Current Affairs 24 & 25 January 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 24 & 25 January 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

CAQM set to partner with Premier Technical Institutions to Establish DSS to Improve Air Quality in Delhi-NCR RegionThe Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is set to partner with Premier Technical Institutions of the Country to establish a Decision Support System (DSS) for improving the Air Quality in Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR). The institutions are India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi,  Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), IIT Delhi  and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune.

i.DSS will utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) for simulation of scenarios, based on which steps will be taken to improve air quality.

• The system will have features like web, Geographic Information System (GIS) &  Decision Support Tool (DST) for operation & planning purposes.

Various Organizations and their role are

About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar(Constituency- Maharashtra-Rajya Sabha Member)
Minister of State – Babul Supriyo (Constituency- Asansol, West Bengal)
<<Read Full News>>

Aurobindo Pharma, Karnataka Antibiotics & Kinvan Bagged 1st 5 Projects Under PLI schemei.On January 22, 2021, the Central Government gave its consent for first set of five pharma projects with the total committed Investment ofRs 3,761.17 crore. It was approved under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic manufacture of bulk drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
ii.The projects are related to the four fermentation-based key starting materials which are all entirely imported now.
iii.These are bagged by Hyderabad (Telangana) based Aurobindo Pharma, Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals, and Kinvan Pvt Ltd located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
iv.These projects will generate employment of about 3825.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers (MoC&F):
Union Minister– Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda (Constituency – Bangalore North, Karnataka)
Minister of State (I/C)– Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya (Constituency – Gujarat – Rajya Sabha)
<<Read Full News>>

Gujarat Govt and APSEZ inked MoU to setup India largest Multi-Model Logistic Park in Ahmedabad, Gujarati.On January 22, 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding-MoU was signed between the Gujarat Government and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar to set up India’s largest multi-model logistic park at Virochan Nagar near Sanand in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat.
ii.It was signed by Additional Chief Secretary M.K. Das and Karan Gautam Adani of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd.
iii.The park to be developed in 1450 acre with an estimated investment of Rs 50,000 crore will be completed in 3 years i.e. by 2023.
About Gujarat:
Capital– Gandhinagar
Governor– Acharya Devvrat
<<Read Full News>>

IAMAI organized 15th India Digital Summit 2021 Virtually; Inaugurated by Ravi Shankar PrasadThe 15th Edition of India Digital Summit 2021 (IDS 2021) organized by Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) took place virtually from January 19-20, 2021. It was inaugurated by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology.
i.Theme – ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat – Start of New Decade’

• Objective – To provide a platform for discussion to create a new digital ecosystem
• Discussions were held on the digital initiatives in the fields of Policies, Business, Investment, Advertising, Digital Commerce, Start-ups Ecosystem, Emerging tech and other digital trends.

iv.During the event, the 11th India Digital Awards 2021 were also announced.

• Digital Person of the year – Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Info Edge
• Digital Startup of the year – Khatabook
• Digital Agency of the Year: Gold – Wunderman Thompson, Silver – Kinnect, Bronze – WATConsult
• Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (AMUL) bagged 4 awards in the event.

Click here to access the Full List of Awards
About Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI):
President – Dr Subho Ray
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

PM Modi Addressed the 18th Convocation of Tezpur University, AssamOn 22nd January 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 18th Convocation of the Tezpur University of Assam through video conferencing.

• The PhD scholars and gold medalists received their degrees and medals in person and the other students received their diplomas and degrees over the virtual platform.
• Around 1218 students who passed out in 2020 received their degrees and diplomas and 48 toppers of various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes received their gold medals.

Key People:
Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Education along with Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam participated in the event.
About Tezpur University:
Tezpur University was established by the act of Parliament in 1994.
Chancellor- Jagdish Mukhi(Governor of Assam)
Location- Tezpur, Assam
About Assam:
Tiger Reserve– Manas Tiger Reserve, Nameri Tiger Reserve, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
Ramsar site– Deepor Beel

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

1st Ever Treaty for Prohibition of  Nuclear Weapons  adopted by UN comes into Force‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted by the United Nations  (UN) General Assembly came into force from January 22, 2021, it is the First ever International agreement which prohibits Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty was Adopted in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly
i.The signatories of the agreement are prohibited from

• Development, Testing, Production, Stocking, Transferring, using & threat of using Nuclear weapons.
• If any Nuclear armed states are joining the treaty, a time-bound framework which leads to verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programme is provided.

ii.Until now 86 Nations have signed TPNW & 52 have ratified it.

