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January 2016 Current Affairs:


NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS AND EVENTS

What is the name of Doordarshan's free DTH service which will provide 112 channels up from 64 by the end of March 2016? Free Dish
In which international airport world's largest wooden charkha will be installed by government body Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)?
(The charkha measures 9 metres in length and 5 metres in height.) 		Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi
What percentage of jobs will be reserved for women in Bihar in all state government jobs? 35%
Name India's fifth navigation satellite which was successfully launched by ISRO from the spaceport at Sriharikota? IRNSS-1E
What is the rank of India on an annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTC) released on the first day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting?
(The index measures the quality of talent a country can produce, attract and retain. Switzerland topped the ranking.) 		89
Name the internet search giant which in partnership with Indian Railways launched its first free high-speed public WiFi service in India at the Mumbai Central Railway Station? Google
Name the legendary tabla player and a recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2000) who died recently at the age of 80? Shankar Ghosh
In which city world's largest and tallest Indian flag was hoisted on the occasion of the 119th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose?
(The flag is 66 feet in height, 99 feet in width and is hoisted on a 293-feet tall pole.) 		Ranchi
Name the state run oil exploration company which has received clearance from the Environment Ministry for a ₹53,000 crore project in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna Godavari basin? ONGC
Who was elected unopposed as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)? Amit Shah
In which state the Union Cabinet has recommended to impose President's rule and sent the recommendation to the President for approval? Arunachal Pradesh
Which country was defeated by India by 44 runs in the final of the first ever Blind T20 Asia Cup? Pakistan
Which country agreed to assist India in developing 3 smart cities at Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagpur? France
Name the Bollywood actress who became the first India to bag an award at the American awards show, People's Choice Award?
(She won the Favourite Actress award in a New TV series honour for her role in American TV series 'Quantico'.) 		Priyanka Chopra
Which authority will launched Unified Payment Interface (UPI) which would allow users to integrate different bank accounts on a unified mobile application and transfer funds using a single identifier, thereby eliminating the exchange of sensitive financial information during transactions? National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
Which Indian city will host India's first World Music Festival on February 13 and 14 where more than 100 musicians from over 12 countries will perform? Udaipur
In which city 28th International Kite Festival is celebrated in which 98 kite-flyers from 29 different countries and 83 kite-flyers from India are participating? Ahmedabad
Which Indian state became the first to achieve 100% primary education? Kerala
According to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015, the ceiling on the cess imposed as an excise duty on the production of sugar was raised from ₹25 to ₹........ per quintal. ₹200
Name the retail chain which was acquired by Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited (ABNL) and named Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited? Pantaloons Retail
Which scheme was launched by the Union Government for online booking of LPG cylinders?
(The booking can be done through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in which is available in 13 languages.) 		Sahaj Scheme
On which day National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness about the inequalities faced by the girl child in the country? 24th January
On which occasion, the Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Nasim Zaidi released a book titled, 'Belief in the Ballot' and presented it's first copy to the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee?
