Current Affairs Monthly Capsule January b1786101

Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I
September 2020
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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule |January 2021
Table of Contents
Awards and Honors ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Mergers and Events .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Days and Events .................................................................................................................................................... 14
MoU and Agreements .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Appointment ........................................................................................................................................................ 28
Obituaries ............................................................................................................................................................. 36
International Affairs ............................................................................................................................................. 41
Person in News ..................................................................................................................................................... 49
Govt. Policies and Schemes .................................................................................................................................. 56
Science and Tech .................................................................................................................................................. 61
Business and Economy ......................................................................................................................................... 66
Sports .................................................................................................................................................................... 74
Defence................................................................................................................................................................. 80
Books and Authors................................................................................................................................................ 86
National Affairs ..................................................................................................................................................... 87
Committees and Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 95
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Awards and Honors

IFFCO bags highest tax payer award
 IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd) has bagged the highest taxpayer award which was
given by the Customs Department at Deendayal Port Trust Kandla, Gujarat.
 IFFCO is the world's leading fertilizer cooperative.
 It has a global group turnover of Rs 57,778 crore.
 The award was given on the occasion of International Customs Day celebrated on Jan 27, 2021, at
Gandhidham, Gujarat.
CSS Corp wins 2021 BIG Innovation Award
 CSS Corp has been named the winner in the 2021 BIG Innovation Awards in the best products category
by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG) for their homegrown platform, Contelli.
 Contelli is a one-of-its-kind advanced AIOps platform that harmonizes, automates, and modernizes every
aspect of infrastructure operation.
 It is highly modular to be tailored to suit any client environment.
Republic Day 2021 awards- I
 Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju gave away awards and prizes to participants of
the Republic Day Parade 2021 in New Delhi on January 28, 2021.
 UP was adjudged the best tableau among the 32 tableaux.
 Among the 9 tableaux from various Ministries/Depts and Paramilitary Forces and 6 from Ministry of
Defence, the Department of Biotechnology tableau won the top honour.
Republic Day 2021 awards-II
 The tableau of Uttarakhand was named third among the states and UTs.
 The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Amar Jawan’, bagged the
special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the Armed Forces.
 Kiren Rijiju gave the award of best cultural performance to the children of Mount Abu Public School and
Vidya Bharti School Rohini, Delhi.
ICC announces Player of the Month awards
 The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the introduction of the ICC Player of the Month
awards.
 It will recognize and celebrate the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms
of international cricket.
 An independent ICC Voting Academy comprising former players, broadcasters, and journalists from
around the world, will team up with fans to vote.
Group Captain Kesavan Harisankar conferred VSM
 Group Captain Kesavan Nair Harisankar of Southern Air Command has been conferred the prestigious
Presidential award Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) on the occasion of Republic Day.
 He is functioning as Command Engineering Officer and presently posted at Southern Air Command since
July 2020.
 He joined Indian Air Force (IAF) Aeronautical Engineering Mechanical Branch in 1990.
President awards Tatrakshak medals
 President Ram Nath Kovind has awarded Presidents Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) and Tatrakshak Medal (TM)
to the Indian Coast Guard personnel.
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 They have been awarded for their act of conspicuous gallantry and distinguished/meritorious service.
 These awards are being given to the personnel of Indian Coast Guard on Republic Day and Independence
Day every year, since 26 Jan 1990 onwards.
Meghalaya selected for special award
 The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya was selected for a Special Award for Information
Technology applications in Elections by the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the National Best
Electoral Practices Awards-2020.
 President Ram Nath Kovind virtually conferred the award to Meghalaya CEO F.R. Kharkongor at the
National Voters' Day Award function on 25 Jan 2021.
102 persons to get Padma Shri
 102 persons will be awarded the Padma Shri including Social Worker Sindutai Sapkal, British film director
Peter Brook and Greek Indologist Nicholas Kazanas.
 Former Governor of Goa late Mridula Sinha, Spanish-Indian Jesuit priest and author late Father Vallés
will be given the award posthumously.
 Novelist Namdeo.C.Kamble will also be awarded for his contribution to the field of literature.
Government announces Padma Awards
 On the eve of 72nd Republic Day, the Government announced the Padma Awards.
 Seven persons will get Padma Vibhushan including former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
 Eminent singer late S P Balasubramaniam will be awarded the 2nd highest civilian award posthumously.
 Ten persons will get Padma Bhushan including former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, singer K S
Chithra, etc.
Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards 2020
 The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2020 on
40 persons.
 The awards include Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 1, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 8 and Jeevan
Raksha Padak to 31 persons.
 One award is posthumous.
 Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in
saving the life of a person.
President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry
 On the occasion of Republic Day, 2021, 73 personnel have been awarded Fire Service Medals.
 Out of these, President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry is awarded to 8 personnel and Fire Service
Medal for Gallantry is awarded to 2 personnel for their respective acts of valour and gallantry.
 President’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service is awarded to 13 personnel.
17 ITBP officials get police medals
 17 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel were awarded police service medals of various
categories on 25 Jan 2021.
 Two officers have been decorated with the police medal for gallantry, three with the President's police
medal for distinguished service and 12 with police medals for meritorious service.
 The recipients include Deputy Commandant Rajesh Kumar Luthra, IG Deepam Seth, etc.
Rajendra Kumar Bhandari selected for an award
 Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society and Dr. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari have
been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar.
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 They have been selected for their excellent work in Disaster Management.
 The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh rupees and a certificate in case of an institution and Rs 5
lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
 32 children have been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for 2021.
 The Government has been conferring the awards to the children with exceptional abilities and
outstanding achievement in the fields of innovation, sports, arts and culture, social service, and bravery.
 Seven children have won the award in the sports category and three children have been felicitated for
bravery.
Shyam Srinivasan: Banker of the Year
 Shyam Srinivasan, MD and CEO of Federal Bank, is the Business Standard Banker of the Year for 2019-20.
 This decision was taken by a high-profile jury of five, chaired by former RBI deputy governor S S Mundra.
 Other members were Keki Mistry, vice-chairman and CEO of Housing Development Finance Corporation;
Rashesh Shah, chairman and CEO of Edelweiss Group, etc.
Rajasthan Police Academy: Best in country
 The Centre has ranked Jaipur-based Rajasthan Police Academy as the best institution for training
gazetted officers in the country for the year 2019-20.
 Similarly, the state's Police Training Centre in Kishangarh has been rated as the best in the country for
training constables.
 The awards have been conferred by the Police Research and Development Bureau of the Union Ministry
of Home Affairs.
Mihir Dalal’s book wins a book prize
 Mihir Dalal has won the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2020 for his debut book, Big Billion Startup: The
Untold Flipkart Story.
 He was chosen from a shortlist of six books.
 Established by the equity firm Gaja Capital in 2020, the Gaja Business Book Prize seeks to recognize
business writing.
 With prize money of ₹15 lakh for the winner, it is the biggest business book prize in the country.
Coal Minister's Award presented to 3 companies
 Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi presented Coal Minister's Award to three coal companies of Coal India Ltd on
21 Jan 2021.
 The companies are Northern Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited, and Western Coalfields
Limited.
 Mr. Joshi also launched 'Project Passion'- the Enterprise Resource Planning of Coal India Ltd which will
help improve the business performance and growth of the company.
Infosys gets Google Cloud Partner status
 Infosys has been accredited with the Google Cloud Partner Specialization in the data and analytics space.
 It achieved this recognition by successfully demonstrating end-to-end capabilities on Google Cloud
including data ingestion, streaming, querying, exploration, analysis, storage, etc.
 Infosys is among the top global system integrators (SI) to be accredited with this specialization.
IR renames Howrah-Kalka Mail as Netaji Express
 Indian Railways has renamed Howrah-Kalka Mail as 'Netaji Express' ahead of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose's 125th birth anniversary celebrations.
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 Started in the 19th Century as one of the early commercial passenger train services in India, the Kalka
mail connects Howrah with Kalka.
 It is said that Bose took this train from Gomoh in Bihar after he escaped from his house in Kolkata in
1941.
Azim Premji chosen for PCB awards
 The chairman of Wipro Limited Azim Premji and the founder chairman of Narayana Health Dr Devi
Prasad Shetty have been selected for the annual awards given by the Press Club of Bangalore.
 Premji has been chosen for 'Press Club Person of the Year', while Dr Shetty has been selected for the
'Press Club Special Award.'
 25 senior journalists have been selected for the 'Press Club Annual Awards'.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal honoured
 Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' was honoured by the Hindi Writers Guild, Canada
for his literary work, on 16 January 2021.
 Nishank was conferred with the "Sahitya Gaurav Samman" in the presence of the Governor of
Uttarakhand through a virtual programme.
 He has served people as an MLA, an MP, a Chief Minister and is now a Union minister.
Biswajit Chatterjee awarded at IFFI
 The 51st International Film Festival of India has conferred Biswajit Chatterjee, veteran actor, producer of
Hindi and Bengali cinema, with the Indian Personality of the Year Award.
 This award will be presented to him, when the National Film Awards are presented in March 2021.
 Biswajit Chatterjee is known for his roles of Kumar Vijay Singh in Bees Saal Baad and Raja Amit Kumar
Singh in Kohra.
Amresh Kumar Chaudhary honoured with an award
 Amresh Kumar Chaudhary has been awarded prestigious "Chief of Army Staff Commendation".
 He has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to Armed Forces during the critical period of
Covid-19 pandemic and it’s various operations.
 Amresh Kumar Chaudhary is currently working as Chief Controller in Mil Rail.
 Mil Rail is an extension of Traffic Directorate of Ministry of Railways.
Vittorio Storaro to be honoured at IFFI
 Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
51st International Film Festival of India.
 He is best known for his work in the films like "The Conformist" (1970), "Last Tango in Paris" (1972), etc.
 Storaro has 3 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography for the films "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Reds"
(1981), and "The Last Emperor" (1987).
Shi Zhengli honoured by China
 China has honoured virologist Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
 She has earned the name of 'Bat Woman' for her passionate research into bats and viruses.
 She was honoured as an "advanced worker of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)".
 Shi was honoured along with 20 advanced workers during the CAS 2021 annual work conference held in
Beijing.
Arjun Munda receives SKOCH Challenger Award
 Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda virtually received the SKOCH Challenger Award conferred to the
Ministry of Tribal Affairs for e-Governance, on 16 Jan 2021.
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 The award has been given to the Ministry for its IT-led initiatives and other transformational initiatives
leading to outcome-based performance improvement.
 It has digitalised all the processes leading to a paperless office.
Col. P Singh presented with Silver Salver
 Col. Prithipal Singh (ret), who has the unique distinction of serving in all three services, was presented
with a Silver Salver on behalf of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on the occasion of Veterans Day
on 14 Jan 2021.
 During his service with the military, he participated in World War 2 and the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
 He is the only officer to serve in Indian Army, Navy and Airforce.
Ravi Gaikwad wins World Humanitarian Award
 Philanthropist Ravi Gaikwad has been awarded The "Nelson Mandela" World Humanitarian Award.
 This award was given to him for his dedication to the service of humanity.
 He has also won Lifetime Achievement Award in Social Welfare category of Mid-Day Showbiz Icon
Awards 2020, and an award at the Legends Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2020) too in Mumbai.
R Godbole conferred with French Order of Merit
 Indian physicist and Padma Shri awardee Rohini Godbole has been conferred with the Ordre National du
Merite, one of the highest distinctions granted by France to honour eminent persons.
 She is a professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
 She has been recognised for her work in promoting the visibility of women in science.
 She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.
Janaagraha’s Best State award won by Odisha
 Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Odisha was declared the winner under
the Best State Category in the second edition of Janaagraha City Governance Awards.
 It was awarded for its project JAGA Mission.
 Piped Water Supply Scheme for all Urban Households, Public Health Engineering Organisation, Odisha
won the Best Civic Agency.
Kayakalp awards to public health facilities
 Public and private health facilities were felicitated on 12 Jan 2021 with Kayakalp award for high
standards of sanitation and hygiene.
 The government had launched a national Initiative Kayakalp on 15th May 2015 to ensure hygiene,
sanitation, and cleanliness in public health facilities in India.
 The scheme has now spread to 26,172 public health facilities.
Indian Railways bags 13 honours
 Indian Railways has bagged 13 honours at the National Energy Conservation Awards 2020.
 Western Railway has been awarded the 1st prize, Eastern Railway has been awarded the 2nd prize,
North Eastern Railway and South Central Railway has been awarded Certificate of Merit in the transport
category.
 In Building Category, Divisional Railway Manager's office at Bhavnagar has won the first prize.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award given
 30 NRIs and Indian-origin people and organisations were conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Award by President Ram Nath Kovind on 9 Jan 2021.
 Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, New Zealand Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan were
among those awarded.
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 Four organisations were also awarded for community service and their work for promoting cultural ties.
Centum Electronics Limited receives an award
 Centum Electronics Limited has been awarded the Defence Technology Absorption Award by DRDO.
 The award was handed over to Centum CMD, Apparao V Mallavarapu by Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh.
 It is given in recognition of Centum Electronics' outstanding contribution towards the absorption of
critical technology in defence space systems and pioneering the development of space-grade hardware.
Asadharan Aasuchana Kushalata Padak-2020
 Ministry of Home Affairs has announced Asadharan Aasuchana Kushalata Padak-2020 for seven officers
of J&K Police for displaying exceptional courage and skills.
 The officers who have been honored include Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri Chandan Kohli,
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Budgam Amit Verma, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Akhnoor Ajay
Sharma, Inspector Dilraj Singh, etc.
Ronaldo becomes 1st to get 25 cr followers
 Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person ever to reach 250 million followers on image-and video-
sharing platform Instagram.
 He is also the most followed person on Facebook and the most followed sportsperson on Twitter.
 The only account which has more followers than Ronaldo on the platform is Instagram’s official account,
which has 382 million followers.
Indian flag installed at UNSC
 The Indian national flag was installed at the United National Security Council (UNSC) stakeout on 04 Jan
2021, as India has started its tenure at the UN body for the eighth time as a non-permanent member.
 India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti installed the flag.
 India's previous tenure in UNSC was in 2011-2012.
Dabholkar Memorial Award for DK chief
 The Dr Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Award for 2020 has been conferred upon Dravidar Kazhagam
President K. Veeramani.
 The award was instituted in the memory of the Maharashtra-based rationalist Dabholkar, who was killed
some years ago.
 It includes ₹1 lakh and a citation.
 Mr Veeramani has dedicated his whole life to propagate rationalism and served for the cause of social
justice in society.
PMO gets centennial observing station status
 The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Geneva has awarded the status of 'centennial observing
station' to the Patna Meteorological Observatory (PMO).
 The recognition has come as a result of extensive consultation and close collaboration between WMO
climate, network and instrument experts representing WMO technical commissions, the Global Climate
Observing System.
Dr Raghu Ram honoured with "OBE-Officer"
 Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti, Director, KIMS-USHALAKSHMI Centre for Breast Disease, has found a place in
the Queen Elizabeth II’s 2021 New Year’s honours list.
 He was honoured with ‘OBE-Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’.
 OBE is the second-highest-ranking Order of the British Empire award.
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 He is also a recipient of Padma Shri award and Dr BC Roy National award.

