mock clat - 02 focus january 2019.pdf clatfocus (january -2019)this module is part of copyrighted...

www.crackclat.com CLATFOCUS (January -2019)

© This module is part of copyrighted material, any replica by any one may invite penal action. 1

Chief Editor

Dr. Kanchan Deep Chaudhary

________________________________________

Edited, Owned,

Printed & Published By

CCT

CRACK CLAT TUTORIALS

F-1/5, West Patel Nagar, Near LIC Office,

Circuit House Road, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

Tel.0291-2512639, 2511077, 099290-74123

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.crackclat.com

JANUARY-2019

CONTENTS

Bharat Ratna Award 2019…….2

Current Affairs Bullets………..3

Latest in General Knowledge…5

Appointments

Awards & Honors

Books & Authors

Constitutional/Law

Defense

Economic Scenario

Ecology & Environment

Places

Report & Index

Software & Telecom

Persons in News………………13

Current Topics – India………..14

Current Topics – World……....17

Static GK Capsules……...........21

Latest in Sports………………..23

Current Affairs MCQs………...25

Answer Key of MCQs………...32

________________________

CRACK CLAT TUTORIALS Study Material is for

internal circulation. This booklet is not for sale

separately, and is only for our registered students.

All rights reserved. No part of this issue can be

reprinted in whole or in part without the written

permission of the publishers.

The editors and publishers of this magazine do their

best to verify the information published, but do not take

responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the

information.

All disputes subject to Jodhpur jurisdiction only.



Current Affairs Bullets

Winner of Saraswati Samman for 2017 –

Sitanshu Yashaschandra

The venue of the Arab Economic and Social

Development Summit held recently-Beirut,

Lebanon

The amount of the ‗Standby Swap‘ facility

approved by the govt within the existing overall

$2-bn currency swap arrangement for SAARC

member-countries-$400mn

The third air base set up by the Indian navy in

the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to beef up

surveillance in the Indian Ocean region-INS

Kohassa

Captain of the men‘s Test and ODI teams of the

year (2018) announced by the International

Cricket Council –Virat Kohli

The defence exercise conducted recently along

the Indian coastline by the Indian Navy, Indian

Coast Guard and other stakeholders-Sea Vigil

India‘s position on the Global Talent

Competitive Index 2019 topped by

Switzerland-80th

Winner of Woman‘s Voice Award at the

Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival- Ranjani

Murali

The state which has topped in terms of Gross

State Domestic Product with growth rate of

11.3 per cent in FY 18, according to a report by

Crisil- Bihar

The person who took charge as the Managing

Director and CEO of Axis Bank recently-

Amitabh Chaudhary

The first player in history to win all three top

ICC awards-the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for

ICC Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men‘s Test

Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of

the Year awards for 2018-Virat Kohli

The growth rate of China‘s economy in 2018-

6.6 per cent

The capital infusion approved by the govt in the

Exim Bank of India –Rs 6,000cr

The World capital of

Architecture for 2020 as announced by the

UNESCO-Rio de Janeiro

The country which assumed the chairmanship

of G77 recently –Palestine

The state which has launched a

Rs 1,000 cr Sustainable Catchment Forest

Management (SCATFORM) project –Tripura

Winner of the first Sheikh Saud International

Prize for Materials Research- CNR Rao

The state which topped the medals tally with

228 medals at the khelo India Youth Games

2019 concluded recently in Pune-

Maharashtra

The first private sector firm to cross Rs 10,000

cr quarterly profit-RIL

The person who has becomeIndia‘s youngest

grandmaster – Gukesh Dommaraju

The country with which India recently signed a

long-term contract for supply of uranium-

Uzbekistan

The present Prime Minister of Denmark who

visited India recently – Lars Lokke

Rasmussen

The city which hosted the 10th

edition of the

India Rubber Expo 2019 recently –Mumbai

The four-day-long harvest festival celebrated

recently in Tamil Nadu –Pongal

The city where Prime Minister Narendra Modi

recently inaugurated the National Museum of

Indian Cinema (NMIC) – Mumbai

The India wrestler who has become the first

Indian to be nominated in Laureus World

Comeback of Year Award – Vinesh Phogat

The capital of Kenya where a terrorist attack in

Dusit D2 Hotel and offices complex killed

several people recently – Nairobi

The venue of the annual meeting of the World

Economic Forum (WEF)- Davos

The new Secretary General of National Human

Rights Commission (NHRC) –Jaideep Govind

The bank on which the RBI recently imposed a

monetary penalty of Rs 1-cr for non-



compliance with norms – Bank of

Maharashtra

The world‘s most dynamic city according to the

sixth City Momentum Index- Bengaluru

The person who resigned recently as the

executive director of Federal Bank – Ganesh

Sankaran

The present Finance Secretary who has been

given a one-month extension in service and

named as a member of the 15th

Finance

Commission – Ajay Narayan Jha

Winner of the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018-

Yohei Sasakawa

The venue of the 9th

International Micro

Irrigation Conference held recently –

Aurangabad

The head of the seven-member Group of

Ministers (GoM) to examine and suggest ways

to resolve issues related to the real estate sector

– Nitin Patel

The bank which has created a separate vertical

comprising around 1,200 of its existing staffers

to recover its nonperforming assets- Syndicate

Bank

Winner of the 2019 Premier Badminton League

– Bengaluru Raptors

Winner of the Pro Kabaddi Season Six –

Bengaluru Bulls

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation in

Dec 2018- 3.80 per cent

Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation in

Dec 2018- 2.19 per cent

Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in Nov

2018-0.5 per cent

The Nikkei India Services Purchasing

Managers Index (PMI) in Dec 2018- 53.2

Winner of the first-ever Philip Kotler

Presidential award for his outstanding

leadership for the nation – Narendra Modi

The venue of the 15th

the Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas (PBD) 2019-Varanasi

-The theme of PBD 2019- Role of Indian

Diaspora in Building a New India

The youngest gold medallist at the 2019 Khelo

India Youth Games in Pune- Abhinav Shaw

The person whose appointment as non-

executive part-time Chairman of the board of

YES Bank was approved by the RBI recently

Brahm Dutt

The banker-turned politician who passed away

recently –Meera Sanyal

The state where the National Wildlife Board

recently cleared ONGC‘s Trishna gas project

situated in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary-Tripura

The state where the ‗Ama Ghare LED‘ scheme

was launched recently- Odisha

The state where Supreme Court recently gave

its nod to govt‘s Chardham development plan-

Uttarakhand

The state which hosted the 25th

edition of the

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII‘s)

Partnership Summit –Maharashtra

The country with which $ 75 bn bilateral

currency swap arrangement was approved by

the Union Cabinet recently-Japan

The country where Tata Steel‘s plant was

declared by the World Economic Forum as

‗Manufacturing Lighthouse- Netherlands

The new tax exemption limit for firms in

annual revenue set by the GST Council- Rs 40

lakh

The present President of the Indian

Weightlifting Federation who has been named

Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics-

Birendra Prasad Baishya

The state where Chief Minister Pema Khandu

inaugurated India‘s longest (300-metre-long)

single-lane steel cable suspension bridge over

Siang river recently-Arunachal Pradesh

The IIT where scientists have created ‗space

fuel‘ by simulating interstellar conditions in the

lab- IIT Madras

The state which has bagged the Central Board

of Irrigation and Power award for speedy

execution of Polavaram multipurpose project –

Andhra Pradesh

The state where PM Narendra Modi laid

foundation stone of North Koel (Mandal Dam)

project and Kanhar Stone Pipeline irrigation

system recently-Jharkhand



The new president of the Global Solar Council

(GSC) headquartered in Washington DC-

Pranav R Mehta

The High court which recently set a seven-day

notice period for political parties and

individuals to call for hartal and general strike

in the State –Kerala High Court

The new Director General of the Sashastra

Seema Bal (SSB) –Kumar Rajesh Chandra

The Constitutional Amendment Bill through

which ten per cent reservation in govt jobs and

educational institutions to the economically

backward among upper castes has been given –

124th

The host city of the second edition of Khelo

Indian Youth Games –Pune

The state which recently announced to give

interest-free loans to farmers –Uttarakhand

The first woman to join International Monetary

Fund (IMF) recently as its Chief Economist –

Gita Gopinath

The number of regional rural banks (RRBs) in

the country after recent amalgamation in Bihar

and Punjab – 53

Winner of the women‘s singles title of the 2018

Hopman Cup tennis tournament –Belinda

Bencic

–Winner of the men‘s singles title –Roger

Federer

The estimated growth rate of the Indian

economy in 2018-19 as per the Central

Statistics Office (CSO)-7.2 –per cent

The chairman of the high-level committee that

will work towards deepening digital payments

in India – Nandan Nilekani

The state which has announced interest-free

loans of up to Rs3 lakh for women self-help

groups (WSHGs) in the State - Odisha

Winner of the best motion picture drama award

at the 76th

Annual Golden Globe Awards –

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Iranian private sector bank which has been

allowed to open its branch in Mumbai- Bank

Pasargad

The present Prime Minister of Norway who

visited New Delhi recently –Erna Solberg

The person sworn in as Prime Minister of

Bangladesh for the third consecutive term

recently – Sheikh Hasina

The country against which India won their first

ever Cricket Test series on their soil recently –

Australia

The country which recently cleared the

extradition of Sanjeev Chawla. an accused of

match-fixing in 2000- UK

The private sector bank which will buy

mortgage provider Gruh Finance Ltd- Bandhan

Bank

The Sahitya Akademi awardee Bengali writer

who passed away recently – Dibyendu Palit

Latest In General Knowledge

Anniversaries & Days

January 9 — NRI Day

January 10 — World Laughter Day

January 12 — National Youth Day

January 15 — Army Day

January 26 — Republic Day (India)

January 26 — International Customs Day

January 30 — Martyrs‘ Day (India)

January 30 — World Leprosy Eradication Day

Appointments

Nicolas Maduro sworn in as President of

Venezuela for the second term: Mr. Nicolas

Maduro was, once again, sworn in as the

President of Venezuela for a second term in

Caracas, the capital of Venezuela on January

10, 2019. Mr. Maduro will remain in office till

2025. The swearing-in ceremony took place

inside the Supreme Court of Venezuela under

Article 231 of the Venezuelan Constitution, as

the National Assembly or the Parliament, which

is controlled by the opposition, has been

excluded from participating in the country‘s

politics.

Stefan Lofven elected as the Prime Minster

of Sweden for the second term: The

Parliament of Sweden handed Social Democrat

leader Mr. Stefan Lofven a second term in

office on January 18, 2019, ending more than



four months of deadlock after an inconclusive

election that had allowed a populist party to

threaten the traditional balance of power.

Sweden had looked set for a snap election when

Mr. Lofven agreed a historic deal with the

Centre, Liberal and Green parties, bringing

together parties from the centre-right and

centre-left to prevent the anti-immigration

Sweden Democrats from having a voice in

policy.

Su Tseng-chang sworn in as Prime Minster

of Taiwan: Taiwan President Ms. Tsai Ing-wen

appointed Mr. Su Tseng-chang as the Prime

minister of the country following the

resignation of the incumbent Mr. Lai Ching-te

over the recent electoral setback suffered by the

ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Mr. Su

Tseng-chang was sworn in as the new PM in

the presidential administration building on

January 14, 2019. Members of the new cabinet,

including ministers, counsellors and department

heads, were also sworn in. Mr. Su had already

served as the Prime Minister of Taiwan

between 2006 and 2007.

Vikram Misri takes charge as India’s new

Ambassador to China: India appointed Mr.

Vikram Misri as the new Ambassador to China.

Mr. Misri took charge on January 8, 2019. A

1989-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

officer, Mr. Misri replaced Mr. Gautam

Bambawale who retired in November 2018.

Mr. Misri has taken the charge of the country‘s

envoy at a time when India and China are

trying to deepen their cooperation in various

areas, leaving behind 2017 Doklam stand-off

which was the most serious military face-off in

decades. Before his appointment as India‘s

Ambassador to China, Mr. Misri served as the

Indian envoy in Myanmar.

Rishi Kumar Shukla becomes new CBI

Director: The Prime Minister-led selection

panel appointed 1983-batch IPS officer of

Madhya Pradesh cadre, Mr. Rishi Kumar

Shukla, as the new CBI Director on February 2,

2019. Mr. Shukla had been appointed DGP of

Madhya Pradesh on July 1, 2016. He played a

key role in the extradition of Abu Salem and

Monica Bedi in 2005. He had been Madhya

Pradesh police chief until January 30 when he

was transferred as DG, Police Housing by the

new Congress government in the State.

According to the Union Government, his

selection was made on the basis of criteria

endorsed by CJI Mr. Ranjan Gogoi.

