1. EPFO
bags National Award on e-Governance
- Retirement fund body EPFO has been awarded the SKOCH Award for
smart governance, its initiatives on Universal Account Number Programme
and transformation of social security agenda in India. - The award will be given to EPFO during the 19th National Conference
on e-governance to be held in Nagpur on January 22. The award will be
presented by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. - The Universal Account Number (UAN) enables active employees to
link various provident fund account numbers provided to them while
working in different organisations. A single account number can be used
through all of workers’ employments with various organisations. When a
worker changes his job, he is required to inform his UAN to new employer
and after the previous and present employments are linked to the number,
the transfer process happens on its own. - The EPFO
had launched the UAN in July 2014 and 5.65 crore workers in 4.57 lakh
organisations had been allocated UAN by November last year.
2.
Sikkim becomes India’s first fully organic state
- Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state by implementing
organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land. - Sikkim attained this status by the end of December, 2015. However,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally announce this at a sustainable
agriculture conference in Gangtok on January 18. - Sikkim has worked on these organic practices and principles as per
guidelines laid down in National Programme for Organic Production. - It was in
2003 when Sikkim started this process to make the state organic, aiming at
subsistence of agriculture, biodiversity conservation and environmental
protection.
3.
WHO declares Liberia Ebola free
- The World Health Organisation has officially declared the Liberia
as Ebola free, two years after the outbreak of the epidemic, due to
absence of new cases in the last 42 days. - However, WHO has warned there could still be flare-ups of the
disease in the region, as survivors can carry the virus for months and
could pass it on. WHO in a statement said that it will continue to support
Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to suspected cases. - Liberia was first declared Ebola free by WHO in May 2015. However,
Liberia has had new cases since WHO’s announcement. - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone were widely affected by the Ebola epidemic that claimed claimed the
lives of more than 11,300 people and infected over 28 500.
4. Foxconn plans to make
India hub for Africa, West Asia
- Foxconn, Taiwanese
electronics giant, intends to make India a key global manufacturing hub
for servicing markets across Africa and West Asia. - According to Foxconn India
country head & MD Josh Foulger “The idea is to boost manufacturing,
employment and investments in India”. - Foxconn currently has
operations at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and
Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra and is making products for companies such as
Sony, Xiaomi, Gionee and Microsoft at its India units, has plans to grow
the number of locations. - Foxconn chairman Terry Gou
had last year committed a $5-billion investment in Maharashtra and has
plans of servicing Africa and West Asia from India as it is logistically
cheaper than supplying from China.
5. Infosys
appoints Punita Sinha as independent director
- Infosys has appointed Punita Sinha, wife of Union Minister Jayant
Sinha as an independent director on its board. - The company has received criticism after the appointment of Sinha
but has rejected the charges of nepotism, asserting that the company will
benefit from her vast professional experience. - Punita Sinha is the Founder and Managing Partner of Pacific
Paradigm Advisors, an independent investment advisory and management firm
focussed on Asia and is also a senior advisor and serves as an independent
director for several companies. - Sinha’s appointment is
effective from January 14, 2016 and according to the company’s Annual
Report for 2014-15, an independent director on board of Infosys earned at
least Rs 1 crore annually in sitting fee and other remuneration.
6. Pilot
Whales Washed Ashore In Tamil Nadu
- Recently, over 70 short finned pilot whales floated ashore in Tamil
Nadu in India. In a series of incidents of whales washing ashore, 36
whales were rescued and pushed back in the sea in Tuticorin district of
Tamil Nadu, however 28 floated back ashore and died. - Previously 45 of the 81 whales stranded on the beach died. Local
fishermen along with officials have tried to push the stranded whales back
into the sea but many of them have returned to shore. - Scientist have attributed this behaviour of whales to the
phenomenon of ‘Mass Stranding’. According to Dr Kumaran Sathasivan,
a whale expert, ” Pilot whales are very social animals and they live in
groups. They are very aware that some of their group members are in
distress on the shore, possibly dead, so they don’t wish to go back into
the sea.” - Earlier in 1973, similar
incident was reported in Tamil Nadu wherein 147 whales died.