General Naravane receives Guard of Honour
 Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Mukund Naravane received a Guard of Honour at Republic of Korea
(ROK) Army Headquarters at Gyeryong in December 2020.
 The Chief of Army Staff also called on General Nam Yeong shin, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea
Army and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation.
 He also visited the Agency for Defence Development at Daejeon.
Lewis Hamilton knighted in UK honours list
 Lewis Hamilton was awarded a knighthood as part of Britain's traditional New Year's Honours list.
 Hamilton’s knighthood was awarded in the “overseas” section of the honours list because he lives in
low-tax Monaco.
 The queen’s honours are awarded twice a year, in late December and in June, when the monarch’s
birthday is observed.
V.K. Yadav bags Eminent Engineer Award
 V.K. Yadav, Chairman and CEO, Railway Board has been conferred with the 'Eminent Engineer Award for
the Year 2020’ by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
 He has been awarded for his outstanding contribution towards modernization and reforms over Indian
Railways.
 IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168,000 members in 150 countries.
Ronaldo named 'Player of the Century'
 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 'Player of the Century' award at the Globe Soccer Awards.
 Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, during the event, won the Player of the Year award.
 The club's coach Hansi Flick bagged the Coach of the Year award.
 Also, Bayern Munich won the Club of the Year award.
 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola won the Coach of the Century award.
Mergers and Acquisition
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Happiest Minds acquires Pimcore

 Happiest Minds Technologies Ltd will acquire US-based Pimcore Global Services for USD 8.25 million.
 Houston-based Pimcore Global Services is a digital e-commerce and data management solutions
company.
 The acquisition will further strengthen Happiest Minds' offerings and leadership in the digital
transformation space.
 It will also help create greater digital capital for customers.
Sundaram acquires Principal Asset Management
 Sundaram Asset Management Company (AMC) has announced the acquisition of Principal Asset
Management for ₹338.53 crores.
 Principal AMC is the Indian business of Principal Financial Group.
 Principal AMC has assets under management (AUM) of ₹7,447 crores compared to assets of around
₹40,000 crores with Sundaram AMC.
ABFRL buys 51% stake in Sabyasachi
 Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) has signed a definitive agreement to buy 51% stake in
designer brand Sabyasachi for Rs 398 crore.
 Incorporated in 1990, Sabyasachi is Indias largest luxury designer brand.
 The fashion brand reported Rs 274 crore revenue in the financial year 2019-20.
 The deal is expected to be closed in late-February or mid-March.
Twitter acquires newsletter startup Revue
 Twitter has announced that it has acquired the newsletter startup Revue, a Dutch startup that allows
users to publish and monetize email newsletters.
 Twitter will continue to operate Revue as a standalone product, with its team remaining focused on
improving the ways writers create their newsletters, build their audience, and get paid for their work.
NSE acquires financial data provider Cogencis
 India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) has acquired Indian financial data provider Cogencis Information
Services Ltd from Samara Capital for an undisclosed sum.
 Cogencis provides real-time market data and financial news in India to trading clients through its
Cogencis WorkStation.
 Cogencis started operations in 2001 as CRISIL MarketWire, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
rating agency CRISIL.
South Korea's Naver acquires Wattpad
 Story-telling platform Wattpad has been acquired by South Korean's Naver in a $600 million cash-and-
stock deal.
 The acquisition will combine Wattpad and Webtoon into a platform with a joint global monthly audience
of 160 million users.
 Naver's Webtoon is a digital comics platform.
 Wattpad will remain headquartered in Toronto under the leadership of co-founders Allen Lau and Ivan
Yuen.
Hero Motors acquires stake in Hewland
 Hero Motors Company (HMC) has acquired a strategic stake in the UK's transmission design technology
leader Hewland Engineering Ltd.
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 The acquisition will enable Hero Motors to create a competitive single source entity to design and
manufacture high-quality transmission products, particularly in the emerging EV segment, across North
America, Europe and India.
Nuvia to be acquired by Qualcomm
 Qualcomm Technologies has announced to acquire Nuvia, a two-year-old chip startup company
established by former Apple executives, for $1.4 billion.
 It plans to use Nuvia's technology in its flagship smartphones, next-generation laptops, auto components
and other electronics gear.
 Nuvia founders Gerard Williams III, John Bruno, Manu Gulati, and their employees will be joining
Qualcomm.
PayPal becomes 1st fully own payment platform
 PayPal Holding Inc has become the first foreign operator with 100% control of a payment platform in
China.
 It acquired the 30% stake in China's GoPay, formally known as Guofubao Information Technology Co., on
Dec. 31, 2020.
 It had already bought a 70% stake in GoPay in 2019.
 It will compete with domestic payments giants Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Google completes acquisition of Fitbit
 Alphabet Inc's Google has completed its $2.1 billion acquisition of wearable device maker Fitbit Inc.
 The deal had triggered concerns over Google's market power and the use of people's health data in
targeted advertising.
 The companies won antitrust approval from the European Union in Dec 2020 after Google agreed to
restrictions on how it will use customers' health-related data.
Infosys to acquire assets of Carter Digital
 Infosys will purchase assets and onboard employees of Carter Digital, an Australian experience design
agency.
 The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary
closing conditions.
 As part of Infosys global design and experience offering, Carter Digital will be rebranded as
WONGDOODY and join its network of studios.
Byju's to acquire Aakash Educational Services
 Byju's has secured a deal for acquiring Blackstone backed Aakash Educational Services Ltd for $1 billion.
 This deal will be one of the largest edtech acquisitions in the world.
 Aakash Institutes with more than 200 physical centres across the country tutors students to gain entry
into India's elite engineering and medical schools.
 In August 2020, Byju's acquired WhiteHat jr.
Tech Mahindra to acquire PTSL
 Tech Mahindra has announced that it will acquire Payments Technology Services Ltd (PTSL) for USD 9
million.
 The acquisition will give Tech Mahindra access to IPs and licenses for two products - Open Payment
Framework and Multi-Bank System.
 Established in March 2007 in Hong Kong, PTSL is a payments solutions provider with a focus on Banking
and Financial Services.
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Snap acquires location data startup StreetCred