RBI appoints Nandan Nilekani as Chairman

of Digital Payments Panel: The Reserve Bank

of India (RBI) announced the formation of a

high-level panel to assess digitization of

payments in the country on January 8, 2019.

The Committee on Deepening of Digital

Payments will be chaired by Mr. Nandan

Nilekani. The committee, which will have four

other members, will review the existing status

of digitization of payments in the country and

assess the current levels of digital payments in

financial inclusion, according to the RBI.

Infosys co-founder Mr. Nilekani has served as

the Chairman of the Unique Identification

Authority of India (UIDAI), which manages the

biometrics-based personal identification

programme Aadhaar.

Sudhir Bhargava takes oath as Chief

Information Commissioner: Mr. Sudhir

Bhargava took oath as the Chief Information

Commissioner in the Central Information

Commission (CIC) on January 1, 2019. Mr.

Bhargava was administered the oath of office

by Hon‘ble President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind

Prior to this, Mr. Bhargava was working as the

Information Commissioner in the CIC.

Following the swearing in of Mr. Bhargava,

newly-appointed Information Commissioners

Mr. Yashvrdhan Kumar Sinha, Ms. Vanaja N.

Sarna Mr. Neeraj Kumar Gupta and Mr. Suresh

Chandra were administered the oath of office of

the Information Commissioner of CIC by the

Chief Information Commissioner Mr. Sudhir

Bhargava.

Books And Authors

India and the EU: An Insider’s View – By

Bhaswati Mukherjee, ICWA/Vij Books

The Story of the Reserve Bank of India – By

Rahul Bajoria, Rupa

Not Quite Not White; Losing and Finding

Race in America – By Sharmila Sen, Penguin

Reclaim Your Life – By Shelja Sen, West land

Treasures Epistles – By K Natwar Singh,

Rupa



The Fuzzy and The Techie – By Scott

Hartley, Panguin Random House

Defense

LR-SAM missile successfully test-fired from

coast of Odisha: The Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO)

successfully test-fired Long Range Surface to

Air Missile (LR-SAM) from naval warship INC

Chennai off the coast of Odisha on January 24,

2019. LR-SAM, known as Barak-8, is jointly

developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries and

state-owned DRDO. Barak 8 LR-SAM missile

defence system is designed to defend any

airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters,

anti-ship missiles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

(UAVs), ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and

combat jets, It is one of the advanced surface-

to-air missiles, having a maximum speed of

Mach 2 and its maximum range is estimated at

around 70 kilometers.

Indian Navy’s largest-ever coastal defence

exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ Held: Indian Navy‘s

largest-ever coastal defence exercise-‗Sea

Vigil‘ which was conducted by the Navy Coast

Guard, in close coordination with State

Governments and Union Territories was held

from January 22 to 23 2019. The exercise, a

first of its kind, was undertaken along the entire

7516.6 km coastline and Exclusive Economic

Zone of India and involved all the 13 coastal

States and Union Territories along with all

maritime stakeholders, including the fishing

and coastal communities, Sea Vigil was the

largest such exercise the country had ever witnessed

in recent times and saw the participation of more

than 100 ships, aircraft and patrol boats manned and

operated by various security agencies.

Defence Minister launches India’s second

defence industrial corridor: Union Defence

Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated

the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor

from Tiruchirappalli on January 20, 2019,

taking a major step forward to boost indigenous

production of defence equipment. The TN

Defence Industrial Corridor is a mega corridor,

which will link the leading military

manufacturing units in five cities of South

India-Chennai, Hosur, Coimbatore, Salem and

Tiruchirappalli. The project involves an

investment worth Rs. 3,000 crore, The corridor

is the second defence corridor being set up by

the Union Government to support various

defence manufacturing units. The first one is

being established in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian Navy commissions INS Kohassa in

the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The

Indian Navy commissioned Naval Air Station

Shibpur as INS Kohassa on January 24, 2019

making it the third Navy air facility in the

Andaman and Nicobar Islands to keep an eye

on the important sea lanes of communication

and strategic points. The Indian Navy will now

deploy the INS Kohassa air base for

surveillance of Chinese ships and submarines

entering the Indian Ocean through the nearby

Malacca Straits. The commissioning of INS

Kohassa, situated about 300 km (180 miles)

north of the archipelago‘s capital Port Blair,

will have huge strategic implications, for the

country as Indian Navy can operate

independently in its own air facility which

opens up for more surveillance over Indian

Ocean region from the Bay of Bengal to

Malacca Straits.

Ecology & Environment

International Stock Taking Conference on

Tiger Conservation Held in New Delhi: The

3rd

Stock Taking Conference on Tiger

Conservation was held in New Delhi from

January 28 to 29, 2019. Third in a series of

Stock Taking Conferences, it was the second to

be held in India after 2012. The conference saw

wide-ranging discussions on the status of the

Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) by the

13 tiger range countries besides deliberations

on combating wildlife trafficking Union

Minster for Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who is also the

Ghairman of the National Tiger Conservation

Authority, said at the inauguration of the

conference that conservation of tigers is duty

which has to be meticulously pursued and more

innovative ways need to be devised so that the

targets adopted by tiger range countries in 2010

at St. Petersburg, Russia, can be bettered.

Environment Ministry launches National

Clean Air Programme: Union Minister of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr.



Harsh Vardhan launched the National Clean

Air Programme (NCAP) on January 10, 2019.

It is a time-bound national level strategy for

pan-India implementation to tackle the

increasing air pollution problem across the

county in a comprehensive manner. The main

objective of the programme is comprehensive

mitigation actions for prevention, control and

abatement of air pollution besides augmenting

the air quality monitoring network across the

country and strengthening the awareness and

capacity-building activities. It aims to cut

pollution in the 102 worst affected cities by 20-

30 percent by 2024, taking 2017 as the base

year for the comparison of PM concentration.

Rise in salinity threatens Gangetic River

Dolphin habitats: A five-year study conducted

in the Sundarbans region in Indian has found

that rising water salinity level is threatening the

habitat of Gangetic river dolphins. The survey

was conducted in the lower stretch of river

Hooghly, covering 97 km stretch of the

western, central and eastern Sundarbans,

intermittently between 2013 and 2016 in

different seasons, Simultaneously, researchers

also measured salinity level of the water. Based

on interaction with local fishing communities,

study area was demarcated for boat-based and

land-based surveys. Previous studies had

recorded natural distribution of the Gangetic

dolphin in the Sundarbans regions but no

continuous surveys were done to assess

population and habitat changes.

Economic Scene

India replaces Japan to be to world’s second-

largest steel producer: India has replaced

Japan as the world‘s second largest steel

producing country, only behind China, which is

the largest producer of crude steel accounting

for more than 51% of production, as per the

latest report by the World Steel Association.

The report noted that India‘s crude steel

production in 2018 was at 106.5 MT which is

up by 4.9% from 101.5 MT in 2017. Japan

produced 104.3 MT in 2018, which is down by

0.3% as compared to 2017. On the other hand,

China‘s crude steel output jumped by 6.6% to

928.3 MT in 2018 from 870.9 MT in 2017.

India among the most trusted nations

globally: 2019 Edelman Report: India is

among the most trusted nations globally when it

comes to government, business, NGOs and

media but the country‘s brands are among the

least trusted, as per the 2019 Edelman Trust

Barometer report. The report, which was

released on January 21, 2019, ahead of the

World Economic Forum (WEF) meet, noted

that the Global Trust Index witnessed a

marginal increase of 3 points to 52. It also

revealed that trust has changed profoundly in

the past year with people shifting their trust to

the relationships within their control, most

notably their employers. Globally, 75% of

people trust ―my employer‖ to do what is right,

significantly more than NGOs (57%), business

(56%) and media (47%).

RBI forms Committee to boost digital

payments: The Reserve Bank of India

committee on Deepening of Digital Payments

to encourage digitization of payments and

enhance financial inclusion on January 8, 2019.

The five member committee will be headed by

UIDAI‘s former Chairman Mr. Nandan

Nilekani. The committee will review the

existing status of digitization of payments and

suggest ways to bridge any gaps in the

ecosystem. The committee will submit its

report within a period of 90 days from the date

of its first meeting. It will review the existing

status of digitization of payments in the

country, identify the current gaps in the

ecosystem and suggest ways to bridge them.

Honours & Awards

NATIONAL

Bharat Ratna Awards 2019 The Bharat Ratna

awards were announced on January 25, 2019.

The awards have been bestowed upon former

President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji

Deshmukh and singer Bhupen Hazarika were

awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously. Mr.

Pranab Mukherjee served as the 13th

President

of India from 2012 until 2017. Nanaji

Deshmukh was a member of RSS and also

served as general secretary of Bharatiya Jana

Sangh. He took part in Jayaprakash Narayan

movement during the Emergency. Bhupen

Hazarika was a play back singer, lyricist,



musician, singer, poet and film maker from

Assam. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian

award. It is given in recognition of exceptional

service/performance of the highest order in any

field by human endeavor.

Padma Awards 2019:The Union Government

announced the Padma Awards on January 25,

2019 on the eve of India‘s 70th

Republic Day

celebrations. One of the highest civilian awards

of the country, Padma Awards are conferred in

three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan,

Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The 112

prominent personalities honoured with the

Padma Awards include 4 Padma Vibhushan, 14

Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri Awards.

Padma Awards are given in various disciplines

or fields of activities: social work, public

affairs, science and engineering, trade and

industry, medicine, literature and education,

sports, civil service, etc. Padma Vibhushan is

awarded for exceptional and distinguished

service. Padma Bhushan is awarded for

distinguished service of high order. Padam Shri

is awarded for distinguished service in any

field. Here is the full list of the awardees:

Padma Vibhushan: Ms. Teejan Bai (Art); Mr.

Ismail Omar Guelleh (Public Affairs-Foreigner-

Djibouti); Mr. Anilkumar Manibhai Naik

(Trade & Industry Infrastructure); Mr. Balwant

Moreshwar Purandare (Art).

Padma Bhushan: Mr. John Chambers (Trade

& Industry Technology-Foreigner - US); Mr.

Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (Public Affairs); Mr.

Pravin Gordhan (Public Affairs – Foreigner –

South Africa); Mr. Mahashay Dharam Pal

Gulati (Trade & Industry Food Processing); Mr.

Darshan Lal Jain (Social Work); Mr. Ashok

Laxmanrao Kukade (Medicine); Mr. Kariya

Munda (Public) Affairs); Mr. Budhaditya

Mukherjee (Art); Mr. Mohanlal Viswanthan

Nair (Art); S. Nambi Narayan (Science &

Engineering); Mr. Kuldip Nayar (Posthumous)-

Literature & Education; Ms. Bachendri Pal

(Sports); Mr. V.K. Shunglu (Civil Service); Mr.

Hukumdev Narayan Yadav (Public Affairs).

Padma Shri : The prominent winners include

Ms. Rajeshwar Acharya (Art); Mr. Bangaru

Adigalar (Others Spiritualism); Mr. Illias Ali

(Medicine); Mr. Manoj Bajpayee (Art); Uddhab

Kumar Bharali (Science & Engineering); Mr.

Omehs Kumar Bharti (Medicine); Mr. Dilip

Chkravarty (Others-Archaeology); Mr.

Mammen Chandy (Medicine); Mr. Sunil

Chhetri (Sports); Mr. Muktaben Pankaj kumar

Dagli (Social work); Mr. Babulal Dahiya

(Others- Agriculture); Mr. Prbhu Deva (Art);

Ms. Rajkumari Devi (Others-Agriculture); Mr.

Baldev Singh Dhillon (Science &Engineering);

Ms. Harika Dronavalli (Sports); Ms. Godawari

Dutta (Art-Painting); Mr. Gautam Gambhir

(Sports); Ms. Rohini Godbole (Science &

Engineering); Mr. Sandeep Guleria (Medicine);

Mr. Pratap Singh Hardia (Medicine); Mr.

Friederike Irina (Foreigner -Social Work); Mr.

S. Jaishnakar (Civil Service); Mr. Narsingh

Dev Jamawal (Literature & Education); Mr.

Fayaz Ahmad (Art); Mr. Subhash Kak

(Foreigner)- Science & Engineering; Mr.

Sharath Kamal (Sports); Ms. Rajani Kant

(Social Work); Mr. Waman Kendre (Art); Mr.

Kader Khan (Posthumous)- Art; Ms. Bombayal

Devi Laishram (Sports); Mr. Vallabhbhai

Vasrambhai Marvaniya (Others - Agriculture);

Ms. Gita Mehta (Foreigner)- Literature &

Education; Mr. Shadab Mohammad

(Medicine); Mr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

(Medicine); Mr. Daitari Naik (Social Work);

Mr. Shankar Mahadevan Narayan (Art); Mr.

