Current Affairs 28th January 2019

Current Affairs 28th January 2019 - Important Points

• Jammu & Kashmir Governor gives assent to Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment)
  Bill, 2014  for - Pahari Community
• President confers Ashoka Chakra to- LanceNaik Nazir Wani
• Bharat Ratna Awards 2019 conferred on - 26th January 2019
• Memorandum of Understanding between India  Kuwait on - Domestic Workers recruitment
• LRSAM Successfully Tested from - Coast of Odisha
• South Asian Nitrogen Hub declared by - The British government
• Yuva Swabhiman Yojana declared by - MP Government
• Australian Open 2019  concluded at - Melbourne
• Bharat Parv Begins at - Red Fort, New Delhi
• Three Mission Centres Inaugurated at - IIT Madras
• ‘No Presents Please’ secures DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2018 during - Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet

Current Affairs 28th January 2019 - Details

Jammu & Kashmir Governor gives assent to Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment)
Bill, 2014  for - Pahari Community

J&K governor Satya Pal Malik has given his agreement to the Jammu &Kashmir Reservation
(Amendment) Bill, 2014, giving reservation in government jobs for Pahari community.
Features of the Amendment Bill
The modification provides for reservation in government jobs for the individuals belonging to the Pahari community, clan/tribe having a distinct cultural, ethnic & linguistic identity among the Socially &  Educationally Backward classes which are other than SC & STs.
The bill empowers the government of J&K to inform method & authority for documentation of Pahari Community.
Pahari Community

• The Pahari Community also known as Pahadi & Parbati belongs to Indo-Aryan ethnic group residing Himalayan areas of Nepal &India.
• Pahari community has archaeologically faced economic distress resulting in an inclusive socio-economic backwardness of the community due to the remoteness &inaccessibility of the areas that they have been residing in.
• Thus, to address these breaks the government of J&K has stretched the reservation in Jobs.

President confers Ashoka Chakra to- LanceNaik Nazir Wani

India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, Ashoka Chakra was honoured to Lance Naik Nazir Wani
posthumously. The prize was given by President Ram Nath Kovind and was received by Wani’s wife & 
mother at the Republic Day celebrations organised at Rajpath. Lance Naik Nazir Wani also grasps the
distinction of being the 1st Kashmiri to be deliberated the Ashoka Chakra.
Lance Naik Nazir Wani sacrificed his life fighting the terrorists
Lance Naik Nazir Wani single-handedly killed 2 terrorists during the Shopian operation & bruised a 3rd one despite receiving deep injuries.
Lance Naik Nazir Wani prohibited the escape of the terrorists from the target house. He made a vast
contribution in neutralising 6 hardcore terrorists. In this process, he sacrificed his life.
More about Ashoka Chakra
Ashoka Chakra is India’s highest Peacetime Military Decoration prized for valour, courageous
activities/self-sacrifice away from the battlefield & it is peacetime equivalent to Param Vir Chakra which is prized for the most noticeable bravery/some daring/pre-eminent valour/self-sacrifice in the
battlefield.

Bharat Ratna Awards 2019 conferred on - 26th January 2019

The 2019 Bharat Ratna prize has been conferred upon former President Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji
Deshmukh & singer Bhupen Hazarika. Nanaji Deshmukh & singer Bhupen Hazarika were given Bharat Ratna posthumously.

Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee worked as the 13th President of India from 2012-2017. A veteran
congressman, Pranab Mukherjee had apprehended various important portfolios including Finance,
Defence & External Affairs as Union Minister. He is the outstanding statesman of the existing time.
Pranab Mukherjee has also worked as a professor of Political Science at Vidyanagar College in West
Bengal. Previously entering Politics, he was served as a journalist with Desher Dak.
Nanaji Deshmukh
Nanaji Deshmukh laid great attention on education as a social worker. The 1st Saraswati Shishu
Mandir was recognized by him at Gorakhpur in 1950. He was a member of RSS & also worked as general secretary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Nanaji Deshmukh participated in Jai Prakash Narayan movement during the Emergency. He was selected as a member of  Lok Sabha  from Balrampur in 1977. He has also worked as a nominated member of Rajya Sabha. Nanaji was bestowed Padma Vibhushan in 1999.
Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika was a playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet & film-maker from Assam,
generally known as Sudhakantha. He chiefly wrote & sang in the Assamese language. His works were highlighted by humanity & universal brotherhood & have been translated & sung in various languages. He also worked as a channel to announce the culture & folk music of Assam & Northeast India to Hindi cinema at the national level.

Memorandum of Understanding between India  Kuwait on - Domestic Workers recruitment

The Union Cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi has sanctioned the inking of MoU between India & Kuwait for co-operation on the recruitment of domestic workers.
Features of the Memorandum of Understanding

• The Memorandum of Understanding will deliver a structured outline for collaboration on domestic
  workers related issues.
• It delivers supported safeguards for Indian domestic workers including woman workers deployed in
  Kuwait.
• Primarily valid for 5 years, it has a provision for automatic renewal.
• The Memorandum of Understanding also proposes formation of a cooperative committee will also be formed to follow up the execution.
• The Memorandum of Understanding will advantage about 3 lakh Indian workers positioned in Kuwait, including approximately 90000 women domestic workers & encourages bilateral assistance in domestic workers-related issues between the both nations.

LRSAM Successfully Tested from - Coast of Odisha

India has effectively flight-tested Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile- LRSAM from a warship off the
Odisha coast. The Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile effectively damaged a low flying aerial target. This paves way for its deployment in the armed forces.
Features of the LRSAM

• Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile has been mutually developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), India & M/s Israel Aerospace Industries for the Indian Navy.
• The Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile was test fired in operational configuration on-board INS
  Chennai deployed in the Arabian Sea.
• The missile was 1st tested from INS Kolkata on western seaboard in 2015. It had completed all aims.
• Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile has an operational range of 75 kilometres & it can terminate
  airborne threats including jets, aircraft, anti-ship missiles & rockets including projectiles launched
  instantaneously.
• The Long-Ranged Surface-to-Air Missile has a length of about 4.5m, a diameter of 0.54m, a wingspan of 0.94m & weighs about 275 kilograms including a 60 kilograms warhead which explodes at propinquity.

South Asian Nitrogen Hub declared by - The British government

The British government has declared a research project, South Asian Nitrogen Hub, to investigate
nitrogen pollution in India and South Asia. The project headed by United Kingdom’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology will partner with 50 groups from the United Kingdom & South Asia. The Indian Institutions
partnering the investigation are:
-National Institute of Oceanography
-Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University GGSIU
-Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
-Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU
-Aligarh Muslim University AMU
-National Physical Laboratory
-TERI University
The project goals to investigate the influence of different forms of nitrogen pollution, particularly looking at nitrogen in agriculture in 8 nations of South Asia which consists India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan &Maldives.
Nitrogen Pollution
Pollutant Gases including ammonia & nitrogen dioxide are generated from chemical fertilizers, livestock
manure, & burning of fossil fuels & is linked to air pollution, biodiversity loss, the pollution of rivers & seas, ozone depletion, health, economy & livelihoods.

Yuva Swabhiman Yojana declared by - MP Government

The government of MP has declared the Yuva Swabhiman Yojana to deliver employment for the
unemployed youngsters from the economically weaker sections of the society.
More about the Scheme

• It goals to deliver employment to the youngsters belonging to the weaker section of the society chiefly in urban areas of the state.
• The scheme goals to deliver 100-days of employment to youngsters from economically weaker sections of the society in urban areas.
• The youngsters would also be issued skill training by the government.
• The factor of skill training has been added to enable the youngsters to explore the available options.
• To augment the job opportunities the government of MP has also declared variations in industrial policy with a clause under which industries would be eligible to get the state government incentives only if they hire 70% workers from MP.
• With this scheme, the government goals to cover those from urban centres who are left out from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
• Since those in rural areas are covered under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act- MNREGA, the scheme focuses on urban areas.

