Current Affairs - January 29, 2020 Current Affairs

The marching contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been adjudged the first among the marching contingents of the three services, while the Central Industrial Security Force has bagged the first prize among paramilitary forces for the 71st Republic Day Parade.

A new episode of Man vs Wild featuring Superstar Rajinikanth with Bear Grylls is being shot in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. An earlier edition of the documentary featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was shot at the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand last year.

Saurav Ghosal missed out on his maiden PSA world tour event title after suffering a straight-game defeat to top seed Fares Dessouky of Egypt in the final of the Pittsburgh Open squash tournament. Ghosal lost 7-11, 4-11, 9-11 to his Egyptian opponent who played flawless squash in the summit clash.

Noted theatre personality Sanjna Kapoor, the daughter of Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor, will be conferred prestigious French honour, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, for her outstanding contribution to theatre.

Former Indian women's hockey team captain Sunita Chandra died in Bhopal on January 27, her son said. Chandra, an Arjuna awardee, was 76 and is survived by her husband Yatish Chandra and two sons.

62nd edition of Grammy Awards in Los Angeles: Billie Eilish wins in the awards for Album of The Year, Record of The Year, Best New Artist, Song of The Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Lala Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January, 1865 in Punjab. He was a prominent nationalist leader who played an important role in India's struggle for freedom. He also earned the title of 'Punjab Kesari' or 'the Lion of the Punjab'. He initiated the foundation of Punjab National Bank. He died on 17 November, 1928, due to serious injuries. The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Hisar, Haryana is named after Lala Lajpat Rai.

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation will start soon its East-West project which runs partly under the city's iconic Hooghly river, by March 2022 after a delay of several years doubled costs. The final installment of 200 million rupees - $2.8 million over the next two years from the Indian Railway Board. A loan amount of 41.6 billion rupees from the Japan International Cooperation Agency helps fund 48.5% of the project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 3rd Global Potato Conclave-2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The four-day will provide an opportunity to bring all stakeholders at one common platform. Gujarat is one of the leading producers of Potato in the country.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on January 27 passed a statutory resolution seeking to abolish the State Legislative Council, days after the YSRC government failed to get two crucial bills on its plans to have three capitals cleared by the opposition TDP-dominated Upper House.

The former President of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), Anil Khanna, was nominated as the life president of the ATF and also as the Chairman of its Finance Committee during the meeting of the Board of Directors, held in Melbourne on January 27.

India marked its 71st Republic Day on January 26 with a parade showcasing some of its newly acquired capabilities and military hardware, both homegrown and like the anti-satellite missile as well as bought from abroad like US made heavy lift Chinook and the anti-tank attack Apache helicopters.

Japan's Akane Yamaguchi beat South Korea's An Se-young in a hard-fought women's final in the Thailand Masters. Yamaguchi went point-for-point in the second game, the 22-year-old Japanese pulling through with a 21-16, 22-20 victory after an intense rally that had both players diving for the shuttlecock.

Graphic designer Sneha Pamneja was awarded this year's Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival for designing the cover of Tiffin: Authentic Recipes Celebrating India's Regional Cuisine. Pamneja was felicitated with a trophy and a cash prize of 1 lakh by the jury comprising writer-politician Shashi Tharoor, JLF director and author Namita Gokhale, and columnist and novelist Shobhaa De, for designing a "visually arresting and impactful" cover.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is an international Memorial Day on 27 January commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War. It commemorates the genocide that resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews and 11 million others, by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

Indian Bank Association (IBA) appoints Punjab National Bank's former MD and CEO Sunil Mehta as its chief executive. Mehta recently retired as the Managing Director and CEO of Punjab National Bank.

West Bengal Assembly on January 27 passed a resolution against the amended Citizenship Act, becoming the fourth state to pass such resolution after the amended Act was passed in December. Kerala, Rajasthan and Punjab have already passed resolutions against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

N. Ram, chairman of The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, has been selected as the outstanding media person in a national award instituted by Kerala Media Academy. The award carrying a cash prize of 1 lakh, citation and sculpture was announced as part of the academy's 40th anniversary celebration.

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec announced his resignation on January 27 and called for new elections as the country's coalition struggles with political deadlock. He said his minority government could not push through important legislation.

Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal planned to switch Indian Railways entirely to electricity by 2024 as diesel locomotives are steadily being shunted out of service. The Indian railway to run on 100 percent electricity. It will be the first railway network in the world to be run on 100 percent electricity.