Hello Everyone, Thank you all for your amazing response to our initiative named Facts in News (FIN). Your responses help us to perform better by everyday. As promised, we have compiled facts which were in news between January 1 to January 15. We have comprehensively covered the facts so that it would be beneficial to UPSC IAS Civil Services exam as well as other exams like State PCS, SSC etc.
Write your views in comment section, and it will help us to prepare better with time.
[Facts in News]
| Bills, Programs, Policies, Schemes, Orders, Judgements |
Direct
Benefit Transfer (DBT) of kerosene subsidy |
- Introduced in eight states: Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- In order to incentivize implementation of DBT, states will be provided with cash incentive of 75% of subsidy savings during the first two years, 50% in the third year and 25% in the fourth year.
|
| Smart City Challenge competition |
- Government declared 20 cities as winners out of 98 total
- Starting from 2016-17, these cities will be provided with central assistance of Rs 200 crore in the first year followed by Rs 100 crore
each year for the next three years
- Rank 1 was Bhubaneshwar followed by Pune and Jaipur, last was Bhopal
- These 20 cities have proposed an investment of Rs 50,802 crore over five years with Public Private-Partnership as a major vehicle for
resource mobilisation.
|
| National Family Health Survey released |
- The survey is the fourth round of the NFHS series and covers 13 states and two union territories
- The survey includes information regarding the health, nutrition and population in these states
|
| National & International Events |
| Sahyog-Kaijin 2016 |
- Indo -Japanese coast guard joint exercise in the Bay of Bengal
- Held once in two years, venue shifts on alternate occasions between India and Japan for the last fifteen years
|
| “China Tourism Year” in India 2016 |
- A cultural exchange initiative by the two countries
- Anhui Huangmei Opera theatre performs in New Delhi organized by China National Tourism Administration(CNTA)
- Show titled “Goddess Marriage”, a love story between mortal and immortal
- “India Tourism Year” In China was in 2015
|
| Science and Technology |
| NAG missile |
- Indigenously built anti tank missile, 4kms range, uses infrared seeker
- Uses HEAT(high explosive anti tank) to destroy armored protection by nullifying their ERA(explosive reactive armor)
|
| Nisin |
- A colourless tasteless powder added to food as preservatives
- Fights bacteria, used as sanitizer in lactating cows
- In the news because researchers in USA found it to treat cancer and antibiotic resistant bacteria
|
| CIRB Gaurav, Hisar, Haryana |
- Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes has produced a cloned buffalo offspring
- CIRB becomes world’s third and India’s second to produce cloned buffalo
|
| Diglycerides |
- A chemical which provides as much energy as Triglycerides but not stored as fat
- Called as “anti-obesity” cooking oil
|
| Gigantopithecus |
- Largest ape to roam earth
- Died 1,00,000 years ago due to various reasons related to food
|
| Designer alloys |
- Matters with well defined properties created by chemical induced reaction
|
| Perihelion |
- Any planet, asteroid or comet which comes closest to the Sun, that point in that orbit is called perihelion(opposite= Aphelion)
|
| Time Scale Technique |
- A technique to measure the pull of gravity at the surface of distant stars
- Being used in finding life on the planets revolving around distant stars
|
| Vermicomposting |
- Plant, animal, vegetable waste is converted into 100% organic material by use of earthworms
- Rich in organic Carbon, worm mucus, enzymes, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium)
- Nutrients in vermicompost are easily absorbed by the roots of the plants
|
| Environment |
| Kangayam |
- A type of Bull breeds.
