Current Affairs January 22 2019

We are here for you to provide the important Current Affairs January 22 2019, which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

Nirmala Sitharaman launched Tamil Nadu defence industrial Corridor in Tiruchirappalli
On Jan 20, 2019,Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a series of projects as a part of the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor in Tiruchirappalli.This is considered to be the second corridor succeeding the one launched in Aligarh,Uttar Pradesh.

Points to be Noted
i. This is considered to be the mega corridor that would link the remaining miltary manufacturing units present in South India,it is tuned at the cost of 3038cr.(apprx)
ii. Total investments of Rs 3,038 crore(Apprx.) in this defence corridor would come from Ordnance Factory Board, Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited, TVS, Data Patterns and Alpha Designs committed to invest Rs 2,305 crore, Rs 140.5 crore and Rs 150 crore, Rs 50 crore, Rs 75 crore and Rs 100 crore, respectively.
iii. The Tamil Nadu corridor has nodes at Trichy, Salem, Hosur, Kovai and Chennai. It is expected to be a specialised facility hub in aero component manufacturing.
iv. Sitharaman also launched the “CODISSIA Defence Innovation and Incubation Centre” to support the MSMEs, start-ups and existing industries in their endeavour to expand and contribute significantly for defence indigenisation.
v.Tamil Nadu ranks 4th in the country with 9.8% of India’s total exports.
Important points about Tamil nadu:
♦ Capital:Chennai
♦ Chief Minsiter:Edappadi k Palaniswamy
♦ Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Indians over 65 and under 15 years of age can use Aadhaar Card to visit Nepal, Bhutan
Aadhaar Card has been added in the valid travel documents and now Indians under 15 and over 65 age can travel to Nepal and Bhutan if they have a valid Aadhaar Card.
Key Points
i. Earlier Indians under the age brackets of under 15 and over 65 could travel to Nepal and Bhutan by showing their PAN Card, Driving Licence, CGHS card or Ratio card but not Aadhaar Card.
ii. Other India citizens except these two age bracket are not allowed to travel with Aadhaar Card to these two neighbouring countries.
iii. Indians do not require VISA to travel to Nepal or Bhutan if they have a valid Passport, Photo identity proof issued by Indian Government or Election ID issued by Election Commission of India.
iv.Certificate of registration issued by Indian embassy in Nepal is not considered as a valid travel documents to travel between India & Nepal.
v.The emergency certificate and identify certificate which is issued by Indian Embassy in Nepal can be used as a valid travel documents to travel back to India from Nepal.
vi.Teenagers of age 15 to 18 can use Identity certificate issued by Principal of the School to travel between India and Nepal.
About Nepal
♦ Capital: Kathmandu
♦ Currency: Nepalese rupee
♦ Prime Minister: Khadga Prasad Oli.
♦ Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states — Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
About Bhutan
♦ Capital: Thimpu
♦ Currency: Ngultrum
♦ Prime Minister: Lotay Tshering

Odisha CM hiked Rs.200 per month under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana scheme
On January 19, 2019,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced in a video conference on “Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash”a hike of Rs 200 per month in the social security pension under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY)

Key points to be noted
i. The state government launched Madhu Babu Pension Yojana on January 1, 2008, by merging two pension schemes – Old Age Pension and Odisha Disability Pension schemes
ii. The Madhu Babu Pension Yojana is a pension scheme introduced in the Indian State of Odisha with the objective of providing financial assistance to the destitute elderly and destitute differently abled persons in the state.
iii. According to the new change,the elderly persons aged over 60 years would get a revised old age pension of Rs 500 per month as against Rs 300 and those who are more than 80 years old, the pension would  be Rs 700 per month instead of Rs 500 per month and the enhanced pension will come into effect from February 15, 2019.
iv.Unmarried women above 30 years and belonging to a below poverty level family or with individual income below Rs 24,000 per year are also going to benefit from the hike.
Important facts about odisha:
♦ Capital: Bhubaneswar
♦ Governor: Ganeshi Lal
♦ Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

UP govt to give pension of Rs 500 to destitute persons
On January 21, 2019, UP government announced to give a monthly pension of Rs.500,which is Rs.100 more than earlier monthly Pension to the destitute person.
Key points to be Noted:
i.  This measure came immediately after the implementation of 10 per cent reservation for economically weak in the general category in the upcoming educational year
ii. The Parliament passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament to grant 10% reservation in education and government jobs to economically weaker individuals belonging to the general category, across religions.The reservation is meant for individuals whose annual earning is below Rs 8 lakh and who possess less than 5 acres of agriculture land.
iii. Yogi Adityanath also announced pension scheme to Hindu seers who are above the age of 60.The scheme is also likely to benefit the seers in Uttar Pradesh. The pension will be provided to Hindu sadhus who are above the age of 60.This annoucement was made when Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh is hosted Kumbh Mela 2019
Important fact about UP
♦ Capital:Lucknow
♦ Chief Minister:Yogi Adityanath (BJP)
♦ Governor:Ram Naik
♦ Number of Districts:75

