1) Filmmaker
Pahlaj Nihalani appointed new censor board chief: Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani
was on 19 January 2015 appointed chairperson of the censor board, days after
Leela Samson resigned as its chief alleging interference by the government in
its matters. The government also reconstituted the board appointing nine others
as members including BJP leader Vani Tripathi Tikoo and filmmakers Ashoke
Pandit and Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. An official statement said that Nihalani was
appointed as chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in
an honorary capacity for a period of three years or until further orders,
whichever is earlier.
2) Eminent
political scientist, theorist Rajni Kothari passed away: Eminent political
scientist and theorist Rajni Kothari passed away on 19 January 2015. Kothari
was the founder of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in 1963,
a social sciences and humanities research institute, based in Delhi and Lokayan
(Dialogue of the People), started in 1980 as a forum for interaction between
activists and intellectuals. Kothari was
member of the Planning Commission during the National Front government led by V
P Singh.
3) Indian-American
Frank Islam received Martin Luther award: An eminent Indian-American
entrepreneur and philanthropist, Frank Islam, has been presented with the
prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award, in recognition of his contribution to
the legacy of the great leader, through his efforts in international service
and civil engagement. The award, which carries the name of Martin Luther King
Jr, an apostle of peace, is about building bridges between humanity.
4) Ex-Minister
Krishna Tirath joined BJP: Former UPA Cabinet minister and Congress leader
Krishna Tirath joined BJP on 19 January 2015, in a move that may help the party
gain support of dalits in the coming assembly elections. Krishna Tirath, who
served as women child and development minister in the UPA Cabinet, met BJP
chief Amit Shah and joined the party.
5) ICICI
Bank customers can use Twitter to transfer money: ICICI Bank, India’s
largest private sector bank, on 19 January 2015 announced the launch of banking
services on Twitter, the first of its kind service, in India. Christened,
‘icicibankpay’, enables ICICI Bank customers to transfer money to anyone in the
country who has a Twitter account, check account balance, view last three
transactions and recharge prepaid mobile “in a completely secure manner”. For
fund transfer, the sender needs to know the beneficiary's Twitter handle. The
sender will get an SMS with a unique code after the transfer; the beneficiary
would need to enter it on the special webpage where he/she would be directed,
to complete the transaction. ICICI Bank claimed it is the first in Asia and
only second in the world to offer a Twitter-based fund transfer service.
6) RBI
asked banks to review minimum lending rate every quarter: The Reserve Bank
of India, on 19 January 2015, asked banks to notify the Base Rate, or the
minimum lending rate, at least once in every three months based on the cost of
funds, a move seen as a nudge to lenders to pass on the changes in the policy
rate to borrowers. The direction comes soon after the RBI cut the repo rate by
0.25 percentage point, the first reduction in 20 months, to boost credit and
economic growth. The new guidelines will come into effect from February 19.
7) Kiran
Bedi to be BJP's CM candidate in Delhi: BJP on 19 January 2015 announced
that former IPS officer Kiran Bedi will be its chief ministerial candidate for
the upcoming elections in Delhi. Addressing a news conference after the party's
central election committee meet, BJP president Amit Shah said, "BJP's
parliamentary board has decided that the party will contest Delhi elections
under the leadership of Kiran Bedi. She will also be our CM candidate."
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