Current Affairs Updates - 26th January 2018

Current Affairs Updates - 26th January 2018

We, the achieversrule team have brought to you all the important Current Affairs Updates headlines for 26th january 2018 which are likely to be asked in the upcoming exams of BANK, Rail and SSC. We also request our readers to go through the Oneliners and Daily CA Quizzes for better performance in the examination.

Important Days

The Election Commission of India celebrated the 8th National Voters’ Day across the country on 25th January for enhanced participation of citizens in the electoral process.

• The National level function was held in New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind gave away awards for best electoral practices to District Collectors, Superintendents of Police and other functionaries involved in election management.

New Appointments: National

Senior scientist Dr V Narayanan assumed charge as Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). 

• He succeeded S Somanath appointed as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• Prior to this appointment, he was Associate Director of LPSC and was guiding liquid propulsion active of ISRO and was instrumental in finalizing the Liquid Propulsion Roadmap of ISRO for the next 20 years.

Rankings & Indexes

India Ranks 81st On Global Talent Competitiveness Index. Switzerland tops the list.

• While Switzerland continues to top the list released every year on the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting here, India has improved its position from 92nd last year. India was at the 89th place in 2016 on the index that measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent.
• India's ranking was the worst among the five BRICS countries in 2017 as well when China was ranked 54th, Russian Federation was placed at 56th, followed by South Africa (67) and Brazil (81).

According to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum, India is among the bottom five countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018, plummeting 36 points from 141 in 2016.

• Its overall low ranking — 177 among 180 countries — was linked to poor performance in the environment health policy and deaths due to air pollution categories.
• Switzerland leads the world in sustainability, followed by France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden in the EPI, which found that air quality is the leading environmental threat to public health.

Defence & Railway News

Upgraded SARAS PT1N an indigenous transport aircraft, makes successful first flight. 

• The new upgraded version of SARAS, the indigenous transport aircraft developed by National Aeronautics Laboratory, successfully made its maiden flight on Wednesday.
• Congratulating the scientists of CSIR-NAL and other agencies involved in the successful maiden flight, Union Minister for Science and Technology.

Agreements/ MoUs Signed

In the bilateral meetings being held between the leaders of the Southeast Asian countries and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the focus has been on key areas of counter-terrorism, security and connectivity. 

• The highest-level of participation at the summit, to mark the 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties, comes in the backdrop of China's expansionist tactics and a continuously increasing Chinese economic and military assertiveness in the region.

An MoU was signed between National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, and M/S IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd for construction of the 14.150 km long, 2-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir.

• This would be India’s longest road tunnel and the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia. The construction of this tunnel will provide all weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh and will bring about all round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions.

National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed an MoU with SME Corporation Malaysia for exchange of information and cooperation in areas such as policies to aid development of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the two countries.

• Besides, three other agreements were also signed between Indian and Malaysian entities to strengthen cooperation among smaller businesses in these countries.
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Giriraj Singh, who was present at the event, expressed confidence that the two countries will work together in various areas like manufacturing and technology to drive growth in the SME sector.

India and Vietnam have signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to enhance cooperation in field of information and broadcasting and space cooperation in field of information and broadcasting and space cooperation.

• The MoUs were signed following bilateral meeting between PM Narendra Modi and his visiting counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc ahead of the India-Asean Commemorative Summit in New Delhi. Vietnam is a key pillar in India’s Act East Policy and strategic partner in South East Asia.

Awards & Honours: Miscellaneous

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli. 

• The award of merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities undertaken in the temple without in the least affecting its traditional splendor and Vedic rituals. It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams).

President Ram Nath Kovind awarded India’s highest peacetime military decoration Ashok Chakra (31) posthumously to Indian Air Force (IAF) Garud commando Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala.

• He had laid down his life after gunning down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. He is the third Ashok Chakra for the IAF and its first for ground combat. Other two IAF officers are Rakesh Sharma (first and still only Indian citizen to go to space) and Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon posthumously decorated with the Param Vir Chakra in 1972.