29 January 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Beating Retreat ceremony held at Vijay Chowk
- Beating Retreat ceremony held at the historic Vijay Chowk (the victory square) in New Delhi.
- The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony is held here every year on 29th January, marking the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.
- The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.
International Affairs
2. Sheikh Khalid appointed as new Prime Minister of Qatar
- Qatar’s Aamir (Ruler) Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani appointed trusted adviser Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani as prime minister of the country.
- Sheikh Khalid is a close associate of Qatar’s ruler.
- He has been chosen for the influential role to ensure that the emir’s writ runs throughout the Gulf State’s administration.
- He was sworn in during a ceremony at the Diwan in downtown Doha.
State Affairs
3. Odisha launches virtual police station
Odisha govt. has launched a virtual police station where people can lodge complaints from their respective districts regarding the theft of their vehicles without visiting Police Station.The e-police station will function from the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar.
CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the facility along with road accident case documents module and medico-legal opinion system projects of Odisha Police.
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Obituaries
4. Former women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passes awa
- Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passed away.
- She was awarded prestigious Arjuna Puraskar.
- She had played for the Indian women’s hockey team between 1956 to 1966 and served as skipper from 1963 to 1966.
Honours & Awards
5. Assam tableau wins first prize at 71st Republic Day parade
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave away Best Tableaux awards for Republic Day Parade, 2020 in New Delhi.
- Assam's tableau has been chosen as the best tableau, followed by Odisha and Uttar Pradesh who were tied for the second position.
- Odisha's tableau depicted Lord Lingaraja's Rukuna Rath Yatra whereas the tableau of UP showcased the state's cultural and religious heritage.
- Best among the Ministries and Departments- NDRF and Jal Shakti Mission.
International Affairs
6. Oxford declares 'Samvidhaan' the Hindi word of 2019
- Oxford University Press (OUP) has named ‘Samvidhaan' (Constitution) in the Oxford Hindi Word -2019.
- OUP received widespread attention in the year which was witness to the spirit of the Indian Constitution being embraced across segments of the society.
- The Oxford Hindi Word of the Year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of attention and reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past year.
National Affairs
7. SC allows centre to introduce African cheetah to suitable ha
- The Supreme Court (SC) allowed the Centre to introduce the African cheetah to suitable habitat in India.
- The apex Court's decision followed a petition filed by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) seeking permission for the introduction of the African cheetah as rare Indian cheetah is almost extinct in the country.
- The government's plan is to import the Cheetah from African countries like Namibia and reintroduce them in India.
National Affairs
8. Jitendra Singh launches Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal
- Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal to enhance network application of gram panchayats.
- The Portal will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO.
- The Web Geoportal is an easy to use Geo portal developed for database visualization, data analytics, model-based products and services for the benefit of Gram Panchayat members and other stakeholders.
National Affairs
9. India plans first underwater metro in 2022
- The first underwater Metro is being constructed in the Hooghly river. The project is awaiting clearance of 2.8 mn USD from the Indian Railways.
- The new line is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily and will take less than a minute to cross the Hoogly river.
- Currently, it takes 20 minutes in the ferry to cross the river and an hour to cross the Howrah bridge.
- Started in 1984 the Hooghly Metro is one of the oldest Metro in the country.
National Affairs
10. Indian Navy Launched “Operation Vanilla” for Disaster Relief
- The Indian Navy launched "Operation Vanilla" in the Southern Indian Ocean to assist the population of Madagascar that were affected by Cyclone Diane.
- The Indian Navy ship Airavat has been deployed in the relief mission.
- The operation will provide succour to the flood-affected population.
- The ship will also set up a medical camp and offer water, food and other essential relief materials.
National & International Appointments
11. Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed India's ambassador to US
- Senior diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu (1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer) has been appointed as India's Ambassador to the US.
- Currently, Mr. Sandhu posted as High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka.
- He replaces Harsh Vardhan Shringla as India's envoy in Washington who take over the charge of Foreign Secretary of India.
