Tnpsc Current Affairs January 2017 (January 29, 2017)
Highlights
- National Immunization Day - 29.01.2017
- Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) plans weather stations in 660 district
- Beating The Retreat 2017 - January 29th 2017
- 2-day "North East Investors’ Summit" in Shillong from 30.01.2017
- India Republic Day Parade: 2017 Awards announced
- President Pranab Mukherjee launches "countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2017"
- "T20 World Cup Cricket for Blind" starts from Jan 30
- "India’s first Post Office Passport Seva Kendra" inaugurated in Mysuru
- Keshav Krishna selected for "2016 National Geoscience Award"
- Three Indian origin persons awarded "Australia’s Highest Civilian Honour"
National Immunization Day - 29.01.2017
29.01.2017 is National Immunization Day. President Pranab Mukherjee (28.01.2017) launched the countrywide programme for 2017 by administering polio drops to children aged below five years at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The programme will cover around 17 crore children aged under five years in an effort to maintain the country's polio-free status. peaking on the occasion, Health Minister J P Nadda said, as the risk of importation of polio from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria still persists, the country needs to maintain the population immunity and sensitive surveillance till global polio eradication achieved. He added, the government is conducting continuous polio vaccination at the international borders with India. Mr Nadda said that polio-free certification of the entire South-East Asia Region of WHO including India on 27th of March, 2014 is a huge accomplishment in the history of public health. The Minister said, the government has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunization program to provide double protection to the children.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) plans weather stations in 660 district
The Indian Meteorological Department, IMD has decided to set up weather stations in 660 districts of the country. Giving this information the Director general of IMD K J Ramesh said, this plan will be further taken up to the blocks level. He said, the plan envisages to cover 660 districts by 2019.
IMD Plan: In the first phase, the IMD plans to set up the system in 130 districts which have already been shortlisted. The IMD has also tied up with the Ministry of Agriculture to use the Krishi Vigyan Kendras, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR in the districts, to use them as weather forecasting observatories. Weather forecasts will be issued four days a week between Monday to Thursday. Mr Ramesh said, as of now country has weather forecasting system in 130 districts which gives forecasts for a cluster of neighbouring districts. He said, this will now be diversified and every district will have its own weather forecast.
Beating The Retreat 2017 - January 29th 2017
Beating The Retreat 2017 ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29th every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. This year, 16 Military Bands, 16 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in Beating the Retreat ceremony. Besides one each of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force band will also form part of the event. Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part.
This year, spectators at the Beating the Retreat ceremony will be enthralled with the mesmerising and foot tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). As many as 26 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk, mostly composed by Indian musicians will thrill the audience with patriotic fervour. The tunes to be rendered are ‘Singarh’, ‘Patni Top’, ‘Mony Musk’, ‘Jak Wilson’, ‘General Tappy’, ‘The Gael’, ‘ Scotland the Brave’, ‘Jal Nidhi’, ‘Yaman’, ‘Sky Lark’, ‘Veer Bharat’, ‘Pyari Bhumi’, ‘Take to the Sky’, ‘Victory Dhun’, ‘Air Force Colours’, ‘Benihal’, ‘Indian Fleet’, ‘Admirals Ensignia’, ‘Jai Bharti’, ‘Appu’, ‘Call of the Heart’, ‘Gulmarg’, ‘Drummers Call’, ‘Army Star’, ‘Abide with Me’ and lastly the ever-popular ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’. While the tunes are a mix of Indian and Western compositions the dominance of the Desi tunes will add special flavour to the ceremony.
The principal conductor of the Beating Retreat ceremony will be Sqn Ldr G Jayachandran while Army bands conductor will be Subedar Major Hemraj and the Navy and Air Force band commanders will be Master Chief Petty Officer (Musician-I) Ramesh Chand and Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar respectively. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Inspector Lal Singh. Buglers will perform under the leadership of Sub Parbat Singh and pipes and drums bands will play under the instructions of Sub Maj Gopal Singh.‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded. The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. ‘Beating Retreat’ marks a centuries old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by.
