Current Affairs 26 & 27 January 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 26 & 27 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.

Our Current Affairs January 2021 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2021 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name –  Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP

We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Amit Shah Chaired 69th plenary Meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Meghalayai.On January 23, 2021, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) inaugurated and chaired the 2 day 69th meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Meghalaya.
ii.The focus of the meeting was to discuss various developmental ongoing and future projects for the North Eastern region (NER).
iii.There, it was notified that 30% of the Central Government ‘s budget will be used for the development of underdeveloped areas. Notably, the Union Budget has been increased by 24 percent to Rs. 3,13,000 crores from Rs. 89,000 crores.
About Meghalaya:
Governor– Satya Pal Malik
National Parks– Balpakram (Phase I), Nokrek
<<Read Full News>>

Indian Air Force & FASF hold 1st edition of Bilateral Air Exercise ‘Desert Knight-21’ Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force (FASF) participated in the 1st Edition of Bilateral Air Exercise ‘Exercise Desert Knight-21 (Ex DK-21)’ held at Air Force Station, Jodhpur for 5 days from January 20-24, 2021. The Bilateral exercise involved the participation of Rafale fighter jets from both sides.
i.Missions undertaken during the exercise:

• The Exercises were conducted in realistic settings to enhance operational capabilities & interoperability between the two sides
• Sharing of best practices & development of operational concepts between the two sides focussing on effective combat employment of Rafale fighter jets.

ii.India & France are also jointly set to conduct wargames codenamed Exercise SKYROS in January at Jodhpur.

• SKYROS is a war game which will involve Rafael Fighter Jets from both Countries
• It will be the 1st Major Wargame of IAF involving the participation of IAF

<<Read Full News>>

Indian Navy conducts Joint Tri-Service Military Exercise ‘AMPHEX-21’ in Andaman & Nicobar IslandsThe Indian Navy conducted an Joint Tri-Service Amphibious Military Exercise  ‘AMPHEX-21’ in Andaman & Nicobar group of Islands from January 21-25, 2021. Defence Exercise ‘KAVACH’ for defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands was also a part of AMPHEX-21 exercise,

• KAVACH took place in Andaman Sea & Bay of Bengal under the command of Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC), which is the sole Joint Services Command of the Country.
• Both exercises witnessed participation from all service components of Indian Armed Forces – Indian Army, Air Force, Navy & Coast Guard.

i.Objective:

• To safeguard the Territorial integrity of India’s Islands.
• Demonstrating Air Dominance and maritime strike capability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

ii.Participants:

• Corvettes, submarine & amphibious landing ships of Eastern Naval Command (ENC) and Amphibious Brigade of Army’s Southern Command. 
• Special Forces – Marine Commandos, Para Commandos.
• Jaguar Aircraft & Transport Aircraft from Indian Air Force.

iii.Key Points:

• The forces demonstrated joint capabilities of Intelligence gathering from space, air, land & sea based assets, analyzing & sharing them on a real-time basis to enable quick decision making during battle times.
• The exercises also focused on joint warfighting capabilities  & Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for increasing operational cooperation.

About Indian Army:
Chief of Defence Staff – General Bipin Rawat
Commander-in-Chief of Indian Armed Forces – President of India (Ram Nath Kovind)
<<Read Full News>>

Amit Shah launched ‘Ayushman CAPF’ scheme for Personnel and Dependents of CAPF in Guwahati, Assami.On January 23, 2021, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) attended a function in Guwahati, Assam where he launched the ‘Ayushman CAPF’ scheme for personnel and dependents of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), which will be fully implemented by May 1, 2021.
ii.It will cover around 28 lakh personnel of CAPF, Assam Rifles and National Security Guard (NSG) and their families under ‘Ayushman Bharat: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB PM-JAY).
iii.In this regard, an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Health Authority (NHA) and MHA in the presence of Assam Chief Minister (CM) Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
iv.He also presented Ayushman CAPF beneficiary e-health cards to some officers and personnel of the CAPFs.
About National Health Authority (NHA):
Establishment– 2019
Chief Executive Officer– Dr. Indu Bhushan
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

