CURRENT AFFAIRS JAN 2ND TO FEB 16TH, 2012

FEB 6TH -12TH

International Affairs

• President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed resigned on 7 February 2012 after weeks of protest, which was against his decision to sack a judge that, he had accused of favouring the opposition. Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as President, following Nasheed’s resignation. It is alleged that police officers sided with anti-government demonstrators. Nasheed was elected in 2008 when Maldives held its first democratic election, following three decades of rule by autocratic leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom 
• Indonesia became the 157th country to adopt the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Indonesia formalised ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty on 6 February 2012 at the United Nations.The Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone treaty commits ASEAN's 10 member states not to develop, manufacture or otherwise acquire, possess or have control over atomic weapons.

National affairs

• President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil on 9 February 2012 released a special commemorative stamp to mark the Golden Jubilee of the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi. This centre plays a major role in promoting awareness and creating public opinion.The Stamp priced at five rupees promotes the nations image and depicts the rich diverse culture of the country. 
• The Union government decided to operationalise the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) from 1 March 2012. The NCTC is to be located in the Intelligence Bureau and headed by a Director who will be an officer in the rank of Additional Director, IB. It is having three units, gathering intelligence, analysis of intelligence and carrying out operations. 
• Union cabinet of India on 9 February 2012 approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP-2012) to facilitate access to central government owned shareable data and information. The NDSAP policy is designed to promote data sharing and enable access to central government owned data for national planning and development.

Economic affairs

• The government of India on 9 February 2012 approved setting up of a National Centre for Cold Chain Development, NCCD, as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The NCCD will be having a Governing Council under the Chairmanship of Secretary with 22 members, covering government officials, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI and other stake holders. The move comes in the wake of post harvest losses to the tune of 50000 crore rupees annually in absence of proper storage facilities. 
• The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) set up by the Supreme Court to investigate illegal mining in Karnataka submitted its final report on 4 February 2012. The committee recommended the cancellation of leases of 49 mines that have violated the terms of their licence. It also recommended the auction of these leases.

Bilateral Relations 

• The 12th India-EU Summit was held in New Delhi on 10 February 2012. EU was represented by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Scince and technology

• DRDO on 10 February 2012 conducted a successful test launch of the interceptor missile. DRDO’s Air Defence Missile AAD-05 successfully hit the ballistic missile and destroyed it at a height of 15 kms off the Coast of Orissa near the Wheelers Island.

Awards

• The 2012 Laureus Sports Awards were given in London on 6 Febreaury. The winners were chosen by 47 sports stars who make up the Laureus sports academy. The winners were- Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic; Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot; Team of the Year: FC Barcelona; Breakthrough of the Year: Rory McIlroy; Comeback Award: Darren Clarke; Disability Award: Oscar Pistorius; Action Sportsperson of the Year: Kelly Slater; Lifetime Achievement Award: Bobby Charlton; Sport for Good Award: Rai.

Sports

• Egypt defeated India 2-1 in the final of the Under-21 Squash World Cup held in chennai,on 5 February 2012. Marwan El Shorbagy defeated Ravi Dixit while Karim Abdel Gawad beat Ramit Tandon . However Dipika Pallikal manged to win on her opponent. 
• Aditya Mehata won the National Snooker Championship title held in Pune, by defeating Kamal chawla.

Persons

• Yingluck Shinawatra- Prime Minister of Thailand, visited India on24-26 January 2012. She was the chief guest for the 63rd Republic Day Ceremony. The visit took place in the backdrop of 65th anniversary of India-Thailand bilateral diplomatic relations. 
• Taslima Nasrin -After a gap of about 18 years, Taslima Nasrin's book, Nirbasan(seventh volume of her autobiography) was launched on 1 february in Bangladesh. 
• Preet Bharara- Eminent Indian-American attorney, has made it to the cover of the prestigious Time magazine for his crusade against Wall Street corruption and irregularities including insider trading. "This man is busting Wall Street" Bharar's picture appeared in the 3 rd february edition of Time magazine.

