance secretary Ashok Lawasa as an Election Commissioner. Mr Rawat will take over the office from 23rd January 2018 onwards. Sunil Arora is the other Election Commissioner.

4.Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is a famous 481 km² located in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and Protected area in Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish-water eco-system in India after Chilka lake in Orissa.

5.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will host the 7^th OPEC International Seminar at the Imperial Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, on 20−21 June 2018 under the theme, ‘Petroleum – cooperation for a sustainable future’.

6.Valletta named European Capital of Culture.In a ceremony held, Valletta, the capital of Malta, was officially named European Capital of Culture 2018.The ‘European Capitals of Culture’ initiative aims to highlight the diversity of the European culture and to increase the citizens’ sense of belonging to a common cultural area.

7.Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary (also known as Vembanad Bird Sanctuary) is situated at Kumarakom in Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala, on the banks of Vembanad Lake.

8.‘Made in India’ luxury trains to reduce travel time by 20%.Two trains, called Train 18 and Train 20 have been designed by a Chennai factory and can run at a speed of up to 160 kmph.Train 18 is expected to be manufactured by June 2018.

9.Andhra Pradesh in the field of  Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Young cabinet Minister Nara Lokesh was conferred with the Dr. Kalam Innovation in Governance Award 2018. The award was given away by Rajya Sabha Secretary-General Desh Deepak Verma during the second edition of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Summit on innovation in governance. Expressing happiness over the development.

10.India-ASEAN business and investment conference held in New Delhi ahead of the landmark commemorative summit meeting on the 25th of January. In the conference, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu stresses enhanced connectivity via land to strengthen trade ties. Silver jubilee of India-ASEAN partnership is being celebrated in New Delhi on the 25th January with an unprecedented summit meet.