ONE LINER OF THE DAY 31st JAN 2020

1.Indian-origin Arvind Krishna has been appointed as the new CEO of American IT giant IBM, succeeding Ginni Rometty. The 57-year-old Arvind will take over on April 6. Rometty had been IBM's Chairman, President and CEO, will retire after almost 40 years.Krishna joined IBM at the end of 1990.

2.Industry body FICCI said its Economic Outlook Survey has projected the country's annual median GDP growth for 2019-20 at 5%, in line with the forecasts made by NSO. Survey has put the growth forecast for agriculture & allied activities at 2.6% for 2019-20.Industry & services sector forecasts are at 3.5% & 7.2%.

3.Assam has emerged as the top state in terms of best practices followed in budget formulation, followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, says a survey by Transparency International. The states which figured lower in the ranking were Goa, Maharashtra & Punjab.The survey was based on four parameters.

4.Kotak Mahindra Bank said the RBI accepted promoters' voting rights to be capped at 20% till March. The RBI's licensing rules mandate a private bank's promoter to pare holding to 40% within 3 years, 20 percent in 10 years and 15 percent within 15 years.Voting rights in the bank will be capped to 15% from April 1.

5.Wipro Ltd said its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Abidali Z Neemuchwala has decided to step down due to family commitments. Abid helped to build a strong execution mindset, drove key acquisitions and scaled the Digital business globally.Wipro is headquartered in Bangalore.

6.As a part of improving service levels & operating efficiency, Indian Railways is executing Automatic Identification and Data Collection of Rolling Stock (RFID Project). It aims to automatically & accurately track rolling stock as they move in the country.RFID tags can be used in all locations in the country.

7.Government has restored 2% additional duty incentive on mobile phones export with a view to boost shipments of the product, announced commerce ministry. The duty benefit under the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) is effective from January 1.Benefit will be there till March 31, 2020.

8.OPPO, the global smartphone brand, and IIT-Hyderabad have joined hands to take up joint R & D projects in advanced and emerging technologies. The areas identified are battery, camera & image processing, networks (5G), system performance & AI among others.They signed the partnership for two years.

9.TERI’s World Sustainable Development Summit 2020 on ‘Energy Future Road Map’ held in New Delhi. Started in 2001, the Summit has become a focal point for leaders and stakeholders across the world to bridge thought and action for sustainable development.The WSDS is the annual flagship event of TERI.

10.Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the meeting of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) in New Delhi. The membership of National Commission consists of members of 5 Sub Commissions.Reconstituted National Commission has met for the first time.

11.The Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Ashutosh Sharma inaugurated the Phase-II of the Digital Gandhi Gyan Vigyan Exhibition on Martyr's Day. The Exhibition showcased Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality events related to the life of Gandhi.It is in alliance with M/s Vizara Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Delhi.

12.Telangana has emerged as the best performing state in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2019, according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India.It has improved its performance over 2018 in 8 out of 17 SDGs..

13.Chandauli district in Uttar Pradesh has topped the list of aspirational districts ranked by the government think tank Niti Aayog in December. Belangir (Odisha) and YSR (Andhra Pradesh) have been placed at the second and third positions, respectively..Sahibganj (Jharkhand) has been ranked at the fourth spot.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 30th JAN 2020

1.ICICI Bank, announced the launch of a unique self-service delivery facility,called 'iBox', enabling its customers to collect their deliverables such as debit card, credit card, cheque book and returned-cheques from a branch close to their home or office.Sandeep Batra, President, ICICI Bank

2.Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra ,22 has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86 metres at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa. He missed the IAAF World Championships, the Diamond League and the Asian Championships.He is Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

3.The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched two police-related, citizen-centric services on the Crime and CCTNS platform which will help people in searching for missing persons and generating vehicle NOC (No Objection Certificates).Can be accessed through-''digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in''.

4.Tata AIG and Drone Federation of India (DFI) have collaborated to create insurance products and services for the Drone Industry. DGCA regulations make insurance mandatory during operation of remotely piloted aircraft systems.Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

5.India topped the TomTom Traffic Index 2019 with 4 of its cities amongst the 10 most congested cities globally. Bengaluru (71%), Mumbai (65%), Pune (59%) & New Delhi (56%) ranks 1st, 4th, 5th & 8th respectively. Manila from the Philippines ranked second.Bengaluru's heaviest congestion (81%), recorded on Oct 23,2019.

6.The European Parliament gave its final approval to Britain’s divorce deal from the bloc, paving the way for Brexit to take place. The chamber broke into singing Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scottish song to bid farewell.UK govt. formally announced the country's withdrawal- March 2017.

7.Google Pay announced that it has added a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) feature that will let them link FASTag accounts to the Google Pay app and recharge and track their payments. FASTag is an electronic toll collection system.FASTag operated by the National Highway Authority of India.

8.RBI has imposed a penalty of ₹1 crore on HDFC Bank for non-compliance with its KYC norms.it has imposed the penalty in exercise of powers under the provisions of section 47 A (1) (c) read with section 46 (4) (i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.HDFC Bank longest-serving chief Aditya Puri.

9.As per latest depositories data, Foreign portfolio investors put-in a net of 13,304 crore rupees, in equities and withdrew a net 11,680 crore rupees from the debt segment between January 1 and 24. This translates into a total net inflow of ₹1,624 crore.FPIs can now invest in exchange traded funds or ETFs.