30TH JAN TO 5TH FEB

International Affairs

• The fifth edition of the World Future Energy Summit was held in Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE from 16 to 19 January 2012. The theme of this year’s World Future Energy Summit was - Sustainable Energy for All. The summit discussed the need to exploit the alternative sources like solar, wind, tidal energy etc. Iran on 3 February 2012 successfully launched an observation satellite called Navid into orbit above Earth. It will be placed into an orbit at an altitude between 250 and 370 kilometres. The weight of the satellite is 50-kilogram and it is meant to stay in orbit for 18 months. 
• India will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the University of Chicago to establish a Vivekananda Chair for Indian studies, as part of the initiatives to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the 19th century luminary, Swami Vivekananda. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in this regard between Dean of University of Chicago (UOC) Martha Roth and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Sanjiv Mittal, in the presence of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The grant is meant to honour Swami Vivekananda's life and legacy and facilitate exchange of research scholars from/to India.

National affairs

• The Union Government of India on 1 February 2012 gave its approval for setting up a National Council for Senior Citizens. It will be headed by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Council will comprise of 20 members including the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment along with the oldest members from both the Houses of Parliament and distinguished personalities from different fields. It will advice the Central and State Governments on issues related to welfare of senior citizens. The Council will suggest special policies and programmes for the physical and financial security of the senior citizens in the country. 
• As per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin, December 2011 it is revealed that, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has dropped further by 3 points from 50 to 47 infants deaths per 1000 live births during 2010. The IMR for rural areas has dropped by 4 points from 55 to 51 infant deaths per 1000 live births while the Urban rate now stands at 31 from the previous 34/1000. State of Goa still has the lowest IMR of 10 infant deaths followed by Kerala with 13 infant deaths per 1000 live births. Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Meghalaya still have IMRs more than the national average of 47.

Economic affairs

• The Supreme Court observed that the allocation of 2G spectrum under former telecom minister A. Raja was wholly arbitrary and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer. The Supreme Court cancelled all the 122 2G licenses. According to the verdict, telecom regulator TRAI is to make fresh recommendations on the grant of licenses. 
• The Union government on 31 January 2012 revised the economic growth rate for 2010-2011 financial year to 8.4 percent in comparison to the previous estimate of 8.5 percent.The Indian economy, Asia’s third-largest slowed in recent quarters due to the impact of the global slowdown, high inflation and high interest rates.

Bilateral Relations

• India, Japan and China entered into a pact to share data to achieve the most efficient use of Naval Forces present in the Indian Ocean Region. The initiative is known as the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE). The initiative began functioning from 1 January 2012. China, India, and Japan also agreed to carry out more effective coordination by establishing a convoy coordination working group as part of the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction Mechanism. 
• Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago Kamla Persad Bissessar visited India from 5 January 2012 to 14 January 2012. India and Trinidad & Tobago on 6 January 2012 signed five agreements during her visit. The agreements are as following: 1)Memorandum of Understanding between India and Trinidad & Tobago on co-operation in the field of traditional Systems medicine.2)Air Services agreement between India and Trinidad & Tobago.3)Technical Cooperation Agreement (In the field of Education) between India and Trinidad & Tobago.4)Programme of Cultural Exchanges between India and Trinidad & Tobago for the years 2012-14.5)Memorandum of Understanding between Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences( CCRAS) Department of Ayush, Ministry of Health& Family Welfare, the government of India and the University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. 
• India's National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC), on 29 January 2012 signed an agreement with Bangladesh Power Development Board(BPDP) for setting up a joint venture 1320 MW thermal power plant. The joint venture coal-based power plant will be set up at Rampal in Khulna Division of Bangladesh. The project is the first joint venture power plant in Bangladesh.

Scince and technology

• Astronomers found the fourth habitable planet outside our solar system called GJ667C. The planet is 22 light years from Earth. The newly found planet is rocky in nature. It orbits its star every 28.15 days.

Awards

• Indian Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge was presented with Pride of India award by the Indian-American community in Washington on 1 February 2012. He was honoured with the award for his over four decades of public service.The award was presented jointly by the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) and India Association of North Texas (IANT). 
• Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan received a Green Globe for Outstanding Efforts by a Celebrity Award for his efforts toward a greener future at the fourth edition of the Panasonic Green Globe Foundation Awards on 2 february 2012. He received the award from Hollywood actor and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.During his visit Schwarzenegger also attended the day-long Delhi Sustainable Development Summit presided over by the Indian Prime Minister. 
• Veteran environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey was honoured with the prestigious V. Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2012 on 3 February 2012. He received the award for his documentaries on wildlife conservation and environment. 
• Shri Khamliana from Mizoram and Md. Abdul Bari from Odisha have been jointly selected for theNational Communal Harmony Award 2011 . The Jury headed by the Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari made the selection. National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, an autonomous organization set up bt the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. The Award in the individual category carries a citation and a cash award of Rupees two lakhs.

