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

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’ to be commissioned by 2021

January 9, 2020

The manufacturing of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is currently under phase three which involves setting to work of machinery and other equipment and it is likely to be commissioned by early 2021. This carrier is being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi.

Currently, phase three of the construction of Vikrant is under progress, which involves setting to work of machinery and equipment, like power generation and propulsion machinery. The third phase of construction will go on till acceptance of harbour and sea trials.

Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on December 3 had stated that Vikrant will be fully operational by 2022 and it will have a fleet of MiG-29K. The first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant complemented with MiG-29K aircraft will be showcased as part of the Navy’s tableau during the ceremonial parade on Rajpath on the Republic Day.

New Delhi will host ITTF executive committee meeting

January 9, 2020

New Delhi will host the two-day Executive Committee meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) beginning January 10th. This will be the second time the country will be hosting such a meeting. The EC meeting, to be chaired by ITTF President Thomas Weikert, will discuss the development of table tennis in India, among other issues.

The previous EC meeting of the ITTF was held in New Delhi way back in 1987 when Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) played host to the World Championships in Delhi. TTFI has evinced interest in hosting the 2024 World Championships (team events), besides seeking to organise a Platinum Championships in 2021. The bid for hosting the Worlds is yet to open.

Virat Kohli retains top spot in ICC Test rankings

January 9, 2020

India skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot among batsmen while Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane slipped in the latest ICC Test rankings. With 928 points, Kohli is way ahead of second-placed Australian maestro Steve Smith (911). Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne grabbed a career-best third place.

Pujara was placed sixth, down one rung, with 791 points, while Rahane occupied the ninth spot after slipping a couple of positions with 759 points. In bowling, India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, returning from an injury layoff, remained static at sixth position with 794 points, while spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (772 points) and seamer Mohammed Shami (771) were ninth and 10th respectively.

R P Ulaganambi, former Vellore MP passes away

January 9, 2020

Former Lok Sabha member from Vellore, R.P. Ulaganambi, passes away due to age related illness. He was 82. He was elected from Vellore for the DMK and served as an MP in the 5th Lok Sabha during 1971-76.

Chennai-Andaman and Nicobar Islands submarine cable work begins

January 10, 2020

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine cable works on laying between Chennai – Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The submarine cables will be initially laid from Chennai to Port Blair covering a distance of 1,450 kilometres. He also flagged off the ship to lay the cable at Chennai Port. At the initial stage of commissioning of the project itself, the islands can get a data speed of 400-gigabytes per second.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

January 2020 Current Affairs

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’ to be commissioned by 2021

New Delhi will host ITTF executive committee meeting

Virat Kohli retains top spot in ICC Test rankings

R P Ulaganambi, former Vellore MP passes away

Chennai-Andaman and Nicobar Islands submarine cable work begins

Famous Chariot Festival of Tamil Nadu begins

Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise MILAN 2020 in March

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

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

M Nagaraj appointed as Chairman and MD of Hudco

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