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Indians biggest supporters of international aid: WEF global survey
The World Economic Forum (WEF) released a survey ahead of its annual meeting which states that Indians are biggest supporters of international aid. 95 per cent of Indians supported the international aid and expect India to help other nations.
Key Points
i. World Economic Forum worked with Qualtrics to poll over 10000 from different parts of the world.
ii. South Asian Countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh exhibit widespread support for international aid leaving behind European countries.
iii. Pakistan and Indonesia are on the second position with 94 per cent of the people’s affirmative replies.
iv. The Global Average was 72 per cent and developed countries like France, Argentina, Germany and England scored 60 per cent or below 60 Percent.
The World Economic Forum (WEF)
♦ Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
♦ Executive Chairman: Klaus Schwab

4th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit Held In Beirut,Lebanon
On 20^th January 2019, the 4th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit took place in Lebanon’s capital Beirut in which the Arab leaders have agreed a 29-item economic agenda in addition to encouraging the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.

Key Points:
i.  About 20 countries took part in the summit and issued a joint statement called the Beirut Declaration which called for the establishment of an Arab free trade zone and the international community to support countries hosting refugees and displaced people.
ii. The summit also focussed on redevelopment plans in Somalia and Yemen.
iii. The summit also saw the launch of a $200m technology investment fund across the region by Kuwait’s foreign minister.
iv. The next Arab economic summit(5th Summit) would be held in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott in 2023.
About Lebanon:
♦ Capital: Beirut
♦ Currency: Lebanese pound

BANKING & FINANCE

Nepal ‘s Central bank announces to ban the use of Indian rupee notes above 100
On January 20, 2019,Nepal’s central bank has banned the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations, a move that could affect Indian tourists visiting the Himalayan nation where Indian currency is widely used.
Key points to be Noted:
i. The decision to ban notes has come up with Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s decision that Indian denominations of Rs.200, 500 and 2,000 cannot be carried and used for trading.The notes with a denomination of Rs.100 and below are freely exchangeable in Nepal and there is no ban lifted on it.
ii .With the implementation of this new rule, Nepali citizens cannot carry these denominations to other countries except India and Nepali people are also not allowed to bring in such notes from other countries.
iii.This ban would affect the ‘Visit Nepal’ Campaign which is aimed to attract at least 2 million tourists in 2020.
Important facts of Nepal
Capital: Kathmandu
Prime minister: Khadga Prasad Oli
Currency: Nepalese rupee
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Dell Launches India’s First PolicyHack for Teachers
On January 18, 2019,Dell, as a part of its three-city PolicyHack series, hosted an interactive hackathon, where teachers focused on their learning journey in New Delhi.
Key points:
i. Dell has partnered with the UNESCO, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and Ignus, to create a platform where teachers, school representatives and a cross-sectional group experts related to education can interact with each other.
ii.  PolicyHack in India was conducted at two levels: over 80 schools pan-India took part in it.on the evaluation parameters, top 20 shortlisted schools  represented themselves infront of the jury which includes  Mr. Sanjay Awasthi (Member Secretary – NCTE), Mr. Rajive Gulati (Head – Start-Up Incubator, HARTRON), Prof. Dr. Anantha Duraiappah (Director, UNESCO MGIEP), Mr. Subir Shukla (Founder – Group Ignus), Mr. Ajay Kaul (Director – Dell EMC) and Ms. Ritu Gupta (Director – Dell).
iii. The initiative allows the teaching fraternity to come up with solutions for problems faced by teachers inside and outside the classroom.

India to knock Down UK In Largest Economy Rankings:PwC
On January 20, 2019,According to British consultancy multinational PwC,India surpassed the UK in the 2019 rankings of world’s largest economies to become the World’s Fifth Largest Economy.GDP growth of India in 2019 is 7.6 per cent whereas 1.6 per cent for the UK, and 1.7 per cent for France.

Key points:
i. France also surpassed the UK in the world’s largest economy rankings in 2019, knocking it from fifth to seventh place with increased rate of 1.7% GDP.
ii. Due to lower growth rate we may have a trade war in 2019,main focus of tension would be between US-China trade.
iii.The US was the world’s largest economy with a size of 19.39 trillion dollars, followed by China at 12.23 trillion dollars at the second place in 2017.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Bharat Ratna CNR Rao chosen for Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Research
On 19th January 2019,Centre for Advanced Materials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) chose Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna recipient CNR Rao for the first Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Research.