Sports

• In the 100th edition of The Australian Open (2012), Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won the title by defeating Rafel Nadal of Spain in the mens singles while Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the women’s singles by defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia. In the men’s doubles Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek won the title by defeating Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. In the women’s doubles Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva, both from Russia defeated Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, to win the title. The mixed event was won by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau. 
• A. Amalraj won the national title by defeating A Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Lucknow on 29 January 2012. Amalraj also won the double’s title with Sanil Shetty, by defeating Harmit Desai and Devesh Karia. In the women’s category Poulami Ghatak won the title by defeating K Shamini. 
• Pendyala Harikrishna of India won the prestigious TATAsteel international chess title which was held in Netherlands. 
• Pankaj Adwani won the Nationsl Billiards Chess championship by defeating the Balachandra Bhaskar in the finals which was held in Pune. 
• Sourabh Varma defeated B Sai Praneeth in the final to clinch the Senior National Badminton Championship title in Bangalore.. The ninth seeded PV Sindhu defeated second seed Neha Pandit in the women's singles final to lift the title. In the mixed doubles category, top seeds Arun Vishnu and Balan Aparna, In the Mens doubles Kona Tarun and Arun Vishnu in the women's doubles, second seeds Pradnya Gadre and Prajakta Sawant won the titles.

JAN 23RD TO 29TH

National Affairs

• The Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Rani Abbakka, the 1st of a series of five inshore patrol vessels (IPV)built at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, was commissioned at Visakhapatnam on 20 january. The ship, incidentally, is named after Abbakka Mahadevi, the legendary queen of Tulunadu, Karnataka who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th Century.
  
  
• The International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology (ICONSAT - 2012) will be held from January 20 to 23, 2012 at Hyderabad, India. The conference is being organized by International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad. The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India is the official sponsor of this conference and the above event is a regular biennial feature under its Nano Mission initiative.

Economic Affairs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 24 January 2012 cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points from 6 per cent to 5.5 percent with effect from 28 January 2012. RBI thus released Rs 32000 crore to banks. The RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 8.50 per cent for the second consecutive time after raising it 13 times between March 2010 and October 2011. It also kept Reverse Repo Rate unchanged.

