Awards & Honours
India’s Umang App won the Best M-Government Service award in the Accessible Government category while Aadhaar won the best emerging technology award at the 6th edition of the World Government Summit 2018 in Dubai, where India had the status of ‘Guest of Honour’ country.
A veteran expert from Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland, Professor Michael N. Hall was bestowed with 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award of Telangana for his pioneering work in discovering the nutrient- activated TOR (Target of Rapamycin) proteins and their central role in the metabolic control of cell growth.
The Odisha government won the Geospatial World Excellence Award- 2018 for successful IT application for tracking of mineral production, dispatch and value accrued on real-time basis through its i3MS website-based software.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ by President Mahmoud Abbas for his key contribution to promote relations between India and Palestine.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian President, was honored with the 2018 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership for excellence in African leadership.
Jayant Madhab Bora was conferred with the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Assamese literature for his novel “Moriahola”.
Eminent Kannada critic T.P. Ashoka was selected for the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Kannada language
for his literary criticism work “Kathana Bharathi”.
K P Ramanunni from Kerala was conferred with the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Malayalam literature for his novel “Daivathinte Pusthakam”.
Shesh Anand Madhukar, an eminent Magahi writer & scholar, was honoured with the 2018 Sahitya Akademi Bhasha Samman award.
Shabnam Asthana was awarded the 'Times Power Women of the Year 2017'- Pune for Global PR.
Shyam Benegal, the noted film producer, and director, was bestowed with the prestigious V. Shantaram lifetime achievement Award 2018 for his contribution to the promotion of the documentary movement.
The 12th edition of International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility was held in Bengaluru, Karnataka with the theme “Responsible CSR: a New Agenda Beyond Governance”.
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley launched CriSidEx. It is India’s first sentiment index for micro and small enterprises ( MSEs) developed jointly by CRISIL & SIDBI. CriSidEx is a composite index based on a diffusion index of 8 parameters and measures MSE business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative ) to 200 ( extremely positive).
Google launched a new online security campaign #SecurityCheckKiya in India to promote security awareness among general public.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a pact with Google to integrate a course on ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ in information and communication technology curriculum.
Hardayal Prasad was appointed as Managing Director and CEO of SBI Card. SBI Card has a customer base of over 5.7 million and a market share of 16 per cent.
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu launched three new tools for States and Union Territories for ranking of startups in the country in order to encourage the strengthening of the startup ecosystem at the local level. The tools are the State and Union Territory Startup Ranking Framework, the Compendium of Good Practices for Promoting Startups in India and the Startup India Kit. These will act as catalysts to help the Startup India initiative to drive India’s economic growth. India is home to about 20,000 startups, with about 1,400 beginning operations every year.
West Bengal became the first state to opt out of the National Health protection scheme unveiled in the Union Budget, with CM Mamata Banerjee announcing the state will not “waste” its hard-earned resources to contribute its share to the programme. On February 1, the Union Budget announced the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), the biggest such global plan to provide quality health coverage to a population larger than the combined citizenry of the US, France, Germany and the UK. Called ‘Modicare’, the plan seeks to extend health insurance to 500 million people from financially vulnerable households.
The India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi with the two countries discussing trade relations in the agricultural sector.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman constituted a 13-member advisory committee to monitor and expedite capital acquisition projects for the modernization of the armed forces. The committee will be headed by Vinay Sheel Oberoi, the former secretary in the government. It will have a tenure until the end of August 2018.
A MoU was signed between Ministry of Railways and Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) to augment the AYUSH system services in its zonal hospitals at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Guwahati.
The Uttar Pradesh Government launched massive door to door campaign DASTAK in association with UNICEF to eradicate the deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanise Encephalitis (JE) diseases in the state.
The Haryana government launched the 'Gobardhan Yojana' to provide for the sale of organic manure and cow urine with an aim to benefit farmers. A provision of Rs 11 crore has been made to provide benefits of various projects under this scheme.
The Central Government announced a Rs 1.4 lakh-crore KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthaan Maha Abhiyaan) Scheme to promote decentralized solar power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers. In the Union Budget 2018-19, the Centre has allocated Rs 48,000 crore on the 10-year KUSUM scheme.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a project agreement with the World Bank, even as the latter entered into a US $ 375 million loan agreement with the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance for Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). The signing of the Agreement follows the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, for the implementation of the US $ 800 million JMVP for capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway-1(River Ganga) from Varanasi to Haldia.
The Loan Agreement for the financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert Areas was signed between Government of India and the New Development Bank (NDB). This is the first tranche loan of USD 100 million approved by the NDB under the Multi-Tranche Financing Facility of USD 345 million for this project. The objective of this Project is to rehabilitate the 678 km long Indira Gandhi Canal system built during 1958-63 to prevent seepage, conserve water, and enhance water use efficiency as mandated by both national and state-level policies on water use.
Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu were the top rankers in NITI Aayog’s latest Health Index report, with Kerala topping the list. Uttar Pradesh appeared at the bottom among larger states in terms of overall performance. The document has been developed by NITI Aayog with technical assistance from the World Bank and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
India was ranked 44th out of 50 countries in the 6th edition of Intellectual Property Index, released by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC). The United States topped the list, followed by the U.K and Sweden.
In the sixth bi-monthly Monetary policy statement for 2017-18, the Reserve Bank of India kept the repo rate (key interest rate) unchanged at 6% and reverse repo at 5.75%. Also, the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate were kept at 6.25%.
In the Union Budget 2018, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the government’s plan to build a tunnel through the Sela Pass located at an elevation of 13,700 ft which will ensure faster movement of troops in Tawang, a strategically-located town in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China.
India joined the Ashgabat Agreement, which envisages the creation of an International Transport and Transit Corridor connecting Central Asia with the Persian Gulf. This corridor is set to facilitate connectivity, trade and transportation of goods between the Central Asian Republics (CARs) and the Gulf countries. With the accession to the Agreement, India has taken a step forward in its efforts in enhancing connectivity with Eurasia.
Jai Ram Thakur, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, launched Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) project to promote organic farming. The ZBNF, a farming practice that believes in the natural growth of crops without adding any fertilizers and pesticides, aims to increase agriculture produce and the income of farmers by the year 2022.
China remained the world’s largest steel producer in 2017 by producing 831.7 million tonnes (MT), according to the latest report published by World Steel Association (WSA). Japan acquired 2nd position while India overtook the US to become the world’s 3rd largest steel producer.
India slipped to 42nd place on the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Democracy Index amid the "rise of conservative religious ideologies" and increase in vigilantism and violence against minorities as well as other dissenting voices. While Norway again topped the list, followed by Iceland and Sweden, India moved down from 32nd place last year and remains classified among "flawed democracies".
People in News
Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan took charge as the new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army. Justice Antony Dominic was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Kerala.
Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir passed away at age 66. She was an outspoken critic of the powerful military establishment, including during her stint as the first-ever female leader of Pakistan's top bar association. In 1987 she co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its Secretary General until 1993 when she was elevated as commission's chairperson.
B.G. Banakar, the former speaker of Karnataka legislative assembly, passed away at age 91.
Biswamohan Mahapatra was appointed as the non-executive chairman of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for a period of two years.
Former Union minister and veteran Telugu Desam Party leader Bolla Bulliramaiah died at age 92.
Prof. Chandrashekhara Kambar, a noted Kannada writer and Jnanpith winner, was elected as the new president of Sahitya Akademi.
The doyen of Odia literature Chandrasekhar Rath passed away at age 89.The writer was nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri award and several other awards, including Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award and Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman, for his contribution in the field of literature.
Dinesh Srivastava, a distinguished scientist, took over as the Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC).
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Earth Sciences (MoES) , launched a 2.8 PetaFlops capacity High-Performance Computer (HPC) system ‘Mihir’ in Noida to improve India’s weather forecasting.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launched the people-oriented campaign "Green Good Deeds" to sensitize people and students, in particular, about climate change and global warming.
Indra Nooyi, the PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, was appointed to the International Cricket Council Board as its first independent female director.
Jerome Hayden Powell was sworn-in as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve for a four-year term.
Johann Johannsson, a reputed musician from Ireland, passed away at age 48. He won a Golden Globe in 2015.
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, the chairperson of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), was sworn-in as the 41st Prime Minister of Nepal, by beating the ruling Nepali Congress.
Kathakali maestro Madavoor Vasudevan Nair died at age 89. A recipient of several awards, including Padma Bhushan, he was the follower of the Kaplingattu School, the particular style of south Kerala.
An eminent journalist, author and thinker Muzaffar Hussain, known for his strong views on Muslim politics, passed away at age 78. He was conferred Padma Shree in 2002 and with Lokamanya Tilak Jeevan Gaurav award for journalism by the government of Maharashtra in 2014. Known for his strong views, Muzaffar Hussain came into contact with the RSS and wrote extensively on pro-Hindutva issues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 'Exam Warriors', a book that he penned to reach out to the students across the country ahead of their exams, was launched in New Delhi.
Neelam Kapoor, a 1982 batch officer of the Indian Information Service (IIS), was appointed as the new director general of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari released India's first ever Highway Capacity Manual. The manual has been developed by CSIR – CRRI on the basis of an extensive, country-wide study of the traffic characteristics on different categories of roads.
Parbati Ghose, the first female filmmaker of Odisha, passed away in Bhubaneswar at age 85.
