Top Current Affairs of the Week (19 - 25 January 2020)

NDRF celebrates its 15th Raising Day

• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrated its 15th Raising Day on January 18, 2020.
• Established in 2006 the NDRF is a specialized multi-skilled, humanitarian force of the country.
• Since its inception, NDRF has saved more than One lakh lives in its 3100 operations and rescued/evacuated over 6.7 lakh people during disasters.

UN revises India’s GDP growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5%

• The UN has released ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020.
• It says a growth rate of 2.5%  is possible in 2020 for the global economy.
• It lowered its GDP growth estimate for India to 5.7% in the current fiscal (from 7.6% forecast in WESP 2019) and lowered its forecast for the next fiscal to 6.6% (from 7.4% earlier).
• It has also forecast a growth rate of 6.3% for the fiscal beginning in 2021.

India successfully test fired K-4 ballistic missile

• India has successfully test-fired a 3,500 km range nuclear-capable K-4 ballistic missile off the Vizag coast in AP that can be launched from a submarine.
• It will be inducted on the INS Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
• The missile was developed by the DRDO.
• It is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of over one tonne.
• Only the US, Russia and China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of 3,500-kilometre range.

9th Children Film Festivals held in Kolkata

• The 9th edition of Kolkata International Children's Film Festival has begun in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The festival will showcase 255 films from 35 countries.
• National award-winning 'Hamid' was the inaugural film.
• The National award winner child actor, Talha Arsad Rishi inaugurated the festival.

India to set up Maritime Research Coordination Centre

• Sri Lanka and India agreed to establish a maritime research coordination center and strengthen military ties. 
• India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and discussed setting up the center to learn maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Mr. Rajapaksa will visit India in late Nov for talks with PM Modi, who offered $450 mn aid to Sri Lanka. 

Indian Air Force inducts BrahMos-armed Sukhoi-30MKI

• On January 20, 2020, the first squadron of Brahmos-Armed Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force at its Thanjavur base, Tamil Nadu.
• This 222-squadron known as the Tigersharks will serve as a platform for conducting aerial and maritime missions in the Indian Ocean Region.

India Ranks 76th in the 1st Social Mobility Index of WEF

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the 1st edition of its Social Mobility Index on January 20, 2020, ahead of its 50th Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
• The titled of the report is “The Global Social Mobility Report 2020: Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative”
• India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries while Denmark has topped the charts.

Australia’s highest civilian honour to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

• Australia conferred its highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia honour, on Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for her contribution towards advancing the country's relationship with India.
• An alumnus of Federation University Australia, Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder of Biocon, a biopharma company.
• Honorary appointments in the Order of Australia are made to foreigners who have made an outstanding contribution to Australia or humanity. 

‘Fit India Cyclothon’ Flagged off in Panaji, Goa

• On January 21st, 2020, the Fit India Mission under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized the inaugural event of ‘Fit India Cyclothon’.
• The Cyclothon was flagged off by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from the Campal Parade Ground in Panaji, Goa.
• The event witnessed participation by over 500 cyclists who cycle through a five-kilometer stretch within the Panaji city. 

Deepika Padukone received the Crystal Award 2020

• The26th Annual Crystal Award for the year 2020 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been awarded to Deepika Padukone.
• Deepika Padukone was honored for her contribution to the field of mental health.
• The award was organized ate World Economic Forum in Davos.
• The Crystal Awards recognizes as well as celebrates the achievements of leading artists and cultural figures whose leadership inspires inclusive and sustainable change.

India's first Mahatma Gandhi convention centre in Niger

• Union Minister S Jaishankar & Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou jointly inaugurated the first convention centre in Africa by India to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre is a landmark for India-Niger friendship and a symbol of India's firm commitment towards Africa.
• It witnesses high-level and wide-ranging participation from African Union member states and other high-level conventions.

Iranian Film ‘Castle of Dreams’ gets Best Film Award

• The Iranian film ‘Castle of Dreams’ has won the Best Film Award in Asian Competition section of the 18th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF).
• The theme of this year’s festival was ‘better film, better audience, better society’.
• The film (directed by Reza Mirkarimi) also won the Best Director Award.
• Indian film ‘Finally Love’ (directed by Anjan Dutt) bagged Best Audience Award in Cinema of the World Category.