 Snapchat’s parent company Snap has acquired StreetCred, a New York City startup building a platform
for location data.
 As per the deal, four StreetCred employees will join Snap to work on location products, including co-
founders Randy Meech and Diana Shkolnikov.
 StreetCred had raised $1 million in seed funding from Bowery Capital and Notation Capital .
Cognizant to acquire Sydney-based Servian
 Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. has entered an agreement to acquire Servian, a Sydney-based,
privately-held enterprise transformation consultancy specializing in data analytics, artificial intelligence
(AI), etc.
 The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.
 Servian is Cognizant’s 10th digital-focused acquisition announced since January 2020.
CCI approves MHEPL 100% acquisition of CAHPL
 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on January 8, 2021, approved the acquisition of
100% shareholding of the Columbia Asia Hospitals (CAHPL) by Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited
(MHEPL).
 MHEPL, which is a part of Manipal Educational and Medical Group, operates a network of hospitals,
providing multi-speciality care.
 CAHPL began its operations in India in 2005.
Epic Games acquires US-based RAD Game Tools
 Fortnite-maker Epic Games has acquired US-based RAD Game Tools.
 Under the terms of the acquisition, RAD will continue supporting its current partners in games, film, and
television production.
 RAD also makes Oodle, a data compression utility that’s used to make games’ files smaller, for faster
loading times and lower bandwidth costs.
WestBridge exits gaming firm Nazara
 WestBridge Capital has sold its entire shareholding in Indian gaming company Nazara Technologies to
Plutus Wealth Management for over Rs 500 crore.
 WestBridge, which had been one of the early investors in the company, had invested Rs 22.6 crore in
Nazara since 2005, and obtained sales consideration of approximately INR 1000 Cr from its investment.
Twitter to acquire podcast app Breaker
 Breaker, a popular podcast app, would be acquired by Twitter Inc.
 It will shut down its app and website by 15 January 2021.
 It has asked people to transfer their subscriptions to other podcast-listening apps like those offered by
Apple Inc and Spotify.
 Breaker's team would also be joining Twitter.
IDBI Bank sells 23% stake in life insurance JV
 IDBI Bank has sold 23 per cent stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Ltd (IFLI) to Ageas Insurance
International NV for ₹507.10 crores.
 Following this transaction, the joint venture has been rebranded as Ageas Federal Life Insurance
Company Ltd.
 IFLI is a three-way joint venture of IDBI Bank, Belgium’s Ageas and Federal Bank.
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Amazon acquires podcast network Wondery

 Amazon has announced its acquisition of podcast publisher Wondery.
 Wondery was founded in 2016 by former Fox executive Hernan Lopez, it has around 20 million listeners
per month.
 It’s behind true-crime hits like Dirty John, about the life and death of John Meehan, and Dr Death, about
infamous neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch.
Unacademy buys test prep startup NeoStencil
 Unacademy has acquired test preparation startup NeoStencil to grow its footprint in Tier II and III cities.
 In 2020, Unacademy has acquired Kreatryx, and PrepLadder, besides funding in Mastree, and is taking
over the custodianship of CodeChef.
 Founded by Kush Beejal and Love Beejal in 2014, NeoStencil has tie-ups with over 100 institutes and
offers 500 plus courses to nearly 1 M students.
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Days and Events

World Leprosy Day: 31 January 2021
 World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of January every year all over the world to increase
knowledge about it and propagate the need and importance of eradicating the disease.
 It is being observed on 31 January for 2021.
 Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s, is an infectious disease caused by a bacillus Mycobacterium leprae and
is named after Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen.
Mahatma Gandhi's 73rd death anniversary
 30 January 2021 marks the 73rd death anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.
 The day is also observed as Martyrs' Day.
 He was assassinated on this day in 1948 by Nathuram Godse.
 An inter-religious prayer is organised on the occasion at Rajghat every year where the President, Vice
President and Prime Minister lay wreaths at Bapu's samadhi.
Beating Retreat held at Vijay Chowk on 29 Jan
 The Beating Retreat ceremony which marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day
celebrations was held at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on 29 Jan 2021.
 The entry band was Massed Band with Swarnim Vijay theme.
 Beating Retreat is a centuries-old military tradition dating from the days when troops disengaged from
the battle at sunset.
Lala Lajpat Rai's birth anniversary: 28 Jan
 28 January is observed as the birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai every year.
 Born in a small village named Dhudike in Punjab's Ferozepur district on January 28 in 1865, Lala Lajpat
Rai went on to become one of the greatest freedom fighters of India.
 He led a silent protest march against the Simon Commission in 1928.
 He founded Punjab National Bank and Laxmi Insurance company in 1894.
Int. Holocaust Remembrance Day: 27 Jan
 International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on 27 Jan every year.
 It marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of
Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945.
 Over a million men, women and children were killed in it.
 The official theme for 2021 is Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust.
72nd Republic Day: 26 January 2021
 72nd Republic Day is being celebrated on 26 January 2021.
 The main function was held at Rajpath in Delhi where President Ram Nath Kovind took the salute of the
parade.
 32 tableaux, 17 from states and UTs, 9 from various Ministries or Departments and Paramilitary Forces
and 6 from the Ministry of Defence were rolled down the Rajpath.
 Rafale fighter jets also featured in the parade.
International Education Day: 24 January
 January 24 is marked as ‘Education Day’ globally to celebrate the role of education for peace and
development.
 The theme for the year 2021 was ‘Recover and revitalise education for the COVID-19 generation’.
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 As per UNESCO data, around 258 million children are out of school, 617 million children and adults
cannot read and do basic math.
National Tourism Day: 25 January
 National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25 every year across the country.
 This day is observed by the government to encourage tourism and explain the essential role of tourism
in the growth of the country.
 The theme of National Tourism Day 2021 is 'Dekho Apna Desh'.
 From January 21 to February 22, 2021, the Ministry of Tourism is also organizing seminars pertaining to
the theme.
Uttar Pradesh celebrated its foundation day
 Uttar Pradesh celebrated its foundation day on 24 Jan 2021.
 The theme of the day was 'Self-reliant Uttar Pradesh: Women, youths, Farmers: Development of all,
Honour to All, Sabka Vikas Sabka Samman '.
 A huge exhibition on the theme of 'One District One Product' is also being displayed at Gautam Budh
Nagar in NCR.
 An app of the MSME department 'Udhyam Sarthi ' was launched on this occasion.
Himachal Pradesh celebrates statehood day
 Himachal Pradesh celebrated its golden jubilee statehood day on 25 January 2021.
 It was on this day in 1971 Himachal Pradesh became the 18th state of India.
 The ‘golden jubilee’ of the statehood would be celebrated around the year by organizing 51 programs in
various parts of the state.
 ‘Swarnim Rath Yatra’ will also be carried out to showcase the development journey of the state.
National Girl Child Day: 24 January
 The National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24th January.
 It is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
 The objective behind celebrating the day is to provide all support and opportunities to the girls of the
country.
 It also aims towards promoting awareness about the rights of the girl child and to increase awareness on
the importance of girl’s education.
National Voters’ Day: 25 January
 The National Voters’ Day (NVD) is celebrated across the country on 25 January every year.
 It aims at encouraging, facilitating, and maximizing enrolment, especially for the new voters.
 The day marks the foundation day of Election Commission of India.
 President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the National Awards for the year 2020-21 and launched ECI’s Web
Radio: ‘Hello Voters’ on the occasion.
Parakram Diwas: 23 January
 The birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is observed on 23 January every
year.
 He was born on this day in 1897, in Cuttack, Odisha.
 Government has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Netaji as 'Parakram Diwas' on 23rd
January every year.
 The year-long celebrations to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary year of Netaji have also started.
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'National Girl Child Week': 21 to 26 Jan 2021

