Current Affairs 16th January 2016

Important Points : 

• Who has won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on Khap panchayats - Ankita Anand 
• Name the joint Coast Guard exercise conducted by India and Japan - Sahyog-Kaijin 2016
• Who has been selected for Prof MV Pylee Award for the Distinguished Academician of India - Dr Jancy James 
• On which day 68th Army Day is celebrated - 15th January

Details : 

Who has won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on Khap panchayats - Ankita Anand 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 14th January 2016, the European Commission's prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 in Asia and the Pacific amateur category was won by an independent Delhi-based writer Ankita Anand.

She was awarded for her sensitive depiction of life for young women facing the threat of the directive of khap panchayats in Haryana with the title Stirrings beneath the peepul published in the journal The Equator Linel.

About The Lorenzo Natali Media Prize

• Since 1992, European Commission’s Directorate-General organize this prize for International Cooperation and Development.
• It has two distinct categories: amateur and professional journalism. 
• The prize is presented to journalists for their outstanding reporting on development and poverty suppression.

Name the joint Coast Guard exercise conducted by India and Japan - Sahyog-Kaijin 2016

Among the important Defense Current Affairs, On 15th January 2016, 15th joint Coast Guards exercise named Sahyog-Kaijin 2016 has been conducted by India and Japan off the coast of Chennai.

Japanese vessel Echigo and India’s Coast Guard vessel Samudra Pehredar participateed in the bilateral training.

Indian coast guard ships like C-415, C-417, Rajkamal, Rajtarang, Vishwast, one Chetak helicopter, Hovercraft and one Dornier were involved in the exercise.

Who has been selected for Prof MV Pylee Award for the Distinguished Academician of India - Dr Jancy James 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 15th January 2016, the first woman Vice Chancellor of Kerala, Dr Jancy James was selected for the Prof MV Pylee Award for the Distinguished Academician of India.

The award is presented for ontribution to academic community and excellence in teaching and research. The award carries a citation and 1 lakh rupees.

About Dr Jancy James

• Dr Jancy James is an established author, translator, researcher and literary critic.
• Earlier, she was the founder Vice Chancellor of Central University of Kerala and the former Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University.
• Apart from this, she has also served as the National President of the Comparative Literature Association of India and as member of Kendra Sahitya Akademi.
• In the year 2011, she was a member of the Indian delegation at the Indo-US Higher Education Summit.

Do You Know : 

Cochin University of Science and Technology instituted this award in the name of MV Pylee who is regarded as the father of management education in Kerala and is a Indian scholar, educationist and management guru.

On which day 68th Army Day is celebrated - 15th January

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 15th January 2016, he 68th Army Day was celebrated in India. The day is observed annually to Annually, the day is celebrated to honour Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa who became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in post independence period on this day.

On 15th January 1949, he took over the command of Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.

On this occasion, fifteen Sena Medals (including five posthumously) for individual acts of Gallantry and thirteen COAS Unit Citations for commendable performance of their respective units were awarded.