51st International Film Festival of India 2021 held  in Goa from Jan 16 – Jan 24, 2021 i.The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held from 16 to 24 January 2021 at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa. Due to COVID-19, it was conducted in hybrid mode i.e. 50 films out of 224 films across various categories are scheduled to be screened online. This hybrid mode format of IFFI was first in India and in Asia too.
ii.It was jointly organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the state Government of Goa along with Entertainment Society of Goa.
iii.The epic World War II Danish film Into the Darkness (De forbandede år) won Golden Peacock Awards.Veteran actor, director and producer Biswajit Chatterjee has been presented with the Indian Personality of the Year Award on the occasion.
iv.This year the ‘country of focus section’ was Bangladesh marking its 50th anniversary of liberation. Its 4 films were screened under this category.
About Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB):
Union Minister– Prakash Keshav Javadekar
Secretary– Amit Khare
<<Read Full News>>

MoHFW Minister Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates FICCI Cascade’s 7th Edition of MASCRADE 2021Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare inaugurated the 7th Edition of ‘MASCRADE   2021’ – Movement against Smuggled & Counterfeit Trade organized by FICCI Cascade (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry – Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) which took place from January 21-22, 2021.
i.Objective of MASCRADE:
To serve as a platform for discussion on ways to reduce counterfeiting, smuggling & spurious products during the post COVID period.
ii.Initiatives taken by Government to tackle Spurious Drugs
Amendment of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 under the Drugs & Cosmetics Amendment Act 2008.
iii.‘Vocal for Local’ as a tool to fight illicit trade 
Harsh Vardhan stated that ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ & ‘Vocal for Local’ may become an effective tool to fight illicit trade of drugs.
iv.Areas to take actions:

• Harsh Vardhan  emphasized on equipping security force & enforcement agencies with the latest technology to fight smuggling & piracy.
• Raising of penalties for those committing the crime

v.Each year, FICCI MASCRADE recognizes and honours the  contributions made by Law Enforcement Agencies & Officers for their efforts to mitigate counterfeiting & smuggling.
About FICCI Cascade:
Chairman – Anil Rajput
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UN University releases report on Ageing Dams in the WorldUnited Nations University – Institute for Water, Environment & Health (UNU-INWEH)  released a report called ‘Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk’, the report states that ageing of large dams is an emerging Global Development issue as they pose threats to human safety & environment.
i.Globally, around 10,000 more dams have reached or exceeded the ‘alert’ age limit of 50 years & many dams are expected to approach 100 years soon.

• Around 32, 716 large dams (55% of World) are situated in only 4 Asian Countries – China, India, Japan & South Korea, majority of these dams are set to reach the limit of 50-year threshold.
• In India, around 1, 115 large dams are set to reach the ~50 years mark by 2025.
• The report consists of case studies on decommissioning & ageing of dams from the United States, France, Canada, India, Japan, and Zambia & Zimbabwe.

ii.Regarding India

• The report also states that India’s current dam construction rate is one of the world’s highest.

Case study on Kerala’s Mullaperiyar Dam:
The Mullaperiyar dam was built on the river of Periyar in 1895.

• The dam is situated in a seismically active area (prone to earthquakes) and is showing signs of failure & is facing the risk of failure.
• If at all, any failure occurs  in the dam around 3.5 million people will be affected by it.

Click here to read the full report
About United Nations University – Institute for Water, Environment & Health (UNU-INWEH):
Director – Vladimir Smakhtin
Location – Hamilton, Canada
<<Read Full News>>

19th meeting of JSC on India, Bangladesh cooperation in Energy Sector held in DhakaOn January 23, 2021, the 19th meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on India Bangladesh cooperation in the energy sector was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh where Indian delegation was led by the Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai while Power Secretary Md. Habibur Rahman represented the Bangladesh side.

