Current Affairs 31 January 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 31 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

Agreement for Financial Support to STARS project Signed between MoE, DEA & WBi.On the lines of the Cabinet approval to the Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project in Oct 2020, a financial support agreement was signed between Ministry of Education (MoE), Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), and World Bank (WB) for the implementation of Rs 5718 crore STARS project on January 29, 2021, .
ii.Under the agreement, WB will provide US$ 500 million (approximately Rs. 3700 crore) and the rest will be shared by participating states for a period of 5 years.
iii.There are 6 participating states viz. Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha.
iv.It should be noted that the WB support will be in the form of a financing instrument called Program for Results (PforR).
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
The Ministry of Education was formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD).
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
Headquarters – New Delhi
About World Bank (WB):
Establishment– 1944
President– David Malpass
Headquarters– Washington, DC, United States (US)
Member Countries– 189(including India)
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CCEA approves closure of Scooters India Limited Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the closure of state-owned Scooters India Limited (SIL). The company is being closed as it has been only accumulating losses.

• SIL was founded in 1972 and is known for its scooters like Lambretta, Lamby, Vijay, Vikram & Lambro. It has manufactured both Two-wheelers and three-wheelers, however since 1997 it discontinued its 2-wheeler manufacturing process.
• It is based out of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

ii.In the past, Government’s  search for finding buyers for SIL were unsuccessful

• In 2018, Government invited Expression of Interest (EoI) for selling its entire stake  with transfer of management control in Scooters India.

About  Scooters India Limited (SIL):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) – Sreenivasulu
Headquarters – Lucknow, UP
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India ranks 10th in Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index 2020, Singapore tops Index:EIU ReportAccording to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report ‘Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index 2020’ developed by the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies in partnership with Roche, India with a score of 36 was ranked at 10 out of 11 Asia Pacific Countries in terms of adopting Personalised healthcare & steps taken to provide right care to the needed person at the right time. Singapore topped the Index followed by Taiwan & Japan at 2nd & 3rd positions respectively.

• The Index is a first-of-its-kind policy tool that provides a unique overview of the Personalised health readiness of 11 health systems across Asia-Pacific.
• The 11 countries in the Asia Pacific region which were measured in the index are Australia, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand.
• Indonesia has been ranked at the 11th position.

About Roche:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Severin Schwan
Headquarters – Basel, Switzerland
About Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU):
Managing Director – Robin Bew
HeadQuarter – London, United Kingdom
<<Read Full News>>

Highlights of WEF’s Virtual ‘The Davos Agenda 2021’ The 51st Edition of 2021 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting called ‘The Davos Agenda 2021’  took place virtually from January 25-29, 2021.

• Theme of Davos Agenda – ‘A Crucial Year to Rebuild Trust’
• Around 1, 500 Business, Government & Civil Society Leaders from 70 countries participated in the Meeting.
• Heads of  State & Government like Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India;Xi Jinping, President of China & others participated in the meeting.
• Several leaders from International Organizations, Government agencies & Central banks participated in the Davos Agenda 2021.

i.WEF launched the Global AI (Artificial Intelligence) Action Alliance (GAIA).
ii.WEF launched the first-of-its-kind platform called ‘Essential Digital Infrastructure and Services’ – EDISON Alliance to reduce digital inequalities & ensure equitable access to digital opportunities for everyone by 2025.
iii.Around 10, 000 Innovators have joined a digital platform ‘UpLink’ created by WEF.
iv.Indian Information Technology Companies Infosys & TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) joined an International Coalition launched by WEF for tackling racism in workplaces.
v.During the event, WEF’s President Schwab released a book titled ‘Stakeholder Capitalism’. It has been co-authored with Peter Vanham and published by Wiley.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
Founder and Executive Chairman – Klaus Schwab
Headquarters – Cologny, Switzerland
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Climate Litigation Cases Have Spiked in Recent Years: UNEP’s Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Reviewi.The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report titled “Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review”.
ii.The report was published by UNEP in cooperation with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.
iii.The report states that the climate litigation cases increased in recent years, which has made the courtroom relevant to the efforts to address climate change across the globe.
iv.According to the report as of 2017, around 884 cases were brought in 24 countries and as of 2020, the cases have doubled with around 1550 climate change cases in 39 countries, including the European Union Courts.
v.The report also identified some of the recent trends in the climate litigations.
About UNEP:
Executive Director– Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya.
UNEP was founded in June 1972 as a result of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
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BANKING & FINANCE

