1: Britain Unveils New 50 Pence Coin to Celebrate Brexit

• Britain has unveiled a new 50 pence coin minted to mark Brexit (British exit). Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
• Finance Minister of Britain Sajid Javid, who is also Master of the Mint, was presented with the first batch of coins

1: Election Commission of India receives cabinets approval to ink agreement with EC of Tunisia and Papua New Guinea

2: Nation celebrates 71st Republic Day

• The nation celebrated the 71st Republic Day with a grand military parade and exhibition of its history, cultural diversity and strategic weaponry at the Rajpath, Delhi.
• The chief guest for this year’s republic day parade is Brazilian president, Jair Messias Bolsonaro.

3: Indian Railways commissions 1st waste to energy plant in Bhubaneswar – Indian Railways has commissioned India’s 1st governmental waste-to-energy plant in Mancheswar Carriage Repair workshop at Bhubaneswar under the East Coast Railway zone

4: World’s biggest meditation centre in Hyderabad

• World’s largest meditation centre was inaugurated at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, Telangana
• This centre is built to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Heartfulness Institute.

1: India’s 1st e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

• India’s first e-waste clinic is being opened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
• The e-waste clinic is jointly set up by the Central Pollution Control Board-CPCB and Bhopal Municipal Corporation-BMC.

2: Country’s first Super Fab Lab inaugurated by Kerala CM

• Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates India’s 1st Super Fab Lab in Kochi, Kerala
• The Super Fab Lab is being installed in collaboration with KSUM (Kerala Startup Mission). The laboratory will break down barriers between the physical world and the digital world.

3: Shiv Bhojan Scheme launched by Maharashtra Government – The scheme aims to provide a meal to the poor for just 10 rupees, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day.

4: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray inaugurates Nagpur Metro’s Aqua line – The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated 18.5 kilometre-long stretch of Nagpur Metro Aqua line of Maha Metro Rail Network

5: Surajkund Mela 2020 : The Largest Crafts Fair In The World

• President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Fair on February 1, 2020, in Faridabad, Haryana.
• For the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2020, the partner country of the fair is Uzbekistan. The state of Himachal Pradesh has been chosen to be the Theme State.

• Indian Navy Launches ‘Op Vanilla’ to Support Relief Operations in Cyclone-Hit Madagascar – Indian Navy has launched “Operation Vanilla” to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief at Madagascar. ‘Operation Vanilla’ has been launched to provide assistance to the affected population of Madagascar post devastation caused by Cyclone Diane
• Indian Coast Guard commissions high speed interceptor boat in Mangaluru – Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned a high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka. This interceptor boat built by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) shipyard

1: Sunil Arora assumes Chairmanship of FEMBoSA for 2020

• The Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) has got a new chairman- Sunil Arora for the year 2020
• The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Sunil Arora took over as the chairman from KM Nurul Huda who is the present Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh

2: India appoints Taranjit Singh Sandhu as India’s next Ambassador to USA

• Taranjit Singh Sandhu takes charge as the new Indian Ambassador to the United States
• He will succeed Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Sandhu is the current High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka since January 24, 2017

1: Ban over Dattu Bhokanal lifted by Rowing Federation of India

• Dattu Bhokanal, who was suspended in March, 2019 from the game by the Rowing Federation of India for the period of 2 years has been allowed to prepare for the Olympic qualification Regatta to be held in April 2020 at South Korea, as the ban imposed on him was lifted off by the Rowing Federation of India.

2: World Archery lifts suspension on India

• The World Archery has lifted the suspension on India and hence allowed the Indian Archers to represent India in the upcoming International tournaments
• The world body has advised the Archery Association of India to comply with the rules set up by the World Archery constitution to ensure the good governance in the sport

3: Esow Alben bags gold at Six Day Berlin cycling tournament

GoI, Government of Maharashtra and World Bank has signed USD 210 million loan agreement

• A USD 210 million loan agreement has been signed by the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra & the World Bank for Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
• The loan amount will be funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The loan will have a 6-year grace period with a maturity period of 13.5 years.

1: International Summit “Visualizing the Future: New Skylines” held in India

• India hosts the International Summit on Women in STEM “Visualizing the Future: New Skylines” at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
• Department of Biotechnology organized the summit which aimed to boost the women participation in STEM field for the development of scientific career.

2; Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2020 

• The World Sustainable Summit 2020 is an annual event organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) at New Delhi
• This year theme of the event is: ‘Towards 2030: Making the Decade Count’

‘Innovation Festival’ begins at Science Centre in Itanagar – The ‘Innovation Festival’ kicked off at the Science Centre in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The festival is being organized by the Arunachal Pradesh State Council for Science & Technology in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation.

• Assam tableau wins first prize at 71st Republic Day parade – The Tableaux of Assam wins the 1st prize at the Republic Day Parade, 2020 among the States/Union Territories. The theme of Assam’s tableau was “Land of unique craftsmanship and culture”.
• Abhijit Banerjee conferred with D Litt by Calcutta University – Abhijit Banerjee conferred with D Litt by Calcutta University

1: NBA legend Kobe Bryant passes away

• National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna
• Bryant was a 5-time NBA champion and 2-time Olympic gold medalist is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history

2: Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passes away – Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passed away. He was awarded Senior Fellowship in Visual Art Photography by Union Ministry of Culture during 2008-09

3: Sunita Chandra, Former Women’s Hockey Captain Passes Away – Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passed away. She was a prestigious Arjuna awardee

1: National Voters’ Day celebrated by India on 25th January

• India celebrated 10th edition National Voters’ Day of 25th of January with the theme ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy’ which aims to renew the citizens’ faith in the electoral process as well as to educate the voters of India

• Government announces sale of 100% stake in debt-laden Air India – The government of India announced a sale of 100% stake in debt-laden Air India. As part of the strategic disinvestment and has set March 17, as the deadline for submitting an expression of interest (EoI)
• India’s first underwater metro expected to be complete by March 2022 – The country’s 1st underwater metro project is set to complete its East-West Project of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, which runs partly under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022.
• SC allows Centre to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India – The Supreme Court allowed the Centre to introduce the African cheetah to suitable habitat in India. The rare Indian cheetah is almost extinct in the country, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had filed an application seeking permission for the introduction of the African cheetah from Namibia.
• Nepal creates Guinness World Record for highest altitude fashion show event – Nepal has created a new Guinness World Record for organizing highest altitude Fashion Show on the earth. The Mount Everest Fashion Runway was held at 5340 meters (17515 feet) elevation at Kala Patthar, near Everest base camp. 18 supermodels from 10 different countries walked the ramp to create history