10.The State Bank of India (SBI) has become the lead financier for the first two phases of the Navi Mumbai Airport project. It will contribute around Rs 4,500 crore of the total funding required for the airport project, which stands at Rs 16,000-crore.GVK group will spend Rs 8500 Cr on Navi Mumbai airport phase-I.

11.On the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, India observes Martyrs’ Day every year to pay homage to the contribution of Gandhiji towards the building of the nation. On Jan 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated .March 23 is also marked as Martyrs’ Day.Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize five times.

12.World NTD Day was announced by the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum. Since then, more than 300+ partners around the world have signed on to celebrate the Day. The day creates awareness in addressing the tropical diseases.NTD affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 29th JAN 2020

1.Qatar appointed a new Prime Minister replacing Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani has been named as the new Prime Minister. The new PM had been the head of the Amiri Diwan, the emir's office.Qatar Capital-Doha, Currency-Riyal.

2.UK government has launched about Rs 37 Cr fund in India to support collaborative research into emerging technologies. Fund will encourage industry & academia to collaborate & develop tech solutions for social, economic & environmental challenges in India.Focus is on AI in Karnataka & future mobility in Maharashtra.

3.Britain unveiled a new 50 pence coin minted to mark the country’s departure from the European Union, which bears the inscription “Peace, prosperity & friendship with all nations” and the Brexit date of 31 January 2020. Britain Finance Minister-Sajid Javid.Britain Capital-London, Currency- Pound Sterling.

4.Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India's Ambassador to US, External Affairs ministry said. He is a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer & is currently posted as High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka. He replaces Harsh Vardhan Shringla.Shringla has been named as India's next foreign secretary.

5.Letter of Engagement of NTPC as PMC for development about 300 MW Solar Power Projects by Togo was handed over. Tongo has been requesting assistance of ISA for enhancing Solar capacity in the Country, to achieve goal of universal electricity access by 2030.ISA-International Solar Alliance.

6.Indian Navy Ship Airavat has been diverted to Madagascar to undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission as part of 'Operation Vanilla' which has been launched to provide assistance to the Cyclone Diane affected population of Madagascar.Ship is geared to set up medical camp & supply relief material.

7.The visit of the Royal Australian Navy ship at Mumbai & the professional interactions of IN personnel with RAN crew will serve to further strengthen the good relations between India and Australia and underscore the shared interests in the maritime domain.Australia Capital-Canberra, Currency-Australian Dollar.

8.In a major recognition towards India’s effort towards conservation, restoration & rejuvenation of its wetlands, Ramsar has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance. The Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971.Maharashtra gets its first, Punjab adds 3 and UP 6 to its list.

9.Union Minister of State for PMO Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal in the ISRO headquarters, that will enhance network application of gram panchayats. It will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO.ISRO Chairman Dr K. Sivan, ISRO Headquarters -Bengaluru.

10.Beating the Retreat ceremony, marking the culmination of 4-day long Republic Day celebrations, will be held at the historic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on 29 January. It marks a centuries old military tradition, when the troops withdrew from the battlefield.The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s.

11.The oldest international event for non-feature films in South Asia-Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction & Animation Films to start on 29 January. Dr. V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Dr. S. Krishnaswamy.He is awarded for the contribution to non-fiction filmmaking.

12.The studies on the microorganism archaea from the Sambhar lake in Rajasthan helped scientists at the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, to discover a novel archael species called ‘Natrialba swarupiae’. They named the species after Dr. Renu Swarup.He is the Secretary of Dept of Biotechnology.

13.Odisha Government has launched a virtual police station where people can lodge complaints from their respective districts regarding theft of their vehicles without visiting Police Station. It will function from State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar.Road accident case documents module was also launched.

14.In Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated 18.5-km-long stretch of Nagpur Metro Aqua line of Maha Metro Rail Network. The newly created Nagpur Metro Aqua line passing over the Ambazari lake in city will connect the east and west parts of the city.Nagpur Metro takes 65% of its power needs from Solar Energy.

15.The Indian Green Building Council & Mangalore Smart City Ltd have signed a MoU for sustainable development in Mangalore. The MoU envisages a joint assessment study to evaluate the green criteria of Mangalore as per the IGBC Green Cities rating system.MSCL is the 1st smart city in India to sign an MoU with IGBC.

16.The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Janak Raj, chief advisor to the financial policy division, as executive director. He succeeds Michael Patra. Now RBI will possess 12 EDs, its entire strength. Raj would be a part of MPC as an inner RBI member.Patra will be a part of this 6-member monetary policy committee.

17.Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the first Capacity Building Programme on General Financial Rules-2017, e-Procurement & Government e-Marketplace at Jammu. The conference was to take forward the commitment to apply all the central laws to the UT of Jammu.He is in charge of the Ministry of Development of NE Region.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 28th JAN 2020

1.Kolkata Metro Rail Corp. expects to complete East-West project, which runs partly under the Hooghly river, by March 2022 after several years delay. A soft loan of 41.6 billion Rs from Japan International Cooperation Agency helps fund 48.5% of the project.The new line is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily.

2.PM Modi will inaugurate the third Global Potato Conclave-2020 in Gandhinagar on 28 January. Four-day Conclave will provide an opportunity to bring all stakeholders at one common platform. Gujarat is one of the leading producers of Potato in the country.Netherland is the partner country of this conclave.