• However, Nuclear-capable countries – United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea & Israel (Undeclared Nuclear Power) did not support the Treaty nor have signed it.
• Countries which rely on Nuclear weapons of other countries such as 27 members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Australia, Japan, & South Korea have not signed the treaty.

About United Nations General Assembly:
President – Volkan Bozkir
Headquarters – New York, USA
<<Read Full News>>

NSE Retains World’s Largest Derivatives Exchange Title for 2nd consecutive year in 2020: FIAi.In accordance with the Futures Industry Association (FIA), National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) remained the world’s largest derivatives exchange for the second consecutive year in 2020 in terms of number of contracts traded.
ii.On the other hand, World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) has ranked it 4th in terms of cash equities by number of trades for calendar year 2020.
About National Stock Exchange:
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Vikram Limaye
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Futures Industry Association (FIA):
Chairman– Nicholas Rustad
Headquarter– Washington D.C., United States (US)
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI proposes 4 Layered Bank-Like Norms for NBFCsi.On January 22, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a Discussion Paper on  “Revised Regulatory Framework for NBFCs- A Scale-Based Approach” on the lines of the announcement made in the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies on December 4, 2020.
ii.It envisages a four-layered regulatory and supervisory framework for NBFCs. As per the framework, there will be Bank-like regulations for the top 25 to 30 NBFCs in the country.
iii.The apex bank has invited comments on the Discussion Paper from NBFCs, market participants and other stakeholders within one month.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Formation– 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, and M Rajeswar Rao)
<<Read Full News>>

Airtel Payments Bank Launched ‘Airtel Safe Pay’, a Safe Mode to Make Digital Payments

Airtel Payments Bank has launched ‘Airtel Safe Pay’ to protect the customers when they make digital transactions through Unified Payment Interface (UPI) or net-banking using the Airtel Payments Bank. This safe payment gateway is  free of cost, will and offers protection against phishing, stolen credentials or passwords, and phone cloning. Customers can make digital transactions across merchants, online retailers, and transfer money through Airtel Safe Pay. Airtel Payments Bank account can be opened through a video call using the Airtel Thanks application.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Indian Mathematician Nikhil Srivastava Named Joint Winner of Michael And Sheila Held Prize 2021Indian mathematician Nikhil Srivastava has been named as winner of Michael And Sheila Held Prize 2021 along with 2 other mathematicians namely Adam W. Marcus(American)and Daniel Alan Spielman(US) by National Academy of Science(NAS).
NAS will award the USD 100,000 prize at 158th NAS Annual Meeting.
Reason for the Prize
They solved the long standing questions on the Kadison-Singer problem and released the Ramanujan graphs.These Papers on the questions were published in 2015.
About the Winners:
i.Nikhil Srivastava is working as the Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley
ii.Adam W. Marcus is an assistant professor of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
iii.Daniel Alan Spielman is from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US.
Note
This team won the 2014 Pólya Prize for their resolution of the Kadison-Singer problem.
About Michael And Sheila Held Prize:
i.It is annually presented to honour the outstanding research in areas of combinatorial and discrete optimization, or related parts of computer science.
ii.It intends to recognize the recent work (defined as published within the last eight years).
iii.The prize was established in 2017 by the will of Michael and Sheila Held.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Justice Geeta Mittal Becomes 1st Woman Chairperson of BCCC

Justice Geeta Mittal has been appointed as the new chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) and becomes the 1st woman chairperson of this council.  She succeeds Justice Vikramajit Sen. She served as the 1st woman Chief Justice(CJ) of Jammu & Kashmir HIgh Court. BCCC is the independent self-regulatory body set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in June 2011 to examine content related complaints of all non-news general entertainment channels in India.
About Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF):
President –  K. Madhavan( He is the MD of Star and Disney India)
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

HDFC to Sell its 24.48% Stake in Good Host Spaces Pvt. Ltd for Rs 232.81 CroreHousing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Ltd  announced that it will sell its 24.48% stake(47,75,241 equity shares) in Good Host Spaces Pvt. Ltd for Rs  232.81 crore in 4 months. The details of the buyer is not disclosed.

• After the sale, Good Host Spaces Pvt Ltd will not be the associate company of HDFC.

