Feb Current

1.Malaysia’s Nicol David sets world No.1 squash recordShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google

February 2, 2015No comments

Malaysia’s female professional squash player Nicol David has set a new record by topping the world squash rankings for 106th month.

2.NASA launches SMAP satellite to observe soil moistureShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite to observe soil moisture.

It was launched from the Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

3.Germany’s ex-President Richard von Weizsaecker passes awayShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Germany’s former President Richard von Weizsaecker has passed away on 31 January 2015. He was 94.

4.Father of Birth Control Pill Carl Djerassi passes awayShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Renowned chemist Carl Djerassi has passed away in San Francisco, United States (US). He was 91.

He was famously known as the father of the birth control pills for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive birth pills

5.Leander Peas & Martina Hingis clinch 2015 Australian Open mixed doubles titleShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Leander Peas and his Swiss teammate Martina Hingis have won 2015 Australian Open mixed doubles title.

In the final they defeated Canadian-French team of Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic, in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3.

6.29th Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins in HaryanaShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


29th Surajkund International Crafts Mela has begun in Faridabad district of Haryana.

It was inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh.

The theme state this year is Chhattisgarh.

7.T Suvarna Raju takes charge as chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics LimitedShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


T Suvarna Raju has taken charge as chairman of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

He will be 17th chairman of HAL and will replace RK Tyagi’s following his retirement.

Earlier, in September 2014, Public Enterprises Selection Board had selected him from among five contenders to succeed Tyagi

8.Sergio Mattarella elected as President of ItalyShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google

January 31, 2015No comments

Italy’s parliament has elected constitutional court judge Sergio Mattarella as the country’s president

9.Union Government releases Commemorative Postage Stamps on Swachh Bharat MissionShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google

January 31, 20151 Comment

Union Government has released set of three Commemorative Postage Stamps on Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission).

This set of 3 stamps was released by Union Ministry for Communications & Information Technology and issued by Department of Posts.

10.Serena Williams wins Australian Open 2015 Women’s Singles titleShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Serena Williams of United States has won Australian Open 2015 Women’s Singles title.

In the finals she defeated Russia’s Maria Sharapova by score of 6-3, 7-6, 7-5.

With this win Serena Williams has won 6th Australian Open title and 19th Grand Slam title.

11.First Canister-based Agni-V missile successfully test-firedShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


For the first time, a canisterised version of Agni-V missile was successfully test-fired on 31 January 2015 from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.

This was the third successful flight test of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and the first canister trial.

Test: The missile was launched from sealed canister, mounted on a TATRA truck. It was carrying

dummy payload. Test showed that dummy payload withstand temperatures more than 3,0000 C and hit the target at pre-designated point in the Indian Ocean.

Implication: A canister-launch system of Agni-V missile will give the forces the requisite operational flexibility. With this system, ballistic missile can be transported and can launched from any place.

Agni-V missile

• Agni-V ICBM is indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

• It is Part of the Agni series of missiles, one of the missile systems under the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

• Range: 5,500–5,800 km. It will allow India to strike targets across Asia and into Europe

12.Scientist V K Saraswat joins as full-time member of NITI AayogShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat has taken charge as full time-member of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.

13.Senior IPS officer Krishna Chaudhary appointed as new ITBP DG14.Gujarat government launches Taluka Planning Atlas project

15.Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe appointed as Chairman of African UnionShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has been appointed as Chairman of African Union (AU).

16.India tops Credit Suisse emerging consumer scorecard 2015Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


India has topped in the list of Credit Suisse emerging consumer scorecard 2015, among the 9 emerging economies.

Ranking of other countries: Brazil (2nd), Indonesia (3rd), Saudi Arabia (4th), China (5th), Turkey (6th), Mexico (7th), Russia (8th) and South Africa (9th).17.GNLF founder Subhash Ghisingh passes awayShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) founder Subhash Ghisingh has passed away in New Delhi. He was 78

18.Eminent singer Shekhar Sen appointed as Chairman of Sangeet Natak AkademiShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Eminent singer, composer, lyricist and actor Shekhar Sen has been appointed as the chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA).

19.Subrahmanyam Jaishankar appointed as new Foreign SecretaryShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Union Government has appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as the new Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs (i.e. Foreign Secretary).

His name was cleared by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

20.Gujarat Technological University launches e-Raksha centre to fight cybercrimeShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has launched e-Raksha Research Centre to curb rising menace of cybercrimes.

This research Centre will provide solution for issues related to cyber security by encouraging research and enhance capability in this field.

