 An agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project was signed in New Delhi among the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand in the presence of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari. All the six Chief Ministers were present on the occasion. Under the agreement, three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries – Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. In addition to this, a concession agreement was also signed for Namami Gange projects for the city of Prayagraj under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One City One Operator Concept. |
| Source- The Indian Express |
 The 32nd Meeting of GST Council was concluded in New Delhi. The Limit of annual turnover for composition scheme increased to 1.5 crore rupees effective from April 1, 2019. The Council has decided to increase the GST registration threshold limit to 40 lakh rupees from 20 lakh. The Taxpayers who are giving Services of up to Rs 50 lacs per annum will be taxed under 6% under Composition Scheme. The council has decided to simplify the compliance under the composition scheme. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 The National Youth Day is celebrated across the country on 12th January. NYD 2019 is the 156th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Known for his pragmatic approach towards spirituality, inter-faith harmony and modernization, Vivekananda is often considered an inspiration for India’s youth. Since 1985, his birth anniversary has been celebrated as National Youth Day.Vivekananda died at the young age of 39, attaining Mahasamadhi in 1902. |
Some Interesting Facts on Youth in India:
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| Source- The Firstpost |
 The 11th edition of EIU Democracy Index 2018 was released by the Economist Intelligent Unit compiling the state of democracies in 167 countries in the world. In the list, Norway topped and India has ranked at 41st place on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Global Democracy Index. The Index was started in 2006. |
The top 3 performing countries on the Democracy Index 2018 are:
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| Source- The Economist |
 ISRO Chairman Dr. K Sivan has announced that the organization is well prepared to meet the targets of launching Gaganyaan manned mission to outer space by December 2021. Under Gaganyaan project, India is planning to send three astronauts to outer space for seven days and bring them back. 332 launches are planned this year. Important among them are Chandrayaaan -2 mission to the moon in mid-April. GSAT-20 Satellite for high bandwidth connectivity to be launched in September-October. |
| Source- DD News |
 The Environment Ministry launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)aimed at reducing toxic particulate matter in 102 Indian cities by 2024. The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year plan with 2019 as the first year, while 2017 will be the base year for comparison of concentration. An amount of INR300 crore has been sanctioned for this purpose. |
| Source: The New Indian Express |
 India’s longest 300-meter single lane steel cable suspension bridge was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. He also laid the foundation stone for a district secretariat building. The bridge across the Siang river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has been named Byorung Bridge. It is built at a cost of ?48.43-crore provided by the DONER (Department for Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry. The Bridge will reduce the distance from Yinkiong to Tuting by almost 40 km. The Centre had sanctioned 268 road projects worth ?3,800-crore under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Mr. Khandu also announced ?10-crore for a project to check river erosion at Yingkiong and Tuting. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 Indian men’s hockey coach Harendra Singh was removed from the position and offered the task of helming the junior squad by the national federation. Harendra Singh was brought in as men’s coach in May 2018 after Sjoerd Marijne was moved back to the women’s camp. Hockey India stated that it will be inviting applications for the position of chief coach and in the interim, the team will be overseen by Hockey India High-Performance Director David John and current Analytical Coach, Chris Ciriello. |
| Source: News on AIR |
 M C Mary Kom has attained number one position in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) latest world rankings. She became the most successful boxer in world championships’ history when she claimed the 48kg category top honors in Delhi in November 2018. In the 51kg category list, Pinki Jangra is placed eighth. Asian silver-medallist Manisha Maun is placed eighth in the 54kg category. In the 57kg division, former world silver-medallist Sonia Lather was placed at the second spot. |
| Source- DD News |
 President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Birendra Prasad Baishya,has been named Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is for the first time that the Weightlifting has been accorded with the honor of Chef de Mission for the Olympics. Baishya is also one of the Indian Olympic Association Vice Presidents. |
| Source- AIR World Service |
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