- Young Bulls are used in Jallikattu and Rekla race in Tamil Nadu
|
| Snowflake coral |
- An invasive species of coral found near the coast of Trivandrum
- Known to inhabit reefs, metals and even plastic
- It crowds out the area and dominates the space and other marine organisms
|
| Persons in News ( Appointments, Awards , Deaths ) |
| Ilaiyaraja |
- Music maestro selected for Kerala tourism’s Nishagandhi Puraskaram 2016
- 72 year old will be awarded at Nishagandhi annual dance and music festival
- For his artistic excellence and contribution to Indian music film industry
- Award carries a purse of Rs.1,50,000, a citation and a statute
|
| Shyam Benegal |
- Head of a committee (for censor board-CBFC) to suggest best practices and to help the board members understand the films better when certifying the films
- Committee constituted by the Union Information and Broadcast Ministry
|
| Sarosh Homi Kapadia |
- 38th Chief Justice of India, died in Mumbai at 68
- He was the first Parsi Chief Justice of India
- Most notable verdict was the Vodafone Tax verdict
|
| Sandeep Pandey |
- Removed on charges of being a “Naxalite” and engaging in “anti-national” activities and screening a banned documentary
- He was a visiting faculty in department of chemical engineering at the IIT-BHU
- He is a Magsaysay award winner
|
| Mufti Mohammad Sayeed |
- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister died due to multiple organ failure
- He served twice as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
|
| Amitabh Kant |
- Appointed as Chief Executive officer of the NITI Aayog
- He is 1980 batch, Kerala cadre, IAS officer
|
| Urjit Patel |
- Re-appointed as deputy Governor of RBI for a second term
|
| K.S.Bhagavan |
- Lifetime achievement award for 2013 by Karnataka Sahitya Academy
- A rational thinker, he received threats from right wing groups for his controversial remarks about Hindu epics
|
| David Bowie |
- An American iconic singer, died at 69 due to cancer
|
J.F.R Jacob
(1923-2016) |
- A lieutenant General, one of the heroes of 1971 war with Pakistan, died at 92
- Was Governor of Goa and Punjab after retirement of the Army in 1978
- Started his career in British Indian Army
|
| Places in News |
| Ganga Sagar Mela |
- Annual six day fair at the Sagar island, one among the cluster of islands south of 24 parganas district, West Bengal
- The Ganga Sagar Mela will be declared Green Mela this year
|
| Sabarimala |
- Hindu pilgrimage centre located in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in western ghats in Kerala
- In the news because PET(plastic) a polluter will now be banned by intervention of Kerala High Court
- Western ghats is a biodiversity hotspot
|
| Chandragiri fort |
- In the new because it will host 545th birth anniversary of the famous Vijayanagara emperor, Shri Krishnadevaraya from Feb 14 to Feb 16
|
| Mission Bhageeratha |
- The drinking water project of the Telangana state
- In the news because 1700 hectares of land has to be acquired, which means the forest rights of scheduled tribes and other communities have to be negotiated
|
| Bhogali Bihu |
- Harvest festival of Assam
- People organize community fishing and feasts
- People spent their night dancing and singing in mejis(temporary shelters made of straw)
|
| Alstom |
- French transportation equipment maker, providing metro coaches for Kochi Metro project, Kerala
|
| Miscellaneous |
| Azad Bachpan ki Aur |
- Book by Kailash Satyarthi
- He is a Nobel prize winner for Peace
|
| Towards a World of Equals |
- A book on gender equality introduced on pilot basis in engineering colleges, book is affiliated to JNTU-Hyderabad
- Telangana has become first state to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level
|
| “China -India Dialogue” |
- India centric monthly publication in China by China International Publication Group(CIPG)
|
| Raagam |
- A 24×7 national TV channel by Prasar Bharti, airing Carnatic and Hindustani music, will be launched on 26 January
Will be on webcast and DTH also
|
| “The Revenant” |
At 73rd Golden Globe Awards
1. Best Drama2. Best Actor(Leonardo diCaprio)
3. Best Director(Alejandro G.Inarritu) |
| “Mozart in the Jungle” |
At 73rd Golden Globe Awards
1. Best comedy series
2. Best actor in comedy series(Gael Garcia Bernal) |
| “The Martian” |
- Best Motion picture comedy or musical award
|
| Gavi |
- The Vaccine Alliance, founder- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Gavi pledged $500 million in helping Govt. of India in its immunization program
- CEO of Gavi- Seth Berkley
|
| Slum Museum |
- World’s first Slum museum in Dharavi,Mumbai, Asia’s biggest slum, it is a small mobile museum
- Pottery, textiles and recycled items displayed
|
| Army day |
- 68th Army day on 15th January 2016
- Celebrated to commemorate the day when General K.M.Cariappa became the first commander in chief of the Indian Army after Independence
|
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