3.Centre signed an accord with the Assam-based different insurgent groups and civil societies including the National Democratic Front of Bodoland to provide 1,500 Cr assistance. The accord will provide political, economic and land rights to Bodo tribals.It will help in the holistic development of the Bodo community.

4.Railways minister Piyush Goyal stated that the Railways is expected to switch completely to electricity by 2024 as diesel locomotives are steadily being shunted out of service. It will be the 1st railway network in the world to be run on 100% electricity.He was addressing the India-Brazil business forum in New Delhi.

5.GOI, Maharashtra & the World Bank signed a loan agreement of USD 210 mn to support small holder farmers participate in competitive agriculture value chains, facilitate agri-business investments & build resilience of crops to floods/droughts in Maharashtra.Named as Maharashtra Agribusiness & Rural Transformation Project.

6.NCML has released its first estimates for 2019-20 rabi crop production. The monsoon season of 2019 witnessed 10% above normal rainfall. Wheat production during 2019-20 is estimated at 1090 lakh tonnes. Paddy has increased by 5% compared to previous year.NCML-National Collateral Management Services Limited.

7.2 SMS are being sent to the concerned passport holders - one before 9 months & another before 7 months of the date of expiry of passport. An ordinary passport for adults is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and can be renewed for another 10 years.Validity of minor's is restricted to 5 years/till attain 18 yrs.

8.The central government will release a report card of 100 selected smart cities in 3 categories- ease of living, municipal performance index and climate-in June as the Smart Cities Mission completes its five years. It will help cities in better planning.Smart Cities Mission Director-Kunal Kumar.

9.YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led govt passed a resolution in the Legislative Assembly to abolish the Legislative Council. It comes after the upper house stalled critical resolutions on shifting the capital city from Amaravati through their ‘3 capital cities’ plans.AP is one of the few states to have bicameral legislature.

10.Nepal’s newly elected Speaker of House of Representatives-Lower House of the Parliament-Agni Prasad Sapkota assumed the office. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office. He will succeed Krishna Bahadur Mahara. Nepal PM-KP Sharma Oli.Nepal Vice President-Nanda Bahadur Pun.

11.China has been ranked as the world's second-largest weapons manufacturer, behind the US, according to new research by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . The Asian superpower jumped ahead of Russia, from whom they used to buy many weapons.China has reduced reliance on foreign weapons.

12.Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida is set to serve as the EU's top envoy in London after the UK leaves the bloc, EU announced. The diplomat has represented the EU in Washington and at the UN. UK PM Boris Johnson had signed the withdrawal agreement.The UK's exit is scheduled for 31 January 2020.

13.While NASA is preparing to send its Mars 2020 rover to explore the red planet, China also announced its plan to launch first Mars mission probe in July 2020. A total of 24 high thrust hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine tests will be conducted for this in 2020.It will be launched by the Long March-5 Y4 carrier rocket.

14.Anil Khanna was nominated as the Life President of ATF. He is also appointed as the Chairman of the Finance Committee as well as Co-Chairman of the ATF foundation. CS Sunder Raj is the Senior Vice President of the federation, representing South Asia.

15.In Squash, Saurav Ghosal finished runners-up at the PSA World Tour Bronze event after suffering a 0-3 loss to Egypt's Fares Dessouky. Saurav is a highly regarded Indian squash player and is also the top-ranked in the country. Dessouky is the World No.11.PSA-Professional Squash Association.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 27th JAN 2020

1.R&B newcomer Lizzo won three of her leading eight nominations. Billie Eilish won the first of six potential awards. She was the youngest person ever nominated for all four awards at the same time. Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus were named as best pop duo.Finneas was named as the producer of the year.

2.The country's fiscal deficit for 2019-20 is expected to widen to 3.8% and the upcoming Budget may set a target of 3.5 per cent for 2020-21, as per the Bank of America Securities report. It also predicted the long-term fiscal deficit being at 4.5 per cent.Cost of the 2% subvention will come at Rs 21,100 Cr.

3.SEBI is planning to rationalise margin system in derivatives segments to boost liquidity and bring down trading cost. SEBI had asked trading and clearing members to compulsorily collect upfront certain margins from their clients in the cash segment.The move became effective from January 1, 2020.

4.The five-day Ganga Yatra under Namami Gange mission will kick off on 27 January from Bijnor and Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. Aim of the yatra is to promote biodiversity and to make the villages situated on the banks of Ganga more developed and prosperous.Bijnor is a place where Ganga enters Uttar Pradesh.

5.Vakrangee Limited has appointed Mr. Ramesh Joshi (EX-RBI & EX-SEBI ED) as the Non-Executive Chairman of the company as well as has Re-designated Mr. Dinesh Nandwana, Executive Chairman as the Managing Director and Group CEO in place of Mr. Anil Khanna.Vakrangee Limited is a technology company based in Mumbai.

6.Bharti Realty, the real estate arm of Bharti Enterprises, has tied up with Asthetic Township Developers to build a new commercial project in Gurugram at an estimated cost of Rs 350 Cr. Commercial project will be under real estate asset management model.Bharti Realty MD and CEO-S K Sayal..

