Current Affairs JANUARY 2021 Set 01

PREFACE

It gives us great pleasure to release the monthly edition of the PRAVAHINI - Monthly e-Compendium & Weekly e-Periodicals of Current Affairs. The magazine’s members have shown considerable cooperation as well as devotion. We at successmantra.in work tirelessly to create this magazine and bring it to you with a great sense of gratitude.

The PRAVAHINI January-2021 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of October. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including CLAT, AILET, DU-LLB, HM, CAT, IAS, PCS, SSC, Banking, MBA and various other competitive examinations.

Current Affairs play the bigger role in many competitive and government exams. It holds the power of making or breaking your chance of success. Therefore, the candidates should cover the Current Affairs thoroughly and smartly.

The PRAVAHINI January-2021 eBook is divided into different sections keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered namely International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment, Science & Technology, Legal Affairs, Sports, States News Makers and few others.

We would also be pleased to receive any suggestion that could assist us with the upcoming editions.

Success Mantra (GTB Nagar, Delhi)

Website: www.successmantra.in

Mail Id: [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Affairs
2. International Affairs
3. Economic Affairs
4. Appointments
5. Awards And Honors
6. Important Dates & Sports
7. Reports And Indexes
8. Science & Technology
9. Miscellaneous

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

PM MODI LAID FOUNDATION STONE OF LIGHT HOUSE PROJECTS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) at six sites across six States through video conference on 1st January 2021.
• The LHPs will be implemented at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
• The project is being constructed under the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India. It has been conceptualised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

INDIA'S FIRST TESTBED TIHAN LAUNCHED AT IIT HYDERABAD

• Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has virtually laid the foundation stone of “TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad”, India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial) at IIT Hyderabad.
• The Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Systems (TiHAN) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles at IIT Hyderabad.
• The developed testbed will be available for use by all the industries, R&D labs, academia conducting research and development in the broad areas of autonomous navigation.

DGCI APPROVED 2-VACCINE OF COVID-19 FOR EMERGENCY USE

• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has formally announced the final approval for Oxford-AstraZeneca “Covishield” and Bharat Biotech “Covaxin” vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for emergency use.
• About Covishield: The subject expert committee (SEC) under CDSCO had recommended Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) as Covishield, for emergency use and Covaxin for restricted use.
• About Covaxin: Covaxin is the indigenous vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• • Serum Institute of India CEO: Adar Poonawalla.
  • Serum Institute of India Founder: Cyrus S. Poonawalla.
  • Serum Institute of India Headquarters location: Pune.

PM INAUGURATED NATIONAL METROLOGY CONCLAVE 2021

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the National Metrology Conclave, via video conferencing on January 04, 2021.
• National Metrology Conclave 2021 was organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, to mark its 75th year of inception.
• This year theme: ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.

UNION MINISTERS LAUNCHED TOYCATHON-2021

• The Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister WCD and Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani jointly launched Toycathon-2021 and the Toycathon Portal.
• Toycathon is being organized to develop India as the global Toy manufacturing hub.
• Toycathon will provide a platform to conceptualize innovative toys based on the Indian value system which will inculcate the positive behaviour and good value among the children.

INTERNATIONAL AKHAND CONFERENCE 'EDUCON 2020'

• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has inaugurated the two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ through video conferencing.
• This two-day International Conference is being organized by the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) in collaboration with the Global Educational Research Association (GERA).
• The focal theme of EDUCON-2020 is Envisioning Education for Transforming Youth to Restore Global Peace. This conference is the first of its kind in India where scholars across the world would be continuously having non-stop marathon dialogue sessions for 31 hours exploring the possibilities of the use of ICT in the higher education to promote the equitable quality education in India.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

INDIAN CHOSEN AS THE CO-CHAIR OF APAP

• India has been chosen as the co-chair of the IUCN-supported Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) for a period of three years till November 2023.
• India will replace South Korea, which held the post for 3 years until November 2020.
• As a co-chair, India would be responsible to assist other Asian countries in managing their protected areas. The APAP is chaired by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Asia and co-chaired by an APAP nation member on a rotational basis.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature Founder: Julian Huxley.