21.RBI signs an information sharing agreement with Brazil’s Central BankShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information with Brazil’s Central Bank- Banco Central do Brasil (BCB).

23.K Durga Prasad appointed as Special DG of CRPFShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed K Durga Prasad as the special director general (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

He will be in office for next three years or till further orders, whichever is earlier.

24.Libby Lane, first female bishop of England consecratedShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Church of England has consecrated Reverend Libby Lane as its first female bishop in a ceremony held at York Minster (a Gothic cathedral) in northern England.

25.Eminent cartoonist RK Laxman passes awayShare on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Eminent cartoonist, illustrator and humorist Rasipuram Laxman passed away in Pune. He was 94.

• Awards: He is recipient of Padma Bhushan (1971), Padma Vibhushan (2005) and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts (1984).

• His Autobiography: The Tunnel of Time: An Autobiography.• Books: He had published numerous short stories, essays, and travel articles, some of which

were collected in The Distorted Mirror (2003). His novels include The Hotel Riviera, The Messenger and the short story collection Servants of India.

26.Colombia’s Paulina Vega crowned Miss Universe 2015

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Colombia’s Paulina Vega was crowned 63rd Miss Universe after beating out contenders from the United States, Ukraine, Jamaica and Netherlands.

27.Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously



Two army personnel, Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh were awarded the highest peacetime military honour, the Ashok Chakra posthumously by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The awards were received by their wives at the 66th Republic Day celebrations.

28.Current Affairs Today - Current Affairs 2015

Padma Awards 2015Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


President Pranab Mukherjee has announced the names of Recipients of this year’s Padma awards. He approved conferment of 104 Padma Awards.

• Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three Categories viz. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

• This years list comprises 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. Among these awardees 17 are women and equal number are in category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs. While, 4 are posthumous awardees.

2015 Padma Vibhushan Awards

It is the second highest civilian award. It is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.

Sr No Name of the Awardee Discipline State/Domicile1 L. K. Advani Public Affairs Gujarat2 Amitabh Bachchan Art Maharashtra

3 Prakash Singh Badal Public Affairs Punjab4 Dr.D.Veerendra Heggade Social Work Karnataka5 Dilip Kumar Art Maharashtra6 Swami Rambhadracharya Others Uttar Pradesh

7 Prof. Malur Ramaswamy SrinivasanScience & Engineering Tamil Nadu

8 Shri Kottayan K. Venugopal Public Affairs Delhi

9Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner) Trade & Industry France/UK

2015 Padma Bhushan Awards

It is the third highest civilian award. It is awarded for distinguished service of high order.

Sr No Name of the Awardee Discipline State/Domicile1

Jahnu Barua Art Assam

2 Dr. Vijay BhatkarScience & Engineering Maharashtra

3 Swapan DasguptaLiterature & Education Delhi

4 Swami Satyamitranand Giri Others Uttar Pradesh5 N. Gopalaswami Civil Service Tamil Nadu6 Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap Public Affairs Delhi7 Dr. (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj Art Madhya Pradesh8 Dr. Ambrish Mithal Medicine Delhi9 Sudha Ragunathan Art Tamil Nadu10 Harish Salve Public Affairs Delhi11 Dr. Ashok Seth Medicine Delhi

12 Rajat SharmaLiterature & Education Delhi

13 Satpal Sports Delhi14 Shivakumara Swami Others Karnataka

15 Dr. Kharag Singh ValdiyaScience & Engineering Karnataka

16 Prof. Manjul Bhargava(NRI/PIO)Science & Engineering USA

17 David Frawley (Vamadeva) Others USA

(Foreigner)18 Bill Gates(Foreigner) Social Work USA19 Melinda Gates (Foreigner) Social Work USA

20 Saichiro Misumi(Foreigner) OthersJapan

2015 Padma Shri Awards

It is the fourth highest civilian award. It is awarded for distinguished service in any field.

Sr No Name of the Awardee Discipline State/Domicile1 Dr. Manjula Anagani Medicine Telangana

2 S. ArunanScience & Engineering Karnataka

3 Kanyakumari Avasarala Art Tamil Nadu

4 Dr. Bettina Sharada BaumerLiterature & Education

Jammu & Kashmir

5 Naresh Bedi Art Delhi6 Ashok Bhagat Social Work Jharkhand7 Sanjay Leela Bhansali Art Maharashtra

8 Dr. Lakshmi Nandan BoraLiterature & Education Assam

9 Dr. Gyan ChaturvediLiterature & Education Madhya Pradesh

10 Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Kumar Chawla Medicine Chandigarh11 Jayakumari Chikkala Medicine Delhi