Shantanu Narayen (Foreigner)- Trade &

Industry; Ms. Nartaki Natraj (Art); Mr. Tsering

Norboo (Medicine); Mr. Jagdish Prasad Parikh

(Others- Agriculture); Mr. Ganpatbhai Patel

(Foreigner-Literature &Education); Mr. Tao

Porchon-Lynch (Foreigner-Others-Yoga); Mr.

Bajrang Punia (Sports); Mr. Jagat Ram

(Medicine); Mr. Ajay Thakur (Sports).

Gallantry Awards 2019: The Gallantry

Awards 2019 were presented on January 26,

2019 on the occasion of Republic Day. Under

the three categories of the Gallantry Awards,

the personnel of the Indian Army received one

Ashoka Chakra-the country‘s highest peacetime

military decoration, two Kirti Chakras- the

second highest peacetime military award, and

nine Shaurya Chakra honours-The third highest

peacetime military decoration.These included

three posthumous awards, one each for the

three categories of honours. The list of

awardees is:



Ashoka Chakra: Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad

Wani (Posthumous)- J&K Light Infantry/34th

Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles

Kirti Chakra : Major Tushar Gauba-20th

Battalion, Jat Regiment; Sowar Vijay Kumar

(Posthumous)- Armoured Corps/22nd

Battallion, Rashtriya Rifles

Shaurya Chakra : Captain Abhay Sharma – 1st

Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Special

Forces); Lieutenant Colonel Vikrant Prasher-

10th

Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Special

Forces); Major Imliakum Keitzar -4th

Battalion,

4th

Gorkha Rifles; Major Amit Kumar Dimri –

Garhwal Rifles/ 14th

Battalion, Rashtriya

Rifles; Major Rohit Lingwal-9th

Battalion,

Parachute Regiment (Special Forces); Sapper

Mahesh HN – Corps of Engineers/ 44th

Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles, Sepoy Ajay Kumar

(Posthumous) – Mechanised Infantry/42nd

Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles; Lance Naik Ayyub

Ali-Rajputana Rifles/9th

Battalion, Rashtriya

Rifles; Captain Abhinav Kumar Choudhary-

Corps of Signals/21st Battalion, Rashtriya

Rifles.

Pravasi Bharatiya Awards 2019: Hon‘ble

President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind conferred the

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2019 on 30

awardees. The awards were conferred during

the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event held at

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on January 23, 2019.

The winners of this prestigious award include

Ms. Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist of IMF;

Mr. Nihal Singh Agar, founding President of

VHP in Australia and Mr. Ramesh Chotai

former President of Hindu Mandir and Cultural

Centre in Canada. Pravasi Bharatiya Awards

are the highest honour conferred on overseas

Indians who have made a significant

contribution to India‘s causes abroad.

Chhatra Vishwakarma, Sansad Adarsh

Gram Yojana Awards: Vice- President Mr.

M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the second

Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards to students and

their mentors and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojan

(SAGY) awards to institutions at an event

organized by the All India Council for

Technical Education (AICTE) in New Delhi on

January 21, 2019. The institutions awarded are :

Army Institute of Technology, Maharashtra

(Rural) Appropriate Technologies category);

Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering

and Technology, Telangana (Education, Skill

Initiative & Start-ups); Sri Venkateswara

College of Engineering, Andhra Pradesh (Rural

Craft & Livelihood, Rural Infrastructure,

Tourism); Sri Krishna College of Technology,

Tamil Nadu (Agriculture & Food category);

Aditya Engineering college, Andhra Pradesh

(Water & Irrigation category); and Kalaslingam

Academy of Research and Education, Tamil

Nadu (Sanitation & Solid Liquid Waste

Management category).

National Entrepreneurship Awards 2018:

The Ministry of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) presented the

National Entrepreneurship Awards 2018 by

honouring 30 outstanding young entrepreneurs

and three entrepreneurship ecosystem builders

for their exceptional contribution in

entrepreneurship development at a ceremony

held in New Delhi on January 5, 2019. Each of

the enterprise/ individual winners receives a

trophy, certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 5

lakh, while each of the winning organisation

receives a trophy, certificate and a cash prize of

Rs10 lakh.

National Nritya Shiromani Award 2019:

Kathak exponent Ms. Anindita Neogy Anaam

has been honored with the prestigious National

Nritya Shiromani Award for her contribution

towards preserving and promoting the dance

form across the world. The award was

conferred during the 10th

Cuttack Mahotsav:

International Dance and Music Festival in

Bhubaneswar, Odisha on January 2, 2019.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

2019: Hon‘ble President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind

conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal

Puraskar 2019 in New Delhi on January 22,

2019. Minister for Women and Child

Development Ms. Maneka Gandhi; Secretary,

WCD, Mr. Rakesh Srivastava and other senior

officers of the Ministry were also present on the

occasion. The awards were presented to 26

shortlisted awardees including one joint award

for National Child Award (now renamed as Bal

Shakti Puraskar) under the category of

innovation, scholastic, sports, art and culture,

social service and bravery. Under National

Child Welfare Awards category (now renamed



as Bal Kalyan Purashar), two individuals and

three institutions were awarded.

INTERNATIONAL

Sheikh Saud International Prize for

Materials Research: Eminent Indian scientist,

Prof. Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao,

popularly known as C.N.R. Rao, was on

January 18, 2019 chosen for the first Sheikh

Saud International Prize for Materials Research

by the Centre for Advanced Materials of the

United Arab Emirates (UAE). The award will

be presented to Mr. Rao by Sheikh Saud bin

Saqr Al Qasimi, the ruler of one of UAE‘s

seven emirates Ras Al Khaima at the

International Workshop on Advanced

Materials. The Sheikh Saud International Prize

committee unanimously decided to award

Professor Rao of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre

for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR),

Bengaluru. He has been honoured with several

national and international awards which include

honorary fellowship of the ‗Royal Society of

Chemistry‘ , London in 1989 and Chevalier de

la Legion d‘honneur‘ from France in 2005. He

has also been conferred ‗Padma Shri‘ (1974),

‗Padma Vibhushan‘ (1985) and ‗Karnataka

Ratna‘ (2001), Bharat Ratna (2014) among

others.

Philip Kotler Presidential Award: Prime

Minister Mr. Narendra Modi was awarded the

first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award in

New Delhi on January 14, 2019. The award

focuses on the triple bottom-line of ‗People,

profit and planet‘. According to the award

citation, Mr. Modi was selected for his

―outstanding leadership for the nation‖. ―His

selfless service towards India, combined with

his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary

economic, social and technological advances in

the country.‖ The citation also states that under

his leadership, India is now identified as the

center for innovation and value-added

manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a

global hub for professional services such as

information technology, accounting and

finance. Mr. Philip Kotler is a Professor of

Marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg

School of Management. The Philip Kotler

Presidential Award is constituted to honour

mastery in the field of marketing and

management.

International Gandhi Peace Prize: The Union

Government announced the winners for

International Gandhi Peace Prize on January

16, 2019. The awards were announced for the

years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The

government has announced the names of

Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari (2015),

Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh

International (2016), Ekal Abhiyan Trust

(2017) and Mr. Yohei Sasakawa (2018) for the

coveted award. The Vivekananda Kendra in

Kanyakumari was awarded for its contribution

to rural development, education, and

development of natural resources. The Akshaya

Patra Foundation was awarded for its work

towards providing midday meals to children

across India. The Sulabh International was

awarded for its contribution towards the

improvement of sanitation facilities in India

and the emancipation of manual scavengers.

The Ekal Abhiyan Trust was awarded for its

work in the field of education for rural and

tribal children, rural empowerment and gender

and social equality. Mr. Yohei Sasakawa,

Chairperson of Nippon Foundation and World

Health Organisation Goodwill Ambassador was

awarded for his contribution towards

eradicating Leprosy.

2019 Golden Globe Awards: The 76th

Annual

Golden Globe Awards were announced in

California, US on January 7, 2019. These

annual awards honoured the best in Motion

Pictures and Television for the year 2018.

Bohemian Rhapsody won the Best Motion

Picture Drama award while Green Book bagged

the Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy

award. Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama

award was bagged by Glen Close for The Wife

while Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama

award was won by Rami Malek for Bohemian

Rhapsody. Best Actress in Motion Picture

Musical/ Comedy award was given to Olivia

Colman for The Favorite while Christian Bale

received the Best Actor in Motion Picture or

Musical or Comedy award for Vice.

Inventions & Discoveries



Swedish scientist makes fuel from tree

waste: Chemical engineering scientist Mr.

Christian Hulteberg, from Lund University has

used the black liquor residue from pulp and

paper manufacturing to create a polymer called

lignin. After purification and filtration, it is

turned into a petrol mixture. Mr. Hulteberg said

that they are using the stuff of the wood that is

not used while making paper and pulp, It adds

value to low-value components of the tree. In

environmental terms he says that it gives

advantage over other biofuels such as ethanol.

Mr. Hulteberg has a pilot plant in operation and

hopes that the forest fuel will be available in

service stations by 2021.

Places

Red Fort Complex, Delhi: Prime Minister Mr.

Narendra Modi inaugurated the Subhash Bose

Museum at the iconic Red Fort to mark the

leader‘s 122nd

birth anniversary on January 23,

2019. He also inaugurated the Yaad-e-Jallian

Museum (museum on the Jallianwala Bagh and

World War I), the Museum on 1857-India‘s

First War of Independence, and Drishyakala-

Museum on Indian Art within the Red Fort

complex. The entire complex of museums will

be known as ‗Kranti Mandir‘ (temple of

revolution). The museum on Bose and the

Indian National Army showcases various

artefacts related to Netaji and the INA. The

Yaad-e-Jallian Museum provides an authentic

account of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that

took place on April 13, 1919. The museum will

further showcase the heroism, valour and

sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during

World War I. The Museum on 1857-India‘s

First War of Independence portrays the

historical narrative of war of independence,

showcasing the valour and sacrifices made by

Indians during the period. The Dirshyakala-

Exhibition on Indian Art showcases art works

from 16th

century till India‘s independence.

Davos, Switzerland: The annual meet of the

World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in

Davos, Switzerland from January 22 to 25,

2019. The world leaders from across the globe

attended the Forum at the Swiss Alps to discuss

the looming global economic crisis, global

cooperation challenges, rapid climate change,

increasing pollution levels, habitat loss, fourth

wave of globalization, among others, The

theme of the World Economic Forum 2019 was

‗Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global

Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial

Revolution‘. The theme was explored over 350

secessions. Overall, around 3,000 participants

from 115 economies attended the annual

meeting.

Reports & Indexes

India submits Sixth National Report to the

Convention of biological Diversity: India

recently submitted its Sixth National Report

(NR6) to the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD). The report was submitted

online to the CBD Secretariat by Union

Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan

during the inaugural session of the 13th

National Meeting of the State Biodiversity

Boards (SBBs) which was organized by the

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in the

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change (MoEFCC), New Delhi. The NR6

provides an update on the progress in the

achievement of 12 National Biodiversity

Targets (NBTs) developed under the

convention process, in line with the 20 global

Aichi biodiversity targets, The report highlights

that while India has exceeded or over achieved

two of the NBTs, it is on track to achieve eight

NBTs and in respect of the remaining two

NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets

by the stipulated time of 2020. India is also on

track to achieve the biodiversity targets at the

national level and is also contributing

significantly towards the achievement of the

global biodiversity targets.

Space

NASA solar probe begins second orbit of

Sun: NASA‘s Parker Solar Probe has begun its

second orbit of the Sun and is on track for its

closest approach to out star, as per the US space

agency. Just 161 days after its launch, the

Parker probe completed its firs orbit of the Sun

on January 19, 2019. The spacecraft began the

second of 24 planned orbits, on track for its

second perihelion, or closest approach to the

Sun, on April 4, 2019. Parker Solar Probe

entered full operational status on January 1,

2019 with all systems online and operating as



designed. The spacecraft has been delivering

data from its instruments to Earth via the Deep

Space Network, and till date more than 17

gigabits of science data has been downloaded.

Software & Telecom

BSNL to offer data connectivity services via

SMS: The state-owned telecom operator Bharat

Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed a

partnership agreement with the French

company Be-Bound to offer data connectivity

through SMS in areas where there is no Internet

connectivity or there are signal breaks. The

SMS-based data connectivity will work with

the help of a technology embedded in a mobile

app. The app will detect if the user‘s area has

poor network connectivity. If yes, then the app

will send commands to the Be-Bound server.