Note
HDFC in 2019 had acquired 25.01% stake( 30,52,469 equity shares )in Good Host from  Manipal Integrated Services Pvt Ltd for Rs 69.5 crore.
About Good Host Spaces Pvt. Ltd:
President– Nimesh Grover
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC)Ltd: 
It is the first specialized Mortgage Company in India
Managing Director(MD)– Renu Sud Karnad
Chairman– Deepak S. Parekh
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Started– 1977

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MoTA Minister Arjun Munda Virtually Launched “Shramshakti” Digital Data Solution for Migrant Workersi.On January 22, 2021, Union Minister Arjun Munda, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) virtually launched a National Migration Support Portal namely “Shramshakti” from New Delhi. Originally, the launch programme was held at Panjim, Goa.
ii.The focus of the portal is the smooth formulation of state and national level programs for migrant workers.
iii.The minister also launched a tribal migration cell, a tribal museum at Goa and “ShramSaathi”, a training manual for migrant workers.
About Goa:
Wildlife Sanctuaries– Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary
Birds Sanctuary– Dr.Salim Ali Birds Sanctuary
<<Read Full News>>

Govt of India Uses RAS platform of MeitY for Processing Feedback on COVID-19 Vaccinationi.Govt of India uses Rapid Assessment System (RAS) under the COVID Vaccination drive, the world’s biggest vaccination drive to get feedback from those who get COVID-19 Vaccination. RAS was developed by National e-Governance Division(NeGD), a division of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY). 
ii.RAS platform enables to get online instant feedback for e-services (online as well as offline through counters) that are offered by the Government of India and State Governments.
About National e-Governance Division(NeGD):
President & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Abhishek Singh, IAS
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology(MeitY):
Union Minister– Ravi Shankar Prasad(Constituency- Patna Sahib, Bihar)
Minister of State(MoS)– Sanjay Dhotre(Constituency- Akola, Maharashtra)
<<Read Full News>>

ENVIRONMENT

New Species of Ant Discovered: Ooceraea joshii in Kerala & Ooceraea decamera discovered in Tamil NaduThe team of researchers led by Himender Bharti of Punjabi University, Patiala discovered two new species – Ooceraea joshii (in Kerala) and Ooceraea decamera (in Tamil Nadu), first of its kind with 10 segmented antennae among the rare genus Ooceraea in India.
The discovery of the team has been published in ZooKeys, a peer reviewed journal.
Ooceraea joshii:
Ooceraea joshii, named after Prof. Amitabh Joshi, a distinguished evolutionary biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), was discovered from the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala.
Ooceraea decamera:
Ooceraea decamera was discovered from Azhagar kovil village of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
The name decamera, refers to the 10 segmented antennal count of the species.
Key Points:
i.Ooceraea joshii and O. decamera are distinguished from the other species of the genus by their 10 segmented antennae.
ii.Both O. joshii and O. decamera establish an old world lineage which contains a species emerging as the only model organism among the subfamily of ants.
iii.The genus currently represents 14 species which includes, 8 with nine segmented antennae, 5 with 11 segmented antennae and 1 with eight segmented antennae.
iv.So far only the species with 9 and 11 segmented antennae were found in India.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book Titled ‘Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership’ Authored by  Mohamed Zeeshan  The book titled ‘Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership’ is authored by Mohamed Zeeshan, a foreign affairs columnist, consultant and the editor-in-chief of Freedom Gazette. The book is published by Penguin Random House.
Essence of the Book
i.The book describes the difficulties that stand has an obstacle to the current India’s foreign policy, each of which have led to many instabilities in the foreign policy practice,  which in turn has affected India’s interests.
ii.It tries to explain why the ordinary Indian citizen should care about foreign policy and how a more proactive foreign policy can deliver economic growth at home.
About Mohamed Zeeshan :
i.Currently, he is  a staff writer for The Diplomat and hosts a monthly Sunday column in Deccan Herald, titled ‘The Z Factor’.
ii.He also writes for other international dailies, namely, the Straits Times, the Sydney Morning Herald among others.
iii.Previously, he worked with the Indian delegation to the United Nations in New York and with Kearney, the global consulting firm

Fareed Zakaria’s Book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post–Pandemic World”

Fareed Zakaria, a CNN host and one of the “top 10 global thinkers of the last decade” (Foreign Policy), authored the book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post–Pandemic World”.
The book published by Penguin book speaks about the nature of the post pandemic world and the social, political, technological and economical effects that may take years to develop.
The book with 10 lessons includes the acceleration of natural and biological risk, datedness of the political categories, the rise of digital life, globalization and the developing world order split between US and China.