Australian Open 2019  concluded at - Melbourne

Australian Open which is the 1st of the 4 Grand Slam tennis programmes concluded at Melbourne in
Australia. Nicknamed as the ‘Happy Slam’, the Australian Open has expanded to become the largest
yearly sporting programme in the Southern Hemisphere.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia become the 1st man to secure 7 titles at Australian Open. The victory of Naomi Osaka of Japan strengthens her place as number 1 women singles player of the world.
Winners of the Australian Open 2019
In Women’s Singles, Naomi Osaka of Japan won the title.
In Men’s Singles, Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the title.
In Women’s Doubles, Samantha Stosur of Australia & Zhang Shuai of China won the title.
In Men’s Doubles, Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut of France won the title.
In Mixed Doubles, Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev Ram of the United States won the title.

Bharat Parv Begins at - Red Fort, New Delhi

Bharat Parv is a 5-day programme hosted as part of Republic Day celebrations. Bharat Parv held at Red
Fort, Delhi goals to produce a patriotic fervour & promote the rich cultural diversity of the nation.
Bharat Parv has been held by Ministry of Tourism in association with other Central Ministries & State Governments.
Attractions of Bharat Parv
Bharat Parv displays the spirit of ‘ Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat ’. The significant attractions of Bharat Parv are:

• Replica of the Statue of Unity.
• Gandhi Gram in which Ten painting artists will produce paintings on the theme of Ideology of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Exhibition of Republic Day parade tableaux
• Performances by the Armed Forces bands.
• Theme based State Pavilions where each state displays its strong point along with its tourism products.
• Daily cultural performances by North Zone Cultural Centre.

Three Mission Centres Inaugurated at - IIT Madras

The Union Minister for Science & Technology inaugurated the 3 Department of Science & Technology
mission centres at the IIT Madras at the communal cost of Rupees 50 crores.
These centres are emphasised on critical technologies for sustainability including harnessing of solar
energy in myriad ways, scientific recycling & water conservation.
DST Mission Centres
The 3 Department of Science &Technology mission centres inaugurated were:
1. Department of Science & Technology- IITM Solar Energy Harnessing Centre which will emphasise on a wide range of research & technology development including silicon solar cells that guarantee high efficiency &are suitable for Indian conditions.
2. Department of Science & Technology- IITM Centre for Sustainable Treatment, Reuse & Management for Efficient, Affordable & Synergistic Solutions for Water and it emphasises on coordinated research & training programmes on various matters related to wastewater management, water treatment, sensor development, stormwater management &distribution as well as collection systems.
3. Department of Science & Technology- IITM-KGDS Test-bed on Solar Thermal Desalination Solutions in Narippaiyur which has been recognized with an objective to deliver customised technology solutions to address prevalent water trials in the arid coastal village situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal.

‘No Presents Please’ secures DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2018 during - Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet

‘No Presents Please’ is an English Novel translated from Kannada version of Jayant Kaikini. The novel
was translated to English by Tejaswini Niranjana and award was declared for this novel during the Tata
Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. The award was given by eminent writer Ruskin Bond to Jayant Kaikini & translator Tejaswini Niranjana.
For the 1st time the award was being presented to a translated work & the jury wanted to recognise the outstanding contribution of the translator Tejaswini Niranjana. The novel represents illustrate life in Mumbai with the Mumbai City represented as a character of a coherent narrative.
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

• Instituted in 2010, the annual DSC Prize for South Asian Literature honours the best work in South Asian fiction writing.
• The Prize is honoured to writers of any ethnicity/nationality writing about South Asia themes including culture, politics and history/people.
• The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature was introduced by Surina Narula & Manhad Narula in 2010 for an original long novel written/translated into English.