 The National Girl Child Week is being observed from 21 to 26 January 2021.
 The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organizing a series of webinars on the issues relating
to the girl child, adolescent girls, and women.
 National Girl Child Day is celebrated in India every year on 24 Jan to promote awareness of issues faced
by girl children in India, such as education and nutrition.
NDRF celebrated its 16th Foundation Day
 National Disaster Response Force, NDRF celebrated its 16th Foundation Day on 20 Jan 2021.
 A special program was organized on this occasion in New Delhi with the Minister of State for Home
Nityanand Rai as the Chief Guest.
 NDRF was constituted for the purpose of a special response to a threatening disaster situation or
disaster under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Statehood Day of three states: 21 January
 Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura observe their Statehood Day on 21 Jan.
 Under North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971, Tripura, Manipur, and Meghalaya attained
statehood on January 21, 1972.
 The princely states of Tripura and Manipur were merged with India in October 1949.
 The capitals of the states of Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura are Shillong, Imphal, and Agartala,
respectively.
Tripura celebrates 43rd Kokborok Day
 People of Tripura celebrated the “43rd Kokborok Day” by organizing a colourful procession at Agartala in
Tripura, on 19 Jan 2021.
 Kokborok, the native language of Tripura, is formed by two words ‘Kok’ which means language and
‘borok’ means people and is one of the branches of Tibeto-Burman languages.
 It is spoken by various Tripura tribes, such as Tripuri, Jamatia, Noatia, Kalai, Riang, etc.
354th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh
 Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti was celebrated on January 20, 2021.
 It marks the 354th birth anniversary of the tenth guru of Sikhism- Guru Gobind Singh.
 Guru Gobind Singh became the guru of the Sikh faith at only nine years of age after the death of his
father, Guru Teg Bahadur.
 The day, which is also known as Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh Parkash Utsav.
Parakram Diwas to be observed on 23 Jan
 The Indian government will celebrate Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birthday on January 23 as
'Parakram Diwas' every year.
 Born to advocate Janakinath Bose in Odisha's Cuttack on January 23, 1897, Netaji played a crucial role in
India's freedom movement.
 He died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945.
National Road Safety Month inaugurated
 National Road Safety Month was inaugurated on 18 Jan'21 to disseminate awareness regarding road
safety and reduce road accidents in India.
 It was launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin
Gadkari.
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 Activities planned during the month include the launch of a film on road safety, flagging off of a National
Championship Safe Speed Challenge, etc.
IMD celebrated its 146th Foundation Day
 India Meteorological Department (IMD)celebrated its 146th Foundation Day on 15 Jan 2021.
 IMD is one of the oldest, scientific service organizations in the country, in existence well before
Independence.
 On the occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated Doppler Weather Radars at Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand,
and Kufri, Himachal Pradesh, and released a report on cyclone disturbances during 2020.
57th Foundation Day of Food Corp of India
 57th Foundation Day of Food Corporation of India was celebrated on 14th January 2021.
 Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Railways, and Commerce
and Industry inaugurated the newly constructed building of its Divisional Office, Mysuru.
 He also mentioned that FCI had procured 140 LMT paddy and 390 LMT wheat during the pandemic.
Polio Vaccination Day rescheduled to Jan 31
 The govt has decided to reschedule the Polio Vaccination Day, also known as the National Immunisation
Day or Polio Ravivar to 31st of January 2021.
 It was earlier scheduled for January 17, 2021 across India, but has been rescheduled because of the
COVID vaccination drive that will begin on 16 Jan 2021.
 President Ram Nath Kovind will launch the Polio National Immunisation Day on 30 Jan 2021.
Thiruvalluvar Day: 15 January
 The Government of Tamil Nadu celebrates 15th January as Thiruvalluvar Day in honor of the poet
Thiruvalluvar.
 Thiruvalluvar was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE.
 Commonly known as Valluvar, he is best known for authoring Thirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on
ethics, political and economic matters, and love.
Indian Army Day: 15 January
 Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on 15 January.
 The year 2021 marks India's 73rd Army Day.
 In 1949, on this day, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, General Sir Francis Butcher, was
replaced by the then Lieutenant General KM Cariappa.
 He became the first Indian Army Chief of independent India.
 Kariyappa commanded the Indian Army in the 1947 Indo-Pak war.
Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day: 14 January
 Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed on 14 January every year.
 This day is celebrated to honor the services rendered by veterans of the Army.
 The year 2021 is being commemorated as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ to recognize and commemorate the
sacrifices and selfless services rendered by gallant veterans in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
National Youth Day: 12 January
 National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12 January to honour the ideals and thoughts of Swami
Vivekananda.
 The day marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
 He was born on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata.
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 The Indian government declared to celebrate the day in 1984 and it is being observed since 1985.
 The objective is to propagate the philosophy and the ideals of Swami Vivekanand.
11-17 January: Road Safety Week
 Road Safety Week is observed from January 11th to January 17th every year.
 It aims at making the roads and streets in India safer.
 Road Safety Week is a campaign initiated by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
 This year, we are celebrating 32nd Road Safety Week and its theme is “safe yourself to save your
family”.
10 January: World Hindi Day
 World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on January 10.
 World Hindi Day commemorates the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur on
January 10, 1975.
 The conference was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Nagpur.
 It was first celebrated in 2006 by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
National Youth Parliament Festival- 2021
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the National Youth Parliament Festival - 2021 on 12 January
2021.
 The festival is being organised on 12th January on the occasion of the National Youth Day.
 The day aims at encouraging the youth in the age group of 18-25 years to engage with public issues and
understand the common man’s point of view.
16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention
 The 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be held on 9 Jan 2021 in a virtual format.
 The theme of the Convention for 2021 is "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat".
 The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will
feature a keynote address by the Chief Guest Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname.
Marathi Journalism Day: 6 January
 Marathi Journalism Day was celebrated across Maharashtra on 6 Jan 2021.
 On 6th January 1832, Balshastri Jambhekar, known as the father of Marathi journalism started the first
newspaper 'Darpan'.
 Since then this day is being celebrated as the Marathi Journalism day in the state.
 The journalist fraternity across Maharashtra was felicitated on the occasion.
Desh Nayak Diwas on 23 January
 To mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, West Bengal will observe January 23 as
'Desh Nayak Diwas'.
 A national university will also be built-in Netaji's memory.
 On January 23, 2021, a rally will be taken out from Shyambazar to Netaji Statue in Kolkata, along with
the police band.
 A tableau will also be displayed on the theme based on Netaji's life on January 26, 2021.
Tamil Nadu announces a public holiday
 Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami has declared government holiday on January 28 on account of Thaipusam
festival celebrated in the honour of Lord Murugan.
 Thaipusam is an important festival that is celebrated in Tamil Nadu and also in Kerala and foreign
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countries like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore and Malaysia.

 Thaipusam will be included in the list of public holidays in the coming years.
January 4: World Braille Day
 World Braille Day is observed on January 4 every year on the birth anniversary of Louis Braille who was
the inventor of the Braille language.
 Louis Braille has created a language called "Braille" for the visually impaired so that they can also read
and write.
 The first-ever World Braille Day was celebrated on January 4 in 2019 after it was approved by the United
Nations General Assembly.
01 January : Global Family Day
 Global Family Day is celebrated annually on January 1 in different parts of the world, especially in the
United States, as a global day of peace and sharing.
 It was first observed in the year 2000 on January 1.
 Since then, the first day of the New Year is celebrated as Global Family Day every year.
 The day considers the entire world as one family.
03 January: Savitribai Phule birth anniversary
 January 3 marks the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule.
 She is known for her contribution in the field of women's education.
 She was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra’s Satara district in a country ruled by the Britishers,
where women rights were non-existent.
 She is widely regarded as a woman teacher who campaigned to create awareness on the need for
education for women.
Bhima-Koregaon anniversary celebration
 The programme to mark the 203rd anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima at the “Jaystambh” in
Perne village was held peacefully on 01 January 2020.
 Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and some other leaders paid tributes at the ''Jay Stambh''.
 "The battle (Koregaon Bhima Battle) was a fight against untouchability that was being followed during
the Peshwa rule and it received success".
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MoU and Agreements

StashFin partners with SBM Bank India
 Singapore-based startup StashFin and SBM Bank India have announced the launch of their co-branded
contactless prepaid cards.
 Designed through collaboration, these cards will boost access to credit for underbanked consumers.
 The Visa powered card comes with a contactless EMV chip, offering the cardholders 24x7 access to
funds.
 The card allows the customer to take loans up to Rs 5 lakh.
OPTCL and IIT Bhubaneswar sign MoU
 Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited has signed an MoU with IIT Bhubaneswar for the
establishment of OPTCL Chair in the premier engineering institute.
 It will act as an extended arm of the R & D wing for the Odisha power sector.
 The core objectives of establishing the Chair Position of OPTCL in IIT Bhubaneswar are knowledge
sharing, skill enhancement and research and development.
CSIR and Ladakh sign agreement
 An agreement has been signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and UT of
Ladakh.
 It will promote knowledge partnership between Ladakh and CSIR ensuring development in the areas of
bio-resource utilization, introduction of cash crops in the region and exploration of natural resources.
 The focus will be given to geophysical mapping, eco-friendly leather processing, etc.
India, World Bank sign 500 million dollar
 The Govt of India and the World Bank have signed a $500-mn Strengthening Teaching-Learning and
Results for States Programme (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six
Indian states.
 These include Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
 Some 250 million students in 1.5 mn schools will benefit from the programme.
Reliance signs $15 mn deal with Israeli firm
 Reliance Group has signed a USD 15 million deal with Israeli company Breath of Health (BOH) to
distribute the company's swift COVID-19 breath testing system throughout India.
 According to the agreement, Reliance will purchase hundreds of systems from the company and will use
them to conduct millions of tests a month at a cost of USD 10 million per month.
Bharat Biotech signs pact with GSK
 Bharat Biotech International has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc and non-profit global
health organisation PATH.
 It has signed the agreement to obtain technology from GSK to produce the world’s first vaccine against
malaria caused by plasmodium falciparum parasite.
 The vaccine is currently being administered in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
Textiles Committee signs MoU with NQEC Japan
 The Textiles Committee of the Ministry of Textiles has signed an MoU with Nissenken Quality Evaluation
Centre, Japan.
 It has been signed to boost export of textile and apparel to Japanese market.
 The main objective of the MoU is to provide the required support to textile trade and industry for
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ensuring quality as per the requirement of Japanese buyers.

Adani Ports signs MoU with Gujarat govt
 Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ)has inked an MoU with the Gujarat government.
 It will explore the possibilities of the development of a dedicated air cargo complex and multi-modal
logistics park in the state.
 APSEZ informed that the aforesaid evaluation is subject to various regulatory and legal permissions/
approval and clearances including land acquisition.
India inks partnership framework with IEA
 India has signed a strategic partnership framework with the International Energy Agency (IEA), on 27 Jan
2021.
 IEA is the worlds premier energy monitor.
 India is the third-largest energy consumer globally.
 IEAs 30 member countries hold 1.55 bn barrels in public emergency oil stocks.
 In addition, 650 mn barrels are held by industry under govt obligations and can be released as needed.
Dixon inks deal with Nokia
 Dixon Technologies India Ltd's subsidiary Padget Electronics has signed an agreement to manufacture
Nokia smartphones at its plant in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
 The company has entered a manufacturing partnership with HMD India, which holds the rights to
Nokia’s brand name in smartphones.
 In December 2020, Dixon had announced an agreement with Lenovo-owned Motorola to make
smartphones in India.
Greece, France to sign $2.8 billion deal
 Greece signed a 2.3 billion-euro deal with France on 25 Jan'21 to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets.
 Florence Parly, the French Defence Minister, will sign the agreement to deliver 12 used and six new
aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in mid-2021.
 Starting in May 2021, mandatory national service in the Greek Armed Forces will also be increased from
nine to 12 months.
MoU signed between MoRTH and IIT Roorkee
 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and IIT Roorkee have signed an MoU.
 It is for the continuation of the MoRTH Professorial Chair to focus on research and development,
teaching, and training in the area of Development of Highway Infrastructure.
 This collaboration will strengthen R&D activities in the road sector.
Tripartite agreement b/w MECL, RSMML and DMG
 A tripartite agreement was signed between Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL), Rajasthan
State Mines & Minerals Limited (RSMML), and the Dept of Mines & Geology (DMG), Govt. of Rajasthan.
 It has been signed for taking up feasibility studies of solution mining of potash in Rajasthan.
 Rajasthan has huge Potash and Halite resources spread across 50,000 sq. km.
Google sign deal with French publishers
 Google has signed a deal with publishers in France to pay for content used for preview snippets in its
news section.
 As part of the deal, French newspapers will gain access to Google’s News Showcase.
 They will also be able to publish full or partial articles and experiment with bulleted or other formats.
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Indian Army signs MoU with SIDM