7.Country's 1rst Super Fab Lab, that will give a major push to the hardware industry in the country & the only such facility outside U.S, was launched at the Integrated Start-up Complex of the Kerala Start-up Mission. CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the lab.It will collaborate with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

8.Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon said that government was accelerating job creation by setting up new industries, which have to compulsorily employ 70% local youths. State has brought the number of permissions required in realty sector from 27 to 5.Daily fodder allowance per cow is hiked from Rs 3 to Rs 20.

9.Maharashtra government launched its 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme, which is aimed at providing meal to the poor for 10 Rs, on the 71st Republic Day. Lunch plates would be available to people at designated centres during a stipulated time in all the districts."Shiv Bhojan Thali" canteen was launched in Mumbai.

10.Considering the request of All India Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation shifted the Federation Cup matches from the Coronavirus-hit China to Kazakhstan. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Dongguan from 4th of February.India will compete in the Asia/Oceania Group I contest.

11.In Shooting, Kiran Ankush Jadhav of the Indian Navy won the men's 10 metres air rifle T1 trial even as Maharashtra's Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil clinched both the junior and youth trials in Thiruvananthapuram. Rudrankksh came in second in the men's final.Nitish Kumar of Haryana came in third.

12.Filmmaker Vinay Sinha, best known for producing cult comedy "Andaz Apna Apna", has died at the age of 74. Sinha was also the man behind popular Hindi films such as "Ameer Aadmi Gharib Aadmi", "Naseeb" and "Chor Police". He was also vice president of IMPPA.IMPPA- Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association.

13.United Nations marks 2020 as the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War, and the ending of the Holocaust. Theme of the Day is "75 years after Auschwitz - Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice".Theme point out the collective action against antisemitism.

14.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 26th JAN 2020

1.Nation celebrates 71st Republic Day today. The main function will be held at Rajpath in New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind will unfurl the national flag & take the salute of the parade. President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be the Chief Guest.J&K will participate in the parade for the first time as a UT.

2.5-day National Integration Camp, highlighting the Central Government’s 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat' scheme has begun in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Rural artists from more than 16 States & Union Territories are attending the camp to showcase their unique talents.Jammu Kashmir - Ladakh are the cultural partners of Tamil Nadu.

3.Bharat Parv 2020 will begin in New Delhi. Its objective is to encourage people to visit different tourism places of the country & to inculcate the spirit of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’. Theme: Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat & Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi.Programme will be on till 31st January.

4.Department of Biotechnology organized an International Summit on Women in STEM- “Visualizing the Future: New Skylines” on 23 & 24 of January in New Delhi. Overall aim was to boost participation of women in STEM field for development of scientific career.STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

5.First steps have been taken towards ending the use of horses in the creation of antitoxins used to treat diphtheria, said the PETA. Reference is to the creation of recombinant human antibodies capable of blocking the poisonous toxin that causes diphtheria.PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

6.In Arunachal Pradesh, the two-day ‘Innovation Festival’ kicked off at the Science Centre in Itanagar. The festival is being organized by the Arunachal Pradesh State Council for Science & Technology in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation.It is aimed to foster the culture of innovation among people.

7.Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 50th Statehood Day with fanfare and enthusiasm throughout the state on 25 January. It was on this day in 1971 when Himachal Pradesh was carved out as the 18th State of the country. CM unveiled the golden jubilee plaque.Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister- Jai Ram Thakur.

8.After Maharashtra, the Madhya Pradesh government made the reading of Preamble of the Constitution mandatory in schools on every Saturday. The Department of School Education stated that orders in this regard have been issued to District Education Officers.Madhya Pradesh CM- Kamal Nath.

9.Shillong witnessed the 1st-ever carnival of peace & harmony as part of the weeklong Meghalaya Day Celebrations. Carnival procession passed through the busy streets of Shillong city showcasing different ethnic communities of the State & neighbouring areas.Meghalaya Chief Minister-Conrad K Sangma.

10.The world’s largest meditation centre and the global headquarters of the Heartfulness Institute will be inaugurated on January 28. To mark the 75th anniversary of the organisation, Kanha Shanti Vanam- spread over 30 acres-will be dedicated to Lalaji.It can accommodate 100,000 practitioners at one go.

11.Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire C&S Electric Ltd, for Rs 2,100 Cr. Move will strengthen Siemens’ position as a key supplier of low-voltage power distribution & electrical installation technology in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.C&S is a leading provider of electrical & electronic equipment.

12.The maiden Ganga Volga Dialogue held in Delhi was conceptualized during the 2018 India-Russia Summit between President Putin & Modi. Utilization of the $1 billion LoC extended by India for development of Russia’s Far East by Indian companies was discussed.The dominant theme of the discussions was Connectivity.

13.The 13th edition of the International Children’s Film Festival of Bangladesh was inaugurated in Dhaka. The festival is one of the biggest film events in Bangladesh. It is the only international film festival for children and young adults of the country.Theme of this year’s festival is ‘Under the World’.

14.The 62nd annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles, USA on 26 January 2020. Billed as "music's biggest night", the ceremony is more like "music's longest day" - with festivities kicking off at lunchtime in LA and stretching out into the night.Popstar Lizzo leads the nominations this year, with 8 in total.

