Current Affairs January 13, 2019
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of January 13, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. The Election Commission (EC) appointed Committee has submitted its report on digital media and campaigning during last 48 hours before polls to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora. The Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha. The panel was mandated to review and suggest modifications in the provisions of Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act dealing with campaigning in the last 48 hours and related provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. The report stated that apart from the regulation by law and ECI instructions, proactive support and sustained effort by all stakeholders including political parties, will be necessary to contain the evil impact. No campaigning is allowed in the last 48 hours so that voters can think independently. This period is also called silence period. The recommendations of Committee, will be considered by the Commission in detail for follow up action.
2. On January 12, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 25th edition of Partnership Summit 2019 in Mumbai. This edition of the Summit will showcase India in the present landscape of an emerging “New India”, the “New Global Economic Address”. The 2-day summit is expected to build new partnerships and explore investment opportunities in sectors like Artificial Intelligence, big data, food processing, defense, aeronautics, renewable energy and tourism. It will see New India in active engagement and collaboration within the country and with the world. The summit is a global platform for dialogue, debate, deliberation and engagement among Indian and global leaders on economic policy and growth trends in India.
3. Indian skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri has received the honorary membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for their contribution to the sport of cricket. Recently, The Indian team defeated Australia 2-1 in the four-match Test series, ending the country's 71-year-old wait for a rare series win Down Under. Apart from Kohli and Shastri, the only other international cricketers to be granted the honorary membership of the SCG are Sachin Tendulkar and Brain Lara of the West Indies.
4. Narasimhan Ram, chairman of THG Publishing Private Limited, has been appointed president of the Alliance for Media Freedom (AFMF), a cross-media advocacy and action group of media organisations, promoters and journalists. The Alliance is dedicated to work for the cause of media freedom, media independence and the safety of the last journalist. It has adopted a charter that underlines the importance of creating enabling conditions to safeguard free speech guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
5. Bihar left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman broke the 44-year old record of most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season by finishing the 2018-19 tournament with 68 wickets. He break the previous record of 64 dismissals set by former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi in the 1974–75 tournament. Aman now holds the record for most wickets taken in a Ranji Trophy season by any bowler. He is employed with the Indian Air Force (IAR) and hails from Bihar's Gaya.
6. Industrialist and Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej for 'Translating Excellence in Corporate Governance into Reality’. The awards were instituted by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), which is celebrating its golden jubilee. The 18th ICSI National Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance were bagged jointly by Cipla Ltd and Dabur India Ltd and five others: ACC Ltd, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Indian Oil Corp, Tata Metaliks Ltd and Indian Hotels Co Ltd. The 3rd CSR Excellence Awards went to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, Tata Power Co Ltd and Ambuja Cements Ltd in Emerging, Medium and Large categories respectively.
7. The 2019 National Youth Day (NYD) has recently celebrated in India on January 12 to mark the 156th birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. Born in Kolkata on 12th January 1863 as Narendra Nath Datta, he was one of India's most revered spiritual leaders. He was considered a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and bringing it to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He became popular in the western world after his famous speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna and founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1984, the Government of India (GoI) declared the day as the National Youth Day (NYD) and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.
8. The 29th biennial Indian Paint Conference has started in Agra, Uttar Pradesh from 11th January 2019. It is organized by the Indian Paint Association (IPA), the apex body of the country's paint industry. This would be the largest trade show of the estimated Rs. 500 billion (50,000 Crore) Indian Paints & Coatings industry. The 3-day Conference will witness knowledge sharing sessions from leading paint industry stalwarts and subject matter experts from India and abroad.
9. Nicolas Maduro has been sworn-in for a second term as Venezuela's president on 10th January 2019, despite international criticism that his re-election was illegitimate. The result was denounced as fraudulent by many neighbouring countries, including Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Canada and the United States, as well as organizations such as the European Union, and the Organization of American States. This resulted in widespread condemnation, the National Assembly invoking a State of emergency, and nations removing their embassies from Venezuela. With their belief that his election was illegitimate, they claimed that by retaking power, Maduro was converting Venezuela into an illegal de facto dictatorship. At present, Venezuela is enduring a historic crisis following two decades of socialist rule, with residents struggling to afford basic goods as inflation soars, driving mass migration.
10. On the occasion of National Youth Day (NYD- 2019), Union minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019. It is organised on the theme of “Be The Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”. Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in elections. The fest will be conducted at three levels: District, State and National. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister. The festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate manner. Relevant and effective voices on Vision of New India in 2022 would be captured and documented to make these available to policy makers and implementers to take it forward.