12 Bibek DebroyLiterature & Education Delhi

13Dr. Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi

Medicine Manipur

14 Dr. Ashok Gulati Public Affairs Delhi15 Dr. Randeep Guleria Medicine Delhi16 Dr. K. P. Haridas Medicine Kerala17 Rahul Jain Art Delhi18 Ravindra Jain Art Maharashtra

19 Dr. Sunil JogiLiterature & Education Delhi

20 Prasoon Joshi Art Maharashtra

21 Dr. Prafulla Kar Art Odhisa22 Saba Anjum Sports Chhattisgarh

23 Ushakiran KhanLiterature & Education Bihar

24 Dr. Rajesh Kotecha Medicine Rajasthan25 Prof. Alka Kriplani Medicine Delhi26 Dr. Harsh Kumar Medicine Delhi

27 Narayana Purushothama MallayaLiterature & Education Kerala

28 Lambert MascarenhasLiterature & Education Goa

29 Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan Social Work Madhya Pradesh30 Veerendra Raj Mehta Social Work Delhi31 Tarak Mehta Art Gujarat32 Neil Herbert Nongkynrih Art Meghalaya

33 Chewang Norphel OthersJammu & Kashmir

34 T. V. Mohandas PaiTrade & Industry

Karnataka

35 Dr.Tejas Patel Medicine Gujarat36 Jadav Molai Peyang Others Assam37 Bimla Poddar Others Uttar Pradesh

38 Dr. N. PrabhakarScience & Engineering Delhi

39 Dr. PrahaladaScience & Engineering

Maharashtra

40 Dr. Narendra Prasad Medicine Bihar

41 Ram Bahadur RaiLiterature & Education Delhi

42 Mithali Raj Sports Telangana43 P. V. Rajaraman Civil Service Tamil Nadu

44 Prof. J. S. RajputLiterature & Education Uttar Pradesh

45 Kota Srinivasa Rao Art Andhra Pradesh

46 Prof. Bimal RoyLiterature & Education West Bengal

47 Shekhar Sen Art Maharashtra

48 Gunvant ShahLiterature & Education Gujarat

49 Brahmdev Sharma (Bhaiji)Literature & Education Delhi

50 Manu SharmaLiterature & Education Uttar Pradesh

51 Prof. Yog Raj Sharma Medicine Delhi

52 Vasant ShastriScience & Engineering Karnataka

53 S. K. ShivkumarScience & Engineering Karnataka

54 P. V. Sindhu Sports Telangana55 Sardara Singh Sports Haryana56 Arunima Sinha Sports Uttar Pradesh57 Mahesh Raj Soni Art Rajasthan58 Dr.Nikhil Tandon Medicine Delhi

59 H. Thegtse Rinpoche Social WorkArunachal Pradesh

60Dr.Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi

Medicine Gujarat

61 Huang Baosheng(Foreigner) Others China

62 Prof. Jacques Blamont(Foreigner)Science & Engineering France

63Late Shri Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin(Posthumous) Others Maharashtra

64 Jean-Claude Carriere(Foreigner)Literature & Education France

65Dr. Nandrajan “Raj” Chetty(NRI/PIO)

Trade & IndustryUSA

66George L. Hart(Foreigner)

Others USA

67Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja(NRI/PIO) Others Portugal

68 Late Shri Meetha Lal Mehta Social Work Rajasthan

(Posthumous)

69 Tripti Mukherjee(NRI/PIO) Art USA70 Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori(NRI/PIO) Medicine USA

71Dr. Raghu Rama Pillarisetti(NRI/PIO)

Medicine USA

72 Dr. Saumitra Rawat(NRI/PIO) Medicine UK

73Prof. Annette Schmiedchen(Foreigner)

Literature & Education Germany

74Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran(Posthumous) Art Delhi

75 R. Vasudevan(Posthumous) Civil Service Tamil NaduThese Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan around March/ April every year

29.Edgar Lungu sworn into office as Zambia’s new president



Edgar Lungu has sworn in as Zambia’s sixth President.

30.India, U.S. sign three MoUs on smart cities



India and United States (US) have signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) on smart cities.

These MoUs were signed by the representatives of United States Trade and Development Agency (USTAD) and the respective Chief Secretaries of State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

These MoU’s seeks to give a boost to Union governments flagship smart cities scheme, by building smart cities in

• Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.• Ajmer in Rajasthan.• Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

31.Parupalli Kashyap Wins Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Title 2015



India’s Parupalli Kashyap has won $120,000 Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold badminton title 2015.

32.Saina Nehwal wins Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament 2015



Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has clinched the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton title 2015 in the women’s singles category.