• The committee reviewed the progress of implementation of the decisions taken during the last meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) and JSC.
• Discussions were also held on the status of 1320 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal, Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh have set up the institutional mechanism of JSC and JWG for reviewing and enhancing bilateral cooperation in the power sector between the two countries. The last meetings were held in March 2020 in Udaipur in India.
About Bangladesh:
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Bangladeshi taka

Bengaluru Emerges as World’s Fastest Growing Mature Tech Ecosystem: Report

Dealroom.co data analysed by London & Partners(the Mayor of London’s international trade and investment agency) has revealed that Bengaluru, Karnataka has emerged as the world’s fastest growing mature tech ecosystem, with investment in it increased 5.4 times  from USD 1.3 billion in 2016 to USD 7.2 billion in 2020.The list is followed by London, Munich, Berlin, Paris. Mumbai, Maharashtra secures  6th place with investment in it growing 1.7 times from USD 0.7 billion in 2016 to USD 1.2 billion in 2020. Bengaluru secures 6th place in global top 10 for VentureCapital(VC) investment. This list is topped by Beijing and San Francisco, New York, Shanghai and London.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Dr. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari & SEEDS Wins Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2021i.On January 23, 2021 the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2021 was awarded to Dr. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari under Individual category, while Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) received the award under Institutional category for their contribution in disaster management.
ii.The award is annually announced on January 23 on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
About National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA):
It was created by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Chairperson – Shri Narendra Modi
Headquarter – New Delhi, Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Mukesh Ambani moves to 11th spot in world’s richest billionaires list: Bloomberg Billionaires IndexIn accordance with the latest data by Bloomberg Billionaire Index, as of January 22, 2021, Mukesh Ambani has now moved up to 11th spot from 13th spot with a total net worth of $79.2 billion (5.78 lakh crore).

• The jump comes as the profit of Reliance Industries soared 12.5% to Rs 131 billion during the Q3(October-December)FY21.
• He surpassed Larry Ellison of Oracle Corporation and world’s richest woman Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, with a net worth at $78.4 billion and $72.2 billion, respectively.

The top 5 billionaires of the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index are:

1. Elon R Musk $202 billion
2. Jeff Bezos $192 billion
3. Bill Gates $133 billion
4. Bernard Arnault $112 billion
5. Mark Zuckerberg $104 billion

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa Re- Elected as President of Portugal for 2nd TermMarcelo Rebelo de Sousa(72 years old) has been re-elected as the president of Portugal for the 2nd term after securing over 60% of the votes in the election held on January 24, 2021. He belongs to  Social Democratic Party(Partido Social Democrata-PSD)
Note– Ana Gomes came second in the election with 13% of the votes
About Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa:
i.He was elected as the president for 1st term in 2016.
ii.He was one of the founders of the People’s Democratic Party, later the Social Democratic Party, and was party leader from 31 March 1996 to 27 May 1999.
iii.He was the co-founder, Director and Administrator of the Expresso newspaper, owned by Pinto Balsemão.
iv.He received many honours including Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry,
Commander of the Order of Saint James of the Sword,  Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold among others.
About Portugal( officially- Portuguese Republic):
Capital- Lisbon(largest city of Portugal)
Currency– Euro(EUR)

 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CSIR-CMERI Developed 1st Ever WasteWater Treatment Technology Model, Aqua Rejuvenation Plant’ for Irrigationi.On January 23, 2021 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute(CMERI) developed 1st ever Waste Water Treatment Technology Model, ‘Aqua Rejuvenation Plant(ARP)’.
ii.It was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI along with SubhenduBasu at CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, West Bengal.
iii.The Integrated Waste Water Rejuvenation Model, ARP purifies wastewater for Irrigation/Farming purposes.
Purpose– To facilitate organic farming model through the treated wastewater.
About CSIR-CMERI:
CSIR- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; CMERI- Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute.
HeadQuarters– Durgapur, West Bengal
Director– Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani
<<Read Full News>>

SpaceX creates New World Record by Launching 143 satellites in Single Launch by Falcon 9On January 24, 2021, SpaceX  successfully created a New World Record by launching 143 Satellites in a single mission. The satellites were launched using the Falcon 9 Reusable rockets  from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States of America. With this, SpaceX bettered Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) record of deploying 104 satellites in a single mission in February 2017.
The Launch is also the first dedicated mission for SpaceX under SmallSat ‘Rideshare’ program called Transporter-1.
i.Objective – With the launch of the satellites, SpaceX is planning to provide Global broadband internet coverage by 2021.