These commands would send SMS from the

user‘s account. Be-Bound server will facilitate

SMS-based data connectivity after getting a

command from the user‘s account.

Persons in News

Cyril Ramaphosa Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa,

President of South

Africa, was on a State visit to India from

January 25 to 26, 2019 as a State Guest of

Honour for Republic Day 2019 celebrations.

Mr. Ramaphosa was accompanied by the First

Lady Dr. Tshepo Mostsepe, and a high level

delegation including Ministers, senior officials

and a business delegation. This was the first

business delegation. This was the first visit of

Mr. Ramaphosa to India as Head of State. Mr.

Ramaphosa accompanied by the First Lady

paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi at

Rajghat. He also addressed the India-

South Africa Business Forum along with PM

Mr. Narendra Modi.

Pravind Jugnauth Prime Minister of Mauritius

Mr. Pravind Jugnauth was on an official visit to

India from January 20 to 28, 2019 as the Chief

Guest at the 15th

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

(PBD) Convention held in Varanasi, Uttar

Pradesh. He was accompanied by his spouse

Mrs. Kobita Jugnauth as well as official

delegation including Ministers and senior

officials. Over 350 other Mauritian delegates

also participated in the PBD 2019. After the

inaugural ceremony, Mr. Jugnauth held

bilateral level talks with PM Mr. Narendra

Modi.

Erna Solberg Prime Minister of Norway Ms.

Erna Solberg paid a State visit to India from

January 7 to 9, 2019. Ms. Solberg was

accompanied by senior officials from her

government and a large business delegation.

During the visit, Ms. Solberg called on Hon‘ble

President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind and Vice-

President Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu. She also

held talks with PM Mr. Narendra Modi.

External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj

called on Ms. Solberg. Ms. Solberg delivered

the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue

and also addressed the India-Norway Business

Summit.

Sushma Swaraj: The First India-Central Asia

Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers was

held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from January

12 to 13, 2019. External Affairs Minister Ms.

Sushma Swaraj co-chaired the Dialogue along

with Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, the Foreign

Minister of Uzbekistan. Foreign Ministers of

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan and Turkmenistan also participated

in the meeting. The parties reaffirmed the

willingness for cooperation, mutual support,

joint solution on relevant issues in order to

ensure security, stability and sustainable

development.

Gita Gopinath India born American Ms. Gita

Gopinath joined International Monetary Fund

(IMF) as its Chief Economist on January 8,

2019, becoming the first woman to occupy the

top IMF post. The John Zwaanstra Professor of

International Studies and Economics at Harvard

University, Ms. Gopinath succeeds Ms.

Maurice Obstfeld as Economic Counsellor and

Director of the IMF‘s Research Department.

IMF Managing Director Ms. Christine Lagarde

has described Ms. Gopinath as one of the

world‘s outstanding economists with

impeccable academic credentials.

Satyarup Sidhhanta 35-year-old Kolkata

software engineer Mr. Satyarup Sidhanta

reached the peak of Antarctica‘s Highest point,

the 4,285-m Mount Sidley, on January 16, 2019



and became the world‘s youngest mountaineer

to climb the seven highest peaks and the seven

highest volcanic summits across the seven

continents of the world in seven years. He is

also the first person in India to conquer the

seven mountain peaks and seven volcanic

summits. Mr. Daniel Bull of Australia did it

aged 36 years 157 days.

Aparna Kumar Ms. Aparna Kumar has

become the first woman Indian Police Service

(IPS) DIG and Indo-Tibetan Border Police

(ITBP) officer to successfully complete the

expedition to South Pole. She unfurled the

tricolour and the ITBP flag at the South Pole on

January 13, 2019. Ms. Kumar successfully

completed her expedition after walking for 111

kilometres on the snow. As she made her way

to the South Pole, she also carried equipment

weighing 35 kilograms along with her. She has

scaled the top six mountain peaks of the six

continents of the globe.

Virat Kohli Team India Captain Virat Kohli

reigned supreme as he swept all the awards on

offer at the ICC Awards 2018 on January 22,

2019. He became the first player in history to

win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC

Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men‘s Test

Player of the Year and the ICC Player of the

Year awards following an extraordinary 2018.

Kohli has also been named the Captain of the

ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year for a

fabulous run in international cricket.

CURRENT TOPICS: INDIA

Piyush Goyal Presents The Union Interim

Budget 2019-20 Finance Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal, who was

given charge of the Finance Ministry owing to

Mr. Arun Jaitley‘s illness, presented the Interim

Budget 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha on February

1, 2019. The Union Interim Budget 2019-20,

also known as a vote on account, got

Parliament‘s nod for meeting the expenditure

for the first six months of new fiscal 2019-20.

Speaking on the Interim Budget 2019-20, Mr.

Goyal said that the government has laid the

foundation for sustained growth and better

quality of life in more than four years in its

endeavor to make ‗New India‘ by 2022. The

Narendra Modi-led government has provided

stable and clean government over the last five

years andf ―transformational reforms‖ have

been undertaken, said Mr. Goyal amid the

thumping of desks by the ruling benches, led by

the Prime Minister. Talking about the ‗New

India‘, he said it would mean clean country,

housing for all, access to clean toilet and clean

drinking water, doubling the income of farmers,

and an India free from terrorism, casteism and

nepotism.

The FM also spoke about various initiatives to

push growth and said India has become the 6th

largest economy due to the continuous efforts

of the Modi government. Besides achieving

high growth, the government has controlled and

maintained low inflation, ―which was back-

breaking at 10.1% during the period 2009-14

(of UPA rule).‖ He said the inflation stood at

1.19% in December 2018. ―If we had not

controlled inflation, our families would have

been spending 35-40% more,‖ the Finance

Minister said. Talking about the Fiscal Deficit

he said it was brought down from almost 6% to

3.4% in the Revised Estimates of 2018-19

fiscal.

All the decisions have been taken keeping in

mind the downtrodden, the marginalized, the

low-income groups and the farmers.

Some of the major highlights of the Interim

Budget 2019-20 are: increase in the defence

budget to over Rs. 3 lakh crore (additional

funds for defence will be provided if needed),

income tax exemption limit raised up to Rs.

5,00,000 annual income to get full tax rebate,

Current Fiscal Account to be contained to

2.5%, the fiscal deficit has been brought down

to 3.4% in FY19, Rs. 60,000 crore allocated for

MGNREGA under PM Gram Sadak Yojana for

a year, Rs. 19,000 crore allocated for rural

roads under Gram Sadak Yojana, PM Kisaan

Samman Nidhi announced at Rs. 75,000 crore.

India Celebrates 70th

Republic Day India celebrated its 70

th Republic Day on

January 26, 2019, with a grand military parade

and exhibition of its history, cultural diversity

and strategic weaponry at the Rajpath – the

city‘s centerpiece boulevard – in the presence

of thousands of spectators including foreign

dignitaries and the country‘s top political and

military brass. South African President Mr.



Cyril Ramaphosa was the Chief Guest at the

90-minute celebrations marking the anniversary

of the day when the world‘s biggest democracy

was declared a republic in 1950. A total of 22

tableaux, 16 from States and Union Territories

and six from the Central Government

Ministries and departments, were part of the

cultural parade overall theme of which was life

and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. This year, India

is celebrating 150th

birth anniversary of the

Father of the Nation. Mr. Ramaphosa‘s

presence at the celebrations was significant as

Gandhi‘s 21-year stay in South Africa played a

pivotal role in moulding him into the apostle of

peace. As per tradition, after unfurling the tri-

colour, the national anthem was played with a

21-gun salute following which Hon‘ble

President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind took the salute

of marching contingents.

A major highlight of the parade was

participation of four Indian National Army

(INA) veterans – Parmanand, Lalti Ram, Hira

Singh and Bhagmal, all aged over 90 years, for

the first time. The other highlights included the

display of American howitzers M777, the Main

Battle Tank (MBT) T-90 and indigenously

developed Akash weapons system. ‗Nari

Shakti‘ (women power) was on full display at

the Rajpath with an all-woman Assam Rifles

contingent creating history by participating for

the first time in the parade, which was led by

Maj Khushboo Kanwar. Contingents of the

Navy, Army Service Corps and a unit of Corps

of Signals (transportable satellite terminal)

were also led by women officers.

Sikkim CM Launches ‘One Family, One

Job’ Scheme Chief Minister of Sikkim Mr. Pawan Kumar

Chamling, on January 12, 2019, launched the

'One Family, One Job' scheme that envisions

jobs to a member of every family which does

not have a government job in the State. The

longest serving Chief Minister in independent

India personally handed out temporary

appointment letters to one person from each of

the 32 Assembly constituencies in the State to

kick-start the scheme during `Rojgar Mela

2019' at the Paljor Stadium. Mr. Chamling's

Sikkim Democratic Front government has

announced that 20,000 youths would

immediately be given temporary jobs under the

scheme. Amid loud cheers and tumultuous

slogan shouting "Pawan Chamling Zindabad',

the Chief Minister declared that the

temporary/ad hoc appointments being given

now would be regularised over the next five

years, and all of them would become permanent

government employees.

Sikkim has become the first State in the country

to carry out such an exclusive programme for

the people who would now be entitled to State

government employee benefits," he said. He

also said that Sikkim was the only State that

earmarks 70% of its revenues towards salaries

for the State government employees. As of

now, the State government has over 1 lakh

regularised employees on its roll from a

population of just 6.4 lakh. Sikkim is also the

only State in the country that gives the highest

salaries to State government employees, the

CM added.

India And Kuwait Sign MoU For

Cooperation In The Recruitment Of

Domestic Workers

The Union Cabinet, on January 23, 2019,

approved signing of an agreement between

India and Kuwait for cooperation in recruitment

of domestic workers, a move that will benefit

over 3 lakh Indians, including 90,000 women

working in the Gulf country. The Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) provides a structured

framework for cooperation in domestic

workers-related matters and provides

strengthened safeguards for Indian domestic

workers including female workers in Kuwait.

The pact is initially valid for a period of five

years and incorporates provision for automatic

renewal.

India Moves Up In 20 9 Global Education

Rankings

Twenty-five Indian institutions figure in the

2019 ranking of top 200 in 43 emerging

economic countries—seven more than the

number that figured in last year's table,

according to the data released by Times Higher

Education (THE) on January 15, 2019. The

Times Higher Education Emerging Economies

University Rankings shows that the Indian

Institute of Science (IISc) retains the highest

spot for India (14th), followed by the Indian

Institute of Technology, Bombay (27th).

However, each slips a place this year, mainly

due to increased competition. The 2019 table



presents a mixed picture for India, with several

new entrants and high risers, alongside several

institutions that drop back.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

scales 21 places at 35th, The Indian Institute of

Technology, Indore (61st) and the JSS

Academy of Higher Education and Research

(joint 64th

. The Savitribai Phule Pune

University climbs 87 positions to joint 93rd,

alongside the National Autonomous University

of Mexico. Mainland China with 72 institutions

remains the most represented country in the

annual listing, claiming four of the table's top

five positions. The London-based Times Higher

Education 2019 ranking comprises 450

universities from 43 countries, across four

continents. The rankings use 13 performance

indicators to provide comprehensive and

balanced comparisons to reflect the

characteristics of the emerging economy

universities. These 13 performance indicators

are grouped under 5 categories: Teaching (the

learning environment); Research (volume,

income and reputation); Citations (research

influence); International Outlook (staff,

students and research); and Industry Income

(knowledge transfer).

PMRPY Achieves Milestone Of One Crore

Beneficiaries

Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana

(PMRPY), the flagship scheme of the Central

Government for employment generation, has

crossed the milestone of one crore beneficiaries

as on January 14, 2019. PMRPY was

announced on August 7, 2016 and is being

implemented by the Ministry of Labour and

Employment through the Employees' Provident

Fund Organisation (EPFO). Under the scheme,

the Government is paying full employers'

contribution of 12% (towards Employees'

Provident Fund and Employees' Pension

Scheme both), for a period of 3 years in respect

of new employees who have been registered

with the EPFO on or after April 1, 2016, with a

salary up to Rs. 15,000 per month. During

2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 (up to January

15, 201 9) 33,031, 30,27,612 and 69,49,436

beneficiaries respectively, have been enrolled

with EPFO under PMRPY. The number of

establishments who have benefitted during the

implementation of the scheme is 1.24 lakh.

PM Modi Inaugurates 1/13 km, Two-Lane

Kollam Bypass In Kerala

Giving a major boost to the infrastructure of

Kerala, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi,

during his third official visit to Kollam,

inaugurated the 13 km long, 2-lane Kollam

bypass on National Highway-66 (NH 66) on

January 15, 2019. According to the Ministry of

Road Transport and Highways, the Kollam

bypass has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 352

crore. The highway has three major bridges

over Ashtamudi Lake, with a length of 1,540

metres in total. The big infrastructure project

has been developed in order to ease traffic

congestion around the Kollam town as well as

to reduce the travel time between Alappuzha

and Thiruvananthapuram in the State.

