Focus Merit

Category: All Current Affairs

8 North Eastern states to participate in Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat

January 10, 2020

The eight States of the North-East Region will participate in a big way during the Madhavpur Mela held at Madhavpur Ghed in Porbandar district of Gujarat which will commence on 2nd April, a day after the Ram Navami festival. This will mark the cultural integration of Gujarat with the North-East under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna. The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Bhismaknagar, located near Roing in the lower Dibang Valley district, also finds mention in Kalika Purana.

Indian Consulate in Dubai to issue passports under tatkal scheme

January 10, 2020

Indian Consulate in Dubai will issue passports under the tatkal scheme on the same day with certain conditions. The announcement was made by Consul General Vipul on the occasion of the Pravasi Bhatiya Divas celebrations. However, he stated that the application for the passport had to be made before noon and additional fees will be charged for the service. The passport will be given to the applicant by the evening.

Passports under the Tatkal scheme in any case were being given within 24 hours. The announcement came as a boon especially for people who have to travel under emergency condition. The Consulate in Dubai receives about 850 applications for passport applications.

Ladakh wins 7th National Ice Hockey Championship women trophy

January 10, 2020

Ladakh women team has won the 7th National Ice Hockey Championship women trophy. The match was held at the Karzoo Ice Hockey Rink. In the final match, Ladakh scoring 2 goals against Delhi and won the tournament. The tournament was organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) in association with the Ladakh winter sports club. 4 women teams representing Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Ladakh participated in the tournament.

27th South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo 2020 held in New Delhi

January 10, 2020

The 27th South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo 2020 (SATTE)  was held in New Delhi. The SATTE expo was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and sponsored by Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department. The objective of the expo was to build new business partnerships and hence was an important place for the promotion of tourism. The SATTE witnessed the participation of over 50 countries and 28 Indian states. During the expo, the Tourism Department of Jammu & Kashmir launched a publicity campaign to showcase diverse tourism attractions.

10th January: “World Hindi Day” celebrated globally

January 10, 2020

World Hindi Day is celebrated globally on 10th January every year. The day is celebrated every year to promote the use of Hindi language worldwide. The World Hindi Day was observed first time in 2006. The day marked the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference held in 1975 in Nagpur.

The Indian Embassies located in other countries outside India celebrates World Hindi Day by organizing special programs. Various government and non-government institutions organise unique programs for the promotion of Hindi.

M Nagaraj appointed as Chairman and MD of Hudco

January 10, 2020

M Nagaraj has been appointed the company’s Chairman and Managing Director of State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco). The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved his appointment. He has experience in a multitude of sectors such as housing, infrastructure finance, skill development and microfinance in the social sector, and international trading. Hudco provides loans for housing and urban infrastructure projects.

Indian passport drops to 84th rank in Henley Passport Index 2020

January 10, 2020

Henley Passport Index 2020 has been released. The Indian passport ranked 84th in the world’s most powerful passport index 2020. Which is a drop by 2 places as it ranked 82nd in 2019. Now India provides visa-free access to 58 countries. 

For the third consecutive year the list is topped by Japan (191 countries), with Singapore (190 countries) holds 2nd place and South Korea (189 countries) drops to 3rd place alongside Germany (189 countries).

India’s ranking fell from a decade-high ranking of 74 to a low of 84 in 2020. The Henley Passport Index is the ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

SBI’s report ‘Ecowrap’ lowers India’s growth rate to 4.6% for FY 2020

January 10, 2020

The State Bank of India (SBI) has released its research report ‘Ecowrap’. In the report ‘Ecowrap’, the economic research department of SBI has lowered India’s growth rate to 4.6% in the fiscal year 2020. The report also stated that agriculture and allied activities are expected to grow at 2.8%, while growth in industry projected to grow at 2.5% in fiscal year 2020. The service sector is also expected to increase to 6.9% in fiscal year 2020.

Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise MILAN 2020 in March

January 10, 2020

Visakhapatnam is set to host another International Naval event ‘MILAN‘ in March 2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’. MILAN 2020 is a multilateral naval exercise aimed to enhance professional interaction between foreign-friendly navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain.

Famous Chariot Festival of Tamil Nadu begins

January 10, 2020

The famous chariot festival of the Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple in Tamilnadu begins. This 17th-century temple is famous for its architectural grandeur. Thousands have congregated in the sprawling temple premises to join in the pulling of the chariot. The ten-day annual festival is held in the Tamil month falling in December – January.

The temple is especially significant because it is sacred to both the Shaivite as well as Vashnavite sects. There is an Anjaneya statue, which is 22 feet tall is carved of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India.