7.
Government sets up panel to study 7th Pay Commission’s
recommendations
- Recently,the Union Government decided to set up a high powered
panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha with the view to process the
recommendation of the 7th pay commission. - Justice A K Mathur recently submitted the 7th pay commission
recommendations, which on implementation is expected to have a bearing on
the pay scale of 47 lakhs central government employees and 52 pensioners. - Furthermore the new pay
scales are expected to put an additional burden of Rs.1.02 lakh crore on
the exchequer in 2016-17 which would last for two to three years.
8. Madhya
Pradesh signs MoUs with Singapore
- Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has signed four
MoUs with Singapore to collaborate in urban planning, skill development,
clean energy and food processing. - The MoUs include setting up 1000 megawatt wind energy plant in
western part of the state was signed between the Department of New &
Renewable Energy and Singapore corporation unit, Sembcorp Green Infra Ltd. - The other MoUs signed covers urban planning, signed between the
Directorate of Town & Country Planning and Singapore Cooperation
Enterprise, capacity building and skill training was between the
Department of Technical Education and Skill Development and ITE Education
Services of Singapore and finally, food processing that was signed between
India’s LT Food Ltd and Singapore-based DSM Nutritional Products. - Earlier, Chief Minister
Shivraj Chouhan was awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship for his
contribution in development and international harmony, making him the
fourth Indian after Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Arun Shourie and Chandra Babu
Naidu to have received the honour.
9.
Centre approves Rs 791 crore as drought assistance for Telangana
- In a recent development, the union government approved Rs. 791
crore drought assistance to the state government of Telangana. - The Telangana state government had sought the union government
assistance worth Rs. 1300 crore, following which a high level committee of
the central government headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh
approved the drought assistance worth Rs. 791 Crores from the National
Drought Relief Fund (NDRF). - In 2015, a total of 10 state
were declared drought affected, one of which was Telangana.
10. Ronaldinho
appointed Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football Tournament
- Star footballer Ronaldinho
has been appointed Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football
Tournament. - The tournament will be held at the Corporation Stadium in
Kozhikode, Kerala from 5 February 2016 to 21 February 2016. - The Sait Nagjee Trophy that is being renamed and re-launched as the
Nagjee International Club Football Tournament after a 21-year gap after
the Kozhikode District Football Association and Mondial Sports Management
LLP worked together to resume and revive the trophy. - The tournament will see seven
teams from across Europe and South America who will participate along with
an Indian club team which is also the first time that top European and
Latin American clubs are coming to India for a tournament.
11.
Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman passes away
- Actor Alan Rickman, best
known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movie series
passed away in London at the age of 69 due to cancer. - Rickman was a widely known
actor popular for his role as Hans Gruber, the hated villain in Die Hard
and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. - Rickman was
also a filmmaker, directing and co-starring opposite Kate Winslet in 2014
costume drama ‘A Little Chaos’ and Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law in ‘The
Winter Guest’. - He won a Golden Globe Award,
an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of the
title character in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny and a BAFTA Award for
his role in Robin Hood.
12.
Suket Dhir wins Menswear International Woolmark Prize
- Fashion designer Suket Dhir
was named the winner of the 2015-2016 Menswear International Woolmark
Prize. - The Delhi based designer was
presented with the award at menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo. - This is the second year that
the International Woolmark Prize has included a menswear category in the
awards, last year won by New York-based label Public School. - The prize money includes
100,000 Australian dollars that will go in supporting the development of
business and ongoing industry mentor support, as well as the presentation
and sale of the capsule collection, created for the International Woolmark
Prize. - The International Woolmark
Prize was launched in 1953 and fashion icons like Karl Lagerfeld and YSL
are former winners of the prestigious award.
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