According to a press release issued by the

Ministry, till the month of May 2018, the State

of Kerala had National Highways of 1782 km.

However, this length has gone up to more than

2280 km including principal National

Highways.

Country’s Longest Single Lane Steel Cable

Bridge Inaugurated In Arunachal Pradesh

Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Mr. Pema

Khandu inaugurated the country's longest 300-

metre single-lane steel cable suspension bridge

on January 9, 2019. The bridge across the Siang

river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has

been named Byorung Bridge. The bridge has

been built at a cost of Rs. 48.43 crore provided

by the Ministry of Development of North

Eastern Region, North East India. It will reduce

the distance from Yinkiong to Tuting by almost

40 km. The road to Tuting, near the China

border in Upper Siang district, was 192 km

before the bridge was built. The bridge is

expected to benefit 20,000 people on either

banks of the river, besides bolstering the

defence preparedness.

The Central Government had sanctioned 268

road projects worth Rs. 3,800 crore under the

Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana

(PMGSY). Upper Siang district has two

PMGSY projects sanctioned and were awaiting

tender by January-end 2019. The two projects

are estimated to cost Rs. 124.65 crore. The

projects sanctioned are-35 km road from Paling

to Zido for Rs. 82.10 crore and 30 km road

from Zido to Bishing worth Rs. 42.46 crore.



Centre Pumps In Over Rs. 6,000 Crore In

MGNREGS

The Centre has pumped in an additional Rs.

6,084 crore in the flagship rural job

programme, widely seen as a part of its

resource mobilisation to spruce up the rural and

agricultural sector ahead of the election. This

has been done to tide over the next three

months. MGNREGS has exhausted 99% of its

annual allocation three months ahead of time.

The new allocation in the revised estimate takes

the total annual allocation to the scheme to Rs.

61,084 crore in 2018-19, the highest-ever

allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National

Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The

scheme offers alternative jobs for distressed

farmers, labours for rural housing and creation

of individual assets. In the past four years, the

Rural Ministry has focussed on creation of

durable assets under the rural job scheme to

help farmers find alternative means of

livelihood. In the general budget placed before

Parliament in February 2018, MGNREGS got

more than Rs. 55,000 crore—making it the

richest scheme of the government.

PM Modi Inaugurates brant Gujarat Global

Summit 2019

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated

the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit at

Mahatma Mandir Exhibition-cum-Convention

Centre in Gandhinagar on January 18, 2019.

The theme of the Vibrant Gujarat Global

Summit 2019 was "Youth Connect 2019:

Shaping A New India—The Story of Billion

Dreams". The Prime Minister invited global

business leaders and companies to come and

invest in India where the business climate is

more investor-friendly now with the required

infrastructure and facilities in place. He said,

"India is now ready for business. In the last four

years, we have jumped 65 places of global

ranking of ease of doing business. I have asked

my team to work harder to ensure India is on

the top 50 next year." Mr. Modi said that

International Institutions like the World Bank,

IMF and Moody's have shown confidence in

India's economy and the reforms taken in recent

times.

First edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit was

held in 2003 under the guidance of PM Mr.

Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief

Minister of Gujarat, to give a spur to the

investments in Gujarat. Since then it has played

the role of a catalyst leading to several other

such summits annually in the States across the

country.

10% Reservation For Economically Weak In

General Category ,7 Now A Law

The Rajya Sabha on January 9, 2019 passed the

Constitution Amendment Bill to provide 10°/0

reservation in jobs and educational institutions

to economically backward sections in the

general category. A day after Lok Sabha

approved the Constitution (One Hundred and

Twenty Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2019, the

Rajya Sabha passed it with 165 voting in favour

and 7 against.

In the last leg of the legislative process, the Bill

went to the President for approval. Once it got

his assent, it became the law from January 12,

2019 that gives economically weaker sections

in the general category 10% reservation in

education as well as Central and State

government jobs. The Bill was approved after

the House rejected a motion moved by Ms.

Kanimozhi (DMK) and supported by Left

parties for sending it to a parliamentary select

committee for scrutiny. Against 18 members

supporting, 155 opposed it and one member

abstained. The Bill was approved after the

House rejected 5 amendments moved by

Opposition members. The quota will be over

and above the existing 50% reservation to SCs,

STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

CURRENT TOPICS: WORLD

Syria And Iran Sign 'Strategic' Economic

Agreement Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements and

memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on

January 28, 2019, including a "long-term

strategic economic cooperation" deal aimed at

strengthening cooperation between Damascus

and one of its key allies in the civil war that has

torn the country apart. The agreements, which

covered a range of fields including economy,

culture, education, infrastructure, investment

and housing, were signed during a visit to

Damascus by First Vice-President of Iran Mr.

Eshaq Jahangiri. Syrian Prime Minister Mr.



Imad Khamis said it was "a message to the

world on the reality of Syrian-Iranian

cooperation", citing "legal and administrative

facilities" to benefit Iranian companies wishing

to invest in Syria and contribute "effectively to

reconstruction." The agreements included two

memoranda of understanding between the

railway authorities of the two countries as well

as between their respective investment

promotion authorities. In relation to

infrastructure, there was also rehabilitation of

the ports of Tartus and Latakia as well as the

construction of a 540-megawatt energy plant,

according to Mr. Khamis. In addition, there

were "dozens of projects in the oil sector and

agriculture", he added.

The civil war has taken an enormous toll on the

Syrian economy and infrastructure, with the

cost of war-related destruction estimated by the

UN at about $400 billion. Iran will stand

"alongside Syria during the next phase that will

be marked by reconstruction," Mr. Jahangiri

promised.

Venezuela In Chaos After Juan Guaido

Proclaims Himself Interim President Venezuelan opposition leader Mr. Juan Guaido

declared himself interim President in a defiant

speech on January 23, 2019, before masses of

anti-government demonstrators who took to the

streets to demand President Mr. Nicolas

Maduro‘s resignation. The bold challenge to

Mr. Maduro‘s rule immediately drew

recognition from the Trump administration,

which said it would use the ―full weight‖ of the

US economic and diplomatic power to push for

the restoration of the democracy in Venezuela.

Raising his right hand in unison with tens of

thousands of supporters, Mr. Guaido, the fresh-

faced head of the opposition-controlled

congress, took a symbolic oath before God to

assume the executive powers he says are his

right under the Constitution of Venezuela, and

take over the presidency until new elections can

be called.

Trump Backs Down To End Painful Shutdown

Temporarily

US President Mr. Donald Trump yielded to

political pressure on January 26, 2019, to end

the longest Us government shutdown in history.

After 35 days, he backed a deal to fund federal

agencies for three weeks, but it includes none

of the money he has demanded for a US-

Mexico border wall. The Republican President

previously vowed to reject any budget unless it

included $5.7bn (4.3bn) to fund his signature

campaign pledge. But Democrats, who control

the House of Representatives, flatly refused.

Later, on January 25, 2019, the Senate and

House unanimously passed a bill to temporarily

end the shutdown, after which President Mr.

Trump signed the bill into law. Following the

votes in Congress, Mr. Trump tweeted that his

decision had been ―in no way a concession‖,

but was ―taking care of the millions of people

who were getting badly hurt by the shutdown‖.

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Mr.

Trump said he was ―very proud to announce‖

the agreement, which will fund the government

until February 15. He said federal workers

affected by the political imbroglio, whom he

called ―incredible patriots‖, would receive full

back-pay. He also said that he would not yet

resort to ―a very powerful alternative‖ – an

apparent reference to declaring a national

emergency. However, the President added; ―We

really have no choice but to build a powerful

wall or steel barrier. If we don‘t get a fair deal

from Congress, the government will either shut

down on February 15 again, or I will use the

powers afforded to me under the laws and the

Constitution of the United States to address this

emergency.‖

US, Taliban Agree In Principle On

Framework For Peace Deal

The United States and Taliban have agreed in

principle to chalk out a framework for a deal

that could eventually end the 17-year old

conflict in Afghanistan, the top US envoy said

on January 28, 2019. According to US Special

Representative for Afghanistan Mr. Zalmay

Khalilzad, the Taliban would guarantee that

Afghanistan will never be used as a base for

terrorism in return for a full American

withdrawal from the country. He further stated

that the Taliban concessions must include a

ceasefire and agreement to hold talks with the

Afghan government, a prospect the terror outfit

has been persistently opposed to previously. To

keep Afghanistan from being used as a base for

operations like the al-Qaeda‘s September 11,

2001 attacks on the US, a major catalyst for the

17-year-old war, has been one of the primary

demands made by the American officials.



World’s First Television Channel On

Human Rights Launched

The world‘s first television channel decdicated

to human rights was launched in London on

January 15, 2019, with a promise to deliver

hidden stories ignored by mainstream media

into people‘s living rooms. The International

Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR) said that

its web-based channel would bring human

rights issues to audiences in over 20 countries

across Europe, Latin America and the Middle

East. This content will also be displayed on

SoundBox Units, PCs, tablets and mobiles to

give maximum coverage.

IOHR is an independent non-profit and non-

governmental organization. It partners with

local and international human rights groups to

drive and promote positive changes and push

for justice and the respect of human rights

worldwide. It aims to defend the dignity of

people stripped of their rights including

unjustly jailed journalists, human rights

defenders, refugees and victims of oppression.

It plans to advance its advocacy mission

through a unique model of a non-governmental

organization that uses top of the line digital and

multimedia mediums to put the focus on human

rights violations worldwide. ―There are so

many people in the world who cannot speak up,

and it seems to be getting worse and worse,‖

IOHR Director Mr. Valerie Peay told the

Thomson Reuters Foundation at the official

launch at Frontline Club, London, a gathering

place for media.

World’s Longest 3D-Printed Concrete

Bridge Opened In China

3D printing technology is being used in

construction and world‘s largest 3D-printed

concrete bridge was recently opened for public

in Shanghai, on January 25, 2019. The bridge,

designed by Professor Xy Weiguo from

Tsinghua University in China, is 26.3-metre

long and is inspired by another ancient Chinese

bridge called Anji. It is located across a canal

on the Wenzaobang River in Shanghai.

Professor Xu Weiguo‘s team developed a 3D-

printing concrete system. The system is cost-

efficient which uses smart technology and

digital design to print 3D-concrete blocks. A

total of 44 hollowed-out 3D printed concrete

blocks were used to lay the bridge while 68

concrete units made the handrails.

The world‘s first 3D-printed concrete bridge

opened in the Netherlands in October 2017,

measuring a comparatively small 26 feet.

Created by Eindhoven University of

Technology in the town of Gemert, the

structure was designed to carry cyclists and

comprises about 800 layers of concrete.

Pakistan Decides To Shelve Major CPEC

Power Project

The Pakistan government has decided to shelve

a major power project under the China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC) that was pushed by

the regime of former Prime Minister Mr.

Nawaz Sharif, the media reported on January

14, 2019. Background discussions with

government officials suggest that Islamabad has

officially conveyed to Beijing that it was no

more interested in the 1,320MW Rahim Yar

Khan power project in view of sufficient

generation capacity already lined up for the

next few years. It has requested China to

formally delete the project from the CPEC list.

Su Tseng-Chang Appointed As New PM Of

Taiwan

Taiwan, on January 11, 2019, appointed the

former Chairman of its ruling pro-independence

party as premier, after the incumbent resigned

along with the entire cabinet, in response to

local election defeats. The election losses in

November 2018 presented a major challenge to

President Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, who faced

mounting criticism at home over her reform

agenda while facing renewed threats from

China, which considers the self-ruled island its

own. Ms. Tsai appointed Mr. Su Tseng-chang,

a two-term former Chairman of her Democratic

Progressive Party (DPP), saying Taiwan faced

challenges amid rising Chinese threats and

trade tension between key backer the United

States and China. ―Taiwan‘s democracy and

development must face certain challenges,‖ Ms.

Tsai said, adding that China was looking to

force its ―one country, two systems‖ structure

on the island. Mr. Su vowed to lead the

administration amid the challenges and learn

from earlier mistakes. ―The situation is difficult

and the task is tough,‖ he said.

UK Parliament Rejects Brexit Deal



British Prime Minister Ms. Theresa May

suffered a crushing defeat in the Parliament on

January 15, 2019 when over 100 lawmakers of

Ms. May‘s Conservative Party-both Brexiteers

and Remainers, voted against the Brexit deal.

The lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected

Britain‘s withdrawal deal by a vote of 432 to

202, a majority of 230 votes, with just 73 days

to go until Britain is scheduled to leave the

European Union. The withdrawal agreement

had been negotiated between Prime Minister

Ms. Theresa May and the European Union.

Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March

29, 2019.

US Launches New Innovation Initiative At

Raisina Dialogue 2019

The United States Chamber of Commerce‘s

Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC)

launched a new innovation initiative on January

11, 2019, at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

The initiative, entitled ―Fair Value for

Innovation‖, will examine economic

underpinnings that would enable breakthrough

innovation, and explore how policymakers can

harness innovation capital in India and around

the globe through research, advocacy,

partnerships, and programmes. ―The promise of

India‘s innovation ecosystem is real, and the

US industry has a stake in it,‖ said Mr. Patrick

Kilbride, Senior Vice President of GIPC.

―Innovation has revolutionized life in India and

pulled millions out of poverty, but India will

need to go further and become a disruptive

innovator in order to take full advantage of the

innovation revolution. As a recognition of this

promise, India is the very first market where

we‘re launching this important initiative,‖ Mr.

Kilbride added.

The Raisina Dialogue is India‘s most influential

conference on geopolitics and geo-economics,

convened by the Observer Research Foundation

and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in

New Delhi.

Gita Gopinath Joins IMF As Its First Female

Chief Economist

Mysore-born Ms. Gita Gopinath, on January 8,

2019, joined International Monetary Fund as its

Chief Economist, becoming the first woman to

occupy the top IMF post. She joined at a time,

when she believes that the world is

experiencing a retreat from globalization,

posing challenges to multilateral institutions.

The John Zwaanstra Professor of International

Studies and Economics at Harvard University,

Ms. Gopinath, 47, succeeds Mr. Maurice

(Maury) Obstfeld as Economic Counsellor and

Director of the IMF‘s Research Department.

Mr. Obstfeld retired on December 31, 2018.

Announcing her appointment on October 1,

IMF Managing Director Mr. Christine Lagarde

had described her as one of the world‘s

outstanding economists with impeccable

academic credentials, a proven track record of

intellectual leadership and extensive

international experience. The 11th

Chief

Economist of the IMF, Ms. Gopinath in a

recent interview to The Harvard Gazette

described her appointment at the IMF as a

tremendous honour and said the appointment of

the first-ever woman for this position speaks

highly of IMF‘s Managing Director Mr.

Lagarde.

India And Mongolia Sign An Important

MoU At ICMEI India and Monogolia moved further in their

relationship and will work together in the

promotion of art and culture as the Embassy of

Mongolia and International Chamber of Media

and Entertainment Industry signed an MoU to

enhance the relations on January 19, 2019. The

MoU was signed in the presence of Mr. H.E.

Gonchig Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to

India and Dr. Sandeep Marwah, President

ICMEI. The MoU will enable the two countries

to work together on different segments

including print, radio, television, cinema,

animation, Performing and Fine Arts, tourism,

hospitality, education, environment, solar

energy, skill development, PR events and

advertising, Fashion and Design, and

Journalism. Dr. Sandeep Marwah hand over the

first scholarship of short-term course of Asian

Academy of Film and Television to

Ambassador Mr. Ganbold for the deserving

student from Mongolia, which also includes

boarding and lodging for three months.

Palestine Takes Over Chairmanship Of

Group Of 77 From Egypt Palestine took over the chairmanship of the

Group of 77 and China from Egypt at the

United Nations headquarters in New York on

January 15, 2019. Palestine is slated to lead the



bloc for 2019. Palestinian President Mr.

Mahmoud Abbas accepted the chairmanship of

the Group of 77 and China, a coalition of 134

mainly developing nations, on behalf of

Palestine, a non-member observer state of the

United Nations. He was handed the gavel by

the Foreign Minister of Egypt Mr. Sameh

Shoukry at the ceremony.

UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres

said that the Group of 77 and China

demonstrated strong leadership throughout

2018 and proved once again to be a central

force in demonstrating that ―multilateralism is

the only way to address our shared challenges.‖

The Group of 77 is the largest

intergovernmental organization of developing

countries in the United Nations, which provides

the means for the countries of the South to

articulate and promote their collective

economic interests and enhance their joint

negotiating capacity on all major international

economic issues within the United Nations

system, and promote South-South cooperation

for development.

G-77 was established on 15 June, 1964, by 77

developing countries, and its membership

increased to 134 countries, later.

Rio Named World Capital Of Architecture

For 2020 By UNESCO The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has been

named the World Capital of Architecture for

2020 by the UN Educational, Scientific, and

Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on January

21, 2019. The announcement was made by

UNESCO‘s Assistant Director-General for

Culture Mr. Ernesto Ottone R, Mr. Thomas

Vonier, President of the International Union of

Architects (UIA) and Mr. Verena Vicentini

Andreatta, Municipal Secretary of the City of

Rio for Urbanism, on January 18, 2019. Rio

will be the first city to receive the title under a

programme launched together by UNESCO and

the International Union of Architects (UIA) in

November 2018. Earlier, Paris and Melbourne

had secured the position.

As one of the oldest cities in Brazil, Rio has a

mix of modern and colonial architecture, with

world-renowned sites like the statue of Christ

the Redeemer and contemporary constructions

like the Museum of Tomorrow.

India Signs 11 MoUs Worth $9.5 Million

With Afghanistan Notwithstanding the recent terror attack

targeting Indian nationals in Kabul and US

efforts to cut a deal with Taliban, India signed

11 MoUs worth $9.5 million with the Afghan

government on January 20, 2019. The MoUs

were for infrastructure, public services such as

health clinics and governance-related projects.

These projects include construction of

classrooms, orphanages, health clinics, canal

protection walls and enhancing economic

opportunities for women for seven provinces of

Afghanistan – Balkh, Ghor, Herat, Kabul,

Bamyan, Badghis and Kapisa. The projects will

help local communities in education,

employment and livelihood generation and

capacity-building. These projects are a part of

the 577 development projects funded by India

for 2005-2021 worth $120 million.

The development comes days after US

President Mr. Donald Trump mocked India‘s

development assistance in Afghanistan and

questioned the use of the ―library‖ India built in

the country. Mr. Trump in 2019‘s first cabinet

meet had said, even though he gets ―along very

well with India and Prime Minister Modi‖, PM

Mr. Modi ―is constantly telling me, he built a

library in Afghanistan‖ but he ―does not know

who‘s using it (the library) in Afghanistan‖.

Later during a phone call, Mr. Trump and PM

Mr. Modi discussed the way forward in

Afghanistan as US readies to withdraw its

troops and enter into a deal with Taliban.

India says that its projects in Afghanistan speak

for itself and Delhi will continue to stay on

course in the landlocked country. Since 2001,

India has undertaken projects worth over $2

billion in Afghanistan.

Static GK Capsule

Indian Polity and Constitution

Which article of the Indian Constitution

declares Supreme Court to be a Court of

record?- Article 129

A Bill becomes an Act of the Indian Parliament

only after it received the assent of – The

President



In India, Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

consists of total -22 members

The sitting of a House of Parliament can be

terminated by – Dissolution, Prorogation or

Adjournment

The procedure for joint session of the

Parliament is not applicable to Bills for –

Amendment of the Constitution

Which bill can be introduced only in the Lok

Sabha and only by a minister?- The Money

Bill

The feature of Joint sitting of the two Houses of

Parliament in the Indian Constitution is inspired

with the – Australian Constitution

Right to Information is a – Legal right

The idea of ‗Preamble‘ has been borrowed in

the Indian Constitution from the Constitution of

– The United States of America

NITI Aayog in India is an – Extra-

Constitutional body

India National Movement

Who formed the ‗Bharat Naujawan Sabha‘ in

1925?- Sardar Bhagat Singh

Who is commonly known as the ‗Liberator of

the Indian Press‘ – Sir Charles Metcalfe

Who was the founder of the ‗Khudai

Khidmatgar‘ movement? – Khan Abdul

Gaffar Khan

Who presided over the 1905 Benaras Session of

the Indian National Congress?- Gopal Krishna

Gokhale

Who was the founder of ‗Indian Independence

League‘ and the government in Kabul?- Raja

Mahendra Pratap

Dadabhai Naoroji became the President of the

Indian National Congress three times in -1886,

1893 and 1906

‗Kanpur Conspiracy Case was against the

leaders of – Communist movement

Which great leader of the Indian national

movement edited ‗The Commonweal‘ paper?‘-

Annie Besant

Two great leaders who led Home Rule

Movement in 1915-16 are – B.G. Tilak and

Annie Besant

Who moved the Non- Cooperation Movement

Resolution in September 1920 in Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)? – Mahatma Gandhi

History and Culture of India

The inscription of Hathigumpha is the major

source of information about – King Kharvela

Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur Veda were

collectively called – Vedatrayi (Trio of

Vedas)

Which Purana is considered as the oldest

Puranic text? – The Matsya Purana

Who is the author of great book ‗ Vikramanka-

devacharita‘?- Bilhana

The term ‗Khalisa‘ in Mughal administration

signified the land- Owned by the emperor

himself

The evil of slavery was abolished during the

period of – Lord Ellenbourough

Rashtrakuta King Amoghvarsha wrote a book

in Kannada language named – Kavirajamarga

Who has the first Sultan of Delhi who separated

religion from politics by proclaiming ‗Kingship

knows no Kinship‘?- Sultan Aluddin Khilji

‗Dasabodha‘ is the compilation of spiritual

writings and sermons of – Saint Ramdas

Which great social reformer was originally

known as ‗Mula Shankar‘? – Swami

Dayanand Saraswati

Geography (India and the World)

Gibson desert is located in – Australia

How much maritime distance between India

and Europe was reduced after the construction

of the Suez Canal?- About 7000 km

New York in the USA is located on the bank of

river –Hudson

Which European city is referred to as the ‗City

of Seven Hills‘? – Rome

‗Kalmuk‘ and ‗Buryak‘ are important tribes of

– Central Asia

To measure the length of a river on a map, we

use – Opisometer

The Narmada and the Tapti rivers flow into the

– Gulf of Khambat

The Indian sub-continent was originally part of

a huge landmass called – Gondwana

Continent

Rohtang pass connects the valleys of – Kullu

and Spiti

Kandla in Gujarat is a – Tidal port

Science & Technology



Double-helical structure of DNA was

discovered by – James Watson Francis Crick

Graphene is a – Nano structure of carbon

The sound will have highest velocity in – Steel

Albert Einstein was honoured with the Nobel

Prize for his work of – Photo-electric effect

In fibre optics, the signal source is – Light

waves

Polio is caused by – Virus with single

stranded RNA

The metal present in Vitamin B12 is – Cobalt

The growth of bacteria is measured by –

Spectrophotometer

The branch of biology which deals with extinct

organisms is called –Phylogeny

Potassium Carbonate (K2 CO3) is also known as

– Pearl ash

Latest in Sports

CRICKET

Virat Kohli named ICC ODI and Test player of

the Year: Indian captain Virat Kohli dominated the

ICC Awards that were declared on January 22,

2019. He was elected Men‘s Test Cricketer of the

Year, Men‘s ODI Cricketer of the Year and also

won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men‘s

Cricketer of the Year. In addition to these, he was

also named captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams

of the year for 2018.

In the 47 innings that he played across formats

in 2018, Kohli scored 2,735 runs at an average

of 68.37 He also had 11 centuries and nine

fifties to his name in the year and was the

highest run scorer in India‘s tours of South

Africa and England.

Kohli scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08

in 13 Tests with five hundreds during the

calendar year while in 14 ODIs he amassed

1202 runs at an astonishing average of 133.55

with six centuries. He also scored 211 runs in

10 T20Is.

Rishabh Pant has been named the Emerging

Player of the Year by the ICC for 2018 Pant

made his international debut in August 2018

during the third Test between India and

England. He famously hit a six off the very first

ball he faced in the match. He went on to score

162 runs in the series and this included a

maiden Test century during the final Indian

inning in the fifth Test.

Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri receive honorary

membership of Sydney Cricket Ground: Indian

skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri received

honorary membership of the Sydney Cricket

Ground on January 18, 2019. India scored 622 for

the seven wickets in the first innings of the final

Test that was held at the iconic stadium. It was their

second-highest total in the stadium and although it

was washed out the match confirmed India‘s series

win their first ever on Australian soil in Test cricket.

Apart from Kohli and Shastri, the only other

international cricketers to be granted the

honorary membership of the SCG are iconic

Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara of the West

Indies.