In the final match she defeated world champion Carolina Marin (Spain) by score of 19-21, 25-23, 21-16 held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

33.Renowned Marathi writer MD Hatkananglekar passes away



Renowned Marathi literary critic, writer and translator Madhukar Dattatreya Hatakananglekar passed away in Sangli district of Maharashtra. He was 89.

Madhukar Dattatreya Hatakananglekar

He had written many articles in Satyakatha (सत्यकथा�) magazine. In 1986, he founded Ugawai (उगवा�ई) magazine.

34.National Voters Day observed on 25th January every year



Every year National Voters’ Day (NVD) is observed on 25th January.

This year i.e. 2015 is fifth National Voters’ Day and theme of this year is Easy Registration, Easy Correction

35.Arundhathi Subramaniam wins inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry



Poetess Arundhathi Subramaniam has won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry.

She has been conferred this prize for her work When God is a Traveller. Her name was announced at a prize ceremony held at Jaipur Literature Festival.

36.Thailand impeaches former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra



Thailand’s military-appointed legislature has voted to impeach former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

37.Current Affairs Today - Current Affairs 2015

Jhumpa Lahiri wins DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google


Indian American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has won prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015. Fifth edition of this prize was announced at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

She has received the prestigious $50,000 DSC Prize for her book The Lowland. Her book was chosen by 5 judges from 75 books.

The Lowland is a tale of two Indian brothers during time of 1950’s in Calcutta. It depicts story of both brothers one who get involved in the Naxalite movement in the late 1960s and the other leaves for the United States.

Jhumpa Lahiri

• Her original name is Nilanjana Sudeshna.• Works- Her debut short story collection Interpreter of Maladies (1999) has won the 2000

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.• Her first novel was Namesake (2003) was adapted in a movie with the same name which was

directed by Mira Nair. Suresh Kalpenn acted in this movie. The Lowland (2013).• Currently, she is a member of US President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

38.Vodafone appoints Sunil Sood as India CEO



Vodafone has appointed Sunil Sood as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its India operations. He will be first Indian CEO of Vodafone.

40.rof Kaptan Singh Solanki sworn-in as governor of Punjab



Haryana governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki took over the additional charge of Governor of Punjab. He will be 34th governor of Punjab.

41,Union Government launches Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign



Union Government has launched ambitious Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao(BBBP) campaign to save and empower girl child.

The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat in Haryana.

Why Haryana was chosen to launch Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign?

• Haryana was chosen to launch the nation-wide Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao initiative because of the skewed sex ratio in the state.

• It has one of the lowest Child Sex Ratio in country which stands at 879 girls per 1,000 boys as against the national child sex ratio of 918 girls per 1000 boys.

41.Economist Bibek Debroy takes over as member of NITI Aayog



Economist Bibek Debroy has taken over as the full-time member of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.

Bibek Debroy

43.Union Government launches HRIDAY scheme



Union government has launched a Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Union governments ambitious Rs 500 crore HRIDAY project was launched by Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.

44.Twitter buys Indian start-up ZipDial



Leading social networking website Twitter has bought Indian mobile marketing start-up ZipDial. It will be first Indian technology product startup to be bought by Twitter.

This deal is expected to cost Twitter around $34-35 million (Rs 215 crore).

About ZipDial

45.India’s growth to reach 6.3 per cent in 2016: UN WESP report



According to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report, India’s growth in terms of GDP is expected to reach 5.9 per cent in 2015 and 6.3 per cent in 2016.

46.Union Government reconstitutes Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)



Union Government has reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In this regard, government has appointed 1 chairperson and 9 board members.

• Chairperson: Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani was appointed chairperson. He will be office in for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

47.minent political scientist Rajni Kothari passes away



Eminent political scientist, scholar and former Planning Commission member Rajni Kothari passed away in New Delhi. He was 86.

• Books: His famous published works include Politics in India (1970), Caste in Indian Politics and Rethinking Democracy (1973), In Search of Humane World Order Poverty: Human Consciousness (1989) and the Amnesia of Development and Communalism in Indian Politics (1995).

• Awards: In 1985 on behalf of Lokayan, he has received the Right Livelihood Award from the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm (widely referred as the Alternative Nobel Prize). He has also received the UGC’s Swami Pranavananda Award in Political Science.

49.Indian-American Frank Islam presented with Martin Luther King Award



Frank Islam, an eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award.

• Books: He has written two well-regarded books on the American condition. They are Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again (2013). Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage (2010).

Martin Luther King Jr Award

• It is an annual award started in 1991.• It honors the legacy of noble peace recipient civil right leader Martin Luther King Jr and the

legendary Dorothy I Height and their impacts both at home and abroad.

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Feb Current