Daily GK Updates - 28th January, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Passes Resolution to Abolish State Legislative Assembly: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved the draft bill on 27 January 2020 to abolish the state’s Legislative Council. The Bill will be debated in the ongoing session of Assembly and similar resolution will be adopted in the Legislative Assembly and sent to the Centre for necessary follow-up action. The ruling YSR Congress is in minority with just nine members in the 58-member Legislative Council as against the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which has 28 members. The cabinet felt that the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was misusing its majority in the Legislative Council to halt bills passed by the Legislative Assembly.

Note: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister: Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: Biswabhushan Harichandan; Capital: Amaravati.

2. Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary: 28th January: The ‘Year-2020’ marks the 155th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai (Punjab Kesari), one of the greatest freedom fighters of India. Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28, 1865, in a Jain Punjabi family in Dhudikae village of Moga district,Punjab. He was part of the famous radical trio 'Lal Bal Pal', who advocated the Swadeshi movement in India. He played a pivotal role in the Indian freedom struggle.

3. Maharashtra government launched Shiv Bhojan scheme: Maharashtra government launched the "Shiv Bhojan" scheme. It has been launched on a pilot basis. It aims to provide a meal to the poor for just Rs.10. Under the Shiv Bhojan scheme, the thalis or lunch plates will be available to people at designated centres and canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts. District Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the Shiv Bhojan Thali canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital in Mumbai. Another centre was inaugurated by Tourism Minister and Mumbai suburban district Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray at the Collector's office in Bandra.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Britain Unveils New 50 Pence Coin to Celebrate Brexit: Britain has minted a new 50 pence coin to mark the country’s departure from the European Union (EU), known by the term “BREXIT” (British exit). The coin bears the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”. Britain will leave the EU at 2300 GMT on 31st January 2020. The distribution of the coins will begin from 31 January and about 3 million of the coins will be distributed from banks, post offices and shops.

Note: Prime minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson; Capital of the United Kingdom: London.

2. India appoints Taranjit Singh Sandhu as India’s next Ambassador to USA: Senior diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the United States. He replaces Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who has been named as India’s next foreign secretary. Sandhu is the current High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka since January 24, 2017.

Note: Union Minister of External Affairs:  Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

3. Khalid Bin Khalifa Al Thani Named new Prime Minister of Qatar: Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Qatar by the country’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on 28 January, 2020. He replaces Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Note: Qatar Capital: Doha; Currency: Riyal

4. Saudi Arabia says Israeli citizens still not welcome: Saudi Arabia has announced that Israeli citizens are not allowed to visit the kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites. This decision comes after Israel's Interior Ministry said Israeli citizens (Muslims and Jews) have the right to travel to Saudi Arabia for religious and business visits. Like most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel has peace deals with only two Arab countries Jordan and Egypt.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Assam Wins Best Tableaux Award at 71st Republic Day Parade: The Tableaux of Assam has bagged the first prize at the Republic Day Parade, 2020 among the States/Union Territories. The theme of Assam’s tableau was “Land of unique craftsmanship and culture”, displaying bamboo and cane work and Bhortal Nritya performed by Xattriya dancers. Odisha and Uttar Pradesh won tied second prize. The tableaux of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Jal Shakti Mission were jointly adjudged the best tableau among the Ministries and Departments. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) got the Special Prize for their tableau based on the theme Kashmir se Kanyakumari. Tableaux from 16 States/UTs and 6 Ministries/Departments were displayed at the parade.

2. Grammy Awards 2020 Announced: The 62nd edition of the Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles. The award is presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the American music industry. The 2020 Grammy awards recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019.

Here is the list of winners of Grammy Awards 2020:

Sr. No.	Category	Winner
1	Album Of The Year	When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Billie Eilish)
2	Record Of The Year	Bad Guy (Billie Eilish)
3	Best New Artist	Billie Eilish
4	Best Rap Album	Igor (Tyler, The Creator)
5	Best R&B Album Winner	Ventura (Anderson .Paak)
6	Best Rap Song	A Lot
7	Best Country Album	While I’m Livin’ (Tanya Tucker)
8	Song Of The Year	Bad Guy ( Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell)
9	Best Rock Album	Social Cues (Cage The Elephant)
10	Best Rock Song	This Land (Gary Clark Jr.)
11	Best Dance/Electronic Album	No Geography (The Chemical Brothers)
12	Producer Of The Year, Classical	Blanton Alspaugh
13	Best Music Video	Old Town Road
14	Best Country Song	Bring My Flowers Now
15	Best Folk Album	Patty Griffin
16	Best Comedy Album	Sticks & Stones (Dave Chappelle)

3. Dr. N Kumar honoured with Harit Ratna Award 2019: Dr N Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has been conferred ‘Harit Ratna Award 2019’. This award is organised by the All India Agricultural Students Association. He was awarded for the dissemination of Rs 30-crore entrepreneurship project in agri-business and also for motivating students towards the agriculture sector in Tamil Nadu. The award was conferred at the 5th National Youth Convention at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya in Raipur recently.

DEFENCE

1. GRSE set to deliver ASW corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon: Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Indian Navy. INS Kavaratti is 104th warship constructed by GRSE. 'Kavaratti' is the last of the four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built by the GRSE for the Indian Navy under Project P28. Three of the four corvettes, INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan were commissioned in 2014, 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Note: Chief of Navy Staff (CNS): Karambir Singh.

OBITUARIES

1. Assamese linguist Golok Chandra Goswami passes away: Veteran academician, linguist and litterateur of Assam, Dr. Golok Chandra Goswami passed away at the age of 96. He was a pioneer in the field of scientific study of Assamese language. His book titled ‘An Introduction to Assamese Phonology’ is regarded as the path breaking contribution to the linguistic study of Assamese language. He was honoured with the Asam Sahitya Sabha’s ‘Sahityacharya’ title, ‘Bhashacharya’ title by Asom Bhasha Bikash Samiti and ‘Anundoram Borooah Award’ by the Anundoram Barooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture.

2. Noted South Actress Jameela Malik Passes Away: Veteran actress Jameela Malik, known for her critically acclaimed roles in a handful of movies in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, has passed away. She was 73. Jameela was the first Keralite woman to graduate from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.