(The theme of the occasion was Inclusive and Qualitative Participation.) 		6th National Voters' Day
Name the international financing body which estimated that India's Aadhar ID helped the government save $1 billion annually by reducing corruption and leakages? World Bank
Which financing authority has announced that the use of Aadhar Cards or linking them with bank accounts is not mandatory for the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme? Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
The United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) downgraded its 2016 GDP growth forecast for India from 8.2% to ____%? 7.5%
68th Indian Army Day was observed across India on? 15th January
Which film was named Best Film at the 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2016 held in Mumbai? Bajirao Mastani
At the official launch of the 'Start up India' programme, PM Narendra Modi announced that profits of startups set up after 1st April 2016, shall be exempted from income tax for a period of? 3 years
Name the Indian cricketer who scored fastest 7,000 runs (in 161 innings) in ODI? Virat Kohli
Name the Indian cricketer who became the fastest in the world to score 24 century (in 161 innings) in ODIs? Virat Kohli
Which state set up its first State Human Rights Commission with Justice Uma Nath Singh as its chairperson? Delhi
Name the international financing body which had for the first time extended financial assistance (for a zoo) of $20 million for the reconstruction and eco-development of the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh? World Bank
For the first time in 10 years, sex ratio of which state crossed the 900-mark with 903 girls per 1,000 boys? Haryana
Which authority has directed universities and examining bodies to charge not more than ₹2 per page for handing out copies of evaluated answer scripts to students? Central Information Commission (CIC)
How many ATMs will be opened by the Department of Posts (DoP) and also bring 25,000 departmental post offices under core banking system (CBS) by March 2016? 1,000
In which city India's first urban yacht marina project is set up to be launched along the banks of Hooghly river? Howrah, Kolkata
Name the telecom operator which will set up 40,000 WiFi hotspots faster than 4G across India to counter lack of relevant spectrum to provide 4G services? BSNL
With which country India made agreement to settle curde oil dues between them using Indian Rupee as the currency instead of the US Dollar? Iran
According to the recent announcement by the Union Home Ministry what percentage of reservation will be accorded to women at the constable level posts in both CRPF and CISF with immediate effect? 33%
Name the famous Bollywood actor who was removed as the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' campaign? Aamir Khan
The World Bank in its Global Economic Prospect report projected a robust growth for the Indian economy in 2016 at? 7.8 percent
Name the city in which Dharavi is located where world's first slum museum is set to open in February 2016? Mumbai
Name the FreeCharge co-founder who was appointed as the Chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)? Kunal Shah
Name the TV actor and BJP member who took over the charge as the chairman of the governing council of Film and Television Institute of India? Gajendra Chauhan
Name the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister who passed away in New Delhi on 7 January 2016? Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
Name the Indian shooter who won gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle event at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix? Apurvi Chandela
Name the RBI Governor who was felicitated with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for 2016? Raghuram Rajan
Name the Indian classified advertising platform which recently announced the acquisition of property search website Commonfloor.com? Quikr
Who was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog recently? Amitabh Kant
Who was recently appointed as the Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI)? Devender Kumar Sikri
Name the Nobel Peace Laureate who authored the book "Azad Bachpan Ki Or"? Kailash Satyarthi
What is the name of Indo-France eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency joint exercise which has began at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Bikaner? Shakti-2016
In a move to fight pollution, the Union Government will implement Bharat Standard (BS)-VI emission norms by? April 1, 2020
According to Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings which Indian badminton player climbed up 11 places to occupy the number one spot in junior men's singles category? Siril Verma
Name the traditional bull-taming sports in Tamil Nadu which was allowed to be conducted by the Union Government by altering its 2011 notification? Jallikattu
The celebration of State-level 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas which began on 9th January 2016 was held at? Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Which committee recently submitted its report suggesting significant reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)? Justice RM Lodha Committee
Whom did India defeated in the final held on 3 January 2016 to win the South Asian Football Federation Cup (SAFF) championships? Afghanistan
Which state government will implement National Food Security Act (NFSA) from February 2016? Mizoram
Name the subsidiary bank of State Bank of India on which the Reserve Bank of India imposed monetary penalty of one crore rupees for violation of its instructions including reporting of data to Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC)? State Bank of Travancore
Who was appointed by the Union Government as the head of one-man committee to examine the wage structure and service conditions of gramin dak sevaks? Kamlesh Chandra
Name the country with which India resumed the bus service on 4th January 2016 after a gap of long 27 years? Nepal
Name the company which bagged the 10,050 crore road project in Jammu and Kashmir to build country's biggest road project, Zojila Pass tunnel road to provide all weather connectivity to the Leh-Ladakh region? IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd
S H Kapadia who passed away on 4th January 2016 was? 38th Chief Justice of India
Who was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Wipro, India's third largest IT exporter? Abid Ali Neemuchwala
Name the former Defence Secretary who was sworn in as the eighth Chief Information Commissioner of India recently? Radha Krishna Mathur
Name the 15-year old Mumbai cricketer who broke century-old cricketing record by scoring 1009 runs in an innings in any form of cricket in an under-16 inter-school event (Bhandari Cup) organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)? Pranav Dhanawade
Which Indian state became the first state to accept e­motor insurance policies with the launch of e-Vahan Bima? Telangana
Name the Pakistan-born singer who was granted Indian citizenship on humanitarian ground with effect from January 1, 2016? Adnan Sami
What is the name of multi barrel rocket launcher system which was successfully test-fired recently by India at Pokhran in Rajasthan? Pinaka II
Name the country with which India exchanged the list of nuclear installations and prisoners for the 25th consecutive year as part of the bilateral agreement that is in force since 1991? Pakistan
In which city 103rd Indian Science Congress (ISC) was inaugurated recently? Mysuru
Name the former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) who passed away on 2nd January 2016? A B Bardhan
The Union Government increased the subsidy under National Solar Mission (NSM) to ₹5,000 crore from the existing ₹__________?