Awards

• The Padma awards for the year 2012 were announced on the eve of India’s 63rd Republic Day. The Awards comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards. Padma Vibhushan
  1. Shri K G Subramanyan - Art-Painting & Sculpture - West Bengal
  2. Late Shri Mario De Miranda - Art-Cartoonist - Goa
  3. Late (Dr.)Bhupen Hazarika - Art- Vocal Music - Assam
  4. Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti - Medicine - Orthopedics - Maharashtra
  5. Shri T V Rajeswar - Civil Service - Delhi
  Padma Bhushan 
  1. Smt. Shabana Azmi - Art - Cinema - Maharashtra
  2. Shri Khaled Choudhury - Art - Theatre - West Bengal
  3. Shri Jatin Das - Art - Painting - Delhi
  4. Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta - Art - Instrumental Music - Sarod - West Bengal
  5. Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol alias Dharmendra - Art - Cinema - Maharashtra
  6. Dr. Trippunithwra Viswanathan Gopalkrishnan - Art - Classical vocal and instrumental music - Tamil Nadu
  7. Ms. Mira Nair - Art - Cinema - Delhi
  8. Shri M.S. Gopalakrishnan - Art - Instrumental Music-Violin - Tamil Nadu
  9. Shri Anish Kapoor - Art - Sculpture - UK*
  10. Shri Satya Narayan Goenka - Social Work - Maharashtra
  11. Dr. (Judge) Patibandla Chandrasekhar Rao - Public Affairs - Germany*
  12. Shri George Yong-Boon Yeo - Public Affairs - Singapore*
  13. Prof. Shashikumar Chitre - Science and Engineering - Maharashtra
  14. Dr. M S Raghunathan - Science and Engineering - Maharashtra
  15. Shri Subbiah Murugappa Vellayan - Trade and Industry - Tamil Nadu
  16. Shri Balasubramanian Muthuraman - Trade and Industry - Maharashtra
  17. Dr. Suresh H. Advani - Medicine - Oncology - Maharashtra
  18. Dr. Noshir H Wadia - Medicine-Neurology - Maharashtra
  19. Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty - Medicine-Cardiology - Karnataka
  20. Prof. (Dr.) Shantaram Balwant Mujumdar - Literature and Education - Maharashtra
  21. Prof. Vidya Dehejia - Literature and Education - USA*
  22. Prof. Arvind Panagariya - Literature and Education - USA*
  23. Dr. Jose Pereira - Literature and Education - USA*
  24. Dr. Homi K. Bhabha - Literature and Education - UK *
  25. Shri N Vittal - Civil Service - Kerala
  26. Shri Mata Prasad - Civil Service - Uttar Pradesh
  27. Shri Ronen Sen - Civil Service - West Bengal 
  Padma Shri awardees are - 
  1. Shri Vanraj Bhatia - Art - Music - Maharashtra
  2. Shri Zia Fariduddin Dagar - Art - Music - vocal - Maharashtra
  3. Smt. Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi - Art - Music- Khongjom Parba - Manipur
  4. Shri Ramachandra Subraya Hegde Chittani - Art - Yakshagana dance drama - Karnataka
  5. Shri Moti Lal Kemmu - Art - Playwright - Jammu and Kashmir
  6. Shri Shahid Parvez Khan - Art - Instrumental Music-Sitar - Maharashtra
  7. Shri Mohan Lal Kumhar - Art - Terracotta - Rajasthan
  8. Shri Sakar Khan Manganiar - Art - Rajasthani Folk Music - Rajasthan
  9. Smt. Joy Michael - Art - Theatre - Delhi
  10. Dr. Minati Mishra - Art - Indian Classical Dance-Odissi. - Orissa
  11. Shri Natesan Muthuswamy - Art - Theatre. - Tamil Nadu
  12. Smt. R. Nagarathnamma - Art - Theatre - Karnataka
  13. Shri Kalamandalm Sivan Nambootiri - Art - Indian Classical Dance- Kutiyattam - Kerala
  14. Smt. Yamunabai Waikar - Art - Indian Folk Music-Lavani. - Maharashtra
  15. Shri Satish Alekar - Art - Playwright - Maharashtra
  16. Pandit Gopal Prasad Dubey - Art - Chhau dance and choreography - Jharkhand
  17. Shri Ramakant Gundecha and Shri Umakant Gundecha# - Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal - Madhya Pradesh
  18. Shri Anup Jalota - Art-Indian Classical Music- Vocal - Maharashtra
  19. Shri Soman Nair Priyadarsan - Art - Cinema- Direction - Kerala
  20. Shri Sunil Janah - Art-Photography - Assam
  21. Ms. Laila Tyebji - Art-Handicrafts - Delhi
  22. Shri Vijay Sharma - Art-Painting - Himachal Pradesh
  23. Smt. Shamshad Begum - Social Work - Chattisgarh
  24. Smt. Reeta Devi - Social Work - Delhi
  25. Dr. P.K. Gopal - Social Work - Tamil Nadu
  26. Smt. Phoolbasan Bai Yadav - Social Work - Chattisgarh
