International
- The Government of India, this state government and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million to help modernize passenger ferry sector that runs on its rivers - Assam.
National
- National Informatics Centre (NIC) has set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain Technology in - Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- A Concession Agreement was signed for completing the 6.5 km long Z-Morh tunnel in - J&K.
- Through key initiative ‘Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects (D3S-i)’, NITI Aayog entered into a MoU with this UT’s administration on 17 January 2020 - Ladakh.
- An agreement signed between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to end - 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis.
- Mega-science exhibition Vigyan Samagam will begin from 21st January in - New Delhi.
- The 5th edition of the Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) will be organised from 15-18 January 2020 in – Panaji, Goa.
- For certain treatable rare diseases, the government released a draft National policy on rare diseases, under which it proposed to fund one-time treatment cost to the tune of - Rs. 15 lakh.
- On 17 January, the International Conclave on “Globalizing Indian Thought” conducted in - IIM, Kozhikode.
Persons in News
- New Queen's Counsel for the courts of England and Wales - Senior Advocate Harish Salve.
- Winner of the 29th Saraswati Samman - Vasdev Mohi (Sindhi writer) (for ‘Chequebook’).
- Newly elected bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) - Bipul Behari Saha.
- Prime Minister of Russia - Mikhail Mishustin.
State Current Affairs
- The militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland under the leadership of B Saoraigwra signed a tripartite Suspension of Operarion Agreement with the Centre and the - Assam Government.
- This state government will collaborate with the IUCN and carry out a red-list assessment of the ‘orchids’ plant - Arunachal Pradesh.
- For the first time, this state police force is organising an international marathon “Health Run” on February 9 - Maharashtra (in Mumbai).
- The Government of India and this international bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million to help the Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP) - World Bank.
Science
- It is the first of its kind a new species of bone-eating worm found by Scientists in - the Gulf of Mexico (Osedax family).
- The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to produce the - Saras engine.
- Scientists from this university have for the first time genetically engineered mosquitoes that are resistant to all strains of the potentially deadly dengue virus - University of California and Vanderbilt University.
General Knowledge
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – Established: 1942 (26 September); Headquarter: New Delhi.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – Formed: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.
- World Bank - Founded: 1944; Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
- National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog - Founded: 2015 (01 January); Headquarters: New Delhi.