 An MoU between the Indian Army & the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) was signed on
21 January 2021.
 It will provide further impetus to indigenization and to achieve strategic independence by reducing
dependence on foreign origin equipment.
 This MoU was signed on the occasion of 25 years of Army-Industry Partnership with the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII).
Flipkart-ABFRL deal gets CCI approval
 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the ₹1,500-crore Flipkart-Aditya Birla Fashion
and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) deal.
 It will help Flipkart consolidate its position in the apparel business.
 CCI has approved the acquisition of a 7.8% minority stake in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd by
Flipkart Investments Private Ltd.
 The deal was announced in October 2020.
MoU approved between India, Uzbekistan
 The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and Uzbekistan for cooperation in solar
energy.
 The main area of work is to identify research between the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE),
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and the International Solar Energy Institute (ISEI), Uzbekistan in
mutually identified areas including solar photovoltaic and storage technologies.
MoRTH and DRDO to collaborate
 Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) have signed an MoU.
 They will strengthen collaboration in the field of technical exchange and co-operation on sustainable
geo-hazard management.
 MoRTH and DRDO will co-operate in the areas of mutual benefit including, conceptual planning of
integrated avalanche/landslide protection schemes.
Cruise, GM partner with Microsoft
 Cruise and General Motors have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to accelerate
the commercialization of self-driving vehicles.
 Microsoft is joining GM, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more
than $2 bn in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation to $30 bn.
 GM will work with Microsoft as its preferred public cloud provider.
BSE signs MoU with Maharashtra govt
 BSE has joined hands with the Maharashtra government to create awareness about the benefits of
listing among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the state.
 BSE has signed an MoU with the government of Maharashtra in this regard.
 It will provide training and capacity-building support to District Industries Centre officials, as part of the
pact.
J&K SDD signs MoU with IIT Jammu
 In J&K, Dept of Skill Development has inked an MoU with IIT Jammu to enhance the skill and
employment of students and staff with exposure to the latest technologies.
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 The purpose of this is to revamp and rejuvenation of the polytechnic and ITI sector in collaboration with
IIT Jammu to eradicate unemployment.
 It will replace vocational training courses with new area-specific training skills.
Noida Police ties up with Microsoft
 The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police, Noida and Microsoft have entered into an agreement to boost policing
in Noida.
 Police Commissioner Alok Singh signed the memorandum of understanding with representatives of
Microsoft India.
 As per the agreement, Microsoft will assist the police in improving the overall system and also set up a
'centre of excellence' to boost digital policing in the district.
PPBL in partnership with Suryoday Bank
 Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has announced its partnership with Suryoday Small Finance Bank to
facilitate fixed deposit services to its account holders.
 With this new partnership, PPBL has become the first payments bank in the country to launch the multi-
partner FD service where an account holder can select the partnered bank as per their preference.
Adani group signs agreement with AAI
 Adani Group has signed a concession agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for Jaipur,
Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram airports.
 The concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date.
 Adani Group had emerged as the highest bidder for six AAI airports namely Lucknow, Mangalore,
Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram in February 2019.
India and Japan signs MoC
 India and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, MoC on a basic framework for the
partnership for proper operation of the system pertaining to specified skilled workers.
 It was signed by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Ambassador of Japan to India Suzuki
Satoshi.
 It will help promote the movement of skilled workers from India to Japan.
TRIFED and IFFDC enter into an MoU
 The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) and Indian Farm Forestry
Development Co-operative Ltd (IFFDC) have entered into an MoU.
 They will work together for tribal livelihood generation.
 Both organizations will organize training programs for tribal artisans in the area of entrepreneurship
skills and business development.
Three UK partners with TCS
 TCS has been selected by Three UK, one of the UK's leading mobile network carriers, to help it configure
its mobile network for its ongoing rollout of 5G services.
 Three UK is in the process of deploying a new 5G radio access network which is already live in 175 cities
of UK.
 TCS’ software will speed-up configuration checking and reduce manual errors, ensuring right network
configuration.
Telangana and Gujarat join hands
 Telangana govt’s WE Hub has partnered with Gujarat government’s I-Hub, to support women
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entrepreneurs in Gujarat and Telangana.

 This is the first time that two state governments have joined hands to facilitate the growth of women-
led start-ups in various focus sectors.
 Around 240 women entrepreneurs will be selected for the pre-incubation programme and 20 for the co-
incubation programme.
KVIC to sign two MoUs on 19 Jan
 The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs will sign two MoUs
on 19 Jan 2021.
 While one MoU is regarding the purchase of Khadi fabric for tribal students, the other MoU is on
partnering of Tribal Affairs Ministry with KVIC as an implementing agency for Prime Minister
Employment Generation Program (PMEGP).
 They aim at creating local employment.
Lebanon signs deal with Pfizer
 Lebanon has finalized a deal with Pfizer for 2.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
 The doses are to arrive in Lebanon starting early February 2021.
 Another 2 million doses are being negotiated in coordination with Lebanon's private sector.
 Lebanon is a country of more than 6 million, including at least 1 million refugees.
Caplin Steriles partners with JAMP Pharma
 Caplin Steriles signs agreement with JAMP Pharma Group for six injectable products in Canada.
 Some of these products have already been filed by Caplin Steriles in the USA.
 Caplin Steriles Ltd is a niche sterile product manufacturing company that is approved by US FDA and EU-
GMP.
 The company currently holds 11 FDA approvals.
EESL, PCRA to distribute PNG stoves
 Energy Efficiency Services Limited has signed an MoU with the Petroleum Conservation Research
Association.
 It will distribute energy-efficient PNG-based cookstoves.
 Energy Efficient PNG Cook Stove (EEPS) programme will be implemented on a pan-India basis.
 The programme, in its first phase, will witness the distribution of 10 lakh energy efficient PNG based
cookstoves in select cities.
ADB and EIB join hands
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) have formed a new clean and
sustainable ocean partnership.
 They will support initiatives in Asia and the Pacific to help meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and climate goals of the Paris Agreement.
 Both institutions will finance activities aimed at promoting cleaner oceans through the reduction of land-
based plastics.
Fiat Chrysler partners with Wipro
 Wipro has been chosen as a strategic technology services partner by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to
establish its first Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad.
 The digital hub is named FCA ICT India.
 As part of this engagement, Wipro will source and build a talent pool of more than 1000 skilled
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consultants and technologists for FCA ICT India.

India and Japan sign MoU
 India and Japan signed an MoU to enhance cooperation in the field of Information and Communications
Technologies on 15 Jan 2021.
 The Department of Telecom and Japan's Ministry of Communications will enhance mutual cooperation
in the field of 5G technologies, telecom security, submarine optical fiber cable system to islands of India,
spectrum management, etc.
ABB in partnership with Surat Municipal Corp
 ABB India has partnered with Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to further roll out next-generation
technology for delivering continuous water supply across the city.
 The new infrastructure will enable over 10 lakh residents to access safe and reliable water supply in line
with the government's Smart Cities Mission.
 Surat's textile units consume more than 45 crore litres of water per day.
GRSE signs a contract with govt of Guyana
 The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd has signed a $12.7 mn contract to build an ocean-
going vessel for the govt of Guyana in the Caribbean region in South America.
 The 1,700-tonne vessel is to be used on the coastal and riverine areas of Guyana.
 It will be equipped with 2 caterpillar marine diesel engines coupled with twin disc reduction gearboxes
to achieve a speed of 15 knots.
Thales, Bharat Dynamics ink deal
 Thales and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) have signed an agreement.
 They will work in partnership on an air defence system with the support of the Indian and British govts.
 Through the agreement, BDL will become a part of the STARStreak missile system's global supply chain,
providing the opportunity for export of Indian manufactured components to this system's existing and
future customers.
Bolivia signs contract with Serum Institute
 The Bolivian government has signed a contract with India’s Serum Institute for the supply of 5 million
doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
 Bolivia has also signed an agreement through the global COVAX initiative, which is backed by the World
Health Organization and seeks to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, to receive a further 3.6
million doses of a range of vaccines.
NHPC signs definitive agreement
 NHPC has signed a definitive agreement on 13 January 2021 for the implementation of the approved
resolution plan submitted by NHPC for the takeover of Jalpower Corporation (JPCL).
 JPCL was implementing the 120 MW Rangit Stage-IV HE Project in Sikkim.
 NHPC will make an upfront payment of Rs.165 crore for the resolution plan of JPCL.
Indian Army signs a contract with ideaForge
 The Indian Army has signed an approximately USD 20 million contract for a high-altitude variant of
ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year.
 SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of
the Indian Forces.
 It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.
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AICTE joins hands with Cyberpeace

 AICTE has joined hands with Cyberpeace to train 5 lakh students and faculty on cybersecurity, and with
Pupilfirst for the CoronaSafe internship programme.
 The two programmes were announced on National Youth Day.
 The results of AICTE-Pupilfirst Corona Safe Engineering Fellowship (Internship) Programme were also
announced.
Madhya Pradesh signs MoUs with Kerala
 Madhya Pradesh and Kerala have signed an MoU for implementation of the Kerala Responsible Tourism
(RT) initiative.
 The Responsible Tourism initiative involves local communities and makes tourism a tool for rural
development.
 The two states signed a joint declaration under which Kerala will extend a series of services under a 16-
point programme.
ICICI Bank ties up with Niyo
 ICICI Bank has tied up with Niyo to issue prepaid cards to workers of Micro, Small Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs).
 MSMEs will now be able to get ‘ICICI Bank Niyo Bharat Payroll Card powered by Visa.
 The card allows an individual to receive funds up to ₹1 lakh into the card account.
 It offers convenience and safety of digital banking to the blue-collar workforce.
Cabinet approves MoU between India, UAE
 The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the MoU between India and UAE.
 The MoU is on scientific and technical cooperation between the National Centre of Meteorology of the
United Arab Emirates and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India.
 Sharing the real-time seismic data and cooperation in early warnings of sand and dust storms are the key
elements of the MoU.
FSS and India Post Payments Bank join hands
 FSS (Financial Software and Systems) has partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to promote
financial inclusion among underserved and unbanked segments.
 FSS is a leading payment processor and provider of integrated payment products
 IPPB will use FSS’ Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) to deliver interoperable and affordable
doorstep banking services to customers across India.
MoU signed between POI FEB and CSIR-NIO/NGRI
 V.I. Il’Ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute (POI), Russia, along with CSIR- National Institute of
Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Goa & CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), Hyderabad
have signed an MoU.
 It has been signed in the field of marine sciences and technology.
 The POI is the largest research institution in the Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.
Bharat Biotech signs agreement with Precisa
 Bharat Biotech has signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos for the supply of COVAXIN in Brazil.
 COVAXIN has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins
that persist.
 Phase 3 human clinical trials of COVAXIN began mid-November 2020 and are currently ongoing in about
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26,000 volunteers across India.