US CONGRESS PASS 'MALALA YOUSAFZAI SCHOLARSHIP ACT

• The U.S. Congress has passed the ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ to increase the number of scholarships for Pakistani women in higher education under merit and needs-based programme.
• The bill was passed by the United States Senate by a voice vote on January 1. The bill now heads to the White House for U.S. President Donald Trump to sign into law.
• The bill requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to award at least 50% of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.

INDIA TO CHAIR 3 SUBSIDIARY BODIES OF UNSC

• The Permanent Representative of India to the UN, T S Tirumurti has announced that India has been asked to chair three important committees of the UN Security Council (UNSC), during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation UN body.

The three highly significant committees include:       

• • Taliban Sanctions Committee
  • Counter-Terrorism Committee
  • Libyan Sanctions Committee
• India began its two-year term at UNSC from January 01, 2021. It is the eighth time that the country has joined UNSC as the non-permanent member.
• In 2021, along with India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico joined as non-permanent members in the Council.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

BAJAJ AUTO: WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE 2-WHEELER COMPANY

• Indian multinational two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturing company, Bajaj Auto has become the most valuable two-wheeler company in the world, after it crossed a market capitalization of more than Rs. 1 lakh crore, on January 01, 2021.
• Bajaj’s share price on NSE closed at Rs. 3,479 per share on the first day of 2021, leading to a market capitalization of more than Rs 1,00,670.76 crore.
• Thus, Bajaj Auto is not only the most valued company in the two-wheeler segment but also the first-ever two-wheeler company in the world to have reached this market cap milestone.
• Headquarter of Bajaj Auto: Pune, Maharashtra.
• Managing Director of Bajaj Auto: Rajiv Bajaj.

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA SET UP COLLEGE OF SUPERVISOR

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an academic advisory council called ‘College of Supervisors (CoS)’ to further strengthen supervision over regulated entities.
• The Cos will be headed by former deputy governor N S Viswanathan and will have five other members.
• The objective of the council will be to identify areas where skill building/up-skilling are requir­ed, plan and develop curricula of all programmes, benchmark the programmes with international standards/­best practices, and develop appropriate teaching methods, etc.

Other members include:

• Arijit Basu, State Bank of India Managing Director
• Paresh Sukhankar, former HDFC Bank Deputy Managing Director
• S Raghunath of Banglore IIM
• Tadhagatha Bandyophyay of Ahemadabad IIM and
• Subrata Sarkar of IGIDR, Mumbai

PNB PARTNERSHIP WITH IIT KANPUR TO SET UP FIC

• Punjab National Bank has partnered with IIT Kanpur and the Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology (FIRST) to set up a ‘Fintech Innovation Centre (FIC)’ at the institute’s campus.
• PNB and IIT Kanpur will jointly work to set up this innovation centre as a vehicle for research and development of technological solutions, with the help of FIRST, to address challenges and explore opportunities in the Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) space.
• The collaboration of technical prowess from IIT Kanpur and financial expertise of PNB makes it an apt “Fin-Tech” partnership that will help build innovations and entrepreneurial excellence.

APPOINTMENTS

UMESH SINHA NAMED AS DY. ELECTION COMMISSIONER OF INDIA

• Umesh Sinha has been named as the deputy election commissioner in the Election Commission of India.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the extension in the term of reemployment of Sinha as deputy election commissioner.
  • Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil Arora.
  • Chief Election Commissioner Formed: 25 January 1950.
  • Chief Election Commissioner Headquarters: New Delhi.

