National News
1. PM Laid Foundation Stone For Various Development Projects in Leh
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects, worth nearly 12,000 crore rupees, at Leh. He laid the foundation stone for a 480 crore rupee Terminal Building at Leh Airport. Mr Modi inaugurated the 9-megawatt Dah hydroelectric project.
ii. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the 220 KiloVolt Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil-Leh transmission system. Mr Modi also launched the University of Ladakh, the first-ever in the state's region.
iii. He also visited Jammu and Srinagar. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various projects, including two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences and 624 MW Kiru Hydroelectric project in Kishtwar.
2. 'ICT Academy Bridge 2019' Conference Inaugurated in Tamil Nadu
i. Dr M. Manikandan, Minister for Information Technology of Tamil Nadu inaugurated 'ICT Academy Bridge 2019' conference in the city that witnessed more than 1,000 participants from government, industry and academia.
ii. Organized by ICT Academy, the 37th edition of the conference is the largest Industry-Institute Interaction Event of Asia. The conference was organized under the theme "Fostering India for Industry 4.0".
3. India-Monaco Business Forum Held in New Delhi
i. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated the Indo-Monaco Business Forum in New Delhi.
ii. Bilateral trade between India and Monaco in 2017-18 was USD 3.01 million, and there is immense potential to scale up the bilateral trade between the two nations. Monaco is ranked 106th among foreign direct investor in India (since April 2000 to June 2018) with USD 2.51 million FDI equity inflow.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:
Monaco Capital: Monte Carlo, Currency: Euro.
Ranks and Reports
4. India’s Tourism Sector Registers 19% Growth In 2018
i. Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons has announced that the country’s tourism sector fetched revenue of 234 billion US Dollar in 2018, registering a growth of over 19%. This revenue was contributed by 87% domestic and 13% foreign tourists.
ii. He made the announcement at the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Guwahati. The country is ranked third in the tourism sector, according to the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
5. Railways Minister Launched IEA’s 'The Future of Rail' Report
i. Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal launched the “The Future of Rail” report of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Future of Rail is the first-of-a-kind report that analyses the current and future importance of rail around the world through the perspective of its energy and environmental implications.
ii. The report reviews the impact of existing plans and regulations on the future of rail and explores the policies that could help to realise an enhanced future of the railways.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:
John Mathai was the first Railways Minister of Independent India.
Economy News
6. New e-Commerce Policy Comes Into Effect: All You Need To Know
i. India’s new e-commerce policy came into effect From February 1, 2019. A new set of policy rules had been formed for the e-commerce companies.
ii. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (previously DIPP) gave them a 60-day window period for aligning themselves to the government’s modified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules.
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Appointments
7. Rishi Kumar Shukla Appointed As New CBI Director
i. Rishi Kumar Shukla, 1983 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed as the new chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will be serving for a fixed term of two years.
ii. Shukla's appointment to the post was approved by a high-level committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
8. Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya Appointed Country's Ambassador to India
i. Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya has been appointed as country's ambassador to India. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Acharya in Kathmandu. He has been appointed on the recommendation of the cabinet.
ii. The position of Nepalese ambassador to India was lying vacant after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned in October 2017 to join politics.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:
Nepal’s central bank is called as Nepal Rashtra Bank.
It was established in 1956 under the Nepal Rashtra Bank Act 1955.
Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal is the Governor of Nepal Rashtra Bank.
Important Days
9. World Cancer Day: 4th February
i. World Cancer Day is being observed observed globally on 4th February.
ii. This year, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a new 3-year (2019-2021) campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.”
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:
Union for International Cancer Control Headquarters in: Geneva, Switzerland, Founded: 1933.
Sports
10. Sana Mir Becomes 1st Asian Woman To Play 100 T20Is
i. Former captain of the Pakistan women team Sana Mir has become the first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is. Mir, 33, is one of Pakistan’s most senior women cricketers and has been representing the country since 2005.
ii. She achieved the feat when she took the field against West Indies in the third and final T20I in Karachi.
11. Haryana Beat Defending Champions Punjab Royals To Lift PWL 4 Title
i. Haryana Hammers won the fourth edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) as they outclassed Punjab Royals 6-3 in the summit clash at the Gautam Buddha University indoor stadium, Greater Noida.
12. Smriti Mandhana Becomes World No.1 Women's ODI Batter
i. Indian women's cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana has become the top-ranked batter in women's ODI cricket, as per the latest rankings released by the ICC.
ii. The 22-year-old moved up three spots in the batters' rankings to reach the top spot. In the 15 ODIs Smriti has played since the beginning of 2018, she has scored two centuries and eight half-centuries.