StashFin Partners with SBM Bank India to Launch ‘StashFin SBM card’, a Contactless Prepaid Cardi.On January 28, 2021 StashFin entered into partnership with SBM Bank (India) Ltd to launch their co-branded prepaid card, ‘StashFin SBM card’.
ii.The card is powered by Visa and has a contactless Europay, MasterCard, and Visa(EMV) chip, enabling cardholders to have 24×7 access to funds. It has been designed through collaboration.
iii.It acts as a personal overdraft facility, enabling customers to take loans up to Rs 5 Lakhs.
iv.The card users have an option to convert all their purchases into Equated Monthly Installments(EMIs).
About SBM Bank (India) Ltd:
i.It is the first bank to receive a banking license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and to establish a universal banking business in India through the Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) mode.
ii.SBM became the 1st foreign Bank in India to operate as a new Indian bank.
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) and Chief executive Officer(CEO)– Sidharth Rath
Commenced Operations– 1st December 2018
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ECONOMY & BUSINESS

GDP growth for FY20 revised downwards to 4% from 4.2%: NSO Estimatesi.On January 29, 2021, the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the First Revised Estimates (FRE) which stated that the growth rate of Indian economy was 4% in FY2019-20. This growth estimate is lower than the provisional estimates (PE) of FY20 growth at 4.2% released in May 2020.
ii.The estimates cover National Income, Consumption Expenditure, Saving and Capital Formation.
iii.Reminder: As per the first advanced estimates (AE) of national income by MoSPI, India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) will shrink 7.7% (-7.7%). It will see recession after 41 years in FY21. Almost all sectors, except agriculture will see contraction.

About Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
Minister of State (MoS)– Rao Inderjit Singh
Statistics Day– June 29
<<Read Full News>>

  APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

DR Congo Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba Resigned After Lawmakers Voted Him Out On 29th January 2021, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, Prime Minister(PM) of Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) tendered his resignation to Felix Tshisekedi, President of DRC.
The lawmakers of the DRC voted and approved the motion of censure against PM Ilunkamba and his coalition government by 367 to 7 votes during the session held on 27th January 2021.

• Under the constitution of DRC, the parliamentary censure requires the Prime minister to step down within 24 hours.
• The session was boycotted by the Prime Minister, Parliamentarians of Pro-Kabila Party stating that according to the constitution the session has no mandate capacity to organise the vote.

About Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba:
i.Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba was appointed as the Prime Minister of DRC in May 2019 and he established his government in August 2019.
ii.Previously he has worked as a professor at the University of Kinshasa.
About the Parliament of DRC:
The parliament of the DRC consists of 2 chambers,

• The Senate – Upper Chamber (members – 109)
• The National Assembly – Lower Chamber (members – 500)

About Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC):
President– Felix Tshisekedi
Capital– Kinshasa
Currency– Congolese franc

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 DecommissionedOn January 28, 2021 Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 of the Super Dvora MK II class was decommissioned at  Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The 25 meters long vessel with 60 tonnes displacement has served India for more than 20 years. Rear Admiral V Srinivas, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area was the  Chief Guest on the occasion.
About IN FAC T-81:
General Info
IN FAC T-81 was built at Goa Shipyard Ltd in collaboration with M/s Ramta of Israel.
The vessel was commissioned into the Navy on 05 Jun 1999 by the then Governor of Goa, Lt Gen JFR Jacob (Retd).
Features
The vessel was designed for shallow waters and can achieve speeds up to 45 knots.
Other features include, day/night surveillance and reconnaissance, Search & Rescue, etc.,
About Indian Navy:
Integrated Headquarters Ministry of Defence (Navy)– New Delhi, Delhi
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh,

IMPORTANT DAYS

2nd World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day – 30th January 2021i.World Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTD) Day is annually observed across the globe on 30th January to highlight the global commitment to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases that has affected the most marginalized communities of the World.
ii.The 30th January 2021 marks the 2nd annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTD) Day.
iii.The Funding for World NTD Day is provided by the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi.
iv.India has joined the movement to combat against NTD and will light up Qutub Minar as a part of the “Monument Light-Ups” event.
v.The World Health Organisation has come up with a road map to tackle 20 NTDs across the globe in the next 10 years.
vi.The road map titled “Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021-2030” was agreed during the 73rd meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) held from 9th to 14th November 2020.
<<Read Full News>>

73rd Martyrs’ Day – 30th January 2021i.The Martyrs’ Day which is also known as “Shaheed Diwas” is annually observed across India on 30th January to pay respect to the martyrs who lost their lives during India’s freedom struggle. The day also to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
ii.The 30th January 2021 marks the 73rd Martyrs Day or Shaheed Diwas.
iii.As a tribute to the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi, the film divisions streamed “Gandhi Rediscovered”, a 27 minutes documentary in Both Hindi and English, which discuss the scope of Swadeshi.
<<Read Full News>>

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