Top Current Affairs 20 January 2015

1- Eminent Indian-origin Mathematician and Fields medalist recipient Manjul Bhargava to lead the PM Modi’s teach-in-India project “GIAN”.

• He will rope in finest global minds in research and education to teach students at IITs and central universities.
• Global Initiative of Academic network (GIAN), is a short-term teaching programme under which scholars abroad will be invited to teach in India.
• He is the first Indian origin person to win the coveted mathematical honour – Fields medal.
• 2- Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani is appointed as the new Chairperson of the Censor Board (Central Board of Film Certification) for a 3-year term.
  • The centre also filled up the post of other nine members who had resigned with the outgoing chief Leela Samson citing interference in its affairs by the I&B ministry.
  • Few of the notable entrants are: Dr Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, Ashok Pandit and Vani Tripathi.
  3- UN declares west African nation Mali ‘free of Ebola’ after no new infection cases were noticed for the last 42 days.
  4- Frank Islam, famous Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist, bags prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award.
  • He was recognized for his efforts in international service and civil engagement forwarding the legacy of the Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Martin is prominently known as the tallest leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement of US.
  5- India’s NSIC inks MoU with Black Business Council (South Africa) for developing youth owned enterprises in South Africa.
  • NSIC will set up 5 Rapid Incubation Programme with objective to economically empower the marginalized group in the rainbow-nation.
  • NSIC is a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of MSME.
  6- ONGC (Dehradun) lifts 10th Savio Cup All-India Basketball Tournament. The defending champion ruled the roost again by defeating arch rival Indian Overseas Bank (Chennai) with a 63-53 scoreline in the final.
  7- IITs and the ONGC comes together for a collective R&D programme for developing indigenous technologies to enhance exploration and Exploitation of hydrocarbons and alternate sources of energy.