KVG Bank inks pact with fintech platform
 Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has signed an MoU with 'Jai Kisan', a rural-focused fintech
platform of Greenizon Agritech Consultancy Pvt Ltd.
 It will expand access to financial services to individuals and businesses in Karnataka, including farmer
and non-farmer entrepreneurs.
 Jai Kisan would procure a diverse range of clients for KVGB and enable end-to-end operations.
NECBDC sign MoU with J&K govt
 The Ministry of DoNER, through North East Cane Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC), has signed an
MoU with J&K Government for Bamboo Entrepreneurship and Bamboo Infrastructure Development.
 The signing of the MoU will give impetus to bamboo production, it's processing and associated business,
and to develop the bamboo industry into a strong industry of J&K.
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Appointment
Biden appoints Rob Malley as envoy for Iran
 The new US government, under President Joe Biden, has named Rob Malley as its special envoy to Iran.
 He is known as the architect of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
 He has been serving as head of the International Crisis Group, an independent non-governmental
organisation focussed on conflict resolution.
Jay Shah appointed as president of ACC
 The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah was appointed on 30 Jan 2021, as
the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
 He has become the youngest to take charge of the post, taking over the reins from Bangladesh Cricket
Board's (BCB) chief Nazmul Hussain.
 The ACC is Asia's regional administrative body and it consists of 24 member associations.
Rama Mohan Rao: MD and CEO of SBI Card
 SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card) has appointed Rama Mohan Rao Amara as the new MD and
CEO of the company.
 His appointment is with effect from 30 Jan'21 for a period of 2 years subject to all the requisite
approvals.
 Amara takes over from Ashwini Kumar Tewari.
 Prior to this, Mr Rao was the Chief General Manager, SBI Bhopal Circle, where he managed two key
states MP and Chhattisgarh.
Biden appoints 2 Indian Americans women
 The Biden administration has appointed 2 Indian-American experts Sohini Chatterjee and Aditi Gorur to
key diplomatic positions at the US Mission to the United Nations.
 Sohini Chatterjee will serve as a Senior Policy Advisor to the US Ambassador to the UN.
 While Aditi Gorur has been appointed as a Policy Advisor at the mission.
Nandita: Member of a Technical Committee

 The Supreme Court has appointed conservationist Nandita Hazarika as member of a Technical
Committee constituted by it on Oct 14, 2020.
 The committee had been set up to hear complaints by landowners against the action taken by the Nilgris
Collector.
 The committee of the National Elephant 2 Action Plan also includes Justice K. Venkatraman; and Praveen
Bhargava, trustee of Wildlife First.
Shubhdarshini: Ambassador to Kazakhstan
 Shubhdarshini Tripathi has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Kazakhstan.
 She is presently Deputy Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
 She is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
 Shubhdarshini Tripathi is a 1994 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
Ramboll appoints Vidya Basarkod as Director
 Ramboll has announced the appointment of Vidya Basarkod as its new Country Director for India.
 She joined Ramboll in 2016 to drive the Engineering Centre established in 2014 which acts as the
powerhouse of engineering excellence for Ramboll’s global businesses.
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 Ramboll provides solutions for structural engineering, buildings, transport, telecom, energy, and oil
and gas services.
Kalpana Sampat: MD of Pramerica Life Insurance
 The Board of Directors of Pramerica Life Insurance Ltd (PLIL) has appointed Kalpana Sampat as the new
MD and CEO of the company.
 In Aug 2018, Kalpana Sampat was appointed as its Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer (COO).
 Prior to joining PLI, Kalpana was the CEO of Swiss Reinsurance Co. Ltd.
 She also had a long stint with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance.
Ami Bera re-named as Chair of a Subcommittee
 In the US, veteran Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera has been re-elected as chairman of the
House Foreign Subcommittee on Asia, Pacific, Central Asia and Non-proliferation.
 Bera is the longest-serving Indian American currently in Congress.
 Bera also serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea and previously chaired the
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
SBI appoints S Janakiraman, A.K Tewari as MDs
 The government has appointed Swaminathan Janakiraman and Ashwini Kumar Tewari as Managing
Directors of State Bank of India (SBI) for 3 years.
 Both of them are currently working with SBI, while Janakiraman is working as the Deputy Managing
Director (Finance), Tewari is serving as SBI Card MD and CEO.
 Tewari replaced Hardayal Prasad as the MD and CEO from August 1, 2020.
Kaja Kallas becomes Estonia’s first female PM
 Kaja Kallas of the Reform party (Renew Europe) became Estonia’s 1st female Prime Minister on 25 Jan
2021.
 She has become PM after parliament approved her nomination following predecessor Jüri Ratas’
resignation over an inquiry into property expansion.
 Kallas, a former member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 18, is representing the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
U. P. Singh: Secretary in Textiles Ministry
 U. P. Singh, a 1985 batch IAS Officer of Odisha Cadre has taken over as Secretary, Ministry of Textiles.
 Prior to this, he held the post of Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development &
Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
 Prior to joining the Ministry of Water Resources, he worked as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Dhanlaxmi Bank appoints Shivan as MD and CEO
 Board of Directors of Dhanlaxmi Bank have given the approval to appoint J K Shivan as MD and CEO of
the Bank.
 The bank is currently managed by a committee of directors and RBI had given it four months to appoint
a new head.
 The bank was also under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework of the RBI for some time.
 Shivan has over 37 years experience in State Bank of India (SBI).
Hindustan Unilever: Ritesh Tiwari as CFO
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 Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has announced the appointment of Ritesh Tiwari as Executive Director,
Finance, CFO, and a member of the board, HUL, with effect from 1 May 2021.
 Tiwari succeeds Srinivas Phatak who is set to move to the company's headquarter in London as EVP,
financial control, and risk management.
 He will also take over as the Vice President, Finance, South Asia.
Lt-Gen CP Mohanty to take over as next Army VC
 Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty will take over as the new vice-chief of Army staff on 1
February 2021.
 He is presently the Southern Army Commander and will be succeeding Lt General SK Saini on his
superannuation.
 An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehradun and National Defence Academy, Lt Gen
Mohanty is a June 1982 batch Infantry Officer from the Rajput Regiment.
Ravin Khosla takes command of Gajraj Corps
 The command of Indian Armys Frontier Gajraj Corps was taken over from Lt General Shantanu Dayal to
Lt General Ravin Khosla.
 He comes to Gajraj Corps from Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), Delhi where he
was holding the appointment of Director-General.
 For his illustrative service, he has been awarded the Ati Vishist Sewa Medal, Sena Medal and the Vishisht
Seva Medal.
Sean Desai: 1st to be named as NFL coordinator
 Indian-American Sean Desai, named as the new defensive coordinator for Chicago Bears, will become
the 1st South Asian descent to hold the post.
 The Chicago Bears is a professional American football team based in Chicago.
 He will replace Chuck Pagano, who has announced his retirement.
 The longest-tenured member of the Bears’ coaching staff, Desai was hired as a quality control coach in
2013.
Quantum Advisors: Piyush Thakkar as CEO
 Piyush Thakkar has been elevated to the position of CEO of Quantum Advisors.
 Piyush was serving as COO of Quantum Advisors.
 Quantum has also appointed Arvind Chari as Chief Investment Officer.
 Arvind was serving as Head - Fixed Income.
 Both the appointments have come in effect from Jan 1, 2021.
 I V Subramaniam will remain as the Managing Director on the Board.
Gita Mittal appointed new Chairperson of BCCC
 The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has appointed Justice Gita Mittal as the new chairperson of
Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).
 Justice Mittal succeeds former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Vikramajit Sen, whose tenure as BCCC
chairperson has ended.
 Having served as the 1st woman Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court, she is also the first
woman chairperson of BCCC.
Rajiv Lochan: New MD of Sundaram Finance
 Sundaram Finance has announced that Rajiv Lochan, Director of Strategy, will assume the role of its MD
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with effect from April 1, 2021.

 TT Srinivasaraghavan, the current MD, will complete his term on March 31, 2021, and will retire from
service after 38 years with the company, the last 18 years being the MD.
 Harsha Viji, Deputy MD, will assume the office of Executive Vice Chairman.
Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th US President
 US President-elect Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris were sworn in as the 46th President and 49th
Vice-President of the United States on 20 Jan 2021.
 Ms. Harris created history as America's first woman, first Black, and first-person with south Asian roots
to take the office of the Vice President.
 He is the oldest person ever to be sworn in as the President.
Rijiju gets additional charge of AYUSH Mstry
 The Youth Affairs and Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju, has been temporarily assigned the charge of the
Ministry of AYUSH.
 The move was necessitated as Shripad Yesso Naik, the Minister of AYUSH is undergoing treatment at a
hospital in Goa after he met with an accident.
 His portfolio related to the Ministry of AYUSH is temporarily assigned to Kiren Rijiju in addition to his
existing portfolios.
PM Modi: Next Chairman of Shree Somnath Trust
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been chosen as the next Chairman of Shree Somnath Trust.
 The trust manages the world-famous Somnath Temple at Prabhas Patan town in the Gir-Somnath district
of Gujarat.
 After former PM Morarji Desai, Narendra Modi is the second Prime Minister who has been appointed
the chairman of the temple trust.
Satabdi Roy named West Bengal state unit VP
 TMC MP Satabdi Roy has been appointed Vice-President of the West Bengal unit of the ruling Trinamool
Congress.
 She is the third consecutive term Lok Sabha member from Birbhum.
 She had won the Birbhum seat from Communist Party of India CPI(M) heavyweight Ram Chandra Dome
in 2009 on debut and managed to win it by an overwhelming margin in 2019.
Sandeep Aggarwal appointed new TEPC chairman
 Sandeep Aggarwal has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Telecom Equipment and Services
Export Promotion Council (TEPC).
 He is the MD of Paramount Communications Ltd., a cable manufacturer.
 He will take over from Shyamal Ghosh, ex-Telecom Secretary.
 The TEPC was set up by the Government of India to promote and develop the export of Telecom
Equipment and Services.
Vidur Sharma appointed Covid Testing Adviser
 Joe Biden has named Indian-American health policy expert Vidur Sharma as Testing Advisor in his COVID-
19 Response Team.
 During the Obama administration, Sharma served as a health policy advisor on the Domestic Policy
Council.
 Among other appointments were Amy Chang, Policy Advisor; Abbe Gluck, Special Counsel; David Kessler,
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Chief Science Officer of COVID Response, etc.

