Tnpsc Current Affairs January 2017 (February 01, 2017)
- Basant Panchami is being celebrated - 01.02.2017
- CBSE to conduct NEET on 7th May this year
- UNICEF launches 3.3 bln USD to aid millions of children
- India, Russia holds high-level consultations on counter-terrorism
- 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela to begins
- AIR to launched special FM radio station- Sainagar Shirdi
- India's forex reserves soar by $ 932.4 million to $ 360.775 billion
- Annual Budget for the "first time it will be presented on the first of February"
- BNHS launched "Climate Change Programmein Central Himalayas"
- Former Minister "E Ahamed" Dies After Suffering Cardiac Arrest
Basant Panchami is being celebrated - 01.02.2017
Basant Panchami is being celebrated on 01.02.2017. The festival marks the beginning of the spring season. The festival is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the month of 'Magha'. Basant means spring and Panchami means "the fifth day". On this day, Hindus wearing yellow clothes visit temples and pray to Goddess Saraswati - the goddess of knowledge, and celebrate the day as Saraswati Puja. Schools and educational institutes celebrate Saraswati Puja. Kite flying competitions will also be held. The festival is mostly celebrated mostly in northern states of Punjab and Bihar. In Allahabad, Basant Panchami bathing is taking place at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna and other Ghats of holy rivers from this morning. Besides elaborate arrangements for the bathing, security has been tightened at the Sangam area. Police and paramilitary forces are keeping vigil and drones and CCTV cameras have been put into service in the area.
CBSE to conduct NEET on 7th May this year
The Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, will conduct the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to all medical colleges in the country on 7th May this year. The test will be conducted across 80 cities for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in medical and dental colleges run with approval of the Medical Council and Dental Council of India. Candidates have been given an opportunity to submit the online application for a month from 31st January to 1st March. According to an official statement, the test will be held at 1,500 centres across the country and more than 10 lakh candidates are expected to appear in the examination.
UNICEF launches 3.3 bln USD to aid millions of children
UN children's agency UNICEF has launched an appeal for 3.3 billion US Dollar to help 48 million children caught up in crises worldwide amid fears of a funding cut from top donor the United States. This year's appeal represents a 18 per cent increase from the initial request for funding in 2016. Donors contribute to the appeals on a voluntary basis. The United States is by far the top donor to UNICEF, followed by Germany, Britain and the European Commission. According to UNICEF, Almost one in four of the world's children now lives in a country affected by conflict or disaster.
India, Russia holds high-level consultations on counter-terrorism
India and Russia held high-level consultations on counter-terrorism issues in New Delhi. An official release issued after consultations between the two special strategic partners said that both sides shared views and assessment on the threats posed by the scourge of terrorism, including state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism faced by India. They also shared concerns regarding the emergence of Afghanistan-Pakistan region as the epicentre of terrorism. They discussed successful experiences in curbing terrorism and countering radicalisation.
Background: Both sides agreed that the UN Security Council Sanctions List processes for blacklisting various terrorist individuals and entities must be stringently complied with. Prospects for deepening engagement on counter-terrorism under the UN, BRICS and SCO mechanisms were also emphasized. The two sides also agreed to a joint action plan which seeks to focus on enhancing capacity building, frequent expert-level meetings, sharing of insights, exchange of best practices in countering radicalization and curbing terrorism. The Indian delegation was led by Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs while the Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Oleg V. Syromolotov.
31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela to begins
The 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela will begin today. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal will inaugurate the fortnight-long event. Briefing media persons, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism), Haryana government and Vice-Chairman, Surajkund Mela Authority VS Kundu said, Jharkhand is the theme state and Egypt is the partner nation. Our correspondent has the deatils.
Surajkund International Crafts Mela: The mela will remain open for public from 1030 AM to 0830 PM till 15th February. Organisers have set up help desk at all six gates where visitors can get all relevant information. 400 artistes will showcase the art, culture, heritage, handicrafts and cuisine of the state during the next 15 days. An 18-feet statue of greatest freedom fighter of Jharkhand Birsa Munda has been erected. 21 countries are participating in the fair. Organisers have made elaborate arrangements as they are expecting 15 lakh people to visit the mela this year.
AIR to launched special FM radio station- Sainagar Shirdi
In Maharashtra, All India Radio will launch today a special FM radio station- Sainagar Shirdi at Shirdi in Ahmadnagar district. It will cover an area of around 25 km from the Sai Baba temple. Chief Executive Officer of the Prasar Bharati Suresh Chandra Panda will officially launch the radio service, 103.7 MHz 'FM Shirdi Sai', at 9.30 this morning. All India Radio Director General F Shahariyar and Additional Director General M S Thomas will also be present at the launch of the FM Station. The programmes will be broadcast in Marathi, Hindi and English languages. This is the first-of-its-kind radio station in Maharashtra after Tirupati radio station personalised for Titupati temple.
India's forex reserves soar by $ 932.4 million to $ 360.775 billion
Rising for the second consecutive week, India’s Foreign Exchange Reserves soared by 932.4 million dollars to 360.775 billion dollars in the week ended January 20. In its weekly statistical supplement, Reserve Bank said that foreign currency assets, which constitute a major chunk of the forex reserves, had gone up by 926.4 million dollars to 338.434 billion dollars during the week. Country's forex reserves had increased by 687.9 million dollars to 359.843 billion dollars in the previous week. The RBI said that country’s gold reserves remained unchanged at 18.584 billion dollars during the week, while its special drawing rights (SDRs) went up by 2.3 million dollars to 1.442 billion dollars. It also stated that India’s reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased by 3.7 million dolars to 2.315 billion dollars during the week.
Annual Budget for the "first time it will be presented on the first of February"
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the budget on 1st February. Expectations are high among the general public.
This year's budget is historic in a number of ways. For the first time it will be presented on the first of February. It is also the first time that there will be no separate railway budget, and plan expenditure will also be done away with since the era of 5 year plans comes to an end. Another historic feature of this year's budget is that instead of a separate rail budget presented by the Railway Minister, allocations for the railways will be presented as part of the general budget by the Finance Minister himself. Earlier it was February end event, the government is aiming at implementing the budgetary provisions from the beginning of the financial year which is April 1st. Earlier the implementation extended even beyond the month of May and special budget allocations had to be made for the 2 months of April and May.
BNHS launched "Climate Change Programmein Central Himalayas"
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched climate change programme to conduct study to assess the status, distribution and conservation of Pheasants and Finches in Central Himalayas. It is long-term monitoring project funded by Oracle and facilitated by CAF-India. It will focus on their conservation in the context of climate change with the help of community participation.
Himalayas& Natural Heritage: The Himalayas hold a rich natural heritage with diverse flora and fauna enhancing the beauty of the region. Indian subcontinent is home to nearly 62 species of finches and 50 species of pheasants, with several species listed in ‘Globally Threatened’ category by IUCN. Both these groups are spread across the Himalayas.
BNHS-Bombay Natural History Society: BNHS is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It was founded on 15 September 1883 and headquartered at Hornbill House, Mumbai. It supports many research efforts through grants and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Department of Science and Technology has designated as a ‘Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’.
Former Minister "E Ahamed" Dies After Suffering Cardiac Arrest
ormer Union Minister E Ahamed, who collapsed Tuesday morning in parliament after suffering a cardiac arrest, has died. He was 78. Ahamed was admitted at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest while both houses of parliament were being jointly addressed by President Pranab Mukherjee. Ahamed, who has served as Minister of State for External Affairs in previous government, represented Kerala in the Lok Sabha and is the president of the Indian Union Muslim League.