2-day "North East Investors’ Summit" in Shillong from 30.01.2017
Union Textiles Minister to inaugurate first ever North East Investors’ Summit: The first ever “Investors Summit” exclusively for North Eastern Region (NER), organized jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of DoNER during 29-30 January, 2017, would be inaugurated by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Shillong, at the State Convention Centre, on 29th January, 2017. The Summit will be attended by all North Eastern States, Export Promotion Councils, industries from North Eastern Region and leading investors across the country. The entire textile value chain from fibre to garment, including raw materials shall be represented in the Summit. The meet would witness participation of over 400 delegates from across the country. It is expected to unlock the huge potential of the NER in textile manufacturing and generate new avenues for employment in the region.
Background: North Eastern Region has huge potential for investments, particularly in the field of textiles and handicrafts, due to its inherent strength for skilled work force and locally available raw materials. Ministry of Textiles is implementing projects worth Rs. 1,050 crore for handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture, apparel & garmenting, technical textiles etc. in the eight states of North Eastern Region, in line with the “Act East” policy of the Government.These projects have created a foundation for further growth of manufacturing in textile sector. Other line Ministries too have schemes, where various incentives/ concessions are available for investments in NER. However, this information is mostly in silos and does not provide a comprehensive picture to the investors about the opportunities in North East. The Investors’ Summit seeks to address this concern as well.The decision to hold the summit was announced by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, at the Annual Conference of State Textiles Ministers, held in New Delhi, on 10th November, 2016.
India Republic Day Parade: 2017 Awards announced
Madras Engineer Group Adjudged Best Marching Contingent amongst Services: The results of different competitive presentations in the Republic Day Parade – 2017 have been announced by the Ministry of Defence. Among the Services category, Madras Engineer Group has been adjudged the best marching contingent. In the category of Para-Military Forces and other auxiliary marching contingents, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) contingent has been adjudged the best marching contingent.
Tableau category: In the tableau category, in total 23 tableau including six from Union Ministries / Departments took part in this year’s Republic Day Parade, out of which first position has gone to Arunachal Pradesh tableau, which depicted the Yak dance, one of the most famous pantomimes of the Mahayana sect of Buddhist tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Tripura’s tableau based on ‘Hojagiri’ dance, depicting the magnificent Reang tribal dance was adjudged the second best, while the third position was shared by Maharashtra and Tamilnadu. The tableau of Maharashtra depicted the commemoration of 160th birth anniversary of the honoured freedom fighter, Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak. The Tamilnadu tableau portrayed the popular folk dance ‘Karagattam’ which forms an important event in temple festival celebrations, especially in Amman temple festivals in the rural areas of Tamilnadu.In the category of tableaux representing Union Ministries/Departments, the first prize has been awarded to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship which depicted the theme ‘Transforming India through Skill Development’, and highlighted the achievements of the Ministry and its programmes. The tableau presented by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) depicting the concept of ‘Green India-Clean India’ was selected for a special prize by the jury.
Competitive category: In the competitive category of school children items, the dance presented by Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi has been adjudged the best children item for their performance to express how our National Flag has been a witness to the glorious tales of our freedom fighters, establishment of Indian democracy, the endless affection of Indians, women’s empowerment and such countless achievements. A Consolation Prize has also been awarded to South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur for their performance of the ‘Saila Karma’ dance which is a popular dance of the Gond Tribe of Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh.As in previous years, this year also Ministry of Defence had appointed three panels of judges for assessing the marching contingents from three Services, Para-Military Forces and Tableau from various States/Ministries/Departments and School Children items from Schools of Delhi as well as outside Delhi. The panels of judges today announced their results here.
President Pranab Mukherjee launches "countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2017"
Shri J P Nadda: Have strengthened immunization programme through introduction of several new vaccines: The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio programme for 2017 by administering polio drops to children less than five years old, at the Rahstrapati Bhawan, in the presence of the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Shri J P Nadda and Ministers of State (Health) Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and Smt. Anupriya Patel, here today. 29.01.2017 is the National Immunization Day. Around 17 crore children of less than five years across the country will be given polio drops as part of the drive of Government of India to sustain polio eradication from the country.
