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Current Affairs 29 January 2019
Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates and Lay Foundation Stone for Four National Highway Projects in Rajasthan
- Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for four NH projects in Rajasthan on the 29th January, 2019.
- These include three projects in Bikaner and one in Nagaur.
- At Bikaner, the three projects include laying of foundation stones of
- 162.46 kms, 2 lane section of NH from Raisinghnagar to Poogal, being built under Bharatmala on EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode at a cost of Rs 687.07 crore.
- 212.107 kms, 4 lane/2 lane Khajuwala-Poogal and Poogal–Dantour-Jaggasar-Gokul-Godu-Ranjeetpura-Charanwala–Naukh-Bap sections of NH-911 being built under Bharatmala on HAM (Hybrid Annuity Model) at estimated to cost Rs 895 crore.
- 159.3 kms ,4/2 lane Bikaner-Phalodi Section of NH-15 under NHDP-Phase IV on BOT (build, operate, transfer) basis at estimated cost of Rs 844.48 crore.
- At Nagaur, the Minister inaugurated the project involving two-laning of Salasar–Nagaur section of NH-65 on HAM basis with total length of 119.594 kms at a cost of Rs 480 crore.
World’s Biggest Cyclothon Swasth ‘Bharat Yatra’ Concludes in Delhi
- The Swasth Bharat Yatra, world’s biggest cyclothon to motivate people to eat right, culminated in New Delhi on January 29, 2019.
- The more than 100 days campaign was flagged-off on 16th October 2018 on the occasion of World Food Day and witnessed the enthusiastic participation from all states and UTs.
- It was a part of the pan India “Eat Right India movement” of FSSAI aimed to create healthy diet habit by promoting individual awareness, collective action, strengthening institutional system and fostering partnerships.
- The relay cycling yatra began from six different locations (Leh, Panaji, Thiruvananthapuram, Puducherry, Kolkata and Agartala) on six different tracks with more than 10000 volunteer cyclists covering over 20000 km spreading the message of ‘Eat Safe, Eat Healthy and Eat Fortified.
- FSSAI Award for Swasth Bharat Yatra
- Best State Overall – Tamil Nadu for its exemplary participation.
- Best States with population above 3 crores – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- Best States having population less than 3 crores – Punjab, Goa and Delhi
- FSSAI Special awards – Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand for their participation despite their hilly and difficult terrain.
CSC launched first ‘cash and carry’ stores under the Digital India mission in Moradabad
- Common Services Centres (CSCs) under the Digital India mission has launched the first ‘cash and carry’ stores in Moradabad district, Uttar Pradesh (Kanth Tehsil). CSC will now promote Cash and Carry store one in every block across the country.
- Common Services Centres (CSCs) under Digital India mission are providing Citizen Centric Services. CSCs are delivering many government and non-government services to citizens in rural India across the country.
- Each cash and carry store will provide employment minimum 4 persons directly and indirectly.
3rd International Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation Held in New Delhi
- The 3rd edition of the Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation was held in New Delhi from January 28-29, 2019.
- This is the second time that India hosted the conference after 2012.
- The conference was organised by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in close collaboration with the Global Tiger Forum which is an International, Intergovernmental Organization for conserving tigers in the world.
- The main purpose of the conference was to discuss challenges, plans and priorities towards achieving the recently-adopted goal of doubling the world’s tiger population by 2022.
- The participants included leaders from all 13 tiger range countries (TRCs), scientists and conservationists from NGOs including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
- All 13 tiger range countries include Bangladesh Bhutan, Cambodia, China,India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Odisha Announces Jiban Samparka Project
- The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the fortnight long popular annual Adivasi Mela (Tribal Fair) at IDCO Exhibition Ground in the state on January 26, 2019.
- The fair will conclude on February 9.
- As a part of the event, the minister also announced Jiban Samparka Project.
- This project will be implemented in the state in partnership with UNICEF India.
- The aim of Jiban Samparka is to generate awareness among Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Odisha on various development and welfare initiatives of State Government, especially on women and child welfare.
First Ever National Conference on “Prison Design” Begins in Visakhapatnam
- The first ever National Conference on “Prison Design” began in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on 29th January 2019.
- The two-day conference is being hosted by the Director General Prison, Andhra Pradesh on the behalf of State and is being sponsored by the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D).
- The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to the Senior Police officers, Prison officers and Architects from Prison Department and Police Housing Corporation to deliberate upon on the various issues relating with planning, Design and Constructions of prison, keeping in mind safety needs as well as administrative ease of day to day functioning of the prison.
Amazon tops Brand Finance Global 500 report; Tata Group top Indian brand
- Brand finance has released the Brand Finance Global 500 report on the world’s most valuable brands across the world.
- The top spot has been occupied by Amazon followed by Apple on second and Google on third.
- For India Tata Group is the only brand in top 100 and is ranked at 86. Also 9 Indian companies have found place in this 500 brand ranking. These are:
- 86- Tata Group
277- LIC
315- Infosys
344- State Bank of India
396- Mahindra Group
416- HDFC Bank
420- Airtel
433- HCL
448- Reliance
FDI in FY18 was 28,24,600 crore with a growth of 18%: RBI data
- As per RBI data on ‘Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies, 2017-18’ the FDI in 2017-18 was 28,24,600 crore.
- There was an increase of Rs 4,33,300 crore from the previous fiscal year. The growth was around 18% from the previous fiscal. Overseas direct investment (ODI) by Indian companies increased by 5 per cent to Rs 5.28 lakh crore.
GST Reduced from 18% to 5% for Haj
- The GST Council has reduced the GST for all religious tours facilitated by the Government of India to 5 percent.
- These would include pilgrimages like Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, the Haj, and the Pashupatinath tour.
- Haj is facilitated by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in coordination with the Haj Committee of India (HCOI).
- It is undertaken only through chartered flights and the Yatra is also done mainly through chartered flights. Journeys through chartered flights attracted 18 percent GST, which has now been fixed at 5 %.
- The reduced GST would significantly benefit Haj pilgrims, especially women by lowering the fare.
- For the first time since the independence 2,340 women from India will go on 2019 Haj without Mehram.
Gurgaon’s Kartik Sharma Wins New South Wales Men’s Amateur Golf Championship
- Gurgaon based Kartik Sharma won the New South Wales men’s Amateur Golf Championship 2019 held in Australia.
- Kartik defeated Australia’s Nathan Barberie in the scheduled 36-hole final to emerge as champion.
- He has been playing for India since the age of 10.
Former Defence Minister George Fernandes Passes Away
- Former Defence Minister George Fernandes passed away in New Delhi on January 29, 2019. He was 88.
- Fernandes was a key member of the Janata Dal and is the founder of the Samata Party.
- He was the defence minister in the Vajpayee government. He has held several other ministerial portfolios including communications, industry, and railways other than defence.
- He was also a trade unionist, agriculturist, and journalist.