• Out of 143 satellites – 133 were Commercial & Government CubeSats, microstats and 10 were Starlink satellites.
• The ‘Rideshare’ programme aims to offer cheap access to space for small satellite companies(i.e. $15,000 per kilogram for each satellite to be delivered to the polar sun-synchronous orbit ).

ii.Falcon-9 Rocket is the World’s 1st Orbital-class reusable rocket.

• Reusable rockets will help in reduction of costs for space programs.
• India has listed the building of reusable rocket as one of its targets of the Decade (2021-30)

About SpaceX:
Chief Executive Officer – Elon Musk
Headquarters – California, USA
<<Read Full News>>

Finance Minister Launched “Union Budget Mobile App” to provide access to Union Budget Information 

On 23rd January 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the “Union Budget Mobile App” which will provide access to Union Budget Information to all the stakeholders. For the first time in History the Budget will be delivered in paperless form. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the guidance of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA). 

• The mobile app provides complete access to 14 Union Budget documents including the Annual Financial Statement(Budget) Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc.
• The documents will be made available after the completion of the Budget speech by Finance Minister on 1st February 2021.
• The app supports English and Hindi Language and it is available for both Android and iOS platforms.

OBITUARY

Narendra Chanchal, Popular Indian Bhajan Singer Passed Away at 80On 22nd January, 2021, Narendra Chanchal, Indian singer who is popular for his devotional songs(bhajan) passed away at the age of 80 in New Delhi, Delhi. He also sang songs in Hindi films.
He was born on October 16, 1940 in Amritsar, Punjab.
About Narendra Chanchal:
i.His popular bollywood songs include ‘Chalo Bulava Aaya Hai’ for the film Avtaar(1983) and ‘Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo’ for the film Bobby(1973).
ii.He released his biography titled ‘Midnight Singer Narendra Chanchal’ that describes his life, struggles and hardships leading to achievements. The book was authored by  Georgy Bhaala
iii.He won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song sung in Bobby.
iv.He has earned honorary citizenship of the US state of Georgia.

American Television Host Larry King Passed Away 87

On 23rd January 2021, American Television and Radio Host Larry King passed away at the age of 87 due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. He was born as Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on 19th November 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

His acclaimed works includes his interview show “Larry King Live” in CNN and Ora Media programmes “Larry King Now” and “Politicking with Larry King”.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

“India 2030:The Rise of a Rajasic Nation” a Collection of Essay Authored & Edited by Gautam Chikermane Gautam Chikermane, Vice President of Observer Research Foundation authored and edited the book titled “India 2030: The Rise of a Rajasic Nation”, a Collection of Essay which describes about the likes of 20 forecasts by 20 thought leaders from India based on 20 themes. The book was published by Penguin eBury Press. 
About the book:
i.The book features 20 themes on various fields ranging from education to healthcare, science, energy, politics and foreign policy, that predicts the evolution of India in this decade.
ii.The book showcases the numerous aspects of the future that will result in India becoming the world’s 3rd largest economy and regional power.
iii.This book will act as a roadmap for policymakers and guide for scholars.
20 forecasts from: Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Ajay Shah, Amish Tripathi, Amrita Narlikar, Bibek Debroy, David Frawley, Devdip Ganguli, Justice B.N. Srikrishna, Kirit S. Parikh, Manish Sabharwal, Monika Halan, Parth J. Shah, Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Rajesh Parikh, Ram Madhav, Reuben Abraham, Samir Saran, Sandipan Deb and Vikram Sood.
About Gautam Chikermane:
i.Gautam Chikermane, has served in various leadership positions in various magazines and newspapers like Hindustan Times, Indian Express and Financial Express.
ii.He also serves as a board Director of CARE India, and as a new media director of RelianceIndustries Limited.
iii.He is also the vice chairman on the board of Financial Planning Standards Board India.
iv.The areas of his research include economics, politics and foreign affairs.
Book:
He has authored various book which includes, 70 Policies that Shaped India,
Tunnel of Varanavat: Mahabharat Reimagined, Five Decades of Decay.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Education 2021 – 24th Januaryi.The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Education is annually observed on 24th January to celebrate the role of education for peace and development.
ii.The annual celebration of this day is organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in partnership with partners like Global Partnership for Education and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies (CRI). 
iii.The theme of the 3rd International day of Education is “Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation”.
iv.The events to celebrate the 3rd International day of Education by UNESCO on 25th January 2021 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and New York.
<<Read Full News>>

