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• Justice Minister Rory Stewart said The UK government is considering scrapping jail terms of six months or less in England and Wales in a bid to ease pressure on prisons.


• Around 30,000 criminals including burglars and most shoplifters could be spared jail every year under the proposed move, according to reports. Exceptions would be made for violent or sex offenders.

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• The ongoing US partial government shutdown entered its 22nd day, breaking the record to become the longest government shutdown in US history.


• The partial government shutdown was imposed after opposition Democrats resisted President Donald Trump's demand for $5 billion for Mexico border wall. Some 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay due to the shutdown.

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• India Rejected Pakistan's accusations of the involvement of RAW in the terrorist attack at the Chinese consulate in Karachi last year, calling it a "fabricated and scurrilous" attempt.


• India's Ministry of External Affairs said "Instead of maliciously pointing fingers at others, Pakistan needs to look inwards and undertake action against support to terrorism and terror infrastructure".

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• The 25th edition of the CII Partnership Summit 2019, a global platform for dialogue, debate, deliberation and engagement among Indian and global leaders on economic policy and growth trends in India, kicked off in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The event will be concluded on 13th January 2019.


• The summit which was inaugurated by the Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu also saw the presence of Chief Minister, Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, Governor of Maharashtra C. Vidyasagar Rao and Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu besides other dignitaries.


• The summit will offer new partnerships and investment opportunities in sectors like Artificial Intelligence, big data, agri and food processing, defence and aeronautics, renewable energy and tourism.


• The summit is being organised by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Maharashtra Government and Confederation of Indian Industry.


• The inaugural session of the summit themed at `New India: Rising to Global Occasions‘ will be attended by over 1000 delegates from 40 countries.


• This edition of the summit will showcase India in the present landscape of an emerging “New India”, the “New Global Economic Address”.


• On the side-lines of the Summit, Union Commerce Minister, Suresh Prabhu will also hold bilateral meetings with various foreign dignitaries.

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• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme, under which about 95 lakh families in the State will each get four LED bulbs free of cost.


• The scheme in which the LED bulbs (9-watt each) will be distributed to the beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) was launched during the ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash’ programme.


• Distribution of the bulbs will be started through the PEETHA (Peoples Empowerment – Enabling Transparency and Accountability of Odisha Initiatives) schemes on January 15.


• The scheme will be implemented by Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) and the bulbs will be distributed through camps to be held during 15th to 20th of every month and through the PDS outlets across the State.


• The beneficiaries will have to produce their bio-metric authentication to avail benefits under the scheme.
  
• The ‘Ama Ghare LED’ project, which requires about 3.8 crore LED bulbs for distribution, will help curb high-watt consumption.

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• the three-day 6th annual ‘Women of India Organic Festival’ commenced at Leisure Valley, Sector-10, Chandigarh.


• This is the first time the event is being held in Chandigarh.


• It aims to celebrate and promote women farmers and entrepreneurs in the organic sector from the remotest parts of India.


• It has been organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.


• Shri B.L. Sharma, Secretary, Women and Child Development, UT Chandigarh was the Chief Guest Smt. Anuradha Chagti, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India was be the Guest of Honour in the event.


• On January 14th, as part of the event, the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) Mohali Regional Centre would be inaugurated by Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development.


• The Festival will showcase over 1,000 varied organic products, including fabric, wellness, grains, seeds, jewellery, bakery items and a lot more.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs announced release of Rs 637.98 crore during 2018-19 to 17 states to develop the living standards of people living within 50 kilometres of the International Border.


• This will be given under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP).


• Earlier in 2017-18, the ministry had released Rs 1,100 crore for the all-round development of villages along the international borders.


• With the release of total amount of Rs 13,400 crore, since its inception in in 1986-87, BADP aims covers 111 border districts in 17 states to meet special development needs of border population with a focus on the people living within 50 kilometres of the international border.


• Schemes under the BADP include construction of primary health centres, schools, supply of drinking water, community centres, connectivity, drainage to enable sustainable living.


• 61 model villages are also being developed under the BADP.

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• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under the relevant provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on Citibank India for non-compliance in criteria for directors of the bank.


• Citibank has been accused of deficiencies in regulatory compliance and of directions regarding the ‘fit-and-proper criteria’ for directors of the bank.


• The US-based Citibank has been operating in India for over 115 years.

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• The global consulting firm PwC and industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) held a new survey of manufacturers and released a report titled “The India Manufacturing Barometer 2019”.


• The report projected that India’s economy is expected to grow anywhere between 7.3 – 7.7 per cent.


• The report concluded that about 74 per cent of manufacturers are hopeful of a faster growth rate in their respective sectors over the next 12 months while about 58% expect their sector to grow faster by at least 5% in the next 12 months.


• The sample for the survey includes companies of the sectors like automobiles, chemicals, electrical machinery, food processing, leather, pharmaceuticals and textiles that contribute approximately 12 per cent to the manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.


• The report pointed that the severe lack of working capital continues to be a pain point for micro, small and medium enterprises.

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• Dhoni makes his place in the list 10000 runs club like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli had scored 10,000 ODI runs for India. Former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the fifth Indian to reach the milestone of 10,000-run mark in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for the country.


• On to date, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was missing the feat by just a run, entered the 10,000th club with a single off Jhye Richardson in the ongoing first ODI between India and Australia and is the 12th player in history of ODI cricket to reach the 10,000-runs.

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• Gurgaon’s 8-year-old Kartik Singh won the under-8 category Junior world title at the Kids’ Golf World Championship organised by US kids Golf in Malaysia to become the youngest Indian to win the title.


• Kartik is a member of the junior programme at the DLF Golf Academy.


• The DLF Golf Academy which was opened in 1999, is the first professional golf school in the country and Karan Bindra is the Director of Instruction.

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• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, awarded the Honorary Rank of General of the Indian Army on Sukirtimaya Rashtradeep General Purna Chandra Thapa, Chief of the Army Staff, Nepal Army, for his immense military skills and immeasurable contribution to bring up Nepal’s long and friendly relationship with India, at a special Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.


• Thapa assumed the command of the Nepal Army in September 2018. Nepal army chief is to arrive India on a four day visit. It will be his first official bilateral visit after taking over the command of the Nepal Army.


• On 10th January 2019, Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi won the long delayed Presidential Election by receiving more than 7 million or 38% votes.

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• Yes Bank, India’s fourth largest private sector bank, said it has appointed Brahm Dutt as non-executive part-time chairman to the board. The Yes Bank board had on December 13, 2018 finalised the recommendation for the Chairman and submitted it to the RBI for approval after its earlier Chairman Ashok Chawla resigned.


• Yes bank in its report,told that RBI following the law of Banking regulation Act 1949 has approved Dutt’s appointment as part-time chairman of Yes Bank’s board up till July 4, 2020.


• Dutt has been on the board of the bank since July 2013 as an independent director, and has contributed to almost all the sub-committees of the board over the past 5.5 years. He also shares the additional post of Chair of the Nomination and Remuneration committee.


• Yes Bank’s board also includes Mukesh Sabharwal, Subhash Kalia, Ajai Kumar, Pratima Sheorey, Uttam Prakash Agarwal, TS Vijayan, and Rana Kapoor (Managing Director and CEO).


• Yes Bank executive Rajat Monga and a CEO of a foreign bank have been shortlisted as to succeed long-serving managing director and chief executive officer Rana Kapoor in the bank.

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• Lt Gen J S Nain took over as the 14th Corps Commander of the Rising Star Corps from Lt Gen Y V K Mohan in Jammu.


• He is a soldier and an alumnus of the National Defence Academy.


• Based in Yol cantonment town in Kangra Valley, southeast of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, the Rising Star Corps was raised in 2005 and is the Indian Army’s youngest corps.

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• Banker-turned-politician Meera Sanyal passed away at 57.


• She was the country chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland when she quit and joined the Aam Aadmi Party.


• She also unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Mumbai twice, in 2009 and 2014.


• In 2018, she also wrote a book named: ‘The Big Reverse: How Demonetization Knocked India Out’.