  27. Dr. G. Muniratnam - Social Work - Andhra Pradesh
  28. Shri Niranjan Pranshankar Pandya - Social Work - Maharashtra
  29. Dr. Uma Tuli - Social Work - Delhi
  30. Shri Sat Paul Varma - Social Work - Jammu and Kashmir
  31. Smt.Binny Yanga - Social Work - Arunachal Pradesh
  32. Shri Yezdi Hirji Malegam - Public Affairs - Maharashtra
  33. Shri Pravin H. Parekh - Public Affairs - Delhi
  34. Dr. V. Adimurthy - Science and Engineering - Kerala
  35. Dr. Krishna Lal Chadha - Science and Engineering - Agriculture - Delhi
  36. Prof. Virander Singh Chauhan - Science and Engineering - Delhi
  37. Prof. Rameshwar Nath Koul Bamezai - Science and Engineering - Jammu and Kashmir
  38. Dr. Vijaypal Singh - Science and Engineering - Agricultural Research - Uttar Pradesh
  39. Dr. Lokesh Kumar Singhal - Science and Engineering - Punjab
  40. Dr. Yagnaswami Sundara Rajan - Science and Engineering - Karnataka
  41. Prof. Jagadish Shukla - Science and Engineering - USA*
  42. Ms. Priya Paul - Trade and Industry - Delhi
  43. Shri Shoji Shiba - Trade and Industry - Japan*
  44. Shri Gopinath Pillai - Trade and Industry - Singapore*
  45. Shri Arun Hastimal Firodia - Trade and Industry - Maharashtra
  46. Dr. Swati A. Piramal - Trade and Industry - Maharashtra
  47. Prof. Mahdi Hasan - Medicine-Anatomy - Uttar Pradesh
  48. Dr. Viswanathan Mohan - Medicine - Diabetology - Tamil Nadu
  49. Dr. J. Hareendran Nair - Medicine - Ayurveda - Kerala
  50. Dr. Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan - Medicine - Geriatrics - Tamil Nadu
  51. Dr. Jitendra Kumar Singh - Medicine - Oncology - Bihar
  52. Dr. Shrinivas S. Vaishya - Medicine-Healthcare - Daman and Diu
  53. Dr. Nitya Anand - Medicine - Drugs Research - Uttar Pradesh
  54. Late Dr. Jugal Kishore - Medicine - Homoeopathy - Delhi *
  55. Dr. Mukesh Batra - Medicine-Homeopathy - Maharashtra
  56. Dr. Eberhard Fischer - Literature and Education - Switzerland*
  57. Shri Kedar Gurung - Literature and Education - Sikkim
  58. Shri Surjit Singh Patar - Literature and Education - Poetry - Punjab
  59. Shri Vijay Dutt Shridhar - Literature and Education - Journalism - Madhya Pradesh
  60. Shri Irwin Allan Sealy - Literature and Education - Uttarakhand
  61. Ms. Geeta Dharmarajan - Literature and Education - Delhi
  62. Prof. Sachchidanand Sahai - Literature and Education - Haryana
  63. Smt. Pepita Seth - Literature and Education - Kerala
  64. Dr. Ralte L. Thanmawia - Literature and Education - Mizoram
  65. Shri Ajeet Bajaj - Sports - Skiing - Delhi
  66. Smt. Jhulan Goswami - Sports - Women's Cricket - West Bengal
  67. Shri Zafar Iqbal - Sports-Hockey - Uttar Pradesh
  68. Shri Devendra Jhajrija - Sports - Athletics- Paralympics - Rajasthan
  69. Shri Limba Ram - Sports - Archery - Rajasthan
  70. Shri Syed Mohammed Arif - Sports - Badminton - Andhra Pradesh
  71. Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi - Sports- Commentary - Delhi
  72. Shri Prabhakar Vaidya - Sports-Physical Education - Maharashtra
  73. Shri T. Venkatapathi Reddiar - Others-Horticulture - Puducherry
  74. Dr. K. (Kota) Ullas Karanth - Others-Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection - Karnataka
  75. Shri K Paddayya - Others-Archaeology - Maharashtra
  76. Shri Swapan Guha - Others-Ceramics - Rajasthan
  77. Dr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai - Others - Environmental Education - Gujarat 
• President of India Pratibha Patil conferred the Ashoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh (posthumous) on the occasion of the 63rd Republic Day Parade 2012 in New Delhi. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra for single-handedly eliminating four infiltrating terrorists on 20 August 20 2011.He was Ghatak Platoon Commander of 15 Maratha Light Infantry deployed in the High Altitude Area near the Line of Control. President also approved the award of three Kirti Chakra. For Lt. Col. Kamaldeep Singh , Capt. Ashutosh Kumar and Lt. Sushil Khajuria. 
• Bollywood music director Rajesh Roshan was elected for the Latamangeshkar award-2011 which was sponsored by government of Madhya Pradesh.