IMPORTANT DAYS

First Parakram Diwas – 23rd January 2021i.On 23rd January 2021, First Parakram Diwas or Courage Day was observed.Ministry of Culture and Tourism published the gazette notification to annually observe the 23rd January as Parakram Diwas starting from 2021.The day honours and remembers the contributions of Netaji towards the nation.
ii.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressed the inaugural ceremony of Parakram Diwas at the event organised at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, West Bengal.
iii.A high level panel of 85 members, headed by PM Modi, has been formed to plan the year-round programmes to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose.
iv.PM Modi released the commemorative coin and postage stamp to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji.
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

IIM Indore, Madhya Pradesh sign MoU to build roadmap for ‘Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh’On January 22 2021, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore & Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  to build a roadmap to achieve MP’s goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh’, the agreement will be valid for a period of three years.
Objectives of MoU:

• IIM Indore  will help MP to frame New Industrial Policy & help in  Improving the Ease of Doing Business in MP
• IIM Indore will devise Strategic campaigns for ‘Brand Madhya Pradesh’ as ‘Atmanirbhar Evam Samriddh’.
• IIM Indore will also provide advisory support & management consultancy for Global & national summits which will be conducted by the Government of MP.

Components of the MoU:

• Policy Research on existing Industrial Policy of MP.
• Conducting study for evaluation of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ parameters in the state.

About Madhya Pradesh:
Stadium – Holkar Cricket Stadium (Indore)
<<Read Full News>>

Wipro is Set to Act as Knowledge Partner of Madhya Pradesh Government

Wipro group is set to act as the knowledge partner of the Government of Madhya Pradesh(MP) in the context of the new education policy at the implementation level. WIPRO has taken an initiative to establish a University in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and the state government will provide all the required support to the Azim Premji Foundation to establish a university in the MP.
i.The Azim Premji Foundation has been allotted 50 acres of land for the proposed university in Bhopal.
ii.The university in Bhopal is expected to start in the next 18 months.
iii.WIPRO will also establish a Software Development Centre in Bhopal, which will provide more opportunities to the youth in the field of Information Technology(IT).
Contribution of Azim Premji Foundations:
i.Currently the Azim Premji foundation is working in more than 1151 primary and middle scores across Madhya Pradesh.
ii.The foundation conducts activities in around 5 districts and the foundation is working to establish Adarsh Anganwadi at Jawahar Bal Bhawan in Bhopal.
iii.The foundation will also develop a state level research centre for pre-primary education.
iv.The foundation’s cooperation with the state government will extend support to the eradication of malnutrition and nutrition awareness.

J&K approves Adoption of ‘Jammu & Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy, 2021-30’On January 22, 2021, The Jammu & Kashmir’s (J&K) Administrative Council (AC) under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha gave its approval for the adoption of Jammu & Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy, 2021-30. The policy aims to achieve inclusive growth for sustainable industrialisation & employment generation in Jammu & Kashmir.

• The policy will also cover the land allotment for health institutions, medi-cities, educational institutions & edu-cities.

i.Objective:

• For Development of a well-structured Land Bank
• Promotion of Equitable Industrial Growth in the UT of J&K
• To ensure a Fair & Transparent mechanism for land allotment for industrial use.

ii.Constitution of Division level Project appraisal & evaluation committees for allotment of industrial land within 30 days.
iii.Lays down a framework to regulate zoning of industrial areas, project appraisal and evaluation & succeeding process flow.
About Jammu & Kashmir (J&K):
Capital – Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
Lieutenant Governor – Manoj Sinha
<<Read Full News>>

AP Became the First State to Launch Door Delivery of Rations Under PDS

On 21st January 2021, Andhra Pradesh(AP) became the first state to launch door-delivery of rations under the Public Distribution System(PDS). The scheme will benefit 26,39,363 cardholders throughout the state. The scheme will cost an additional Rs. 830 crore per annum. 
To deliver the ration, at a cost of Rs.539 crore, the AP government has distributed 9260 subsidised vehicles with GPS tracking facilities, to the eligible unemployed youths.
Each vehicle cost Rs.5.81 lakh, of which, Rs.3.48 lakh is government subsidy.

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