Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 January 2020

1. Celebrations of Makar Sakranti begins

• Makar Sakranti celebrations begin in the entire country.
• The festival is observed to celebrate the movement of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere.
• It is also celebrated to thanks nature for the crops, prosperity and well being.
• In Gujarat, it is celebrated as Uttarayan and the kite festival is organized here.
• In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a four-day festival having names, Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma, and Mukkanuma.
• The festival is celebrated in east and west Godavari districts as they are considered as “rice bowl” of Andhra Pradesh.

2. 6^th meeting of Islands Development Agency held in New Delhi

• The 6^th meeting of IDA chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah was held in New Delhi.
• 16 islands of Andaman and Nicobar and 10 islands of Lakshadweep have been chosen for holistic development, including tourism, trade of seafood and coconut-based products.
• Lakshadweep:

• It is an archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Arabian Sea.
• Its capital is Kavaratti.

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

• It is an archipelago and Union Territory of India has 572 islands.
• The capital and the largest city of Andaman and Nicobar is Port Blair.

3. Road Safety Stakeholder meet held in New Delhi

• The Road Safety Stakeholder Meet was held in New Delhi.
• Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that World Bank and Asian Development Bank approved INR 7000 crore each to remove black spots and ensure road safety in India.
•  Tamil Nadu has been awarded as the best-performing state in reducing road accidents.

4. Enforcement Directorate asked to attach the assets of JP Morgan by SC for violating FDI, FEMA rules

• Indian assets of JP Morgan will be attached by ED for violating Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
• The group was involved with Amrapali Group which is now defunct.
• Chairman cum managing director of JP Morgan Anil Kumar Sharma has been taken into custody along with two directors.

5. Special National Vendor Development Program held in New Delhi

• Special National Vendor Development Program in Petroleum and Steel Sector for SC/ST Entrepreneurs was held in New Delhi.
• It was addressed by Union Minister of Petroleum and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan.

6. Drones to be registered by January 31, 2020

• The Civil Aviation Ministry informed that drones and their operators are to be registered by January 31, 2020. Otherwise, action would be taken against the owner of the drone under the Indian Penal Code and Aircraft act.
• This action is to be taken under the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme by the Civil Aviation Ministry.
• According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Co-Chair Committee on Drones set up in 2018, the number of illegal drones in India is around 50,000 to 60,000.

7. Republic Day tableau model displayed by IAF

• Indian Air Force displayed the model of the Republic Day parade tableau.
• The tableau includes new Chinook and Apache helicopters along with Sukhoi, Advanced Light Helicopters and a replica of Rafael fighter jet.
• Flight Lieutenant Gagandeep Gill and Reema Rai will be the two lady officers to be part of 148-member IAF contingent that will take part in Republic Day celebrations.

8. Meeting of Indian External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar and SCO secretary Vladimir Norov held in New Delhi

• Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s secretary Vladimir Norov held a meeting in New Delhi.
• The meeting was held to review the preparations as India will chair 19^th SCO Head of Government Council in 2020.
• SCO:

• Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance formed in 2001.
• Its headquarter is in Beijing, China.
• The member countries are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.
• India and Pakistan became part of SCO in 2017 in Astana meet.

9. Dhaka University to have Hindi Chair for honors-level students of Bangladesh

• Dhaka University in Bangladesh will have the Hindi chair to facilitate the study of Hindi honors in Bangladesh.
• India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das said that the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) would be appointing a Hindi teacher.
• She also informed me that the UN had started a weekly Friday bulletin in Hindi.
• The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) and High Commission of India celebrated the World Hindi Day in Dhaka in Bangladesh.
• World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 annually to promote the use of Hindi across the world.

10. Lucknow and Noida to have Police Commissionerate system 

• Lucknow and Noida will have a Police Commissionerate system.
• Now District Collector will be left with revenue related work while the law and order work will be given to the police commissioners.
• One Additional Director General of Police (ADG) will be appointed as the police commissioner to be assisted by 2 joint commissioners of police of Inspector General (IG) rank.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. The festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated as ________ in Gujarat.

A. Bhogi

B. Uttarayan

C. Mukkanuma

D. Sankranti

2. Where was the 6^th meeting of Island Development Agency held?

A. Goa

B. Mumbai

C. New Delhi

D. Kolkata

3. Which of the following states has been awarded as the best performing state in reducing road accidents?

A. Kerala

B. Uttar Pradesh

C. Tamil Nadu

D. Maharashtra

4. The drones in India will be regulated by which of the following ministries?

A. Ministry of Civil Aviation

B. Ministry of Road Transport and Shipping

C. Ministry of Science and Technology

D. Ministry of Commerce and Industry

5. Which of the following will be part of the tableau of Indian Air Force during the Republic Day parade?

A. Sukhoi

B. Chinook helicopter

C. Apache helicopter

D. All of the above

6. Which of the following countries is not a member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

A. China

B. Iran

C. India

D. Kazakhstan

7. Who among the following is the India's high commissioner to Bangladesh?

A. Riva Ganguly Das

B. Vinay Kumar

C. Mukta Tomar

D. Ashok Kumar Sharma

8. The Cabinet of Uttar Pradesh government has recently approved the Police Commisionerate system proposal for which of the following cities?

A. Lucknow

B. Noida

C. Kanpur

D. Both A and B

Solution:

1. B

2. C

3. C

4. A

5. D

6. B

7. A

8. D