K Mazumdar-Shaw selected as one of USIBC's VC
 US-India Business Council (USIBC) has selected Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as
one of its vice-chairs.
 US Chamber of Commerce's USIBC on 14 Jan 2021 announced three vice-chairs to its 2021 Global Board
of Directors.
 The two other business executives joining Shaw as vice-chairs are Amway CEO Milind Pant and Edward
Knight who is the Vice-Chair at Nasdaq.
Garima Verma named Digital Director
 Incoming First Lady Jill Biden has named Indian-American Garima Verma as her Digital Director and
Michael LaRosa as Press Secretary.
 She served as audience development and content strategist on the Biden-Harris campaign.
 She previously worked in the entertainment space, marketing films at Paramount Pictures and television
shows at The Walt Disney Company's ABC Network.
Samantha Power to lead US int aid agency
 President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Samantha Power, to head up the US agency tasked with
providing civilian foreign aid.
 She was the US ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama administration.
 Biden will also elevate the position of administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development to a member of the National Security Council in his administration.
Biden picks Kurt Campbell to head Asia Policy
 United States President-elect Joe Biden has picked veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell to lead his Asia
Policy.
 Campbell currently heads the Asia Group consultancy and is a co-founder of the Center for New
American Security think-tank.
 He was the architect of the trilateral dialogue with India and Japan during the Obama Administration.
Intel CEO B Swan to be replaced by P Gelsinger
 Intel CEO Bob Swan will step down from his position on 15 February 2021.
 Intel has announced that its board of directors has appointed Pat Gelsinger as its new Chief Executive
Officer (CEO).
 Currently, Gelsinger is the CEO of software firm VMware but spent 30 years at Intel and also served as
Chief Operating Officer of EMC's Information Infrastructure Products division.
Morgan Stanley appoints S Shah as country head
 Morgan Stanley has named Sanjay Shah as the new head of its business in India.
 Sanjay, who joined Morgan Stanley in 1996, was named co-head of India equities in 2006 and co-country
head in 2013.
 Morgan Stanley has also named Samarth Jagnani as head of India, global capital markets while Kamal
Yadav and Sachin Wagle will take over as co-head of India investment banking.
Manish Chauhan: New Ambassador to Portugal
 The Indian government has appointed a new Ambassador, Manish Chauhan, to Portugal.
 A 1994 batch IFS (Indian Foreign Service), Manish Chauhan is at present Joint Secretary in the Ministry of
External Affairs, working with UNES (United Nations Economic & Social) Division under MEA.
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 He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

upGrad appoints Zubin Gandevia as APAC CEO
 upGrad has announced its entry into the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and appointed ex-Disney head Zubin
Gandevia as CEO for the forthcoming unit.
 Gandevia served as the President for APAC and Middle East at Fox Networks Group Asia for seven years
and also as COO for 7 years.
 Gandevia joined Fox from Star TV Network, where he created and scaled the National Geographic
Channel.
Martin HP Söderström joins Oyo Europe
 Hospitality firm Oyo Hotels and Homes has appointed Martin HP Söderström, the chairman of DIG
Investment, as a non-executive Director at its European arm, Oyo Vacation Homes.
 Oyo launched its European business in May 2019, focusing on vacation rentals.
 In recent months, 3,400 homeowners from across Europe have joined the platform.
Biden nominates William Burns as CIA Director
 U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on January 11, 2021, nominated former Career Diplomat and former
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns as CIA Director.
 Burns retired from the US Foreign Service in 2014 after a 33-year diplomatic career.
 He is currently President of the international affairs think tank the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
Sabrina Singh: Deputy Press Secretary
 Indian-American Sabrina Singh has been named as the White House Deputy Press Secretary in the
upcoming Joe Biden administration.
 She previously served as deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee,
spokesperson for American Bridge's Trump War Room and Regional Communications Director on Hillary
Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Alok Sharma: President of COP26
 Alok Sharma, one of the Indian-origin Ministers in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet has taken
sole charge as President of COP26 - the United Nations Climate Summit scheduled for Glasgow,
Scotland, in November 2021.
 He will chair the Climate Action Implementation Committee to coordinate government action towards
net-zero by 2050 in the run-up to the summit.
2 Indian Americans in NSC of White House
 US President-elect Joe Biden has appointed two Indian-Americans to the National Security Council of the
White House.
 Biden has named Sumona Guha as Senior Director for South Asia and Tarun Chhabra as Senior Director
for Technology and National Security.
 Sumona Guha is currently serving as Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group.
Israel appoints Honorary Consul in India
 As part of efforts to increase its presence and collaborations in India's North-East, Israel has appointed
an Honorary Consul in the region who will be based in Assam.
 The Embassy of Israel in India has appointed Joyshree Das Verma as honorary consul in the region with
jurisdiction over the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya,
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Tripura and Sikkim.

Venkatramu: MD, CEO of Post Payments Bank
 India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)has announced that J Venkatramu has taken charge as its Managing
Director and CEO.
 His appointment is effective from October 29, 2020.
 Venkatramu has over two decades of experience across various domains in the banking sector.
 Prior to joining IPPB, he was the Chief Digital Officer at Equitas Small Finance Bank.
Sudhanshu Dhulia: CJ of Gauhati High Court
 The Central govt has cleared the appointment of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as the next Chief Justice of
the Gauhati High Court.
 Chief Justice Dhulia takes over from Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh.
 Justice Dhulia was serving as a judge of the Uttarakhand High Court when he was recommended to be
appointed the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court.
Aditya Puri joins Strides Group as Advisor
 Former HDFC Bank CEO Aditya Puri has joined global pharma company Strides Group as an Advisor.
 He will serve as a Director of its associate biopharmaceutical company Stelis Biopharma.
 Headquartered in Bengaluru, Strides Group's global manufacturing sites are located in India, Singapore,
Italy, Kenya, and the United States.
Joe Biden certified as the next President
 The US Congress has certified Joe Biden as the next President and Kamala Harris as Vice President of the
country.
 Of the 538 electoral college votes cast, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 306, and Donald Trump
and Mike Pence received 232.
 A state of emergency has been declared for 15 days in Washington DC following a riot.
Vanita Gupta: Associate Attorney General
 US President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Vanita Gupta to be the Associate Attorney
General and roped in Judge Merrick Garland for the position of the Attorney General.
 Gupta is currently serving as President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
 If confirmed by the US Senate, she would be the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Dept of Justice.
Virander Kumar Paul: Ambassador to Somalia
 Virander Kumar Paul has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Somalia.
 Paul, an IFS 1991 batch officer, is currently the High Commissioner of India to Kenya.
 Somalia, a country located in the Horn of Africa, has been engulfed in violence since the eruption of a
civil war between clan-based armed groups in the early 1990s.
Indian-American becomes U.S. Army's first CIO
 Indian-American Dr Raj Iyer has taken over as the first Chief Information Officer of the US Army, after
the Pentagon created the position in July 2020.
 One of the highest-ranking Indian-American civilians in the US Department of Defense, Mr Iyer, serves as
the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army and directs representation of the secretary in matters
relating to IT.
Abhishek Yadav: AIFF Deputy General Secretary
 Former India striker Abhishek Yadav has been appointed as the 1st Deputy General Secretary of All India
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Football Federation.
 It is one of the rare instances when a former Indian team player has been appointed to a high-ranking
position in the sport’s national federation.
 He has been serving as national team’s director since January 2018.
Hima Kohli sworn in as CJ of Telangana HC
 Justice Hima Kohli was sworn in as the Chief Justice (CJ) of Telangana High Court on 7 Jan 2021.
 Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of office.
 Justice Hima Kohli has served as a judge of Delhi High Court and has become the first woman CJ of
Telangana High Court.
 The present CJ of Telangana High Court RS Chauhan has been appointed as CJ of Uttarakhand High
Court.
Arup Kumar Goswami: Chief Justice of AP HC
 Arup Kumar Goswami was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court on 6 Jan 2021.
 Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office to Justice Goswami at a brief
function in Vijayawada.
 Justice Goswami, who was previously the Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court, was transferred as the Chief
Justice of AP a few days back in the place of Justice J K Maheshwari.
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Obituaries
Veteran Bengali actor Indrajit Deb dies
 Veteran Bengali actor Indrajit Deb passed away in Janauray 2021.
 Deb had started his career in popular TV serial Tero Parbon, and played an important role in
Karuanamoyee Rani Rasmoni and web series The Adventures of Gogol.
Grammy-nominated musician Sophie Xeon dies
 Grammy-nominated musician Sophie Xeon passed away in January 2021.
 She was also known as SOPHIE and had worked with stars including Madonna and Charlie XCX.
 The singer was born in Glasgow and started out as a DJ before releasing her debut single in 2013.
Dr Shaibal Gupta passes away
 Bihar’s noted social scientist and founder secretary of Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) Dr
Shaibal Gupta passed away in January 2021.
 He was the man who had prepared the draft in favour of Special status to Bihar.
 He was also the director of the Centre for Economic Policy and Public Finance (CEPPF).
 He was also credited with starting the economic survey of Bihar.
Veteran actor Arvind Joshi passes away
 Veteran Gujarati theatre personality Arvind Joshi passed away in January 2021.
 He was a prominent face of Gujarati theatre, also featured in Gujarati films such as Gher Gher Matina
Chula and Garvo Garasiyo.
 Apart from Gujarati theatre and cinema, Arvind Joshi also featured in Hindi films such as Love Marriage,
Naam and Sholay.
Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman dies
 Oscar-winning American actress Cloris Leachman passed away in January 2021.
 She won eight Emmys for her work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and other television programs as
well as an Academy Award for The Last Picture Show.
 She was nominated 12 other times for Emmy and also won a Daytime Emmy in 1972.
Assam MLA Jamal Uddin Ahmed passes away
 Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Congress leader and MLA from Badarpur constituency in Assam passed away in
January 2021.
 He had won thrice from the Badarpur seat--first in 2001 on a Trinamool Congress ticket and in 2011 and
2016 as a Congress candidate.
Former India goalkeeper P Dora passes away
 Former India and Mohun Bagan, East Bengal goalkeeper Prasanta Dora passed away in January 2021.
 He made his national debut in 1999 against Thailand in the Olympic qualifiers.
 Prasanta also represented Bengal in the Santosh Trophy.
 After turning out for clubs like Tollygunge Agragami and Calcutta Port Trust, the big break came in 1999
when he joined East Bengal.
Carlos Holmes Trujillo passes away
 Colombias Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo passed away in Jan 2021.
 He has been replaced by Fernando Navarro, who was previously head of the Colombian armed forces.
 He became defense minister in November 2019, after serving as foreign minister.
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 He was also the mayor of Cali from 1988-1990 and held several ministerial and diplomatic positions
during his decades-long political career.
US TV and radio host Larry King passes away
 The American television and radio host Larry King passed away in January 2021.
 Larry King started his career as a local journalist in Florida in the 1950s and 1960s.
 He, however, gained prominence with the show ‘The Larry King Show’.
Popular bhajan singer Narendra Chanchal dies
 Narendra Chanchal, a well-known bhajan singer, passed away in January 2021.
 Besides several bhajans, Narendra Chanchal had also sung in Hindi films as well.
 He had won an award in 1973 for the song Beshak Mandir Masjid in the film Bobby.
 Some of the popular devotional songs sung by him include Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hai, Hanuman Chalisa,
Sankat Mochan Naam Tiharo, Ram Se Bada Ram Ka Naam, etc.
Mata Prasad passes away
 Former Arunachal Pradesh Governor Mata Prasad passed away in January 2021.
 Mata Prasad served as a Minister in the Congress government in Uttar Pradesh in 1988- 89 and was
appointed as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh in 1993.
 He belonged to Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
 He authored many books including a book on Arunachal Pradesh titled 'ManoramBhoomi-Arunachal'.
Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri dies
 Veteran Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passed away in January 2021.
 He made his acting debut with Desadanam 1996.
 He had also played a pivotal role in Kamal Haasan’s hit comedy-drama, Pammal K Sambandam (2002).
Dr V Shanta passes away
 Well-known oncologist and Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V Shanta passed away in January
2021.
 A leading figure of cancer care in the country, she helped build the Adyar Cancer Institute along with her
mentor Dr Krishnamoorthy.
 Dr Shanta was the recipient of Padma Shri in 1986, Padma Bhushan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in
2016.
Historian Narendra Luther passes away
 Poet, historian, creator and retired bureaucrat Narendra Luther passed away in January 2021.
 Born in Hoshiarpur in Punjab in 1932, he started his stint in Indian administrative service in Kurnool
in1956 and was posted to Hyderabad in 1959.
 He wrote the monogram on Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah and different books on poetry, Deccan rocks,
Secunderabad Cantonment, etc.
Puducherry BJP MLA KG Shankar dies
 Puducherry Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and treasurer K G Shankar passed away in Jan 2021.
 Shankar had been a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 1984 and served as State Treasurer for
the fourth consecutive term.
 He also served as the organizer of the State Dept of Industry and Commerce.
 He also operated a fluoride chemical factory in the Pondicherry Mettupalayam area .
Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan passes away
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 Legendary Indian classical musician and Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan passed
away in January 2021.
 He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, followed by Padma Bhusan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in
2018.
 In 2003 he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to
practicing artists.
Former MP B. S. Gnanadesikan passes away
 Former Member of Parliament B. S. Gnanadesikan passed away in January 2021.
 He served as Rajya Sabha Member from the Congress Party twice from 2001 to 2013.
 He was also the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Chief.
 He resigned from the Congress and joined the Tamil Maanila Congress led by G. K. Vaasan.
 He was working as the Deputy Leader of TMC.
 The party is now in alliance with NDA.
Padma Shri awardee D Prakash Rao passes away
 Cuttack-based tea seller and Padma Shri awardee D Prakash Rao passed away in January 2021.
 Rao was known for his contribution towards imparting education to slum and orphan children in
Cuttack.
 He founded a school named 'Asha Ashvaasan' and spent 50 per cent of his income to educate the
children at his school.
 He was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2019.
Daily Telegraph owner Sir David Barclay dies
 Sir David Barclay, the co-owner of the Daily Telegraph newspaper, passed away in January 2021.
 Sir David, together with his twin brother Sir Frederick, built up a business empire spanning hotels, retail
and media.
 They acquired the Telegraph Group in 2004 for £665m from Conrad Black's Hollinger group.
 They also bought The Scotsman in 1995 and Sunday Business in 1997.
Astrophysicist Shashikumar Chitre passes away
 Renowned astrophysicist Professor Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre passed away in January 2021.
 He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan, and a stalwart of the Indian astronomy community, particularly
solar physics.
 He retired as a senior Professor from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in 2001 .
Turlapati Kutumba Rao passes away
 Veteran journalist Turlapati Kutumba Rao passed away in January 2021.
 Turlapati was the first Telugu journalist to be nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri award.
 He was awarded the Padma Shri in the year 2002.
 He has worked with 18 CMs, starting with Andhra Pradesh's first Chief Minister Tanguturi Prakasam to
Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Professor Chitra Ghosh passes away
 Chitra Ghosh, the niece of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, passed away in January 2021.
 Chitra Bose was the former head of the political science department at Lady Brabourne College in
Kolkata.
 She dedicated her life to academics and contributed in the fields of social work and human rights,
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especially women empowerment.