Key Points
i. Professor CNR Rao will be awarded with the first Sheikh Saud International Prize on 25^th February 2019 during the international Workshop on Advanced Materials at Ras Al Khairmain, UAE.
ii.  The Award containing a plaque, a medal and a Cash Prize of USD 100000 will be presented by Sheikh Saud to Professor CNR Rao.
iii. CNR Rao was awarded with the highest Civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 2014 and presently he is working as the Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.
About United Arab Emirates (UAE)
♦ Capital: Abu Dhabi
♦ Currency: UAE dirham

BJP MP Anurag Thakur honoured with Sansad Ratna Award
On 19^th January 2019,BJP MP Anurag Thakur honoured with Jury Committee Special award at the 10th Edition of Sansad Ratna Awards ceremony organised by city-based Prime Point Foundation in Chennai.The total of 11 Parliamentarians was awarded and it is presented by TamilNadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Other Winners of Sansad Ratna Awards:
i.Bhartruhari Mahtab of Biju Janata Dal MP from Cuttack (Odisha) and N K Premachandran of RSP (Revolutionary Socialist Party) MP from Kollam, Kerala were honoured for their performance in initiating debates.
ii.Outstanding performance among the Parliamentary Standing Committees was given to Former union minister and chairman of standing committee on finance, M Veerappa Moily and his team.
iii.Supriya Sule of National Congress Party MP from Baramati (Maharashtra),who is also the daughter of former Union Minister Sharad Pawar, was honoured in overall tally, questions and women MPs categories.
iv.BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey was awarded for his outstanding performance and first time MP, Rajeev Shankarrrao Satav was chosen for his outstanding performance among the first-time parliamentarians.
v.Shiv Sena MP from Maval, Maharashtra, Shrirang Appa Barne was selected for his outstanding performance while NCP MP from Kolhapur, Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik was selected for his performance under questions and overall tally category.
vi.The youngest Parliamentarian, 31-year old Heena Vijaykumar Gavit of BJP, who raised 1,059 questions in the Lok Sabha and holds an attendance of 82 per cent was selected for her outstanding performance.
vii.Indian National Congress, MP from Maharashtra, Rajani Patil was selected as the topper in overall tally among the retirees of Rajya Sabha while Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu, Congress MP from Telangana was selected for debates among the retirees of the upper House.

Ranjani Murali wins “Woman’s Voice Award at AKLF 2019”
On 20^th January 2019, US Based Indian poet Ranjani Murali was awarded with the “Woman’s Voice Award” with Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF),Kolkatta,WestBengal.
i. The Objective of the ‘Prabha Khaitan Womans Voice Award’ to recognize and encourage creative writing by women in India. The Award carried a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh along with a citation.
ii. Ranjani Murali’s second book “Clearly you are ESL” won the Great Indian Poetry Collectives (GIPCs) Editor’s Choice award. Her first book “Blind Screens” was published in July 2017.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS 

Andry Rajoelina New President of Madagascar
On January 19, 2019,Madagascar president, Andry Rajoelina, has sworn into office  after taking the oath in Antananarivo before nine judges of the High Constitutional Court.He Succeeds Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

Key points to note:
i. Few moments after taking oath as the president,he had a bilateral meeting with  President Akufo-Addo of Ghana and that meeting indicated his intentions  to deepen the relations between the two countries
ii. He mentioned that his main motive is to double the electricity production and sell it at low price to his people and to create industries in all the six provinces to equalize the development in all corners of Madagascar.
Important points about Madagascar
♦ Capital:Antananarivo
♦ President:Andry Rajoelina
♦ Prime Minister:Christian Ntsay

Shri Jha was appointed Member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)
On 21^st January 2019, Shri Indu Shekhar Jha was appointed the member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and Shri Lalchharlian Pachuau was appointed as a member of Joint Electricity Regulation Commission for Manipur and Mizoram by Power Ministry.
Key Points
i. Union Minister of State (I\C) for Power and the New & Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh administered the oath of Office and Secrecy to Indu Shekhar Jha.
ii. Indu Shekhar Jha was working as the Chief Managing Director of Powergird Corporation of India Limited since 2015 before joining CERC.
iii. Shri Lachharliana Pachuau has been appointed for the period of five years or age of 65 years whichever is earlier.
About CERC:
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) had been established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERC) Act, 1998. CERC is the Central Commission for the purposes of the Electricity Act, 2003 which has repealed the ERC Act, 1998.

Flipkart promotes Rishi Vasudev to head Myntra-Jabong’s fashion & lifestyle categories
Walmart backed E-Commerce giant Flipkart promoted its Fashion department head Rishi Vasudev to head Myntra – Jabong’s Fashion and lifestyle categories as an additional responsibility.
i. Rishi Vasudev will report to Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy after the formal announcement which is expected in next 10 days.
ii. Earlier Flipkart has appointed Amar Nagaram as the head of Myntra-Jabong after resignation of its CEO Ananth Narayanan.

Congo’s court upholds election victory of Felix Tshisekedi 
On 20^th January 2019, the Constitutional court of Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the President’s election victory of Felix Tshisekedi of UDPS party making path for the first peaceful, democratic transfer of Power since Congo’s Independence in 1960.He Succeeds the Outgoing President Joseph Kabila.
Key Points
i. The New National Assembly will be installed in Congo on 26^th January 2019.
ii. Felix Tshisekedi won more than 7 million votes or 38 per cent and his opponent Fayulu received 34 per cent votes in the election conducted on 30^th December 2018.
About Democratic Republic of Congo
♦ Capital: Kinshasa
♦ Currency: Congolese franc

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

US spy satellite launched into orbit from California
On January 19, 2019,A powerful Delta 4 Heavy rocket carrying a U.S. spy satellite lifted off from California.
Important points to note
i. The central core booster’s Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A engine continued fired until the upper stage’s single RL10B-2 engine ignited to continue the climb to space.Details of the mission, dubbed NROL-71, were not released.
ii. This was the second attempt after the launch was postponed because of a communication problem between the control center and the launch site.
iii .  National Reconnaissance Office satellites gathers intelligence information for U.S. national security and an array of other purposes including assessing impacts of natural disasters.The alliance already have carried  27 launches for the National Reconnaissance Office over the past 12 years.

TRAI releases Tele-density data of India
On 18^th January 2019, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the Tele-density data of India which stated that the total number of mobile phone subscribers in India was 1,031.28 million during the month November,2018.
Key Points:
i. The number of telephone subscribers in India stood at 1,193.72 million at the end of Nov-18.
ii. The overall Tele-density in India climbed to 91.21% at the end of Nov-18.
iii. Total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA & LTE) went upto 1,171.76 million at the end of Nov-18. This has made the Wireless Tele-density in India to reach 89.54% at the end of Nov-18.
iv. The private access service providers held 89.99% market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 10.01%.
v. The cumulative Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests reached to 407.22 million at the end of Nov-18, since the implementation of MNP.
vi. Wireline subscribers declined to 21.96 million at the end of Nov-18 and the Overall Wireline Tele-density (%) remained at 1.68 at the end of Nov-18
vii. BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, held 67.27% of the wireline market share.
viii. The number of broadband subscribers remained at 511.90 million at the end of Nov-18. The top five broadband service providers constituted 98.56% market share of the total broadband subscribers.
ix. The Wireless Broadband Service was topped by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (271.55 million subscribers) and Wired Broadband Service by BSNL (9.17 million subscribers).Click here to read more
About Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI):
♦ Chairman: Ram Sewak Sharma
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi

Microsoft launches e-platform under Project ReWeave to help Handloom weavers
On January 20, 2019,Microsoft India has launched a new e-commerce platform re-weave.in for handloom weavers under its Project ReWeave.

i. This e-commerce platform will help connect artisans to buyers directly, enabling them to expand to newer customers and markets.
ii. Microsoft in association with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) also curated a special curriculum in ‘CAD and Color for Handloom Weaving’ to provide digital training in handloom design.

SPORTS

Khelo India Youth Games: Hosts Maharashtra finish top with 228 medals 
On 20^th January 2019, the Khelo India Youth Games concluded at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi in Pune with the host Maharashtra leading the medals table by winning a mammoth 85 gold, 62 silver and 81 bronze for a total of 228 medals in the Games.

Key Points:
i. With a total of 228 medals, hosts Maharashtra also walked away with the Overall Trophy at the Khelo India Youth Games.
ii. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar and Maharashtra Sports Minister Vinod Tawde presented the winning trophy at the closing ceremony in Pune.
iii. Haryana, stood at second place with 62 gold, 56 silver and 60 bronze for a total of 178 medals.
iv. Delhi stood third with 48 gold, 37 silver and 51 bronze, a tally of 136 medals.
v. Individually, Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj became the most medals winner by competing in seven events in the U-21 category and winning all of them. The 16-year-old’s timing of 26.16 secs in 50m backstroke was a senior national record.
vi. In the closing ceremony Maharashtra Government announced that there would be one hour of sports every day for students in all schools in the State of Maharashtra.
vii.  The theme of the Games revolved around ‘kheloge toh khiloge’ (if you play, you will prosper).
viii. About 10,000 participants, including about 6,000 athletes, from across the country participated in this year’s Khelo India Youth Games.
About Maharashtra:
♦ Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
♦ Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao
About Sports Authority of India:
♦ Headquarters: Delhi
♦ Director General: Neelam Kapoor
♦ Ex-officio Chairman: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Minister of State I/C Youth Affairs and Sports)
About Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports:
♦ Minister: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (MOS independent charge)
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi

Women’s National Boxing Championships: Lovlina wins gold medal, Manisha settles for silver
On 6^th January 2019, World Championship bronze medallist Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain claimed the gold medal while Haryana boxer Manisha Moun had to settle with silver at the Women’s National Boxing Championships held at the JSW Sports’ Inspire Institute of Sports, Vijayanagara, Karnataka.
Key Points:
i. Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won the gold in 69 kg category bout.
ii. Manisha Moun lost to Meenakumari of All India Police (AIP) in the finals of 54 kg class.
iii. Haryana won three gold medals through the reliable Pinki Rani Jangra (51kg), Neeraj (60kg) and Pooja Rani (81kg).
iv. Railways also won 3 gold medals with the win of Sonia Lather (57kg), Neetu (75kg) and Seema Poonia (+81kg).
v. Punjab earned two gold through Manju Rani (48kg) and Simranjit Kaur.
vi. In the Flyweight category, Pinki Rani won the gold by defeating Telangana opponent Nikhat Zareen.
vii. Haryana was adjudged the best team while Simranjit of Punjab was the best boxer and Tamil Nadu’s S.Kalaivani and Telengana’s Nikhat were the most promising and challenging boxer respectively.
About Boxing Federation of India (BFI):
♦ President: Ajay Singh
♦ Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana

Ankita Raina wins ITF’s tournament in Singapore
On 20^th January 2019, India’s Ankita Raina won the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) 25,000-dollar Women’s tournament in Singapore by defeating top seed and world number 122 Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, by 6-3, 6-2.
Key Points:
i. Besides being the first title of the season, it is Ankita’s fourth title at the USD 25k level, and eighth overall.
ii. Ankita has earned 50 points from this win and has achieved a jump of 35 places to a career-high 168 in the latest WTA singles rankings issued on 21^st January 2019.
iii. She will next play the Fed Cup, starting in the first week of next month at Astana, Kazakhstan.
About International Tennis Federation (ITF):
♦ Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
♦ President: David Haggerty
About Singapore:
♦ Currency: Singapore Dollar
♦ Capital: Singapore City
♦ Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong
♦ President: Halimah Yacob

OBITUARY

Siddaganga mutt seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji passed away
On 21st January 2019,Siddaganga mutt seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, popularly known as “Nadedaduva Devaru” (Walking God) passed away in Tumakuru,Karnataka at the age of 111.
Siddaganga Swamiji was conferred honorary doctorate by Karnataka University, Dharwad in 1965.He received the Padma Bhushan, in 2015 and the Karnataka Ratna in 2007.

CIA officer who inspired Oscar-winning film Argo died at the age of 78
On January 20, 2019,Former CIA agent Tony Mendez, who inspired the Oscar-winning film Argo, has died at the age of 78 due to Parkinson’s Disease in Frederick, Maryland.

i. Mendez wrote three non-fiction memoirs, one with his wife

• Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA (1999), with Malcolm McConnell, a memoir of his CIA experiences.
• Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War (2003), with Jonna Mendez and Bruce Henderson.
• Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History (2012), with Matt Baglio, a more lengthy account of the Canadian Caper.

ii. Mendez’s movie “Argo”,  won best picture at the 2013 oscar academy awards.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura celebrating statehood day   
On January 21, 2019,Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura are celebrating their statehood day.It is their 47th statehood day.

Keys points to be noted
i.  In the year 1972, all the three states became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
ii. The erstwhile princely states of Tripura and Manipur were merged with Indian Union in October 1949 and became full-fledged states  in 1972
iii. Meghalaya was a part of Assam before it was carved out as a full-fledged state under the North Eastern Region (Re-Organisation) Act, 1971.In Meghalaya, a week-long programme on the theme, ‘Celebrating Meghalaya-India’, on the occasion of the 47th Statehood Day and the 70th Republic Day began on Monday in different districts.
Important Things about the states

Tripura is the second largest rubber producer after Kerala