28 January 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Sunil Mehta takes charge as IBA Chief Executive
- Former MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB), Sunil Mehta has been appointed as the new CEO of Indian Bank Association (IBA).
- He succeeds V G Kannan, who stepped down on December 31, 2019.
- The term of the CEO of IBA is for the three years while the chairman term is for only one year.
- Currently, the managing committee of IBA has SBI chief Rajnish Kumar as Chairman year 2019-20 along with three deputy chairmen and honorary secretary.
State Affairs
2. AP assembly passes resolution to abolish LegislativeCouncil
- The Andhra Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution to abolish the State Legislative Council.
- Speaker, Tammineni Seetharam announced, the statutory resolution was adopted with 133 members voting in favour of it.
- Now, the resolution will be sent to the Centre for necessary follow-up action.
International Affairs
3. Saudi Arabia says Israeli citizens still not welcome
- Saudi Arabia has announced that Israeli citizens are not allowed to visit the kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites.
- This decision comes after Israel's Interior Ministry said Israeli citizens (Muslims and Jews) have the right to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious and business visits.
- Like most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel has peace deals with only two Arab countries Jordan and Egypt.
Summits & Conferences
4. PM Modi addresses 3rd Global Potato Conclave in Gandhinagar
- The Third Edition of the Global Potato Conclave (1st-1999 & 2nd- 2008) has been started at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the conference through remote video conferencing.
- The objective of the conclave to highlight achievements and opportunities in the area of potato research, trade & industry, and value chain.
National & International Appointments
5. Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec resigns
- Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec (youngest-ever PM) has announced a step-down and called for fresh elections.
- Earlier, he is best known as a comedian and political satirist before he launched himself as an anti-establishment politician.
- The Prime Minister of Slovenia is the head of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.
Important Dates
6. 28th January: Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary
- The ‘Year-2020’ marks the 155th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai (Punjab Kesari), one of the greatest freedom fighters of India.
- Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28, 1865, in a Jain Punjabi family in Dhudikae village of Moga district,Punjab.
- He was part of the famous radical trio 'Lal Bal Pal', who advocated the Swadeshi movement in India,
- He played a pivotal role in the Indian freedom struggle.
National & International Appointments
7. ATF unanimously nominates Anil Khanna as life President
- Senior Sports Administrator Anil Khanna was nominated Life President of the continental body Asian Tennis Federation (ATF).
- Mr Khanna had served as ATF President from 2005 to 2019 and also ITF Vice President from 2015-19.
- The ATF held the meeting of its Board of Directors in Melbourne and unanimously nominated Mr Khanna as Life President.
- He was also appointed Chairman of the ATF Finance Committee.
Defense
8. GRSE set to deliver ASW corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon
- Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Navy.
- 'Kavaratti' is the last of the four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built by the GRSE for the Indian Navy under Project P28.
- Three of the four corvettes, INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan were commissioned in 2014, 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Obituaries
9. Former Karnataka Minister Amarnath Shetty passes away
- Former Karnataka Minister & senior Janata Dal(S) leader Amarnath Shetty (80-years) passed away due to age-related ailments.
- Shetty was minister for Tourism and Muzarai in the Janata Dal government.
- He was elected to the state Assembly from Moodbidri constituency in Dakshina Kannada district three times in 1983, 1987 and 1994.
National Affairs
10. Indian Railways commissions first waste to energy plant
- Indian Railways (East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone) has commissioned the first waste-to-energy plant at Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar, in Bhubaneswar.
- It has been built at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore and has the capacity to dispose 500 kg waste, including plastic and e-waste.
- This waste-to-energy plant uses a patented technology called ‘Polycrack’.
- This process will produce energy in the form of light diesel oil which is used to light furnaces.