15.Aunties, uncles & tube lights have made it to the latest edition of Oxford dictionary, with 26 new Indian English words being added to a total of 384 existing ones. 10th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary come with an Indian English label.Oxford Dictionaries Hindi Word of the Year for 2018-Nari Shakti.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 25th JAN 2020

1.According to the current norms, short-term investments by a foreign portfolio investor (FPI) should not exceed 20 per cent of the total investment of that FPI in either central government securities (including treasury bills) or state development loans.Short-term investment limit has now increased from 20% to 30%.

2.India faces a talent shortage of 63%-higher than the global average-according to a new research report. ManpowerGroup's research report on Talent Shortage 2020 shows that globally 54% reported talent shortages almost doubled as compared to a decade ago.ManpowerGroup surveyed 14,000 individuals across 15 countries.

3.East Coast Railway has commissioned govt's 1st waste-to-energy plant which will turn e-waste & plastic into light diesel oil in 24 hours. It is the 1st of its kind in Railways & only the 4th in India. Patented technology called-Polycrack is used in this.Plant has high tolerance to moisture.

4.According to the India Ratings and Research report, India's growth rate is expected to be marginally higher at 5.5 per cent in 2020-21 against the estimated 5 per cent for the current fiscal on the back of strong policy push coupled with revival in demand.

5.Tata Steel Kalinganagar has been honoured at the World Economic Forum 2020 for its recent admittance into the Global Lighthouse Network. In July 2019, TSK became the first and only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the WEF’s Lighthouse Network.Tata Steel’s CEO & MD TV Narendran accepted the award..

6.N Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has been conferred ‘Harit Ratna Award 2019’ by the All India Agricultural Students Association for dissemination of Rs 30 Crore entrepreneurship project in agri-business.He is awarded also for motivating students to agriculture field.

7.A genome-wide association study (GWAS) titled Genetic Architecture of Parkinson’s Disease, said to be one of the largest in the country, has received an award of $2.3 million from the US-based Michel J Fox Foundation. SCTIMST, Trivandrum led the study.The study is an Indo-German collaborative research proposal.

8.Scientists at National Botanical Research Institute have developed & released a new variety of Chrysanthemum that blooms during late December to mid-February & named it ‘Shekhar’. This is a late blooming decorative type, floriferous chrysanthemum variety.Director General of CSIR -Shekhar Mande released this variety.

9.Dharmendra Pradhan launched a scheme for Voluntary Philanthropist Activities by SAIL employees called ‘SAIL Employee Rendering Voluntarism and Initiatives for Community Engagement (SERVICE)’ along with a portal for the employees to register for the scheme.SAIL chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary.

10.Reliance General launched insurance plan-Reliance Health Infinity-with additional benefits. With this, policyholders will be able to more focus on their critical treatment, rather than worry about which room to choose against their insurance coverage.It offers 3 benefits- more cover, more time & more global.

11.India & Bangladesh signed an agreement to upgrade the 50.58 km long road between Ashuganj river port & the Akhaura land port in Bangladesh into a 4-lane highway. It is part of the USD 2 billion 2nd line of credit extended by India to Bangladesh in 2016.Indian Company Afcons Infrastructure Limited signed the deal.

12.Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Ghaznavi’ as part of the Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command during day and night. It can strike targets up to 290 kilometres.It can deliver multiple types of warheads up to 290 Kms.

13.Researchers have discovered the oldest ever mushroom fossil to be identified in rocks whose age is between 715 & 810 million years in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The oldest confirmed mushroom fossil until now was dated to 460 million years ago.Microscopic mushroom parts founded are called as mycelium.

14.Election Commission of India is to organize 10th National Voters' Day celebrations on 25th January 2020 in Delhi. This year marks an important milestone in the history of Indian democracy as Election Commission of India completes 70 years of its journey.Theme: Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy.

15.Gas-rich Qatar signed a $470-million deal to build its first solar energy plant, capable of meeting up to one-tenth of peak national power demand. The Al-Kharsaah plant near Doha is a 10-square-kilometre joint venture with French and Japanese partners.Production capacity will be around 800 MW and 10%of peak demand.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 24nd JAN 2020

1.India’s first e-waste clinic is being opened in Bhopal. It will enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units. It is jointly setting up by the Central Pollution Control Board and Bhopal Municipal Corporation.Clinic is being started based on a 3-month pilot project.

2.ECI will host 10th Annual Meeting of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia. ECI will take over the Chair of the forum for the year 2020. International Conference on the theme ‘Strengthening Institutional Capacity’ is also being organized.The forum was established at New Delhi in 2012.

3.North Korea will attend Munich Security Conference for the first time in the 56-year history of the conference. Founded in 1963, the Munich Security Conference hosts many high-ranking officials and world leaders each year to discuss security challenges.2020 edition will be held from February 14 to 16.

4.ISRO is to send a half-humanoid robot called ‘Vyom Mitra’ as an experimental mission to Gaganyaan. Vyom Mitra means a friend in Sky. 2 unmanned missions will be sent up & recovered before it. 1st mission will be in December & the 2nd will be by June 2021.The aim is to conduct a manned mission before August 2022.

5.India has successfully achieved the complete phase out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b, which is a chemical used by foam manufacturing enterprises as a blowing agent & is one of the most potent ozone depleting chemicals after Chlorofluorocarbons.Issuance of import license was prohibited from 1 January 2020.

