• National

Prez Kovind approves re-promulgation of Triple Talaq ordinance

• According to Ministry of Law and Justice notification, President Ram Nath Kovind has approved re-promulgation The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019.
• The ordinance seeks to protect the rights of married Muslim women and criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq.
• The President has also re-promulgated Companies Amendment Ordinance 2019 and Indian Medical Council Amendment Ordinance 2019.

• National

Rajyavardhan Rathore launches National Youth Parliament Festival 2019

• Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 at a function in New Delhi.
• The theme of the festival is- Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and contribute to policy.
• The festival will continue till 24th of next month.
• The Ministry has decided to organise the youth festival at every district of the country so that the youth (18 to 25 years) can participate and discuss and debate about how to make a New India.

• Economy and Business

IDFC Bank renamed as IDFC First Bank

• Private sector lender IDFC Bank’s name has been changed to ‘IDFC First Bank Ltd’ with effect from 12 January 2019.
• IDFC Bank and Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) ‘Capital First’ completed their merger on 18 December 2018.
• V Vaidyanathan, Founder of Capital First Ltd, was appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the IDFC First Bank Ltd.

• Sports

Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul suspended pending an inquiry into comments on the TV show

• According to The Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai, Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul were suspended pending an inquiry into their comments on women during a TV show.
• The decision to hand them suspensions came after Rai’s CoA colleague Diana Edulji recommended suspension till further action against the two.
• Both will be sent home on the first available flight from Australia.

• Sports

Mahendra Singh Dhoni joins an elite list of Indian cricketers to score ten thousand runs

• India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the fifth player to score 10,000 runs (in 330 ODIs) for India in One-day International (ODI) Cricket.
• Earlier achieved are Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.
• Now Dhoni has over 10,050 runs at an average of 49.75, including 9 centuries and 67 fifties.
• Overall, Dhoni is the 13th player in history to score ten thousand runs in the ODIs.
• In 2001, India’s Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to cross the 10,000 runs mark in ODIs.

• Awards

Namita wins Sushila Devi Literature Award

• Writer Namita Gokhale won the ‘Sushila Devi Literature Award’ for her novel ‘Things to Leave Behind’ on 12 January 2019.
• She was awarded in the ‘Best Book of Fiction Written by a Woman Author’ category at the inaugural edition of Bhopal Literature and Art Festival (BLF).
• The literary event was attended by over 70 writers and artists.

• Important Days

Prakash Utsav of Guru Gobind Singh celebrated across the country

• The 352nd birth anniversary of the 10th & last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh is being celebrated across the country as ‘Prakashotsava’.
• The main function being held at “Takht Harmandar Sahib” in Patna Sahib (birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a 350-rupee commemorative coin as part of the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh in New Delhi.
• Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s entire life was devoted to serving the people and fighting for values of truth, justice, and compassion.
• Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Five K’s tradition of the Khalsa Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a wooden comb), Kara (an iron or steel bracelet worn on the wrist), Kirpan (a sword), Kacchera (short breeches).

• Important Days

Armed Forces Veteran Day observed on 14 Jan

• The Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed every year on 14 January.
• The day is celebrated as a mark of respect and recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal, who retired from service on 14 January 1953.
• M. Cariappa was the first Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.

• Obituaries

AAP leader and former banker Meera Sanyal passes away

• Banker-turned politician Meera Sanyal (57-years) passed away due to illness.
• She had joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after quitting her job as the country chief executive (CEO) of Royal Bank of Scotland.
• She contested the Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully in 2014 from Mumbai South constituency.
• Sanyal also authored a book entitled ‘The Big Reverse: How Demonetization Knocked India Out’.
• Sanyal was also awarded as Philanthropist of the Year by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in 2011.

• States

Sikkim CM launched ‘one family, one job’ scheme

• Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has launched the ‘One Family One Job’ scheme in Gangtok.
• Now, Sikkim has become the first state in the country to carry out such a programme for the people entitling them to state government employee benefits.
• Under this Scheme, every family one government job has been allotted.
• New recruits were taken for Group C and Group D posts in 12 departments.

• States

Punjab govt to regularise over 5100 teachers with full pay scale

• The Punjab government will regularise over 5100 teachers with full pay scale next month.
• According to State Education Minister O P Soni said, the state government is making efforts to uplift educational standards in the state.
• ‘Sikhya Providers’ and “volunteer teachers” will get a pay hike of 1,500 rupees from next month.
• Those teachers who were suspended during their protests had been reinstated and the teachers who were temporarily sent to distant places had been ordered to join at their parent stations.

• Miscellaneous

India’s largest startup ecosystem inaugurated

• India’s largest startup ecosystem was inaugurated in Kerala on 13 January 2019.
• The Integrated Startup Complex under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) includes the ultra-modern facilities of Maker Village that promote hardware startups.
• It also includes the ‘BioNest’ that promotes medical technologies, BRINC which is the country’s first international accelerator for hardware startups.