2019 Bharat Ratna awarded to Pranab Mukherjee, Bhupen Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh 

  • PM Modi said that President Mukherjee is an outstanding statesman of our times and has served the nation selflessly for decades.
  • Hazarika is a singer and musician, and Deshmukh is the leader of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
  • Centre also announced Padma Awards wherein Padma Vibhushan were conferred to folk artist Teejan Bai, Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Larsen and Toubro chairperson Anilkumar Manibhai Naik, and writer and theatre personality Balwant Moreshwar Purandare.  
  • Padma Bhushan Award was conferred to 14 people and Padma Shri Award to 94 people.

SC to examine upper-caste quota but refuses to stay its implementation

  • The Court has issued notice to the Centre to respond to a plea filed against the 10% upper-quota to upper caste people.
  • Multiple petitions have been filed challenging the constitutional amendments that has given way to reservation to the upper caste.
  • Youth for Equality filed the petition saying that the amendment will encourage more and more groups to demand reservation.
  • Political parties from Tamil Nadu, DMK and Dravidar Kazhagam, have also filed petition against the amendment in Madras High Court.

US government shutdown ends temporarily

  • President Trump signed a bill to open the government for 3 weeks.
  • The opposition did not relent from their stance and the President had to open the government without getting any funding for the border wall.
  • The shutdown lasted for 35 days in which several federal workers were furloughed and emergency staff had to work without any payment.
  • President Trump wanted $5.7 billion funding for border wall to be approved by the Congress.
  • A bipartisan committee will be formed to look at the border wall funding.

Gita Gopinath conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

  • President Ram Nath Kovind, apart from IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath, conferred the award to 30 other people.  
  • The award is given to Overseas Indians or People of Indian Origin for promoting Indian culture abroad, exemplary achievement in one’s field, or working on social and humanitarian causes among others. 
  • The award was given during Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held in Varanasi.