(Under this scheme, the Union Government gives subsidy to states for installing grid connected rooftop systems and small solar power plants.) 		₹600 crore
Name the public sector banks which received a capital infusion of ₹2,229 crore from the Union Government in return for preferential share allotment? IDBI Bank
Name the oil exploration and production firm which recently announced the completion of its delisting from stock exchanges after ₹3,745 crore payout to its shareholders, the largest to privatise a publicly-listed company in India's history? Essar Oil
The Union Government announced recently that cases against cheque bounce will be filed at the place of presentation of cheque instead of the place of issue. The move comes after the __________________ Act, 2015 received President Pranab Mukherjee's approval. Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2015
According to the data released by TRAI, India achieved a significant milestone in terms of number of mobile subscriber recently. What is the total number of mobile subscriber of India as on October 2015?
(India is the second country after China to achieve this milestone.) 		1.03 billion
Name the Indian spinner who ranked number one in latest ICC Test Player Rankings? Ravichandran Ashwin
Name the Indian Test Captain who was named 2015 International Cricketer of the Year by the BCCI and will receive the Polly Umrigar Award? Virat Kohli
Which country did India beat 3-2 to enter the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship? Maldives
In case of cash transaction above which amount (regardless of the mode of payment) the Union Government has made declaring Permanent Account Number (PAN) compulsory to keep tab on black money? ₹2 lakh
Name the Gujarati novelist, poet and critic who has been chosen for the Jnanpith Award 2015? Raghuveer Chaudhary
According to the recent announcement of Ministry of External Affairs all the 8 north-eastern states will get a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) by? January 2017
The Union Government on 1 January 2016 signed a Financing Agreement of 50 million US dollars with which bank for education and training of minorities under Nai Manzil Education and Skills Training Project? World Bank
In which place 4-month long Ardhkumbhmela began in January 2016? Haridwar
Which committee was constituted by Union Government for holistic interpretation of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952? Shyam Benegal Committee
The Union Government declared 2016 as the year of? LPG Consumers
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) signed a MoU with which bank for web-based monitoring of watershed management projects? NABARD
Which state will host first edition of the Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) from 14 January 2016? Goa
Who was conferred with the 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award on 1st January 2016? Sanjay Subrahmanyam
Name the 18-year old javelin thrower who set a new world record for junior atheletes by threwing a spear a distance of 81.04m distance breaking previous record of 79.20m? Neeraj Chopra
What is the LPG "round the clock" emergency helpline number recently launched by the Petroleum Ministry? 1906
Similar on the line of LPG, for which product the Union Government announced the roll-out of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) from April 1? Kerosene
Name the Padma Shri awardee and world's first female amputee to climb Mt. Everest who successfully climbed Argentina's Mt. Aconcagua (6,960m) recently? Arunima Sinha

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS AND EVENTS

In the list for the 25 worst internet passwords of 2015 by software security firm SplashData, which password retained its top position for the third consecutive year? 123456
Name the Swiss legend who became the first male tennis player to win 300 Grand Slam matches?