Sports

• Sixth seed GM Oliver Barbosa of Phillippines won the 10th Parsvnath International Open Grandmasters Chess tournament by defeating Indian IM Shyam Nikil. Indian International Master Lalith Babu won thebronze. 
  
  
• Senior Australian batsman Ricky Ponting was honoured with Austrlia’s highest civil honour along with a host of sportspersons of international repute. The former skipper was appointed an officer (AO) in the general division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the sport of cricket as a leading player, and to the community through the establishment of the Ponting Foundation.

Persons

• C. Jagannatha Rao- Senior congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh died of a heart attack in Secunderabad on 23 January 2012. Jagannatha Rao served as deputy Chief Minister in the Cabinet of Bhavanam Venkatram in 1982.
  
  
• Laura Dekker- the 16 year old dutch girl, on 21 January 2012 became the youngest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world.

JAN 16TH TO 22ND

International Affairs

• Pakistan's Supreme Court issued a contempt of court notice to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for failing to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Apex Court also asked the Pakistan Prime Minister to appear before it on 19 January 2012. A seven-judge bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk issued the order.

National Affairs

• The first batch of RICs (Resident Identity Cards) was launched by the home ministry at Porthrapur village in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 21 January 2012. The RIC cards were distributed to all persons above the age of 18 residing in the nine coastal states and four union territories under the National Population Register (NPR) scheme. The NPR scheme is aimed to provide valid identity to all people in these areas to strengthen the security along the country's coastline.
  
  
• The Government of India and the World Bank on 20 January 2012 signed an IDA credit of 130 million US dollars to finance the project NERLP (North East Rural Livelihoods Project), to empower rural communities in the North East region to improve their livelihood opportunities.The NERLP will enhance the livelihoods of the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth of the four participating states of Mizoram, Nagaland,Sikkim and Tripura.

Bilateral Relations

• India signed a multi-lateral agreement with France and Germany to check tax evasion and avoidance. It was signed under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a top global financial body, at its headquarters in Paris.

Awards

• 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held in Beverly Hills, California on 15 January 15 2012. The Artist, the French movie , directed by Michel Hazanavicius won three awards. Some of the winners of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards is as follows. Best Picture: Drama- The Descendants, Best Actor: Drama- George Clooney (The Descendants), Best Actress: Drama- Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Best Director- Martin Scorsese(Hugo), BestForeign Language Film- A Separation (Iran),Best Animated Film- The Adventures of Tintin. 
  
  
• Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2012 function was held in New Delhi on 16 January 2012. Vice President of India, Hamid ansari gave away the awards. The Pioneer’s J Gopikrishnanand CNBC-TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee were adjudged Journalist of the Year at the 5th Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism.CNN-IBN bagged three prestigious awards in various categories. The awards will cover the entire range of Indian media, Print & Broadcast, in English & Indian languages.The Ramnath Goenka foundation was set up in 1992 in the memory of late Ramnath Goenka, founder of The Indian Express, to encourage and propagate high-quality, objective journalism.
  
  
• Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) of Tripura University on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
  
  
• Secretary to the Ministry of culture, India Jawahar sirkar was awarded the British Museum Award .It was given for his reforms in the field of Indian museum.

Sports

• Rajasthan won its second consecutive Ranji Trophy title by defeating Tamil Nadu at the Chidambaram stadium, Tamil Nadu on 23 January 2012. V A Saxena of Rajasthan was awarded the Man of the Match in the final.

Persons

• Siddharth Varadarajan –succeded N. Ram as the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of The Hindu, Business Line , Frontline , and Sportstar.
  
  
• Pankaj Pachauri- Senior television journalist, Managing Editor of NDTV was appointed as Communication Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office , as Harish Khare resigned as media advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.He has been given the rank of additional secretary. 
  
  
• Homai Vyarawala- India’s first woman photojournalist, died on 15 January 2012 in Vadodara, Gujarat. She was the only professional woman photojournalist between 1939 and 1970. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2011 in recognition of her contribution as a photo-journalist.
  
  
• Nikhat Kazmi- noted film critic died on 20 January 2012 at 53. She reviewed films for the newspaper Times of India. She had also written books on Bollywood - Ire in the Soul: Bollywood's Angry Years and The Dream Merchants of Bollywood.

JAN 9TH TO 15TH

International Affairs

• UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has recognised the efforts of the tribal community of Koraput to conserve biodiversity and develop climate resilient farm practices as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Mentioning this at the inauguration of the 99th Indian Science Congress, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lauded the Koraput tribals for the achievement. He honoured Raita Maduli and Chandra Pradhan of Koraput for preserving the traditional agricultural system of the region. The recognition of the Koraput Traditional Agricultural System as a GIAHS site is expected to guarantee local and international efforts for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of its genetic resources.

National Affairs

• The 15th World Sanskrit conference was held from 5 to 10 January 2012 in New Delhi. It was organized by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and International Association of Sanskrit Studies. Scholars and delegates attended the six-day event from 32 countries. The 14th World Sanskrit conference was held in Kyoto, Japan.
  
