SSB Current Affair Series: January 2016 - Part 2

Numerous national and international events have been covered in the Part 1 of this series which highlighted the updates for January 2016.The remaining updates for The month of January are as follows:

Click here to read : SSB Current Affair Series: January 2016 - Part 1
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 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 20 January 2016 successfully launched the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1-E satellite. The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and mapping services to the Indian sub continent. The satellite is the fifth of the IRNSS constellation. It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on-board the PSLV-C31.

·         India on 15 January 2016 celebrated the 68th Army Day. Annually, the day is celebrated to commemorate the day, when Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in post independence period.

·         The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the second week of January 2016 successfully test-fired Nag anti-tank missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. The test was conducted during a night trial to validate the enhanced 4-km range capability of Imaging-Infrared seeker, which guides the missile to the target after its launch.

·         Lieutenant General Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob (retired), hero of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and former Governor of Goa and Punjab, died on 13 January 2016 after prolonged illness in New Delhi. He was 92.

·         The Supreme Court (SC) on 11 January 2016 suggested the Parliament to enact a separate law to deal with child rape cases. The suggestion was given by a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra after hearing a writ petition filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA).

·         To combat recruitment of Americans to extremist groups like the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), US on 8 January 2016 introduced new initiatives. These initiatives aim at halting the extremist groups from radicalising and encourage violence online.

·         Delhi Government on 6 January 2016 scrapped the management quota and all other quotas, in private schools for nursery admissions. There will be only 25 percent reservation for economically weaker sections and the rest 75 percent will be made available to the general public.

·         India-Nepal Bus Service on 4 January 2016 resumed after a gap of 27 years. The service was suspended 27 years ago in the wake of the Indo-Nepal Trade and Transit Treaty. The service runs between Kanchanpur in Nepal, which is close to Banbasa border in Champavat district of Uttarakhand, and Anand Vihar ISBT in Delhi.

·         Pathankot: Terrorists attacked IAF Airbase: Several heavily armed terrorists belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed, an Islamist militant group, on 2 January 2016 attacked Pathankot Air Force Station, part of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

·         Amament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in the last week of December 2015 successfully test-fired Pinaka II multi barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) System.The three-day long user assisted trials were conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan.

·         Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on 3 January 2016 announced that his country has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran. The announcement was made amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric.

·         Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM), the missile co-developed by India and Israel, was successfully test-fired on 30 December 2015 on the Western Sea Board. The missile was fired from INS Kolkata and it successfully intercepted an aerial target at extended ranges. The test-fire was jointly carried out by the Indian Navy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries. For LRSAM or BARAK 8 missile, as it is called in Israel, it was the first test in India. Earlier, on 11 November 2015, it was successfully test-fired from a range in Israel. The missile was developed by the DRDL, Hyderabad in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries. It has been manufactured by M/s Bharat Dynamics Limited, India.

Keep reading for more updates and current affairs on SSB Vision. Keep your knowledge up to date.

About the Author: Ramandeep Singh gill from Delhi completed BSC in Hospitality and Hotel administration from IHM, PUSA. He loves to be surrounded by nature. Playing badminton is a stress buster for him. Great pet lover and interested in reading newspaper. Running and cycling always makes him feel energetic. Currently working as administration assistant cum IELTS Lecturer, he is a die heart defense aspirant.