Virat Kohli leads India to first ever Test Series

win In Australia: A dominant India won their first-

ever Test series in Australia by a margin of 2-1 after

play in the fourth and final Test in Sydney was

abandoned due to rain on January 7,2019. Australia

were still trailing by 316 runs when the match was

called off as a draw, ending India‘s 71-year wait

after wins in Adelaide and Melbourne. It is the first-

time India managed the feat since they began

touring Australia in 1947-48. Consequently, Virat

Kohli became the first Indian as well as the first

Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia. India

reinforced their status as the world‘s number one

team and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with

a historic 2-1 series win.

India win historic ODI Series in Australia: MS

Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav‘s unbeaten 121-run

partnership took India past the winning line as India

defeated hosts Australia by 7 wickets to register

their first-ever bilateral ODI series victory in

Australian soil. India won the 3-match ODI series

2-1.Former captain MS Dhoni was back among the

runs as he scored three back-to-back half-centuries

in this series. Dhoni‘s scores read 51 in Sydney, 55

not out in Adelaide and a match-winning knock of

unbeaten 87 in Melbourne. He scored 193 runs in

three-match ODI series.

KABADDI

Bengaluru Bulls win maiden Pro Kabaddi title:

Bengaluru Bulls won their maiden Pro Kabaddi title

on January 5, 2019 as they beat Gujarat Fortune

giants in a thrilling final of the sixth season. The

Bulls made a brilliant comeback to beat Gujarat for

the second consecutive time and lift the trophy.

Bengaluru‘s Pawan Sehrawat was the star of

the night as he collected 22 points from 25



raids. Gujarat Fortune giants finish runners-up

for the second straight year.

WRESTLING

Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian to be

nominated for Laureus World Sports Award:

Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat on January 24, 2019

became the first Indian to be nominated for the

prestigious Laureus World Sports Award. Vinesh

has been nominated in ―Laureus World Sporting

Come back‖ category for the year 2019 and will be

competing for the award with golf great Tiger

Woods Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris,

American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, Japanese

figure skater Yuzuru Manyu, and Dutch para

snowboarding star Bibian Mentel-Spee.

Vinesh had a stellar 2018 in which she won

gold at the 2018 Common wealth Games, a

silver in the 2018 Asian Championships in

Bishkek and a gold at the Asian Games in

Jakarta.

Vinesh Phogat scripts another dominating win as

Mumbai cut short Haryana’s winning streak:

Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat scored a

dominating 12-2 win over Seema as Mumbai

Maharathi halted Haryana Hammers‘ winning

streak with a 4-3 win in the Pro Wrestling League

(PWL), in Greater Noida on January 24, 2019.

The 24-year-old wrestler, who has been

nominated for the prestigious Laureaus

Awards, faced some resistance but eventually

won the women‘s 53kg contest by technical

superiority to seal the tie with one bout

remaining.

BOXING

Mary Kom becomes World No.1 in AIBA world

rankings: The celebrated M C Mary Kom‘s

unprecedented sixth world title triumph has

propelled her to the number one position in the

International Boxing Association‘s (AIBA) latest

world rankings.

The diminutive Manipuri became the most

successful boxer in world championships‘

history when she claimed the 48 kg category

top honours in November last year in Delhi.

In the updated rankings put out by AIBA, Mary

Kom is placed top of the charts in the weight

division with 1700 points.

TENNIS

Australian Open 2019

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win

2019 Australian Open Men’s final: Novak

Djokovic won a record seventh Australian

Open on January 27, 2019, as he cruised past

Rafael Nadal in the final 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The

world No. 1 and top seed, who is now a 15-time

Grand Slam champion, put in a spellbinding

performance, having secured a vice-like grip on

the match from the off.

Djokovic dominated the early exchanges with

some exceptional play on serve, leaving Nadal,

who hadn‘t lost a set in this competition,

looking surprisingly short of ideas. That trend

continued throughout the match, with the Serb

playing to a stunning standard.

Djokovic who has won three Grand Slams in a

row, is the only man to have won this event

seven times, moving clear of six-time winners

Roy Emerson and Roger Federer.

Naomi Osaka beats Petra Kvitova to win.

Australian Open Women’s final: Japan‘s

Naomi Osaka has become the new women‘s

world number one after winning the Australian

Open final against Petra Kvitova in three

gripping sets at Melbourne Park 21-year-old

Japanese star Naomi Osaka has won the

Australian Open women‘s singles title, beating

Czech player Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-4

in the final Osaka-who won last year‘s US

Open title- now takes over as the world number

one form Romania‘s Simona Halep Kvitova

was playing her first Grand Slam final since

recovering from a serious hand injury sustained

in a knife attack at her home in 2016.

She becomes the first Japanese player to hold

the number one ranking, moving up to the top

spot from number four.

Men’s Doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert &

Nicolas Mahut beat Henri Kontinen & John

Peers, 6-4, 7-6(7-1)

Women’s Doubles: Samantha Stosur & Zhang

Shuai beat Timea Babos & Kristina

Mladenovic, 6-3, 6-4

Mixed Doubles: Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev

Ram beat Astra Sharma & John-Patrick Smith,

7-6(7-3), 6-1

BADMINTON

Saina Nehwal wins Indonesia Masters title:

Saina Nehwal has been declared the winner of



Indonesia Masters after Carolina Marin was

forced to retire with a knee injury, The

Spaniard was leading 10-4 in the first game

when she developed an injury in the knee

Marin looked in so much pain that even Saina

walked over to the reigning Olympic and World

Champion out of concern. Not the way the

Commonwealth Games medallist would have

wanted to win the final.

HOCKEY

Harendra Singh removed as head coach of

Indian men’s hockey team: Indian men‘s

hockey coach Harendra Singh was on January

9, 2019 sacked from the position and offered

the task of helming the junior squad by the

national federation. Explaining the sudden

decision, Hockey India said in a statement that

though the year 2018 was very disappointing

for the Indian Men‘s Hockey Team with results

not going as expected, they believe investing in

the junior program will reap long-term benefits.

Singh made his international debut at the 1990

Asian Games in Beijing, where India won

silver.

MISCELLANEOUS

Khelo India Youth Games: Maharashtra

finish top with 228 medals: The Khelo India

Youth Games concluded in Pune on January

20, 2019 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.

Current Affairs MCQs

1. Which Kisan Yojana was launched recently

by the Union government in the presentation of

Budget 2019?

(a) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana

(b) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Yojana

(c) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi

(d) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana

2. Under the Union Government‘s new scheme

for the farmers in budget 2019, how much

direct income support will be provided in a

year?

(a) 5000 (b) 6000

(c) 7000 (d) 8000

3. How many personalities have been awarded

the Bharat Ratna in 2019?

(a) Two (b) Five

(c) Three (d) Four

4. The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian

award of the Republic of India. In which year

Bharat Ratna has instituted?

(a) 1949 (b) 1950

(c) 1954 (d) 1970

5. Bhupen Hazarika was born in 1926 in the

small town of

(a) Assam (b) Odisha

(c) West Bengal (d) Bihar

6. Pranab Mukherjee is an Indian politician

who served as the …….. President of India

from 2012 until 2017.

(a) 7th (b) 10th

(c) 11th (d) 13th

7. Chandikadas Ameritrao Deshmukh also

known as Nanaji Deshmukh was a …….. from

India.

(a) Political leader

(b) Social activist

(c) Indian barrister

(d) RSS thinker



8. Which State government has launched the

‗DataCity‘ to foster innovation and solve global

challenges?

(a) Haryana (b) Karnataka

(c) Maharashtra (d) Tamilnadu

9. Which country‘s team has won the 2018

Davis Cup tennis tournament?

(a) Croatia (b) France

(c) Japan (d) Germany

10. Who was popularly known as the ‗Bard of

Brahmaputra‘ for his evergreen songs like ‗Dil

hoom hoom kare‘ and ‗O Ganga behtio ho

kyun‘?

(a) Pranab Mukherjee

(b) Bhupen Hazarika

(c) Nanaji Deshmukh

(d) Atal Bihari Vajpayee

11. Pranab Mukherjee was born in which State?

(a) Assam (b) Odisha

(c) West Bengal (d) Tripura

12. As per the Interim Budget 2019-20, how

much amount has been allocated for the

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Gurantee Act (MGNREGA)?

(a) 24000 crore (b) 48000 crore

(c) 60000 crore (d) 80000 crore

13. The 22nd All India Institute of Medical

Sciences (AIIMS) will be set-up in which State,

as per the Interim Budget 2019-20?

(a) Punjab (b) Telangana

(c) Rajasthan (d) Haryana

14. The Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan

scheme was announced in the Interim Budget

2019-20. Under the scheme, the workers will

get what amount of pension after attaining the

age of 60 years?

(a) 3000 (b) 4500

(c) 6000 (d) 9000

15. As per the Interim Budget 2019-20,

Individual tax payers with taxable income of up

to what amount will get full tax rebate from

now on?

(a) 3 lakh (b) 5 lakh

(c) 7 lakh (d) 9 lakh

16. Who has been honored with the annual

Carnot Prize for the year 2018?

(a) Piyush Goyal

(b) Narendra Modi

(c) Ram Nath Kovind

(d) Nirmala Sitharaman

17. Which application was launched by the

Defence Ministry on the occasion of 70th

Republic Day?

(a) Bharat Vande 2019

(b) Parade 2019

(c) India 2019

(d) RDP India 2019

18. In which State, a dedicated RPF Women

Squad named as JOYMATI BAHINI was

launched?

(a) Assam (b) Mizoram

(c) Nagaland (d) Meghalaya

19. Which application was developed by IIT

Ropar that would help the Visually Impaired to

recognize currency notes?

(a) Pehchan (b) Jagmag

(c) Roshni (d) Sitara

20. In which State, cable stayed 5.1 km ‗Atal

Setu‘ was inaugurated?

(a) Mizoram (b) Goa

(c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Telangana

21. A.s per the Financial Times Global MBA

Rankings 2019, which institute Post Graduate

Program in Management (PGP) has been

ranked 24 worldwide?

(a) Symbiosis University

(b) SP Jain Institute of Management

(c) IIM Ahmedabad

(d) Indian School of Business

22. Who won Australian Open 2019

(women‘s)?

(a) Simona Halep

(b) Petra Kvitova

(c) Naomi Osaka

(d) Caroline Wozniacki

23. Who won Australian Open 2019 (Men‘s)?

(a) Novak Djokovic

(b) Leander Paes

(c) Rafael Nadal

(d) Roger Federer



24. Who won the New South Wales men‘s

Amateur Golf Championship in Australia?

(a) Aryan Sharma

(b) Kartik Sharma

(c) Scott Johnson

(d) Nathan Barberie

25. Nanaji Deshmukh was born on Ocrober 11,

1916 in which State?

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Uttar Pradesh

(c) Gujarat

(d) Rajasthan

26. How many personalities have got the

Bharat Ratna till now (2019)?

(a) 43 (b) 45

(c) 47 (d) 48

27. In which year Nelson Mandela (former

President of South Africa) received Bharat

Ratna?

(a) 1975 (b) 1995

(c) 2000 (d) 1990

28. According to the Union government, how

many crore LPG connections have already been

distributed under PM Ujjwala Yojana?

(a) 5 crore (b) 6 crore

(c) 7 crore (d) 8 crore

29. The government has decided to set-up

Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog for the welfare of

which animal in budget 2019?

(a) Cow (b) Tiger

(c) Goat (d) Lion

30. Who has been appointed Regional Director

for WHO South East Asia, for a second five-

year term?

(a) Ajay singh

(b) Christiane Ligarde

(c) Ajay Neelam

(d) Poonam Khetrapal Singh

31. The 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards was

held in which country?

(a) Canada (b) Russia

(c) The USA (d) India

32. Which State government has conferred the

Republic Day Journalism Award 2019 to

veteran journalist and former editor Dhirendra

Nath Chakraborty?

(a) Uttar Pradesh

(b) West Bengal

(c) Assam

(d) Telangana

33. Which translation of the book ‗La vie d‘ un

homme inconnu‘ was awarded the 2nd Romain

Rolland Prize for literary translation in Jaipur at

the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival?

(a) Tamil (b) English

(c) Hindi (d) Urdu

34. Teenage batsman Rohit Paudel has become

the youngest cricketer to score a half century in

international cricket at the age of 16 years and

146 days. He hails from which country?

(a) Nepal (b) Pakistan

(c) Sri Lanka (d) Zimbabwe

35. National Ice Hockey Championship was

held in which State?

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Uttarakhand

(c) Jammu and Kashmir

(d) Assam

36. Pacer Ewen Chatfield announced his

retirement. He is former player of which

country?

(a) New Zealand

(b) Australia

(c) England

(d) South Africa

37. who has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi

Award for the best novel of 2017?