6.The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized the 1st Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture on 23 January. The lecture was organized as a tribute to the 1st Chief Election Commissioner of India. The memorial lecture was hosted to mark the 70th year of inception.Pranab Mukherjee delivered the inaugural lecture.

7.Disaster Mitigation & Management Centre Uttarakhand & Kumar Munnan Singh received the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020, awarded in institution & individual categories respectively on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.It is announced every year on 23rd January.

8.The national conclave on Emerging Opportunities in the natural gas sector was held on 23 January. The present share of gas in the energy basket of the country is 6.2% and the target is to take it to 15% by 2030. Gujarat has a 26% share of gas-based energy.Dharmendra Pradhan presided the conclave.

9.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved shutting down the operations of the plant and unit of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited & closure of the company. HFL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals.HFL has only one plant located at Rudraram, District Sangareddy.

10.The UN General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Today, 258 million children & youth still do not attend school. Their right to education is being violated.2020 theme: Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace.

11.To spread awareness in the society about the inequality face by girls as compared to boys, the Government of India celebrates National Girl Child Day on Jan 24. The Girl Child Day was first marked in 2008 by the joint efforts of the Government of India.11 October- International Day of the Girl Child.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 23nd JAN 2020

1.India climbed 8 positions in a year to reach rank 72 in the Global Talent Competitive Index 2020. GTCI is based on the research done by INSEAD along with The Adecco Group & Google. GTCI looks at the ability to attract, grow & retain talent by a country.Switzerland, USA & Singapore took the top-3 positions.

2.Sri Lanka has ranked first among 97 countries globally on breastfeeding rate according to a new survey conducted by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi). Sri Lanka’s rank is based on its performance on ten indicators of policies and programs.So far, 120 countries have been involved in WBTi.

3.Union Minister of State for Shipping & Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya participated in the High-level roundtable of UNAIDS-Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS-on the theme Access for all: Leveraging Innovations, Investments & Partnerships for Health.Roundtable of UNAIDS was held during WEF’s annual meet in Davos.

4.Bangladesh launched e-passport facility for its citizens. It is the 1st country in South Asia & 119th country in the world to provide e-passport facility. e-passports will have an embedded chip which will contain the bio-metric data of the passport holder.Bangladesh has faced the problem of counterfeit passports.

5.As a part of his 3-day 2-nation trip to Niger & Tunisia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Tunisian counterpart Sabri Bachtobji & they discussed on expanding the bilateral economic cooperation & agreed to work closely in multilateral forums.Tunisia capital-Tunis, Currency-Tunisian Dinar.

6.The Cabinet gave approval to Election Commission of India to enter into MoU with the Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia and the Papua New Guinea EC for elections for cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration.Papua New Guinea Capital-Port Moresby, Currency-Kina.

7.Union Cabinet approved Revised Cost Estimates for establishment of permanent campuses of new National Institutes of Technology (NITs) at a total cost of 4371.90 Cr Rs for the period till 2021-2022. NITs were established in 2009 with very limited spaces.They started functioning from academic year 2010-2011.

8.Jaipur Literature Festival will begin on 23 January. About 500 speakers of different fields are participating in the festival, which is currently in its 13th year. The 5-day event will have 200 sessions & will be attended by 500 speakers from 20 countries.Broad Themes are climate, constitution, poetry, and AI.

9.In Gujarat, the 2-day Odisha Mahaotsav as a part of Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Programme was launched. More than one lakh people from Odisha are settled in Gujarat. They will showcase the art, culture, traditions & rich heritage of Odisha in the festival.Gujarat CM- Vijay Ramniklal Rupani, Odisha CM-Naveen Patnaik.

10.Qatar & FIFA published the 1st jointly issued legacy planning strategy ahead of the 2022 football World Cup. It contains pledges on labour and LGBT rights alongside protections for activists & journalists. A total of 22 objectives is described in detail.LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

11.Qatar & FIFA published the 1st jointly issued legacy planning strategy ahead of the 2022 football World Cup. It contains pledges on labour and LGBT rights alongside protections for activists & journalists. A total of 22 objectives is described in detail.LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

12.India slipped 10 places to 51st position in the 2019 Democracy Index's global ranking, according to Economist Intelligence Unit, which cited "erosion of civil liberties" in the country as the primary cause for the downtrend. India's overall score is 6.90.Norway topped the list while North Korea is at the bottom.

13.Union Cabinet approved agreements & MoUs to be signed with Brazil including mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Nod came ahead of the visit of Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro who will be the chief guest during the Republic Day parade.Also accepted MoU on cooperation in oil & natural gas sectors.

14.SoftBank India has appointed Manoj Kohli as its country head. Kohli joins SoftBank India after a five-year stint as a chairman with SB Energy, the renewable energy arm of SoftBank. Raman Nanda will retain the role of CEO at SB Energy.SoftBank Group/CEO-Masayoshi Son.

15.Phone Pe has announced its launch of international travel insurance in collaboration with Bajaj Allianz General insurance. PhonePe’s Travel Insurance is providing benefits such as a high sum insured of up to $1 mn., special pricing starting at just Rs 216.Hemant Gala,Head Payments, Banking & Financial Services, PhonePe

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 22nd JAN 2020

1.Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 32nd interaction through PRAGATI- the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation in New Delhi. PRAGATI helps in simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes.PRAGATI was launched on 25th March 2015.

