Highlights of Current Affairs and GK - 19.01.2017
- "Jaipur Literature festival 2017" begins
- President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates "28th Dantan Gramin Mela-2017 at West Bengal"
- National Conference Of "Central And State/UT Ministers And Secretaries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs And Sports"
- President Inaugurates Centenary Celebrations of Jhalda Satyabhama Vidyapith @ West Bengal
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam calls on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for Jallikattu Issue
- Union Government launched a dedicated web portal "ShaGun" for monitoring the progress of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
- Second edition of Annual "Raisina Dialogue" in New Delhi .
- World witnesses "Hottest year on record in 2016"
- Scientists name 3 diseases that could cause next Global Health Emergency
"Jaipur Literature festival 2017" begins
In Rajasthan, the five day Jaipur literature festival began today in Jaipur where a large number of literature lovers are being seen. Popular poet Gulzar, spiritual Guru Jaggi Vasudev and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the festival. At the inauguration session, poet Gulzar requested the organizers to promote literature written in any local Indian language in festival every year. The faces of a large number of literature lovers are shining as they have found their favorite writers in the Jaipur Literature festival and got opportunities to meet them, talk them and also getting autographs from their favorites.
Background: The five day festival is being witnessed with celebrated writers, thinkers, journalists, historians, poets, novelists and musicians where they will discuss and share their experiences with the audiences. estival producer Sanjay Roy said that a 70th anniversary of the independence of the country will be celebrated in the festival and a special session on Freedom to Dream will also organize in the festival where writers would discuss about their dreams and dreams of India. In the festival writer and politician Shashi Tharoor and Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor will also discuss about their work in different sessions.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates "28th Dantan Gramin Mela-2017 at West Bengal"
President Pranab Mukherjee today inaugurated the 28th Dantan Gramin Mela-2017 at Dantan in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. Products from rural handicrafts were put on display in the Mela. Speaking on the occasion, the President said the Mela has been working for universal peace and plays a vital role in spreading the message of peace and harmony. The President also urged the need for the society to be more tolerant.
National Conference Of "Central And State/UT Ministers And Secretaries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs And Sports"
National Conference Of Central And State/UT Ministers And Secretaries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs And Sports will be held in Kutch, Gujarat From 20th January, 2017. A three-day National Conference of Central and State/UT Ministers and Secretaries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports will be held in Kutch, Gujarat from tomorrow. Hon’ble Prime Minister will deliver the inaugural address through video conferencing and also interact with the participants at the end of the conference on the outcomes achieved.
Background: This will be for the first time that State Ministers of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports will be meeting together and that too at a place like Kutch. The Conference aims at achieving the necessary convergence among tourism, culture, youth affairs and sports and synergy between the Central Government and the States/UTs. It will also attempt to draw up an action plan for utilization of sports facilities for promoting Tourism, Culture and Youth welfare.The Conference will also discuss sectoral issues which have emerged out of the deliberations of the Groups of Secretaries. Such sectoral issues relating to sports include integration of sports with education, bringing sports to the Concurrent List of the Constitution, strategy for the next three Olympics, setting up of sports science departments in identified universities, grass-root development of sports and improving the standard of school competitions and university games.
President Inaugurates Centenary Celebrations of Jhalda Satyabhama Vidyapith @ West Bengal
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Centenary celebrations of Jhalda Satyabhama Vidyapith today (January 18, 2017) at Jhalda, Purulia, West Bengal. The President said these martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice for our independence must be saluted. People should be educated about their sacrifice and also, about the Chuar uprising, a glorious chapter in our struggle for freedom whose epicentre was Jhalda.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam calls on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for Jallikattu Issue
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri O. Paneerselvam, called on the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 19.01.2017. The ban imposed on Jallikattu by the Supreme Court came up for discussion. While appreciating the cultural significance of Jallikattu, the Prime Minister observed that the matter is presently sub-judice. The Centre would be supportive of steps taken by the State Government. The Prime Minister also assured the Chief Minister that all possible assistance would be provided to the State to address the drought situation, and a central team would be deputed to the State shortly.
Union Government launched a dedicated web portal "ShaGun" for monitoring the progress of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
The Union Government launched a dedicated web portal ShaGun (http://ssashagun.nic.in) for monitoring the progress of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The portal was developed by World Bank in collaboration with Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. Its name has been derived from the words Shala (means schools) and Gun (i.e. Gunvatta meaning Quality).
Second edition of Annual "Raisina Dialogue" in New Delhi
The second edition of Ministry of External Affairs’ annual Raisina Dialogue was held in New Delhi with the theme “The New Normal: Multilateralism in a multipolar world”. The flagship geo-political conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was attended by delegates from 65 countries.
World witnesses "Hottest year on record in 2016"
The world witnessed the hottest year on record in 2016, surpassing the exceptionally high temperatures of 2015, the UN weather agency said. The globally average temperature in 2016 was about 1.1 degree Celsius higher than the pre-industrial period, according to a consolidated analysis by the World Meteorological Organization. According to WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, surging concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane for human induced climate change and record breaking average temperature rise in 2016. He explained worst effects in Arctic and Antarctic having minimum sea ice levels this year and presented disappointing scenario with early and fast melting of Greenland glacier with rising sea levels globally. WMO has linked weather-related events to conclusions by the International Organization for Migration and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which recently reported 19.2 million new displacements due to weather, water, climate and geophysical hazards in 113 countries in 2015. That number is more than twice the number of people displaced due to human-related conflict and violence. Record ocean heat contributed to widespread coral reef bleaching, including in the Great Barrier Reef, which has seen up to 50 per cent of its coral die in certain parts.
Scientists name 3 diseases that could cause next Global Health Emergency
Scientists have named three relatively little-known diseases they think could cause the next global health emergency. A coalition of governments and charities has committed 460 million dollars to speed up vaccine development for Mers, Lassa fever and Nipah virus. They are asking funders at the World Economic Forum Davos for another 500 million dollars. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) aims to have two new experimental vaccines ready for each disease within five years. New vaccines usually take about a decade to develop and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. he Ebola outbreak in West Africa, closely followed by the Zika epidemic in Latin America, exposed just how tragically unprepared the world is for new outbreaks.