(a) Aymanam John

(b) Veeran Kutty

(c) VJ James

(d) CL Jose

38. Which State launched ‗Yuva Swabhiman

Yojana‘?

(a) Uttar Pradesh

(b) Chhattisgarh

(c) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Rajasthan

39. Which word was listed as Hindi word of the

year 2018 by Oxford Dictionaries?

(a) Stree India (b) Stree Shakti



(c) Yuva (d) Nari Shakti

40. Recently, ‗Train 18‘, India‘s first

indigenous semi-high speed train was renamed

as which of the following?

(a) Garibrath Express

(b) Bharat Jai Express

(c) Hindustan Express

(d) Vande Bharat Express

41. Which company took the title of world‘s

most valued IT services brand according to

Brand Finance?

(a) TCS (b)

Accenture

(C) IBM (d) HCL

42. SBI Card has joined hands with which

airlines to launch a travel specific Visa credit

card for members and Indian travelers?

(a) Qatar Airways

(b) Etihad Airways

(c) Emirates

(d) British Airways

43. Who will head the panel that has been set-

up by IRDA to identity domestically

Systemically Important Insurers(SII)?

(a) Ajay Barman

(b) Pravin Kutumbe

(c) Subhash Chandra Khuntia

(d) Kartik Sen

44. The National Commodity and derivatives

exchange limited has signed MoU with which

institute to handhold Farmer Producer

Organisations (FPOs) and allied institutions?

(a) ICSI (b) NABARD

(c) IRMA (d) SIDBI

45. Recently, Competition Commission of India

(CCI) gave its approval to Glaxo Smith Kline

Consumer Health Care for merger with which

company?

(a) Cipla

(b) Lupin Limited

(c) Patanjali Ayurveda

(d) Hindustan Unilever Limited

46. The World Economic Forum annual meet

began in which city?

(a) New York (b) Canberra

(c) Davos (d) London

47. Who was crowned champion of the

Indonesia Masters 2019?

(a) PV Sindhu

(b) Saina Nehwal

(c) Carolina Marin

(d) Ankita Raina

48. According to e-marketer‘s latest worldwide

retail and e-commerce forecast, which country

is poised to become the world‘s top retail

market in 2019?

(a) Russia (b) The USA

(c) China (d) India

49. Who was reappointed as MD of Lakshmi

Vilas Bank?

(a) PS Jayakumar

(b) Navneet Singh

(c) Rana Kapoor

(d) Parthasarathi Mukherjee

50. Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Delhi for his

first State visit ahead of the Republic Day

celebration parade. He is the President of,

which country?

(a) South Africa (b) Australia

(c) Netherlands (d) Ukraine

51. The celebration of 15th Pravasi Bhartiya

Divas was commenced in, which city?

(a) Mumbai (b) Chennai

(c) Varanasi (d) Pune

52. Which country opened the year‘s space

campaign by putting into orbit defence imaging

satellite ‗Microsoft R‘?

(a) India (b) The USA

(c) Russia (d) Australlia

53. The Election Commission of India has

decided to set-up ‗Sangwari‘ polling stations in

which among the following states, to encourage

women voters?

(a) Rajasthan (b) Madhya Pradesh

(c) Chhattisgarh (d) Odisha

54. NASA has recently retired its space mission

called Kepler. What is Kepler?

(a) a mars orbitor

(b) a space telescope

(c) a navigation satellite

(d) a lunar rover



55. SWAS, SAFAL and STAR, which have

been developed by the Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research (CSIR), are the names of

(a) Unmanned aerial vehicles

(b) Green firecrackers

(c) Space Telescope

(d) Biofuels

56. The Ministry of Drinking Water and

Sanitation has recently organized a seminar on

Gandhian thoughts and Swachhta to make India

a Swacch Bharat by 2019, at which among the

following places?

(a) Ahmedabad

(b) Pune

(c) Wardha

(d) Porbandar

57. Which organization released the biennial

Living Planet Report 2018?

(a) World Wide Fund (WWF)

(b) UNICEF

(c) Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

(d) Conservation International

58. The Statue of Unity, world‘s tallest status

which is recently being unveiled, is built on the

river

(a) Tapti (b) Narmada

(c) Sabarmati (d) Mahi

59. Which long Range Surface to Air Missile

was launched by DRDO recently off Odisha

coast?

(a) INS Karwar (b) INS Chennai

(c) INS Vikramaditya (d) INS Chand

60. India and which other country have agreed

to set-up an ‗Energy Banking‘ mechanism that

would help the Himalayan country export its

surplus electricity?

(a) Nepal (b) Bhutan

(c) China (d) Sri Lanka

61. According to WHO, which country

accounts more than half leprosy cases globally?

(a) China (b) Nepal

(c) Pakistan (d) India

62. According to Motilal Oswal Report, weak

corporate earnings pushed the corporate profits

to GDP ratio among the Nifty 500 companies to

a 15 year low of how much percent?

(a) 3.0% (b) 2.5%

(c) 2.8% (d) 2.6%

63. What is the rank of India in the GDPR

Readiness Index released by Cisco?

(a) 4th (b) 6th

(c) 5th (d) 3rd

64. Recently, women‘s cricketer Danielle

Hazell announced her retirement. She is the

former player of which country?

(a) Holland (b) Netherlands

(c) Australia (d) England

65. Who was appointed as new Prime Minister

of Burkina Faso?

(a) Roch Marc Christian Kabore

(b) Marc Dovil Kabure

(c) Christopher Daniel Dabire

(d) Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire

66. Who was announced as the winner of $

25000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

2018?

(a) Tejaswini Niranjana

(b) Taruna Bhati

(c) Umalakshmi Ravi Shankar

(d) Tanmay Chakraborty

67. Recently, fiction writer and essayist

Krishna Sobti passed away. She is the writer of

which language?

(a) Urdu (b) Hindi

(c) Tamil (d) Marathi

68. Recently, Russell Baker passed away. He

was related to which profession?

(a) Singer (b) Sportsmen

(c) Journalist (d) Writer

69. Recently, writer Atin Bandyopadhyay

passed away. He was the writer of which

language?

(a) Odia (b) Tamil

(c) Urdu (d) Bengali

70. What is the theme of this year‘s National

Voters Day 2019?

(a) Ethical Voting

(b) Empowering young and future events

(c) Authentic Elections

(d) Accessible Elections



71. Cabinet recently approved the restructuring

on National Health Agency to which name?

(a) National Health Authority

(b) National Health Approval

(c) National Health Administration

(d) National Health Arogya

72. Union Minister for Science & Technology,

Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests &

Climate change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan will be

launching three important centre‘s set-up by

Department of Science and Technology in

which city?

(a) Chennai (b) Mumbai

(c) New Delhi (d) Pune

73. Which state government has decided to

form a ‗State Tiger Protection Force‘ to save

the Big Cat population in the State?

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Telangana

(c) Uttar Pradesh

(d) Haryana

74. The World‘s longest 3D-printed concrete

pedestrian bridge opened in which country?

(a) The UK (b) The USA

(c) Japan (d) China

75. Which country‘s government declared

sugarcane juice as the ‗national drink‘ of the

country?

(a) India (b) Nepal

(c) Pakistan (d) Sri Lanka

76. According to the World Economic Situation

and Prospects 2019, how much percent is

global growth expected to remain in 2019 and

2020?

(a) 4% (b) 3%

(c) 5% (d) 6%

77. According to Prime Minister‘s Economic

Advisory Council, India to grow at how much

percent in the next few years?

(a) 7.3-7.6% (b) 8.0-8.2%

(c) 7.5-7.8% (d) 7.0-7.5%

78. During 2014-16, according to the cabinet,

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) declined to

how much percent?

(a) 2.5% (b) 2.7%

(c) 2.3% (d) 3.0%

79. PM Narendra Modi added which slogan to

the slogan ‗Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan‘ given by the

late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri?

(a) Jai Arogya (b) Jai Bharat

(c) Jai Anusandhan (d) Jai Awas

80. Which web based single window system

will be rolled out at State levels by January 15,

bringing an end to the clearance nightmare for

entrepreneurs?

(a) Pardesh (b) Arogya

(c) Parman (d) Parivesh

81. Which city got the guest of honour in 27th

edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair

(NDWBF)?

(a) London (b) Sharjah

(c) Astana (d) Dubai

82. Which State approves 11 projects for river

Saraswati revival?

(a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Jharkhand

(c) Bihar (d) Haryana

83. Which airport has been declared as an

authorized Immigration Check Post for entry

into/exit from India?

(a) Chaudhary Charan Singh International

Airport

(b) Veer Savarkar International Airport

(c) Indira Gandhi International Airport

(d) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International

Airport

84. According to RBI Report on Trend and

Progress of Banking in India, how much

percent increase was seen in number of

complaints registered at banking ombudsman

offices in Fy 2018?

(a) 20% (b) 25%

(c) 10% (d) 32%

85. Which among the following countries

launched the world‘s first sovereign blue bond?

(a) Singapore (b) Seychelles

(c) Chile (d) Japan

86. Name the first engine-less semi-high speed

train released by India that was developed by

Integral Coach Factory, Chennai?

(a) Train 15 (b) Train 24

(c) Train 18 (d) Train 28



87. Mammals of India (MAOI) is a first of its

kind repository of Mammals in India. It is

developed by

(a) Zoological Survey of India

(b) Bombay Natural History Society

(c) National Center for Biological Sciences

(d) Indian Veterinary Research Institute

88. Who will head the committee that has been

formed to rejuvenate Micro, small and Medium

Enterprises?

(a) Ranjan Das

(b) Praveen Garg

(c) Subhash Chandra Khuntia

(d) Upendra Kumar Sinha

89. Which company became the country‘s

largest asset, Management Company after a gap

of over two year?

(a) IDBI Mutual Funds

(b) Reliance Mutual Fund

(c) ICICI Prudential

(d) HDFC Mutual Fund

90. Who has assume charge as Secretary,

Department of Fertilizers, government of India?

(a) Ravi Shankar Prasad

(b) Suresh Prabhu

(c) Ravindra Koul

(d) Chhabliendra Roul

91. Who has become the first women amputee

to climb Mount Vinson (Highest Peak of

Antarctica)?

(a) Arunima Sinha

(b) Santosh Yadav

(c) Premlata Yadav

(d) Malavath Purna

92. Where did President Ram Nath Kovind

inaugurate the Mahatma Gandhi International

Sanitation Convention?

(a) Chennai (b) New Delhi

(c) Bengaluru (d) Hyderabad

93. PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated

Mahatma Gandhi Museum in

(a) Jamnagar (b) Por Bandar

(c) Vadodara (d) Rajkot

94. Who is the Chairperson of insolvency and

Bankruptcy Board Of India?

(a) MS Sahoo

(b) V. Shantakumaran

(c) Viral Acharya

(d) Urjit Patel

95. Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved

a $ 150 million loan to establish the first multi-

skills park in

(a) Madhya Pradesh

(b) Tamil Nadu

(c) Andhra Pradesh

(d) Himachal Pradesh

96. Supreme Court invalidated which section of

IPC (Indian Penal Code) to declare adultery

cannot be a criminal offence

(a) Section-123 (b) Section-497

(c) Section-435 (d) Section-534

97. RBI increased the ―Facility to Avail

Liquidity for Liquidity Coverage Ratio

(FALLCR)‖ from the existing 11% to _____ %

of their deposits, with effect from 1st October

2018?

(a) 10 (b) 13

(c) 20 (d) 23

98. Name the indigenously developed Beyond

Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM)

that was successfully test fired by Indian Air

Force (IAF) near Chandipur in Odisha

(a) Vastra (b)Vajra

(c) Artha (d) Astra

99. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

approved procurement of 1000 engines for

firment in ……… tanks of the Army.

(a) T-55 (b) T-65

(c) T-70 (d) T-72

100. As per RBI‗s latest order, all scheduled

commercial banks having more than ……..

branches are required to appoint an Internal

Ombudsman (IO)

(a) 5 (b) 10

(c) 15 (d) 20



Answer Key CLATFOCUS January - 2019

Q. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Ans. C B C C A D B B A B

Q. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Ans. C C D C B A D A C B

Q. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Ans. D C A B A D D B A D

Q. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Ans. C C A A C A C C D D

Q. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

Ans. B B B C D C B C D A

Q. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.

Ans. C A C B B C A B B A

Q. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.

Ans. D C B D D A B D D D

Q. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80.

Ans. A A B D C B D B C D

Q. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90.

Ans. B D B B B C C D D D

Q. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100.

Ans. A B D A A B B D D B

mock clat - 02 focus january 2019.pdf clatfocus (january -2019)this module is part of copyrighted...

Documents