2.Bajaj Finserv has launched digitized health EMI cards covering an entire family with a credit limit ranging between Rs 40,000 and Rs 4 lakh.The 0% EMI cards, will be accepted across all centres of Apollo Hospitals in the country.It has a personal accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.

3.UP Govt. launched Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana which will provide financial assistance to family of farmers who die or become handicapped while working in fields.Govt. has also decided to implement Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan yojana.Anandiben Patel -current Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

4.Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd has acquired Essel Finance’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) loan business.Through the acquisition, Adani Capital has secured a loan book of around ₹145 crore, operating out of 10 cities.Adani Capital commenced lending operations in April 2017.

5.Films Division has launched a mobile app, which will provide movie buffs all the information about the 16th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction and Animation films - MIFF-2020.Best Film of the Festival is awarded a cash prize of ₹10 Lakh.

6.Allcargo Logistics acquired about 13 per cent stake in express distribution and supply chain solutions provider Gati Ltd. The firm is well on track to complete the process to acquire 44.5 per cent stake in Gati. Allcargo has infused Rs 100 crore into Gati.Allcargo Logistics Founder: Shashi Kiran Shetty.

7.Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela clinched a gold medal each in Meyton Cup in Innsbruck, Austria. Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil also a bagged bronze medal each in men's and women's 10m air rifle events respectively.Austria capital-Vienna, currency-Austrian Schilling.

8.Gujarat topped the SKOCH State of Governance 2019 ranking, followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu.Gujarat tops the list with 104 projects, followed by Maharashtra with 50 projects. Telangana tops the list on police and safety.Gujarat also ranked the highest in terms of e-governance.

9.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar & Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou jointly inaugurated the first convention centre established in Africa by India to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a symbol of India's firm commitment towards Africa.Niamey is capital city of Niger.

10.Govt.has set up a National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Centre on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation & start-ups in the country. It will suggest measures to foster a culture of innovation among students & others.The Council, which will be chaired by the commerce minister.

11.The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of Vodafone m-pesa on account of voluntary surrender of authorisation. Now, the company cannot transact the business of issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.Vodafone m-pesa was given payments bank by the RBI in 2015.

12.DoT has approved raising of foreign direct investment in Bharti Airtel to 100 per cent from 49 per cent allowed earlier. The company also has the approval of the RBI) that allowed foreign investors to hold up to 74 per cent stake in the company.Department of Telecom (DoT), is under Ministry of Communications.

12.According to UN's International Labour Organisation,Global unemployment is projected to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020 and almost half a billion people are working fewer paid hours than they would like or lack adequate access to paid work.ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 21st JAN 2020

1.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Sanjiv Chadha as the managing director and chief executive of Bank of Baroda, Lingam Venkat Prabhakar as MD & CEO of Canara Bank and Atanu Kumar Das as MD & CEO of Bank of India.Bank of Baroda has merged with Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.

2.According to the latest India Primary Consumer Sentiment Index (PCSI), as measured by Thomson Reuters, in partnership with Ipsos ,Consumer sentiment has nosedived by 7.3 percentage points in January 2020.Since 2010, it's a monthly national survey of consumer attitudes.

3.Zomato has acquired Uber Eats, the food delivery business of ride-hailing giant Uber India for around Rs 2,485 crore ($350 million) in an all-stock deal. UberEats witnesses $2 per order as compared to $3-4 per order for Swiggy and Zomato.Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal.

4.International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's growth forecast for 2019 to 4.8 per cent from 6.1 per cent it projected in October on the back of sharp decline in consumer demand, stress in the NBFC sector and sluggish credit growth.Kristalina Georgieva,MD and Chairman of IMF.

5.Bharti Airtel & Google Cloud announced a partnership offer G Suite to small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) in India as part of its integrated information and communication technology portfolio. Airtel serves over 2,500 large businesses.Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel.

6.The Reserve Bank of India has taken a step in improving transparency of its business at the board meetings by releasing the minutes of the meeting, for the first time.The minutes disclosed that the 579th central board meeting held in October 11.RBI Governor- Shaktikanta Das.

7.Former finance minister Elyes Fakhfakh was named prime minister-designate by Tunisia’s president. Fakhfakh, 47, was named minister of tourism in 2011 before serving as minister of finance from December 2012 until January 2014.

8.Deepika Padukone, who has been an advocate of mental health awareness and has been extensively working towards de-stigmatising mental illness, was rewarded for her work at World Economic Forum's Crystal Award ceremony, held in Davos.World Economic Forum founder -Klaus Schwab.

9.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointed Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the managing director of the State Bank of India for a period of three years.He is currently serving as the deputy managing director of the SBI.State Bank of India 's head Rajnish Kumar.

10.As per the latest data by Futures Industry Association (FIA) ,The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has become the world’s largest exchange by trading volumes, outpacing US-based CME group, the world’s largest derivatives market place.NSE notched up 6 billion contracts traded volume in 2019.

11.As per the State-wise horticulture production data released by the Agriculture Ministry, West Bengal has produced 29.55 million tonnes of vegetables previous year as compared to 27.70 mt in the year before. WB accounted for 15.9% of total production.Andhra Pradesh continues to hold on the top position in fruits.