Sudeep Lakhtakia, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Telangana cadre, took charge as the new Director-General of the ‘black cats commando’ force National Security Guard (NSG).
Sudha Karmarkar, a veteran theatre artist, director, and pioneer of Children’s Theatre in Maharashtra, passed away at age 83.
Syed Mahmud Hossain was sworn-in as the 22nd chief justice Chief Justice of Bangladesh.
Sports
Haryana emerged as overall champions at the inaugural Khelo India School Games. The Khelo India School Games are a part of the Khelo India programme introduced by the Union Sports Ministry to revive the sports culture in the country at the grassroots level and make India a sporting nation.
India won the 12th edition of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2018 after thrashing Australia in the final match.
Jhulan Goswami, India’s veteran pacer, became the first female cricketer in the world to take 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODI) cricket.
Defending champion Kishan Gangolli from Karnataka won the 13th edition of the National ‘A’ Chess Championship for the blind.
Five-time world champion Mary Kom clinched gold in the 48-kilogram category among women at the 2018 India Open Boxing Tournament in New Delhi.
The Railway Sports Promotion Board won the 8th edition of Senior National Women’s Hockey Championship 2018.
Pune-based swimmer, Rohan More became the first Asian as well as the first Indian to swim across the Ocean Seven. Rohan is the youngest person in the world to swim across the Ocean Seven. The Ocean's Seven marathon consists of seven long-distance open-water swims, which includes the North Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Sharmila Nicollet from Bengaluru became the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China Ladies PGA Tour.
Shubhankar Sharma from Chandigarh became the highest ranked Indian golfer after securing the 72nd position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Tamil Nadu beat Manipur to lift their maiden title in the 23rd edition of the Senior Women's National Football Championship.
Zhang Beiwen, a professional badminton player from America, won the 4th edition of India Open Badminton tournament 2018.
World
Bermuda became the world’s first country to legalize and then repeal same-sex marriage.
The 6th edition of World Government Summit 2018 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Indian delegation was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The World Cancer Day was observed on 4th February with the theme “We can. I can”.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the world’s longest zip Line “Jebel Jais Flight ” in Ras al- Khaimah.
The World Leprosy Day was observed on 28th January with the theme ‘Zero Disabilities in Girls and Boys’.
India
India’s first-ever radio festival was held in New Delhi on February 15, 2018, to mark World Radio Day. The festival was organized by International Association of Women in Radio and Television in partnership with UNESCO. India's 1st Online Radio Station 'Radio Umang' was launched on this day. Listeners can tune in to this online radio station through web streaming or download the app. Radio Umang is a Hindi international online radio station themed around peace, humanity and hope.
India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
India’s financial capital Mumbai, with a total wealth of $950 billion, was named among the top 15 wealthiest cities globally, while New York topped the list. According to a report by New World Wealth, the economic hub of India is the 12th wealthiest city, followed by Toronto with a total wealth of $944 billion, Frankfurt (14th, $912 billion) and Paris (15th, $860 billion).
Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, launched the Centre for learning Sanskrit language at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. This is the first-of-its-kind spoken Sanskrit center in India.
The 2018 International Conference on Unani Medicine was inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh (the Union Minister of Development of North-East Region) with the theme “Integration of Unani System of Medicine in Mainstream Healthcare” in New Delhi.
The South Central Railway became the first railway zone in India to complete 100% LED lighting at all the 733 stations under its jurisdiction.
The National Unani Day was celebrated on 11th February to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani researcher Haqim Ajmal Khan.
The Government of Assam signed a Memorandum of Understanding with cab-hailing company Ola for a pilot project of app-based river taxi services in Guwahati.
The first-ever Pelican Bird Festival-2018 was held at the Atapaka Bird Sanctuary on Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh. Atapaka Bird Sanctuary is the home for thousands of pelicans that migrate to the lake.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in collaboration with Department of Forests, Assam government organized the national-level celebration of World Wetlands Day (WWD), 2018. The 2018 theme was ‘Wetlands for a sustainable urban future’. Every year, February 2 is celebrated as World Wetlands Day, to mark the date of adoption of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It was adopted in 1971 at the Iranian City of Ramsar. India is a party to the Convention since 1982 and committed to the Ramsar approach of wise use of wetlands.
The Maharashtra Government approved Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state.
The first-ever International Kala Mela was inaugurated by the Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
The 2018 Kala Ghoda Arts Festival was held in Mumbai, with the theme “Hara Ghoda” to promote sustainable living, recycling and environment-friendliness.
The Assam Government signed a MoU with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) Limited to build a Twin Tower Trade Centre in Guwahati at a cost of Rs 1950 crore.
The 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2018 was held at Faridabad, Haryana. The Mela is organized every year by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs. This year, Uttar Pradesh was the theme state and Kyrgyzstan was the Partner Nation.
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