Current Affairs January, 2017

• Bunkar Mitra Helpline for Handloom Weavers went live
• Google launches My Business and Digital Unlocked tool for small and medium businesses
• Veteran actor Om Puri passes away

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of an Agreement for cooperation (AoC) between India and Portugal in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The Union Cabinet has approved signing and ratifying an Agreement between India and Uruguay for cooperation and mutual assistance in Customs Matters.

Internet giant Google launched two new initiatives My Business and Digital Unlocked to train and help small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India capitalise on the digitisation wave faster.

The Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement Toolkit for Police.

The Union Ministry of Textiles Bunkar Mitra Helpline for Handloom Weavers went live. This helpline can be accessed by dialing the toll free number 1800-208-9988.

Scientists from Ireland have claimed discovery of a new human organ named the mesentery that exists in the digestive system. It will be human body̢۪s 79th organ. Mesentery connects the intestine to the abdomen.

Veteran actor Om Puri passed away following massive cardiac arrest in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 66.

• Election Commission announces dates for assembly elections in five states
• Government launches Swachh Bharat Survekshan 2017 in 500 cities
• Government approves new projects under Namami Gange for Haridwar and Varanasi

Eleven days before the first ODI against England, to be played at Pune, Dhoni informed the BCCI that he has stepped down as India captain from both the 50-over and 20-over formats.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Surekha Marandi as its Executive Director (ED). She was appointed in place of U S Paliwal who retired on December 31, 2016.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved new projects under Namami Gange programme in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).