ISRO CHAIRMAN K SIVAN TERM EXTENDED FOR ONE YEAR

• The Central Government has approved the extension of the term of ISRO Chairman K Sivan, for a period of one year.
• ISRO chief has imminent knowledge in Aerospace engineering, Space Transportation Systems Engineering, Launch vehicles, mission simulation software design and many other operations related to Space programs.
• He is also the main architect of 6D trajectory simulation software, SITARA which is the foundation of both the real-time and non-real-time trajectory simulations of all vehicles developed in the space agency.
  • ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
  • ISRO established: 15 August 1969

SUNEET SHARMA APPOINTED AS CEO OF RAILWAY BOARD

• The appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved Suneet Sharma appointment as Chairman & CEO of Railway Board, Ministry of Railways and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India.
• Prior to this, Suneet Sharma worked as General Manager, Eastern Railway.
• A graduate in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering he has more than 40 years of experience serving in the Indian Railways in various capacities. He has done stints in Operational working, maintenance in Sheds, Depots and Workshops.
• Railway Board Founded: March 1905.
• Headquarters of Railway Board: New Delhi.

AWARDS & HONOURS

PT. SATISH VYAS CONFERRED PRESTIGIOUS TANSEN SAMMAN

• In Madhya Pradesh, 96th Tansen Music Festival began in Gwalior with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place.
• In the inaugural ceremony renowned santoor player, Pandit Satish Vyas was conferred upon the prestigious Tansen Samman.
• Bhopal-based institution Abhinav Kala Parishad was honoured with Raja Mansingh Tomar award. The festival pays tribute to Tansen, one of 9 gems in Akbar’s court.

26TH KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (KIFF)

• West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee has inaugurated the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
• The inaugural ceremony was also virtually attended by Bollywood superstar and West Bengal’s brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan from Mumbai.
• Legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s classic ‘Apur Sansar’ will be the inaugural film of the festival in which 131 movies from 45 countries will be screened till January 13.
• Films will be screened at Rabindra Sadan, Nandan, Sisir Mancha and Rabindra Okakura Bhavan in Salt Lake.
• Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee.

SPORTS

KHELO INDIA ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN KARGIL

• Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament organised at Chiktan in Kàrgil, Ladakh. For the first time, the women team of Chiktan also participated in the Khelo India Games in Kargil district.
• There are 13 teams from different villages of Chiktan participating in the tournament, which include 11 men’s teams and 2 women’s teams.
• The tournament was inaugurated by SDM Shakar Chiktan and the Chief Guest of the event Kacho Asgar Ali khan in the presence of ZPEO Chiktan Ghulam Rasool along with in-charge police post-Chiktan.
• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports: Kiren Rijiju.
• Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh: Radha Krishna Mathur.

FIRST FEMALE MATCH OFFICIAL IN MEN'S TEST MATCH

• Australia’s Claire Polosak is set to become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test between India and Australia.
• The 32-year-old from New South Wales has already earned the distinction of being the first woman on-field umpire in a men’s ODI match in ICC’s Division 2 league between Namibia and Oman played at the Windhoek in 2019.
• As per ICC rules for Test matches, the fourth umpire is appointed by the home cricket board from their nominees to the International Panel of ICC Umpires and from the host country.
• Chairman of ICC: Greg Barclay.
• CEO of ICC: Manu Sawhney.
• Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

WORLD BRAILLE DAY OBSERVED: 4TH JANUARY

• World Braille Day is observed globally on 4th January since 2019.

• The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
• The day is marked remembering the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille – for people with visual disabilities. Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in northern France.

PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS OR NRI DAY: 9TH JANUARY

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day is celebrated every year on January 9 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
• The day is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
• The aim of celebrating the day is to provide a platform for NRI to express their perceptions about India and thereby involve them in Indian developmental activities. The theme of 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021 is “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

AMBANI ON 12TH SPOT IN BLOOMBERG BILLIONAIRES INDEX

• India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) dropped down to 12th spot in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2021 (as on 2nd January 2021).
• The net worth of Ambani dropped from 90 billion USD (around Rs. 6.62 lakh crore) (in early 2020) to 76.7 billion USD (around Rs. 5.6 lakh crore).
• Zhong Shanshan, referred to as “Lone Wolf”, has replaced Ambani as Asia’s richest person, he is one of the fastest in the history to achieve the feat.