12.UM for Law & Justice, Communications & Electronics & Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the 2nd edition of ‘NIC TechConclave 2020’, a 2-day event organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi.This year’s theme is ‘Technologies for NextGen Governance’.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 20th JAN 2020

1.Parasite" became first foreign-language movie to win SAG's coveted best ensemble prize. Joaquin Phoenix & Renee Zellweger received the top acting prizes for Joker & Judy while supporting movie awards went to Laura Dern & Brad Pitt.

2.India has successfully test-fired a 3,500 km range nuclear capable K-4 ballistic missile. The test was conducted off the Vizag coast in Andhra Pradesh. Only US, Russia & China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of 3,500-kilometre range.The Missile was developed by DRDO.

3.Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon lifted the Indonesia Badminton Masters 2020 women's singles title after defeating Carolina Marin in the summit clash at Jakarta. The win was her 2nd title in the Indonesian tournament after 2010 title.Carolina Marin is the reigning Olympic Champion.

4.India has returned with 7 medals from Rome Ranking Series with Bajrang Punia & Ravi Kumar Dahiya claiming gold medals in the 65kg freestyle category & 61 kg category in the tournament. Vinesh Phogat won a gold & Anshu Malik a silver in the women's bout.In Greco-roman, Gurpreet Singh won a gold in 82 kg category.

5.Union minister Arjun Munda was elected as president of suspended Archery Association of India in elections held recently. Munda is a hugely popular tribal leader who also runs an archery academy, instrumental in thrise of former world no. 1 Deepika Kumari.AAI is a non-profit, government org. estd. in 1973.

6.Govt to decriminalise Income Tax Act & the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as part of steps towards taking the country to a $5 trillion economy, FM N Sitharaman announced at the Nani Palkhivala centenary celebrations in Chennai.Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 came into force in 2005.

7.Andhra Pradesh has cleared decks for development of Amaravati, Visakhapatnam & Kurnool as the legislative, executive & judicial capital cities respectively. Also, APCRDA Repeal Bill, 2020, given nod for the formation of Amaravati Metro Region Dev. Auth.A.P. Governor: B Harichandan; CM: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

8.Former PM Manmohan Singh launched the book, Human Dignity: A Purpose in Perpetuity, authored by former Law Minister Dr Ashwani Kumar. The book articulates the aberrations that have slowed India’s march towards realization of human dignity.Dr Ashwani Kr is a Former MP, Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

9.Princess Saleha Sultan, the titular queen of Bhopal and wife of the late Nawab Bashir Yar Jung of the Paigah family, passed away in Hyderabad. Princess Saleha was the eldest child of the Nawab of Pataudi & sister of Nawab Muhammad Mansur Ali Khan.Bhopal, being a matriarchal princely state, she was the queen.

10.Finance Ministry has said that a loan amount of nearly Rs 70,000 has been disbursed till 13th of this month under the scheme of providing loan to Micro Small & Medium Enterprises through a dedicated online portal- www.psbloansin59 minutes.com.Union Finance Minister of State: Anurag Singh Thakur.

11.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 19th JAN 2020

1.Biocon chairperson & MD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been awarded the Order of Australia, country’s highest civilian honour, for her significant contribution towards advancing bilateral relationship with Australia. She is the 4th Indian to receive it.Australia Capital: Canberra; Currency: Australian dollar.

2.Hyderabad has emerged as world's most dynamic city, performing better on parameters like socio-economic & commercial real estate, as per JLL India report Bengaluru has been ranked 2nd, while Chennai is at 5th & Delhi at 6th position in the list.7 Indian cities feature in the top 20 in 2020 rankings.

3.Google's parent company Alphabet finally reached $1 trillion mark, thereby becoming the 4th company in the world to be a part of the exclusive $1 trillion companies club after Apple, Microsoft & Amazon.Alphabet owns Google and all of its core businesses.

4.Under this MoU, NITI Aayog will be supporting the UT’s administration through its key initiative ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects' for identifying prioritized infra projects & providing end-to-end management support.Rajiv Kumar is currently the vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog.

5.9th International Children's Film Festival began in Kolkata with the screening of Aizaz Khan directed Hamid. An anthology of children's films in Bengali in the last 100 years & an exhibition on movie posters is held along with the festival.West Bengal Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

6.Indian classical singer Sunanda Patnaik, popularly known as “guruma” passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata at the age of 85. She started singing at All India Radio in Cuttack in 1948 at the age of 14.She received Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1970 and 1971.

7.Fertiliser Minister DV Sadananda Gowda launched the ‘Apna Urea - Sona Ugle’ brand of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) for the revival of 3 sick urea plants located at Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni & also unveiled the company’s logo.HURL is a JV company b/w IOCL, NTPC & Coal India.

8.Prakash Javadekar & R K Singh on inaugurated Elecrama 2020 in Noida, organised by industry body IEEMA which is targeting businesses worth Rs 30,000 crore during the 5-day event. Focus of this year's event: e-mobility, energy storage, start-up among others.U.P. govt set a target of installing 2000 MW solar power y-o-y.

9.Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to lead the Indian delegation to the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos & hold bilateral meetings with ministers of Australia, South Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Korea and Singapore.2020 Theme: Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.

10.Nripendra Misra, has been appointed chairperson of the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) while Dr A Surya Prakash, chairperson of the Prasar Bharati board, to be the council's vice-chairperson.Nripendra Misra is a Former principal secretary to PM Modi.