(He achieved this feat after defeating Bulagarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Australian Open.) 		Roger Federer
Name the legendary West Indian cricket player who announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket?
(He scored 20988 runs in 454 international matches at an average of 45.72. He scored 41 centuries and 125 half-centuries.) 		Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Which country will represent the Asia-Pacific region for the year 2016-2018 term at UNICEF following its election to the UNICEF's Executive Board? Nepal
Name the World number four tennis player who won his third consecutive Aircel Chennai Open title by defeating Croatian, Borna Coric 6-3, 7-5 in the final?
(He has overall won four Chennai Open title.) 		Stan Wawrinka
Which Hollywood actor won the Best Actor award (Drama) at the Golden Globes 2016 for his performance in 'The Revenant'? Leonardo DiCaprio
Name the football coach of Barcelona who won the FIFA Coach of the year? Luis Enrique
Name the Barcelona player who won his fifth FIFA Ballon d'Or, the most for any player in football history? Lionel Messi
Which German automaker had retained the top spot for the eleventh straight year since 2005 in terms of annual sales figures of luxury cars? BMW
Name the US-based technology firm which set a new Guinness World Record for "Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously' with 100 drones? Intel
Which international financing body in its 'World Development Report' remarked that Facebook's Free Basics is an "antithesis of net neutrality and a distortion of markets"? World Bank
What is the name of NASA's spacecraft which became the most distant solar-powered explorer in space at a distance of 793 million km from the Sun? Juno
Name the online encyclopedia founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger which completed 15 years on 15th January? Wikipedia
Who was elected as Taiwan's first woman president? Tsai Ing-wen
Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson who set the highest T20 International partnership of 171 runs belongs to which country? New Zealand
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which country was the fastest growing aviation market in the world in 2015 with over 20% growth compared to 2014? India
Name the two English cricketers whose 399-run partnership became the highest 6th-wicket partnership in Test cricket history? Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow
Name the English all-rounder who scored the second-fastest Test double-hundred (in 163 balls) during the 2nd Test match against South Africa? Ben Stokes
In which country Asia's largest man-made waterfall, Niulanjiang Waterfall in Kunming, was opened recently? China
Name the cricketer who became the first black african to score a century (against England) for South Africa? Temba Bavuma
Name the largest mountain of the world which remain unconquered in the year 2015 for the first time since 1974 due its closure from April to August after being hit by the earth quake? Mount Everest
Name the Asian country which tested its first-ever Hydrogen bomb recently? North Korea
Who is the author of novel "Go Set a Watchman" which topped the US bestseller list in 2015, selling 1.6 million copies? Harper Lee
In which country the world's largest blue star sapphire that weighs 1404.49 carats was discovered in a mine recently? Sri Lanka
Name the country which on 6 January 2016 conducted its first hydrogen bomb test? North Korea
Which country's domain '.cn' has become the world's most commonly used in the internet with 16.36 million users, surpassing Germany's '.de' domain? China
With which country Saudi Arabia severed all diplomatic ties recently? Iran
The World Braille Day was observed across the world on? 4 January 2016
Who won the Costa Novel Prize 2015 for her book titled "A God in Ruins"? Kate Atkinson
Which row of the periodic table was completed by the scientists after the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced the discovery of element 113 and claimed discovery of elements 115, 117 and 118? 7th row
Who assumed the charge of Secretary General of International Sericultural Commission (ISC)? H Nagesh Prabhu
In which country Asia's largest underground railway station, Futian Station, was opened recently? China
Name the book based on the life of Adolf Hitler whose 70-year long copyright expired recently? Mein Kampf