13th National Girl Child Day – January 24 2021; National Girl Child Week – January 21 to 26, 2021i.National Girl Child Day is observed annually on January 24 to raise awareness about the rights of the girl child and importance of their education, health and nutrition. The year 2021 marks 13th National Girl Child Day.
ii.The initiative was started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008.
iii.National Girl Child Week is being celebrated from January 21 to 26, 2021.
iv.The  Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in India has improved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) to 934 (2019-20).
Initiatives Launched

• Rajasthan Govt has initiated a new scheme called Ek Paudha Suposhit Beti Ke Naam or A plant on the name of well nourished daughter’ under BBBP scheme.
• Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a scheme namely, ‘PANKH(Protection Awareness Nutrition Knowledge Health) Abhiyan’ under the BBBP scheme to support the girl child’s empowerment and their growth.

<<Read Full News>>

11th National Voters Day – 25th January 2021i.The National Voters Day is annually celebrated across India on 25th January to spread awareness among the voters and to promote informed participation in the electoral process.
25th January 2021, marks the celebration of the 11th National Voters Day by Election Commission of India (ECI). 
ii.The theme of the National Voters Day 2021 is “Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed”.
iii.President Ram Nath Kovind awarded the 2020-2021 National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices.
iv.Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, launched the e-EPIC(Elector Photo Identity Card) programme and distributed e-EPCI and he also felicitated and handed over the EPIC to 5 new voters.
About Election Commission of India:
Chief Election Commissioner– Sunil Arora
Election Commissioner– Sushil Chandra & Rajiv Kumar
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

National Tourism Day 2021 – 25th January i.National Tourism Day is annually observed across India on 25th January to encourage tourism in India and to highlight the role of tourism in the economic development of the nation.
ii.The theme of National Tourism Day 2021 is “Dekho Apna Desh”.
iii.In India the Tourism Department was established under the Ministry of Tourism and Communication in 1958.
iv.Union Minister of Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel announced a branch of Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering(IISM) in Kargil, Ladakh to encourage the local talent to achieve their dreams.
Ministry of Tourism:
Minister of State(IC)– Prahlad Singh Patel
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

UP CM Adityanath Launches ‘Udyam Sarathi’ Mobile app  for Youths On occasion of the 71st Foundation Day of Uttar Pradesh (UP) or Uttar Pradesh Diwas (recognized as state on January 24, 1950), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched ‘Udyam Sarathi’  an mobile app for the Youths of UP to explore self-employment opportunities. It has been developed under the One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme of Uttar Pradesh as per Government’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’.
i.Objective:

• To provide all information related to self-employment opportunities to the Youth.

ii.Beneficiaries:
The scheme aims to benefit women and farmers who are looking for opportunities in self-employment.
iii.Functions of the app

• To Provide information regarding business opportunities in various departments & sectors of State and Central Government.
• Details on the process of loan availability for youths to start self-employment

iv.Other initiatives launched by UP CM during on occasion of 71st Foundation Day of UP

• ‘Abhyudaya’ – Free coaching facility programme to assist students preparing for competitive exams like NEET, IIT JEE, NDA, CDS & UPSC examinations.
• ‘UP Garav Samman’ – Citizens who bring honour to the state of UP will be awarded each year

About Uttar Pradesh:
RAMSAR Sites – Sur Sarovar, Sarsai Nawar Jheel, Samaspur Bird Sanctuary
Port – Varanasi Multi-Modal Terminal or Varanasi Port.
<<Read Full News>>

*******

Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2021

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)