17 January 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

17 January 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Yohei Sasakawa to get Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018

• The Union government has announced the names of the winners of the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015-2018.
• The Gandhi Peace Prize 2018 will be given to Yohei Sasakawa, Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Leprosy Elimination.
• For 2017, the award is given to Ekai Abhiyan Trust for their contribution to education for rural and tribal children
• For 2016, the award has been jointly given to Akshaya Patra Foundation for providing mid-day meals to children across the country and Sulabh International for its work towards the emancipation of manual scavengers.
• Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari won the award for 2015 for rural development and education.
• Gandhi Peace Prize carries an award of one crore, a citation a plaque and a handicraft item.

Note:

• The award was instituted in 1995 during the commemoration of 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and is to be given annually.
• Gandhi Peace Prize is given to individuals and institutions for their contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

The recipient of Gandhi Peace Prizes:

Years	Names of the winners
2018	Yohei Sasakawa
2017	Ekai Abhiyan Trust
2016	Akshaya Patra Foundation & Sulabh International
2015	Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
2014	Indian Space Research Organisation

Appointments 

2. UK PM Theresa May wins the no-confidence vote

• British Prime Minister Theresa May has won a confidence vote by 325 votes to 306 - a majority of 19, averting a general election.
• After her win, Ms May called on MPs to put self-interest aside and work constructively together to find a way forward for Brexit.
• PM Theresa May (leader of the Conservative Party) was appointed by the Queen on 13 July 2016.

Note:

• The Prime Minister leads a major political party and generally commands a majority in the House of Commons (the lower House of the legislature).

3. C P Joshi elected as Rajasthan assembly speaker

• Senior Congress leader C.P. Joshi (68-years) elected as speaker of the 15th Rajasthan Assembly.
• Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh administered the oath of office.
• Mr. Joshi has been elected from the Nathdwara assembly constituency.

Note:

• Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies.

National Affairs

4. PM Modi to visit Gujarat inaugurates the Global Trade Show

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Global Trade Show in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Global Trade Show has been organized as a part of Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2019 to be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, On Friday.
• The main theme of this edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit will be “Youth Connect 2019: Shaping A New India - The Story of Billion Dreams”.
• Prime Minister inaugurates newly constructed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel- SVP Institute of Medical Sciences in Ahmedabad.
• Modi will inaugurate the Ahmedabad Shopping Festival - 2019 being organized simultaneously with Vibrant Gujarat.
• Fifteen countries including Australia, Canada, France and Japan have agreed to be “partner countries” this year.

5. Govt. to set up over 460 more Eklavya Model Residential Schools across the country

• According to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, The Union government will set up over 460 more ‘Eklavya Model Residential Schools’ across the country.
• The Centre would spend about Rs 25,000 crore towards the initiative of these schools.
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools have expanded into a major education system in the country after Kendriya Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.

Note:

• Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) is a Government of India scheme for model residential school for Indian tribals (Scheduled Tribes, ST) across India.
• It was established by the Tribal Ministry, Government of India.

6. SBI, other banks agree to finance Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor

• A consortium of banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) has agreed to lend 8,500 crore rupees finance for Nagpur-Mumbai 'Samruddhi Corridor' expressway project.
• Other lenders include Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra as well as the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India.
• The estimated cost of the project, being constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, is around 50,000 crores, of which around 26,000 crores are required for the construction of the expressway.
• The corridor will have 25 toll plazas, and the toll will be collected for 40 years.
• The state government was falling short of 3,000 to 4,000 crores to reach the target of 26,000 crore rupees.

Obituaries

7. Malayalam Director Lenin Rajendran passes away

•  Noted Malayalam director & screenwriter Lenin Rajendran (67-years) passed away at a private hospital in Chennai.
• He was a five-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Awards and also received the International Federation of Film Critics Award for the best Malayalam film for his film ‘Makaramanju’.
• He was also chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.

Sports

8.  Mohammed Ali Qamar appointed Women’s Boxing team Coach 

• Mohammed Ali Qamar (38-years) has taken over as the chief coach for the country’s female boxers.
• He has replaced veteran Shiv Singh.
• Qamar won India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in boxing.
• Qamar’s CWG gold came in the 2002 Manchester edition in the light flyweight category.

9.  Shakil Ahmed sets world record in indoor rowing

• Asian Cup gold medallist ‘Shakil Ahmed’ has set up a world record in indoor rowing by completing one lakh metres in above 40 years category in Kolkata.
• Shakil began his record-setting indoor rowing feat in Salt Lake stadium complex and achieved the milestone of covering one lakh metres of simulated distance in 10 hours.
• Now, West Bengal Rowing Association certifies the feat to the authorities of Limca Book of Records for entering the achievement in their record book.

 10. India’s Satyarup becomes world’s youngest mountaineer to climb 7 peaks, 7 volcano summits

• Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta conquered Antartica's highest point, Mount Sidley.
• With this feat, he became the first Indian and youngest man (35 years and 262 days) to climb the seven highest peaks and volcanic summits across all continents.
• Australia's Daniel Bull had done it at the age of 36 years 157 days.
• According to the in-Reach Satellite, Communicator Satyarup was carrying, he summited Mount Sidley at a temperature of minus 40-degree Celsius.
• Earlier, Satyarup had scaled the highest volcanic peak in North America, Pico de Orizaba.

11. Chennai’s Gukesh crowned world’s second youngest grandmaster

• Tamil Nadu lad D Gukesh has become 2nd youngest Grand Master in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days, erasing the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa (in June 2018).
• Now, Gukesh becomes India’s 59th Grand Master.
• Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin remains the youngest-ever GM, having achieved the feat at the age of 12 years and seven months in 2002.

Note:

• Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE.
• Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain.
• The title of Grandmaster, along with the lesser FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and FIDE Master (FM), is open to both men and women.