  
• The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to counter terrorism effectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs proposed the NCTC. It will be a single window organisation that will gather and disseminate intelligence to central and state security organisations. 
  
  
• The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 10th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas event that was held on 7-9 January 2012 in Jaipur. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar was the Chief Guest of the event. “The Global Indian: Inclusive Growth” was the theme of the event. Prime Minister announced a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund for overseas Indian workers in this event. Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs announced that next Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2012 will be held in Dubai for the Gulf region.

Economic Affairs

• The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) notified the rules allowing 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail. Currently 51% FDI is permitted in this segment of retailing which was opened to foreign players almost six years ago.
  
  
• Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGENCO) announced the commissioning of a 1-MW photovoltaic-cell-based solar power plant at Priyadharsini Jurala Hydro-Electric Project. This is AP Genco's maiden entry into solar power generation. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), a public limited company under the control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, allocated this power project to AP Genco under phase-1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). 
  
  

Science and Technology

• The prestigious 99th Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at KIIT University Bhuwaneswar, Odisa. Noted scientist Geetha Bali, vice chancellor of Karnataka State Women's University, will preside over the event, being held on the theme of 'Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation - Role of Women'. KIIT University and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) are jointly hosting the event, which will also feature the Children’s Science Congress and Women Science Congress. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the Children’s Science Congress, while Nirupama Rao, India’s ambassador to United States of America, will inaugurate the Women’s Science Congress. Prime Minister announced that 2010-20 decade would be declared as ‘Decade of Innovation”.

Awards

• Senior Indian diplomat D. Bala Venkatesh Varma — a key member of the negotiating team that saw the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, was given the first S.K. Singh award. Award was given for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen India's position in the global nuclear order .Award was given by UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a high-profile function in New delhi. The award for excellence in the Indian Foreign Service is named after the former foreign secretary and Governor, Shailendra Kumar Singh. Mr. Varma was selected as the first recipient of the prestigious award.

Sports

• Argentina’s Lionel Messi was awarded the 2011 FIFA Best player award on 9 January 2012 in Zurich. He won the award for the third consecutive year. Japanese Homare Sawa was awarded the 2011 FIFA Best player in the women’s category. Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola was named FIFA Coach of the Year. 
  
  
• Kerala men won the National title for the fourth time, in the 60th senior National volleyballchampionship by defeating uttarakhand at the Balbir Juneja Indoor Stadium, Raipur on 11 January 2012. TheRailways won the national title in the women’s category.
• The Czech Republic defeated France and lifted its second Hopman Cup held in Perth, Australia. Thomas Berdych and Petra Kvitova represented the Czech. 
  
  
• Milos Raonic of Canada won the Chennai open tennis title,2012. Leander peas and Janko Tipsarevic won the mens doubles title. 
  
  
• The 19-year-old Rohith Lalith Babu became the 26th Grandmaster of India and fourth GM from Andhra Pradesh. Incidentally, the last Indian to become a GM was D Harika, also from the same state. Babu is also from the same city which World runners-up Humpy hails from. Harikrishna is the other GM from the A.P State.

JAN 2ND TO 8TH

National Affairs

• A United Nations Resource Centre for the North-East was set up at Guwahati, Assam on 2 January 2012. The centre happens to be the first of its kind in the country. The centre was formally inaugurated by the State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
  
  
• India announced that it became free from bird flu, H5N1 virus. The government made a declaration to this effect on 4 January 2012.

Science and Technology

• President Pratibha Patil visited the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on 2 January 2012 andinaugurated the new Mission Control Centre. The new centre has been developed with state-of-the-art facilities to meet the requirements for the launch of the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III and future missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).The President on this occasion also presented ISRO awards for the year 2008 and 2009. The lifetime achievement award for contribution to the Indian space programme was conferred on former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan.

Awards

• Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama was presented the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation on 4 January 2011. The granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Ila Gandhi, presented this award,which was instituted in 2003.The Gandhi Development Trust that gives the award is chaired by Ila Gandhi.
  
  
• Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was presented the Mallikarjun Mansur award which was instituted by the Karnataka government on 3 January 2012.

Persons

• Pro. Parvin Sinclair - Pro-Vice Chancellor, IGNOU, was appointed as the Director of National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) on 25 December 2011. 
  
  
• M.P. Muralidharan-has taken as the 19th Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard in place of Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra.