Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has recently announced that former Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi will be honored with the ‘Assam Vaibhav’ award.
‘Assam Vaibhav’ is the highest civilian honor of the state.
A bench of five judges headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi had given an important decision on Ayodhya ‘Ram Temple’in the year 2019.
Economic Affairs
Economic Initiatives, Schemes & Projects
4. What target has the government set to reduce accidental death by 2030? – 50%
The government aims to cut accidental deaths by 50% by 2030, as announced by Road, Transport, and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at a National conclave on Road Safety in New Delhi.
Gadkari highlighted that every hour sees 53 injuries and 19 deaths from road accidents.
5. FASTag, recently seen in the news, works on which of the following techniques? – Radio Frequency Identification
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently introduced the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative, promoting the use of RFID technology for toll payments.
FASTag, a vehicle-specific RFID passive tag, allows seamless toll transactions while in motion.
International Affairs
International Events
6.Farsi (Persian), recently seen in the news, is the official language of which country? – Iran
India’s External Affairs Minister revealed that Farsi (Persian) is now classified as one of India’s nine classical languages under the New Education Policy.
Additionally, its variations, Dari and Tajik, hold official status in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, respectively.
India has currently 6 classical languages viz. Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia.
The National Education Policy-2020 had noted that in addition to these classical languages, Pali, Persian, and Prakrit; and their works of literature too must be preserved for their richness and for the pleasure and enrichment of posterity.
Enviornment
7. What is the IUCN status of ‘Gentoo Penguin’, which was recently seen in the news? – Least Concern
A rare all-white Gentoo penguin was recently spotted in Chilean Antarctica, a species exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere between 45 and 65 degrees south latitude.
Predominantly inhabiting the Falkland Islands, these penguins are classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.
Short News
Important Days & Weeks
8. On which date, the ‘National Startup Day’ observed in India? – 16 January
In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared January 16 as National Startup Day.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, along with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, designated January 10 to 16 as National Startup Week.
On January 11, 2024, Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh launched the Startup India Innovation Week under the theme “Startups Unlocking Infinite Potential”.
Sports
9. Who has become India’s number one chess player, leaving behind Vishwanathan Anand – Rameshbabu Praggnanand
