Focus Merit

Date	Day	Theme 2020
04 January	World Braille Day
06 January	Journalist day (in Maharashtra)
09 January	Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
10 January	World Hindi Day
11-17 January	National Road Safety Week	Sadak Suraksha - Jeevan Suraksha.
12 January	National Youth Day
14 January	Armed Forces Veterans Day
15 January	Indian Army Day
18 January	15th Raising day of NDRF
19 January	National Immunization day
24 January	National Girl Child Day
24 January	International day of education	Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace.
25 January	National Voters' Day	Electoral Literacy for a Stronger Democracy
25 January	National Tourism Day
26 January	International Customs Day	Customs fostering Sustainability for people, prosperity and the planet.
26 January	World Leprosy Day	Leprosy isn't what you think
27 January	International day of the commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust	“75 years after Auschwitz – Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”
30 January	World Neglected Tropical diseases day

RBI buys three long-term securities worth Rs 10,000 cr in 3rd special OMO

January 8, 2020

In the third special open market operation in many weeks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought three long-term securities worth 10,000 crore rupees each while selling the same amount of three short-term bonds.The RBI had announced simultaneous purchase and sale of Government Securities (G-Secs) under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for 10,000 crore rupees each.

Though the RBI offered to sell four securities in the auction, it accepted bids for three bonds. In the current OMO purchase auction, the RBI offered to purchase three securities including 10-year benchmark government bond, as against just one bond in the previous two auctions. It got bids worth 64,505 crore rupees for the three bonds but choose to accept only bids of 10,000 crore rupees under the OMO purchase auction.

Equitas Small Finance Bank waives non-maintenance charges

January 8, 2020

Equitas Small Finance Bank stated it has waived non-maintenance charges on all savings accounts besides offering lower transaction charges to customers. The bank offers upto 5 per cent per annum on savings and upto 8.25 per cent per annum on fixed deposits and 0.60 per cent extra for senior citizens.

They intend to further strengthen the liability franchise with a focus on growing the retail deposit and CASA deposit base to provide with a stable and low-cost source of funding. Premature closure of accounts and partial withdrawal is also permitted for senior citizens.

77th Golden Globe award winners 2020

January 8, 2020

77th Golden Globe Awards honouring the best films and television of calendar year 2019 was held at Beverly Hills, California in the USA.

Categories	Winners
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama	Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama	Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Russell Crowe (“The Loudest Voice”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Michelle Williams (“Fosse/Verdon”)
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	“Chernobyl”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Patricia Arquette (“The Act”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Stellan Skarsgård (“Chernobyl”)
Best Television Series — Drama	“Succession”
Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy	“Fleabag”
Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy	“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Best Motion Picture — Drama	“1917”
Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language	“Parasite”
Best Screenplay — Motion Picture	Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Best Original Song — Motion Picture	“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (“Rocketman”)
Best Original Score — Motion Picture	Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture	Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture	Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy	Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”)
Best Motion Picture — Animated	“Missing Link”
Best Actor in a Motion Picture	Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama	Renée Zellweger (“Judy”)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy	Awkwafina (“The Farewell”)
Best Director — Motion Picture	Sam Mendes (“1917”)

Former Western Army Commander Lt. General P N Hoon passes away

January 8, 2020

Former Western Army Commander Lieutenant general Prem Nath Hoon, who played an important role in the war against Pakistan in 1984, passed away at the age of 90. Lt Gen Hoon was admitted in Command Hospital, Chandimandir, Panchkula for the past two days due to illness.

Born in pre-partition India on October 4, 1929, Lt Gen Hoon had joined the Indian Army and led Operation Meghdoot, the code-name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier in the Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. The action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier.

Maharashtra: “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” inaugurated

January 9, 2020

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” in Aurangabad today. The four-day exhibition has been organised by the Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA).

This Exhibition showcase the growth of Marathwada industries in technology and innovation and the products produced and exported from the region will be showcased in this exhibition. This exhibition will provide an opportunity for businesses and will serve the platform for small entrepreneurs.

SBI announces RBBG scheme

January 9, 2020

The State Bank of India has announced ‘residential builder finance with buyer guarantee’ (RBBG) scheme. The aim of the scheme is to giving a push to residential sales and improve homebuyers’ confidence.

The scheme will focus on affordable housing projects priced up to 2.50 crore rupees in 10 cities initially. Under this scheme, the guarantee would be given by the bank until the project gets the occupation certificate (OC).

Govt authorizes Rs. 5559 cr for “Indradhanush” gas grid project

January 9, 2020

The Union Government has authorized the amount of Rs 5559 crore for 1656 Km long Indradhanush Natural Gas Pipeline Grid project. The amount will be provided as Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The amount will be used to set up Natural Gas Pipeline Grid connecting 8 North Eastern states which includes: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The total expenditure of the project is estimated as Rs 9,256 crore and the above sanctioned amount is expected to cover 60% of the project. The Indradhanush Gas Grid project is expected to provide natural gas to different types of customers and will also reduce the dependence on liquid fuels.

Institutions to get status of ‘Institution of National Importance’

January 9, 2020

The union cabinet granted the approval making the status of Institution of National Importance to a cluster of Ayurvedic institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar. With the (INI) status, Jamnagar Ayurveda University will become the first Ayurveda institute to join the ranks of the IIT’s and AIIMS. The status of the institution will provide it with the autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education, frame various courses in Ayurveda as per national and international demand.

Jasbinder Bilan wins 2019 Costa Children’s Award

January 9, 2020

Jasbinder Bilan has won the UK based Costa Children’s Award 2019 . She has won the award for her debut novel ‘Asha and the Spirit Bird’. She will receive 5,000 pounds as prize money associated with the award. Jasbinder’s novel “Asha and the Spirit Bird” was shortlisted from 144 other entries. The Costa Children’s Award is awarded annually in 5 categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book.

5th Asia Pacific drosophila research conference in Pune, Maharashtra

January 9, 2020

The 5th edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) is being held in Pune, Maharashtra. The conference is being conducted in India for the 1st time. It is organised by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

The aim of the conference is to promote the interaction of Drosophila researchers in the Asia-Pacific region with their peers in the rest of the world. It will bring together scientists from all over the world who use the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model organism to address basic and applied questions.

January 2020 Current Affairs

RBI buys three long-term securities worth Rs 10,000 cr in 3rd special OMO

Equitas Small Finance Bank waives non-maintenance charges

77th Golden Globe award winners 2020

Former Western Army Commander Lt. General P N Hoon passes away

Maharashtra: “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” inaugurated

SBI announces RBBG scheme

Govt authorizes Rs. 5559 cr for “Indradhanush” gas grid project

Institutions to get status of ‘Institution of National Importance’

Jasbinder Bilan wins 2019 Costa Children’s Award

5th Asia Pacific drosophila research conference in Pune, Maharashtra

All In One Current Affairs

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