Daily Current Affairs Updates: 6 January 2015

1) Sindhushree Khullar to be appointed NITI Aayog CEO: Former Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar is set to be appointed as CEO of the newly formed NITI Aayog. Khullar's name has been cleared for appointment as CEO of the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), sources said, adding that orders could be issued any time. Khullar, a 1975 batch UT cadre IAS officer, had taken over as Secretary Planning Commission in April 2012 replacing the Member Secretary of the body Sudha Pillai. 

2) PM released commemorative coin on Jamsetji Tata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 January 2015 praised Jamsetji Tata for his vision of environment-friendly energy as he released a commemorative coin to mark the 175th birth anniversary of the pioneering industrialist. Modi paid tributes to the founder of the Tata Group saying those who create history, without seeking or holding power, are truly great, an official release said. He praised Tata for his vision of environment-friendly energy and for his initiatives for welfare of the people associated with the group.

3) Keshari Nath Tripathi sworn in as Meghalaya Governor: West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was sworn in as Meghalaya Governor at the Raj Bhavan in Shillong on 6 January 2015. Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Tripathi at the century-old Raj Bhavan which was attended by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, his Cabinet colleagues and senior civil and police officials. Mr. Tripathi became the 19th Governor of this hill State, succeeding Krishan Kant Paul, who has been made Uttarakhand Governor. Mr. Tripathi would continue to hold the office of Governor of West Bengal until further orders, Raj Bhavan sources said.

4) Sensex crashed 900 points, its biggest fall in over 5 years: The BSE Sensex crashed 905 points in intraday trade on 6 January 2015, tracking a sharp selloff across global makets. The Sensex ended 855 points lower at 26,987, its biggest one-day point fall since July 6, 2009. The major news which led to sell-off in global markets was the announcement of crude oil prices, which slipped below $50/barrel, to hit their fresh 5-1/2-year lows.

5) Brahma likely to be appointed as CEC: Senior-most Election Commissioner Hari Shankar Brahma is likely to be appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing VS Sampath, who demits office on January 15. Brahma, a 1975 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, took charge as Election Commissioner on August 25, 2010. A native of Bodoland in Assam, he was born on April 19, 1950. He will carry out his term till April 18, 2015 — either for six years in the Commission or till the age of 65, whichever comes earlier.

6) Delhi Police filed a case of murder in Sunanda Pushkar's death: In a sensational twist to the mysterious death of Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, Delhi Police on 6 January 2015 registered a case of murder after a medical report said her death was unnatural and was caused due to poisoning but nobody has been named as a suspect as yet. Disclosing this, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi did not rule out questioning Tharoor, now a Congress MP and a former Union Minister.

7) Ordinance to amend Citizenship Act promulgated: Government on 6 January 2015 promulgated an ordinance that seeks to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes, by which PIOs will also get life-long Indian visa. The President has signed the Citizenship Ordinance. The amendments through the ordinance to the Citizenship Act will benefit PIOs and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit. The decision came in the backdrop of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas which is set to begin of Jan 07.

8) Coal workers begin five-day strike: Trade unions on 6 January 2015 began a five-day coal industry strike, terming it as the biggest industrial action for any sector since 1977. The unions have gone on strike to protest against 'disinvestment and restructuring of state-run Coal India' and to press for their other demands including the roll-back of what they call as "process of denationalising of coal sector".

9) Sutirtha Bhattacharya is the new Coal India CMD: Sutirtha Bhattacharya on 5 January 2015 took charge as Coal India Limited’s full-time Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). The post was vacant for over six month. Prior to taking the charge of Coal India, Bhattacharya, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre was the CMD of the state-owned Singareni Collieries Company.

10) Amitabh Bachchan to be brand ambassador of Andhra Pradesh health department: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan will be the brand ambassador for the medical and health department of Andhra Pradesh, health minister Kamineni Srinivas said in Hyderabad on 6 January 2015.

11) BCCI announced 15-man World Cup squad:  Indian national selectors announced the much-awaited 15-member squad for the ICC World Cup 2015, scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from February 14. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will once again lead India in the quadrennial event, who will be the defending champions this time around. The batting mainstay in the Indian batting line up Virat Kohli will be Dhoni's deputy.