January 28, 2021: National /

International Current Affairs

1. Pakistan to start vaccination next
week, says minister
• The government will start vaccinating
frontline health workers next week while the
general population in the age group of 65 and
above will receive their shots from March.
• `The system for vaccination is in place.
Hundreds of vaccination centres in the country
will be administering covid vaccine. Inshallah
the vaccination of front line health workers will
start next week,`.

2. Rs500m uplift grant for each lawmaker

okayed
• After completing almost half of his
government`s tenure, Prime Minister Imran
Khan has met the long-standing demand of
ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers
for development funds for their constituencies
and announced grant of Rs500 million for each
member of National Assembly and provincial
assemblies under sustainable development
goals so that they can carry out development
schemes for their voters.
• The decision was taken in a meeting of the
parliamentary party of the ruling alliance led by
the PTI at the Parliament House on January 27,
2021

3. Japan to provide $4.57m grant to help

procure polio vaccine
• The Japanese government has announced a
new grant assistance of $4.57 million to
procure essential oral polio vaccine as part of
its continued support to Pakistan for polio
eradication.
• This latest grant will be utilised for the
procurement of 23.66m doses of vaccines, and
it will allow the programme to reach children
under the age of five years living in the districts
with persistent polio virus transmission

4. Pakistan pledges $25,000 for UN

peacekeeping fund
• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on
January 27, 2021 reiterated support for the
United Nations peacekeeping and peace-
building efforts and called for addressing the
root causes of conflicts for ensuring sustainable
peace.
• Speaking at the virtual High Level
Replenishment Conference for the UN
Secretary General`s Peace Building Fund (PBF),
Mr Qureshi pledged a contribution of $25,000
from Pakistan to the fund and said the move
underscored Pakistan`s longstanding political,
human and financial commitment to the UN`s
endeavours for peacekeeping and peace-
building
5. KP to hold local body polls on Sept 15
• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on January
27, 2021 decided that the local body elections
in the province would be held on Sept 15 this
year.
• The cabinet met here with Chief Minister
Mahmood Khan in the chair and provincial
ministers, chief minister`s aides and
administrative secretaries in attendance.
• Law minister Sultan Mohammad Khan and
adviser to the chief minister on science and
information technology Ziaullah Bangash told
reporters later that the decision about local
government polls was a big development

6. Pakistan gets GI tag for basmati

• Pakistan on January 26, 2021 received the
Geographical Indicator (GI) tag for its Basmati,
paving the way for creating a local registry for
this particular strain of rice and making a case
in the world markets for its protection as a
Pakistani product.
• Under this Act, a GI registry has been formed
which will register GIs and maintain the basic
record of proprietors & authorised users of GI,
Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood said in
a thread on Twitter.

7. Work begins on CASA-1000 power

transmission line
• Pakistan launched construction work on the
Torkham-to-Nowshera portion of the $1.17
billion Central Asia South Asia Regional Trade
and Transmission Project (CASA-1000) on
January 27, 2021.
• A virtual launching ceremony was hosted by
Dr Bandar Hajjar, president of the Islamic
Development Bank (IsDB), and Energy Minister
Omar Ayub Khan.
8. Russian MPs vote for extension of N-
treaty with US
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said on
January 27, 2021 the extension of a key nuclear
pact was a positive development in reducing
global tensions, as lawmakers unanimously
voted to ratify the agreement to prolong New
START in a rare moment of cooperation
between Moscow and Washington.
• `No doubt it is a step in the right direction,`
Putin said at the World Economic Forum
summit being held virtually this year,
addressing the body for the first time since
2009.

9. Malaysian court releases PIA`s

grounded plane
• A Malaysian court has ordered immediate
release of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)
plane that had been seized nearly two weeks
ago by the authorities over a London court case
about the jet`s lease after the applicant,
Peregrine Aviation Charlie Ltd, agreed to
withdraw its suit against PIA Corporation.
• The Boeing 777 aircraft was seized on Jan 15
soon after landing at Kuala Lumpur
International Airport on the orders of a local
court that allowed an application by lessor
Peregrine Aviation Charlie Limited to keep it
grounded until the result of a $14 million lease
dispute with PIA in Britain

10. Rs115.2m for Abbottabad stadium

approved
• After a ten-year struggle made by veteran
hockey players, the government of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa finally approved Rs115.21 million
for the reconstruction of the Abbottabad
Hockey Stadium.
• The funds were approved during a meeting of
the Provincial Development Working Party
(PDWP) for the reconstruction of the stadium
and installation of Astro Turf, upgradation of
the stadium. The upgradation includes
installation of floodlights, new sprinkle system,
new stands for spectators, new goal posts,
sheds and chairs improvement of sports
directorate offices in Abbottabad