January Current Affairs 2010

·        Shri R. Gopalan assumed the office of Secretary, Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to this, Shri Gopalan was serving as Special Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

·        Australian skipper Ricky Ponting beat Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, legends Shane Warne, Jacques Kallis, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and many others to be voted as the "ESPN Cricinfo Player of the Decade for the 2000s".

·        Veteran diplomat Shivshankar Menon, appointed as the new National Security Adviser (NSA).

·        Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati launched various welfare schemes to the tune of over Rs 7,312 crores on the occasion of her 54th birthday, being observed as "Jan Kalyankari Diwas".

·        Marxist patriarch and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu died.

·        Kuldip Singh, director, technical, of telecom PSU MTNL, has been appointed the new chairman and managing director. His appointment came after his predecessor R S P Sinha's tenure ended on January 9, this year. 

·        Bollywood star Salman Khan conferred the 'Pride of the Nation' award for spreading the message of patriotism, secularism and national integration through films. Constituted by Anti Terrorist Front.

·        The US plans to spend a whopping USD 200 million this year to revamp Pakistan's deteriorating public education system.

·        An Indian delegation headed by Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy attended the 3rd World Future Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi. .

·        The government said that it has provided nearly Rs 49 crore subsidy till November 2009 under the special purpose tea fund for redeveloping old tea gardens.

·        Nearly 90 per cent of world's 7,000 oral languages will disappear within the next 100 years, according to a UN report.

·        Noted magician Atul Patil has been elected president of the Society of Indian Magician.

·        United Kingdom-based Cadbury, the world's second biggest confectionery company with huge operations in India, agreed to being taken over by Kraft Foods after agreeing to an improved offer from the US food giant. The improved takeover offer is worth $18.9 billion.

·        Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui voted most desirable women 2010.

·        India still has the largest number of illiterate adults in the world, a new UN report on education.

·        Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor was decorated with the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by President Ram Baran Yadav.

·        India has been rated the 124th freest economy in the world, according to the 16th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. 

·        Veteran diplomat Shivshankar Menon, appointed as the new National Security Adviser (NSA).

·        India has been named the guest country at the 23rd Turin International Book Fair in Italy from May 13-17.

·        Maharashtra government has decided to gift Rs 50,000 to a couple opting for inter-caste marriage.

·        Net direct tax collections during first three quarters of the present fiscal (up to December 2009) stood at Rs.2,50,232 crore, up from Rs.2,30,598 crore in the same period last fiscal, registering a growth of 8.51 percent. Growth in Corporate Taxes was 13.47 percent (Rs.1,66,503 crore as against Rs.1,46,737 crore), while Personal Income Tax (including STT, and residual FBT and BCTT) grew at -0.41 percent (Rs.83,178 crore as against Rs.83,524 crore).