RBI RELEASED DIGITAL PAYMENTS INDEX (DPI)

• Reserve Bank of India has launched a Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitization of digital/electronic payments across the country.
• This RBI-Digital Payments Index (DPI) has 5 broad parameters that will be used for the measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments.

These parameters and their weightage are as under:

• Payment Enablers (weight 25%),
• Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors (10%),
• Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%),
• Payment Performance (45%) and
• Consumer Centricity (5%).

ELON MUSK BECOMES WORLD'S RICHEST MAN

• According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Tesla CEO Elon Musk overtakes Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person. Elon Musk had a net worth of more than $188.5 billion.
• A 6% rise in Tesla (TSLA) shares early Thursday lifted the value of its CEO’s stock holdings and options by $10 billion, taking his net worth to about $188.5 billion.
• A more modest rise of less than 2% lifted Bezos’ Amazon (AMZN) shares by about $3 billion, putting his net worth at $187 billion. Bill Gates is now a distant third at $132 billion, according to Bloomberg.
• Tesla Founded: 1 July 2003.
• Tesla Headquarters: California, United States.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NAVY & DRDO CONDUCTED THE MAIDEN TRIAL OF SAHAYAK-NG

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.
• SAHAYAK-NG is an advanced version of SAHAYAK Mk I.
• The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the capability to carry a payload that weighs up to 50 kilograms and can be dropped from heavy aircraft.

BEL AND NAVY INKS PACT FOR SUPPLY OF LASER DAZZLERS

• The Indian Navy has signed a contract with the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), to procure Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Dazzlers (Laser Dazzlers).
• It is the first time that this unique product is indigenously designed and developed for the Armed Forces. It is capable of dazzle and thereby suppress the person’s/optical sensor’s action with disability glare in case of non-compliance to orders.
• While this technology can disorient/ confuse/blind a person temporarily, it can also dazzle and distract aircraft/UAVs.
• Bharat Electronics Limited Chairman & Managing Director: M V Gowtama.
• Bharat Electronics Limited Headquarters: Bengaluru.

MISCELLANEOUS

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION LAUNCHED COVID-19 APP

• The World Health Organization recently launched the COVID-19 mobile application. The app provides users with the latest updates on covid-19. This application is called "WHO COVID-19 Application".
• The mobile application launched by the World Health Organization will provide trusted information from experts from the organization and regional partners. It will provide regular updates and notifications about the scientific discoveries of covid-19.
• The app will also provide vaccine advancements provided by the World Health Organization and its partners.
• The application supports seven different languages, such as English, Arabic, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian.

ITALIAN AUTHOR ALFREDO COVELLI RELEASED HIS BOOK

• Alfredo Covelli, an Italy based author has launched his new book Vahana Masterclass for children and Young Audience.
• The books will be illustrated and published by Scholastic India. Alfredo had a keen interest in our Indian culture and mythology which inspired him to write a story on Lord Ganesh for children.
• The book narrates the story of the Ganesha looking for a new vahana to accompany him to all the great adventures around the cosmos. After millenniums of service, the great VahanaMushika, holy mount of Lord Ganesha is about to retire to live the rest of his life in meditation.

FSSAI's NEW POLICY LIMITED THE TRANSFAT TO 2%

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations.
• The country’s food regulatory body notified the amendment on December 29, more than a year after it issued a draft on the subject for consultation with stakeholders.
• Trans fat regulation, that aims to limit the amount of “trans fat”, fat-containing trans fatty acids — in industrial food products, has been enacted in many countries. Trans fats are associated with increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease.
• As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 5.4 lakh deaths take place each year globally because of intake of industrially-produced trans-fatty acids. .The WHO has also called for global elimination of trans fats by 2023.
• FSSAI Chairperson: Rita Teaotia.
• FSSAI Chief Executive Officer: Arun Singhal.
• FSSAI Headquarters: New Delhi.