"T20 World Cup Cricket for Blind" starts from Jan 30
The T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind starts from Monday with two matches slated on the opening day in Delhi when India takes on Bangladesh and New Zealand challenge Pakistan. For the first time, the World Cup matches will take place in multiple cities across India. Ten teams, including hosts India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia and England, will fight it out for the title. The final is slated for 12th of next month. The matches will be played in twelve venues, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore and Bhubaneswar. A seventeen member squad led by Ajay Kumar Reddy will represent India in the mega-event. Former Indian blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik released the Blind Anthem for T20 World Cup in New Delhi. Naik, who is set to be conferred with the Padma Shri Award, urged the BCCI to grant affiliation to the Cricket Associaion for Blind in India. Naik represented the country in 82 matches and captained India to victories at the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012 and 2014 editions. He also asked for similar facilities for the blind as the normal cricketers get.
"India’s first Post Office Passport Seva Kendra" inaugurated in Mysuru
India’s first Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) was inaugurated at the Mysuru Head Post office in Karnataka. The POPSK will offer all passport related services on the lines of PSKs (Passport Seva Kendras). For this initiative, Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has tied up with the postal department. The purpose of POPSK is to expand the passport services over a wide area, simplify the process to travel abroad and to offer passport related services through a network of post offices.
Keshav Krishna selected for "2016 National Geoscience Award"
The Union Ministry of Mines has selected Dr. A Keshav Krishna was selected for the prestigious 2016 National Geoscience Award in the field of Geo-environmental studies in applied geosciences. He is scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) and presently, involved in studies on environmental risk assessment related heavy metal contamination in soil, water and sediments in industrial areas, abandoned mine sites and their interactions with the environmental pollutants. Besides him, chief scientist at the NGRI N Purnachandra Rao was also selected for National Geoscience Award in the field of Geophysics. Havaldar Hangpan Dada posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra Havaldar Hangpan Dada of 35 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was posthumously awarded “Ashok Chakra”, country’s highest peacetime military decoration. The award was presented by President Pranab Mukherjee on the 68th Republic Day of India to his wife Chasen Lowang Dada. He was bestowed with the highest peacetime military decoration award for his selfless service to the nation. He was killed at Naugam sector in Jammu and Kashmir in May 2016 while fighting terrorists. He hails from Borduria village in Arunachal Pradesh.
Three Indian origin persons awarded "Australia’s Highest Civilian Honour"
3 Indian origin persons have been awarded Order of Australia medal, Australia’s highest civilian honour for their contributions in the field of medicine and community work.
Purushottam Sawrikar: He received Order of Australia medal for the year 2017 for his service to medicine, and to the Indian community. He is Sydney-based medical practitioner.
Makhan Singh Khangure: He was given the award for his service to medicine in the field of neuroradiology, to education, and to a range of professional medical associations.
Vijay Kumar: He was given the award for his service to medical research in the disciplines of nuclear medicine and biology.
President appoints "Banwarilal Purohit as Governor of Meghalaya"
President Pranab Mukherjee has given Governor of Assam Banwarilal Purohit additional charge of Meghalaya. Besides, President also gave Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh. These appointments come after President accepted the resignation of V. Shanmuganathan, as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Banwarilal Purohit was appointed as the Governor of Assam by President in August 2016. He had succeeded Padmanabha Acharya who was the additional in-charge of Assam. Padmanabha Acharya was appointed as the Governor of Nagaland in July 2014 after the President accepted the resignation of of Tripura Governor Vakkom Purushothaman.
Serena Williams beats sister Venus to win "7th Australian Open title"
This is also Serena William's 23rd Grand Slam singles title. She now holds the most number of major titles in the Open era, going past Steffi Graf who has 22.In what was seen as a fairy tale Grand Slam finals, Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams to clinch her seventh Australian Open title. She now holds 23 Grand Slam titles - an Open era record. Venus, who was looking to win her eighth Grand Slam title, fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.