Category: All Current Affairs

World Economic Situation and Prospects Report 2020 released by UN

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the five United Nations Regional Economic Commissions have jointly released the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020 (WESP) recently. The report warns about strong economic risks, deep political polarization and increasing scepticism about the benefits of multilateralism.

The report suggested that India needs to implement structural reforms to face a global as well as Indian economic slowdown. The combination of fiscal stimulus, loose monetary policy and financial sector reforms is expected to support a recovery in growth to 6.6 %. India experienced a sharp drop from 6.8% in 2018 to 5.7 % in 2019. The report also indicated that India may be among the few countries where the per capita GDP growth rate could exceed 4% in 2020.

2nd NIC Tech Conclave 2020 inaugurated in New Delhi

The 2nd edition of NIC Tech Conclave 2020 is being held on 21-22 January 2020 at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the conclave. The two-day event is organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The theme of the NIC TechConclave 2020 is ‘Technologies for NextGen Governance‘. 

The conclave will discuss the steering application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at various levels in the Government. The Conclave will contribute immensely to the capacity building of Government officers across the country and help in delivering high-quality citizen-centric services. The speakers in the Conclave are experts from the IT industry who will share their expertise in various areas like Cyber Security, Design Thinking, Hyperscale Architecture, etc.

1st squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft inducted by Indian Air Force

The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Bhadauria inducted its 1st squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft. This aircraft is carrying the BrahMos missiles in the South at its Thanjavur based in Tamil Nadu.

Thanjavur is strategically located in the southern peninsula. From  there, the Tigersharks can dominate the seas and provide very close and integrated support to the Indian Navy. It  can also provide support to the land forces.

The newly reinstated 222-squadron, also known as the Tigersharks, would serve as a lethal weapons platform capable of carrying both aerial and maritime roles in the Indian Ocean Region. The Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft integrated with the supersonic cruise missiles BrahMos is the strongest maritime combination that we have, in terms of weapon capability.

‘Fit India Cyclothon’ flagged off in Goa

The Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju flagged off the ‘Fit India Cyclothon‘ event. The Fit India Mission under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Goa organised the inaugural event.

The Cyclothon was flagged off from the Campal Parade Ground and culminated at Bal Bhavan. More than 500 cycling enthusiasts participated in the event and cycled through a five-kilometer stretch within the city of Panaji.

“The Fit India Cyclothon event was not a race but a leisure activity organised with the aim to get the people involved in outdoor activities and start a cycling culture in the state,” Sawant said in a statement.

The Integrated Check-Post inaugurated at India-Nepal border

The Integrated Check-Post (ICP) in Biratnagar has been inaugurated at India-Nepal border. The inauguration was done by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

ICP Biratnagar, designed to handle around 500 trucks per day has been built on 260 acres of land at a cost of around 140 crore rupees. It has the facilities for immigration clearance of foreign passengers, export and import cargo handling.

ICP Biratnagar is equipped with modern warehousing facilities like refrigerated cargo, electronic weighing bridges, 100% power backup, fire safety, dedicated communication network and 24×7 monitoring through CCTV and public announcement systems.

50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum begins in Davos

The 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum begins in Davos, Switzerland. This year the theme is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. US President Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince Charles, German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be among the world leaders attending the annual meeting.

The welcome message was followed by the annual crystal awards and this year’s recipients included celebrity film star Deepika Padukone. The awards is given to cultural leaders, who are improving the state of the world through their contributions to inclusive and sustainable change. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian delegation to the WEF.

This year’s programme focuses on achieving maximum impact on the Forum’s platform for public-private cooperation across six core areas of activity: ecology, economy, society, industry, technology, and geopolitics. Among the initiatives to be launched at the annual meeting is one that aims to plant one trillion trees over the next decade and to equip one billion people with the necessary skills in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Indonesia Masters title 2020 won by Ratchanok Intanon

Thailand’s Badminton player Ratchanok Intanon won the Indonesia Masters title 2020 in Women’s Singles category on 19 January. It was her first badminton title of the year 2020. She defeated former world number one Carolina Marin. She secured 2-1 to claim the title. She was awarded $30,000 and the trophy.

Intanon defeated Marin 21-19, 11-21, 21-18 in one hour and twenty minutes long match. The clash went into three-games and both the shuttlers tried their 100 per cent to turn things in their favour. Despite losing the first game, the Spanish shuttler made a comeback in the second game and claimed the game by 21-11. Intanon won the match by claiming the third game by 21-18.

Vinesh Phogat wins gold medal at the Rome Ranking Series event

A dominant Vinesh Phogat overpowered Ecudor’s Luisa Elizabeth Valverde by 4-0 to win her first gold medal of the 2020 season at the Rome Ranking Series event held in Rome. Anshu Malik settled for a silver in 57 kg competition. Vinesh will now fight for her first gold of the season with Ecuador’s Luisa Elizabeth Valverde Melemdres.

K-4 Ballistic Missile successfully test-fired from Andhra Pradesh

The nuclear-capable K-4 ballistic missile has been successfully test-fired by India at Vizag coast in Andhra Pradesh. The nuclear-capable missile having the range of 3,500-kilometre was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

With this test, India has moved one more step towards the induction of this ballistic missile on the INS Arihant class of nuclear submarines. The three-metre-tall missile carries a nuclear warhead of over one tonne with a circular error probability far lower than that of Chinese ballistic missiles. Only the US, Russia and China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of 3,500-kilometre range.