Economic Survey 2019-20 has projected economic growth at 6 to 6.5% in fiscal year starting 1st of April this year. It has put current fiscal growth at 5 per cent & said the fiscal deficit target for current fiscal may need to be relaxed to revive growth.
Industrial sector registered a growth of 0.6% in 2019-20.
Lucknow and Kanpur in UP and Pune and Nashik in Maharashtra will launch the ‘Clean Air Project in India’ (CAP India) initiative to improve the air quality in the cities. CAP was launched in the World Sustainable Development Summit 2020 held at New Delhi.
TERI along with city authorities will implement Project.
Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India begun the direct daily flight operations from Bhubaneswar to Varanasi under the RCS-UDAN marking it as the 250th route under UDAN. Varanasi is the religious & tourist hub of India & BHU is present there.
It is the 58th route under UDAN by Alliance Air.
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), along with Andhra Pradesh and one of the largest member exporter of banana, dispatched the first shipment of 890 MTs of high-quality bananas from Andhra Pradesh to JNPT in Mumbai.
Banana clusters were built in Anantpur & Kadapa districts of AP.
Amazon India has entered a partnership with Eastern Railways to set up a pick-up kiosk at the buzzing Sealdah railway station in Kolkata, West Bengal. This follows after the successful pilot of pickup kiosks in 4 railway stations across Mumbai in 2019.
It allows customers to pick up packages at railway stations.
CII is celebrating its 125th birth anniversary in 2020. CII began as EITA in 1895. Later the Engineering Association of India merged with EITA to form the Association of Indian engineering Industry. It became CEI on 1986.Lastly, CEI became the CII on 1991.
Theme- CII@125: Business and Beyond.
President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad on 1 February. The Mela is being organized since 1987 to showcase the richness and diversity of handicrafts, handlooms and cultural heritage of India.
Partner country: Uzbekistan, Theme-state: Himachal Pradesh.
Thespian Sanjna Kapoor was awarded the French honour of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for her outstanding contribution to theatre. She currently runs the Mumbai-based theatre company ‘Junoon’.
The Order of Arts and Letters was instituted in 1957.
Nepal has set an all new Guinness World Record for the highest altitude fashion show event ever held. The Mount Everest Fashion Runway, organized by RB Diamonds & KASA Style in support of Nepal Tourism Board, was held at 5340 metres height at Kala Patthar.
The event was part of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign.
In Madhya Pradesh, three-day Narmada Mahotsav is being started from 31 January in the picturesque plains of Amarkantak on the occasion of Narmada Jayanti. Local tribal art and culture will be duly demonstrated during Amarkantak Narmada Mahotsav-2020.
Narmada is a major source of drinking water for MP and Gujarat.
A 60-year-old pharmacy worker Mo O'Brien has become the first deaf person on record to row an ocean by finishing a 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic. The Ocean Rowing Society, which is responsible for monitoring ocean rowing records, confirmed this.
Atlantic is the second largest ocean after Pacific.
Indian women's team captain Rani Rampal became the first-ever hockey player to win the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award. Under Rani Rampal's leadership, the Indian women's team qualified for just the third Olympic Games in its history.
She was recently named among the Padma Shri awardees.
Scottish team Rangers signed Bala Devi from Manipur Police on an 18-month-deal. She became the 1st Indian woman to become a professional footballer in the world. She is the top goal scorer for the Indian national team netting 52 in 58 outings since 2010.
She has also served as national team captain.
The Veteran Feminist, Social Activist & writer Vidya Bal passed away at the age of 84. She was known for her heroic oppressive practices involving women. She was a forefront fighter for women equality with men. She was the founder of 'Nari Samata Manch'.
It was an organisation to discuss and tackle women's problems.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the appointment of its three-member Cricket Advisory Committee.The committee comprises Madan Lal, Rudra Pratap Singh and Sulakshana Naik. The term of appointment will be for one year.
Sourav Ganguly is BCCI's 39th President.
After 47 years of sitting at the European Union’s top table, UK exited the 28-member group. It is the 1st time a member-state has left the group whose origins lie in efforts in the aftermath of the 2nd World War to counter impulses of extreme nationalism.
European Economic Community formed in 1958 became EU in 1993.
WHO has declared novel Coronavirus (nCoV) as a global health emergency during the second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 held in Geneva, Switzerland.
nCoV is a new strain of the virus.
IAF achieved a major milestone when an AN-32 IAF aircraft powered by indigenous blend of 10% bio-jet fuel took off from Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh. This was the first time that both engines of the aircraft were powered by indigenous fuel.
Leh is a hard-operational airfield due to weather conditions.