Daily Current Affairs 29th Jan. 2016 (Free GK Updates)

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 29 JAN 2016
(Daily News India)
Shared By: WWW.DailyGk.IN

1. UNION GOVERNMENT SHORTLIST 20 CITIES UNDER SMART CITIES MISSION
i. The Union Ministry of Urban Development has shortlisted 20 cities from 11 States and Delhi Union Territory in the list of first batch of Smart Cities Mission.
ii. The list of shortlisted Smart cities are:
a.    3 are from Madhya Pradesh
b.   2 each are from Maharashtra, Rajasthan Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh
c.    1 each from Odisha, Kerala, Delhi , Assam and Punjab.
iii. A smart city is highly advanced urban region in terms of overall infrastructure, communications, sustainable real estate and market viability.

2. IMF IMPLEMENTED 2010 QUOTA AND GOVERNANCE REFORMS
i. The International Monetary Fund implemented the long-pending 2010 Quota and Governance Reforms.
ii. The reforms are major step towards the increasing role of dynamic emerging market and developing countries.
iii. Highlights of the Reforms:
a.    For the first time, emerging market of four countries- Brazil, China, India, and Russia will be among the 10 largest members of the IMF.
b.   Other top 10 members include the United States, Japan, and the four largest European countries France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
c.    India’s voting rights increased to 2.6 percent from the current 2.3 percent.

3. SANIA MIRZA, MARTINA HINGIS WON 2016 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN'S DOUBLES TENNIS TITLE
i. Sania Mirza with his Swiss partner Martina Hingis  won the 2016 Australian Open title of tennis in the women’s doubles category.
ii. They defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka  in Melbourne, Australia.
iii. Sania mira and martina Hingis won their maiden Australian Open title and the third successive Grand Slam doubles title after winning 2015 Wimbledon and US Open.

4. NAVNEET KAUR AND SANTOSH KADALE WON GOLD IN SENIOR NATIONAL ROWING CHAMPIONSHIP
i. Punjab’s Navneet Kaur won two gold medals in the 34th Senior National Rowing Championship in Hyderabad.
ii. It was her maiden gold at the country’s highest level in the senior category.
iii. In the men single category Santosh Kadale won his maiden national gold.

5. NISID HAJARI WON 2016 WILLIAM E. COLBY AWARD FOR BEST MILITARY BOOK
i. Nisid Hajari won the 2016 William E. Colby Award for his book “Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition”
ii. The Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition explains the 1947 partition of India.
 iii. William E. Colby Award is awarded to recognize a first work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of intelligence operations, military history or international affairs.

6. COMMEMORATIVE COIN OF 150 RUPEES & CIRCULATION COIN OF 10 RUPEES ON LALA LAJPAT RAI RELEASED
i. Ministry of Culture  released a commemorative coin of 150 rupees and a circulation coin of 10 rupees on Lala Lajpat Rai.
ii. The coin was released by Dr Mahesh Sharma Minister of Tourism & Culture on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai.

iii. Lala Lajpat Rai is  stalwart of the freedom struggle,popularly known as ‘Punjab Kesari’ or ‘The Lion of Punjab’.