Current Affairs 23 January, 2020

Nancy

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4 years ago Banking and Insurance, SSC and Railways, Teaching Exams..., MBA Exams, Other Exams

1. France to train Indian flight surgeons for the Gaganyaan mission.

France will train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan. The two-week training is a critical aspect of the Gaganyaan project that is aimed at sending three Indians to space by 2022.
The flight surgeons, who will be Indian Air Force doctors specialising in aviation medicines and responsible for the health of astronauts before, during and after flight, will be shortlisted soon.
The four shortlisted astronauts, all test pilots from the Indian Air Force, are currently in Russia for an 11-month training programme.

Foot Notes:
About France
President: Emmanuel Macron
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro

2. Jharia most polluted place in India in 2018, Greenpeace report.

Jharia, known worldwide for its underground coal fires, continued to be the most polluted city in the country in 2018, according to Airpocalypse-IV, an annual report released by Greenpeace India.
The report, based on analysis of particulate matter data across 287 cities, said Delhi was 10th most polluted city in 2018, an improvement by two ranks as compared to 2017.
Lunglei in Mizoram was the least polluted city in India, followed by Meghalaya’s Dowki, according to the report. Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh: Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad.

3. Government of Maharashtra makes the reading of Preamble mandatory in Maharashtra schools.

Maharashtra Government has made the reading of the Preamble of the Constitution mandatory for the Maharashtra schools.
The reading will be done after prayer in all primary and secondary schools in Maharashtra.

Foot Notes:
About Maharashtra
Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

4. Challa Sreenivasulu Setty appointed as the MD of SBI.

The government-appointed Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the Managing Director (MD) of the State Bank of India (SBI) on 20 January 2020. He is appointed for a period of three years.
The proposal of the Department of the Financial Services for the appointment of Setty was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
His appointment will be with effect from the date of his taking over the charge of the post or until further orders.

Foot Notes:
About SBI
Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar

5. India ranked 51st in the 2019 Democracy Index.

India ranked 51st in the Democracy Index 2019. It has dropped 10 places in the Democracy Index’s global ranking. The survey described the erosion of civil liberties in India as the primary cause of democratic regression.
The index referred to the changes in Jammu & Kashmir and the controversial implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam as the democratic regression.
The index is based on the functioning of government, electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, political participation, and political culture.

Foot Notes:
Norway topped EIU's index with a score of 9.87
North Korea ranked last of the global rankings, with a score of 1.08.
China ranked 153rd with a score of 2.26.
EIU’s headquarter: London, United Kingdom
Managing director of EIU: Robin view

6. Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti is celebrated on 23 January.

Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti is celebrated on 23 January 2020. The day marks the 124th birth anniversary of Bose. Subhash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary commemorates his contribution to India's struggle for independence.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born in Cuttack, Odisha on 23 January 1897. He ranked second in the matriculation examination and fourth in the Indian Civil Services (ICS) examination.
He quit his ICS job and came back to India from England in 1921. He joined India's freedom struggle movement. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He introduced the famous slogan 'Jai Hind'. He revamped the Indian National Army (INA).

7. Priya Prakash CEO of HealthSetGo won the 2019 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award.

Priya Prakash won the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award for 2019. She is the founder and CEO of India-based HealthSetGo.
The award recognizes her school health program that aimed to provided 360-degree healthcare support to children.
The award honours individuals aged between 18 to 30 who are bringing about a positive change in the world by solving some of its biggest global challenges.

8. Cabinet gives approval to EC to enter into MoU with Election Commissions of Tunisia and Papua New Guinea.

The Cabinet gave approval to the Election Commission of India to enter into MoU with the Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia and the Papua New Guinea Election Commission.
The MoU has been signed for elections for cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration.
The Cabinet also gave its nod for the four agreements between India and Brazil in the field of oil and natural gas, Geology and Mineral Resources, mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and cooperation in the field of early childhood care.

9. President Kovind confers Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards to children.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2020 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Bal Puraskar is given by the government every year to recognize exceptional achievements of children in various fields. These fields are innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, sports and bravery.
The 22 children who were selected for National Bravery Awards also received the awards from the President.

10. Maharashtra retains “Khelo India Youth Games” champions trophy.

Maharashtra retained first place in the Khelo India Youth Games champions trophy with a rich collection of 256 medals, including 78 gold.
Haryana came second with 200 medals (68 gold, 60 silver, 72 bronze), followed by Delhi at third with 122 medals (39 gold, 36 silver, 47 bronze).
After 13 days of intense competition, Maharashtra won its second Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) trophy in a row.