 Divyansh S Pawar & Apurvi Chandela Clinch Gold Meyton Cup

• Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar (men's 10m air rifle) and Apurvi Chandela (women's 10m air rifle) have clinched a gold medal in the Meyton Cup in Austria.
• The Meyton Cup is a private tournament where shooters go on their own to participate to gain experience before international events.
• Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil also bagged bronze medals each in men's and women's 10m air rifle events respectively.

Jaipur Literature Festival begins today

• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has inaugurated the five- days Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 (13th) in the royal Diggi Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
•  It is the world's largest free literary festival.
• Around 300 speakers of different fields are participating in this festival.
• Jaipur Literature Festival is the platform where people can share their views without any hesitation.

 Challa Sreenivasulu Setty appointed MD,State Bank of India

• The government has approved the proposal of the Department of the Financial Services for the appointment of Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the Managing Director (MD) of the State Bank of India (SBI) for three years.
• currently, he is serving as the deputy managing director of the SBI.
• As per the SBI Act, the bank can have four managing directors.
• Rajnish Kumar is the Chairman of the State Bank of India.

India falls to 51st spot in EIU's Democracy Index

• India slipped 10 places to 51st position in the 2019 Democracy Index's global ranking.
• The overall list was topped by Norway, followed by Iceland & Sweden.
• Top 8 countries are New Zealand (4th), Finland (5th), Ireland (6th), Denmark (7th) and Canada (8th).
• The index is based on five categories - electoral process and pluralism; the functioning of government; political participation; political culture and civil liberties.

ISRO to send robot 'Vyommitra' to space on 'Gaganyaan'

• The ISRO has released a video of the humanoid 'Vyom Mitra' being sent to the unmanned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’.
• This humanoid would try to behave like a human and report back to us.
• Humanoid is a kind of robot, which can move like a human and can also understand human gestures.
• Humanoids can also answer questions through artificial intelligence programming.

President Kovind confers Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2020 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• The Bal Puraskar is given by the government every year to recognize the exceptional achievements of children in various fields.
• These fields are innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts, culture, sports and bravery.
• The 22 children who were selected for National Bravery Awards also received the awards from the President.

National Girl Child Day being observed

• The National girl child day is celebrated every year on 24th January as a national observance day for the girl child.
• The day promotes the girl’s position in society to make their living better among society people.
• It was started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Government of India in 2008.

Uttar Pradesh celebrates its 70th foundation day

• Uttar Pradesh state celebrates its 70th foundation day today.
• Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with members of state cabinet grace the occasion.
• Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world.
• Earlier, Uttar Pradesh was known as United Province but through a Gazette notification, it got its name of Uttar Pradesh on January 24, 1950.

National Voters' Day being celebratedHimachal Pradesh celebrates 50th Statehood Day

• Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 50th Statehood Day.
• On 18 December 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971 making it the 18th state of India.
• S. Parmar became the state’s first chief minister.
• According to HP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, State would scale new heights in the overall development and thus would contribute to the progress and prosperity of the nation.

India ranked 80th in the Corruption Perception Index

• India has been ranked at the 80th position (among 180 countries) and territories in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), prepared by Transparency International.
• With a score of 41 (India), India is at the 80th spot.
• The rank is also shared by China, Benin, Ghana and Morocco. 
• Denmark and New Zealand have cornered the top spot, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland in the top ten.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou becomes Greece 1st woman President

• Katerina Sakellaropoulou (63-years) has been elected Greece's first female president by parliament.
• She also managed to secure the backing of the main opposition party Syriza & the centre-left Movement for Change.
• She has received the support of 261 MPs in the 300-seat Parliament.
• Katerina will succeed President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, term expires in March.
• In 2018, she becomes the first woman to serve as president of the Council of State.

 India's first e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal

• India's first e-waste clinic has been inaugurated by the Union Environment Secretary in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units.
• The e-waste clinic is jointly set up by the Central Pollution Control Board-CPCB and Bhopal Municipal Corporation-BMC.
• The e-waste clinic is being started on the basis of a three-month pilot project.

National Voters' Day being celebrated today

• National Voters' Day (10th) is celebrated on 25th January every year since 2011.
• The theme for NVD-2020 is ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy', with a focus on voter education and renewal of citizens’ faith in the electoral process. 
• It is celebrated at over ten lakh locations across the country (polling stations, district & state headquarters), to mark the Foundation day of EC of India, established on 25th January 1950.

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