Former Gujarat CM Madhavsinh Solanki dies
 Senior Congress leader Madhavsinh Solanki, who served as former Chief Minister of Gujarat and External
Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992, passed away in January 2021.
 Solanki was a two-term MP of Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
 He had been the longest-serving chief minister of the state before Narendra Modi became the CM.
Oldest cricketer Alan Burgess passes away
 The world’s oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess passed away at the age of 100 in January 2021.
 A right-hand batsman and slow left-arm bowler, Alan appeared in 11 first-class matches for Canterbury
from 1940/41 to 1951/52 and also for New Zealand Services in England in 1945.
 After the demise of Alan, Raghunath Chandorkar has become the world’s oldest surviving cricketer.
Fashion designer Satya Paul dies
 Fashion designer Satya Paul passed away in January 2021.
 Paul started his journey in the field of retail in the late 60s and expanded to exports of Indian handloom
products to high-end retail stores in Europe and America.
 In 1980, he launched the first 'saree boutique' in India, L'Affaire, and founded the eponymous fashion
clothing brand with his son in 1986.
Former MH Minister Vilas Patil Undalkar dies
 Former Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and seven-time Congress MLA Vilas Patil Undalkar passed away in
January 2021.
 He was elected seven times till 2014 from Karad-South Assembly seat.
 Undalkar served as minister in the Law and Justice and Cooperative Departments during the Congress-
led state governments.
British diplomat Brian Urquhart passes away
 Sir Brian Urquhart, the British diplomat who played a role in the establishment of the United Nations,
passed away in January 2021.
 Urquhart was the second staff member hired by the UN following its founding in 1945 and worked as a
principal adviser to five UN secretaries-general in his 41-year career.
 He published an autobiography in 1987 titled "A Life in Peace and War".
Malayalam Poet Anil Panachooran dies
 Well-known Malayalam poet and lyricist Anil Panachooran died at a private hospital in
Thiruvananthapuram at night after suffering a heart attack on 3rd January 2021.
 Anil Panachooran who tested positive for COVID-19 was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kollam
district.
 He was known for his famous lyrics in movies like Arabikadha and Madambi.
Uliyin Osai director Ilavenil passes away
 Tamil director and writer Ilavenil passed away in January 2021.
 The director is known for his film Uliyin Osai, which was written by Karunanidhi, and produced by S. P.
Murugesan.
 The film released on 4th July 2008 and it featured Vineeth and Keerthi Chawla in the lead roles.
 Ilavenil had worked in popular movies like Alladista, Pen Singam.
Hollywood director Joan Micklin Silver dies
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 Hollywood filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver, who directed films like 'Hester Street' and 'Crossing Delancey',
passed awayin January 2021.
 Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska to Russian Jewish parents, Silver left home to attend Sarah
Lawrence College in New York.
 Silver made her film debut in 1967, and Silver began writing scripts for educational films for children.
Tamil film producer K Balu passes away
 Renowned Tamil film producer K Balu has passed away in January 2021.
 He was known for bankrolling films like Prabhu and Kushboo starring Chinna Thambi under his banner
KP Films.
 Balu has contested Tamil Film Producers Council election and emerged the winner as an executive
committee member.
Former Home Minister Buta Singh dies
 Senior Rajasthan Congress leader and former MP from Jalore, Buta Singh passed away in January 2021.
 A four-time MP from Jalore-Sirohi Lok Sabha constituency, Buta Singh served as the Home Minister of
India in the Rajiv Gandhi government from 1986 to 1989.
 He also served as the National President of Scheduled Caste Commission.
Sumo wrestler Dzhambulat Khatokhov passes away
 Russian sumo wrestler Dzhambulat Khatokhov, who entered the Guinness World Records as the world's
heaviest child in 2003 passed away in December 2020.
 As a two-year-old, Khatokhov weighed about 34 kilogrammes and weighed in at around 180
kilogrammes when he was 13.
 Wrestling is popular in Russia's North Caucasus area, including in the regions of Kabardino-Balkaria,
Chechnya and Dagestan.
Colonel Narendra 'Bull' Kumar passes away
 Colonel Narendra 'Bull' Kumar (Retired), who contributed significantly to the security of our country by
paving the way for India's move into the Siachen Glacier, passed away in Dec 2020.
 The mountaineering legend led an expedition of the Indian Army to the Siachin Glacier in April 1984.
 The pre-emptive mobilisation helped the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, launch Operation
Meghdoot.
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International Affairs
Rare snowy owl spotted in NY's Central Park
 A rare snowy owl was spotted in New York's Central Park.
 This is the first time that a snowy owl has been spotted in Central Park in 130 years.
 Paul Sweet, the collection manager of the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of
Natural History, said that the last recorded sighting of a snowy owl in Central Park dates back to 1890.
Priyanka Chopra announces her haircare line
 Priyanka Chopra Jonas has announced 'Anomaly', her own hair care line, which is completely vegan and
eco-friendly.
 The products will be launched on 31 January 2021 in the United States and will start expanding to global
markets later.
 The bottles are made from 100 pc plastic trash from oceans and landfills.
UAE to offer citizenship to some foreigners
 The United Arab Emirates plans to offer citizenship to a select group of foreigners.
 It is the first Gulf Arab nation to formalize the process which is aimed at giving expatriates a bigger stake
in the economy.
 The major policy shift is aimed at attracting talent to the UAE in a way that will boost growth.
 Foreign residents make up more than 80% of the U.A.E.’s population.
Pakistan gets GI tag for its Basmati rice
 Pakistan has received the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag for its Basmati rice.
 A GI tag is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess origin-based
qualities and reputation in the region.
 Pakistan exported 500,000-700,000 tonnes of rice annually to different parts of the world out of which
200,000 tonnes to 250,000 tonnes is being shipped to EU countries.
1st country in EU to approve Chinese vaccine
 Hungary became the first European Union country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine from China.
 The country would buy Sinopharm vaccines to speed up inoculations.
 Hungary is also the only EU country to have approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
 It will also receive Moderna vaccines on 31 Jan 2021 and a new tranche of Pfizer shots soon.
Brazil surpasses 9 mn confirmed COVID-19 cases
 Brazil has become the third country after the US and India to record over 90 lakh COVID-19 cases.
 It has also become second in terms of the deceased people following the United States.
 The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Brazil has increased by 61,811 on 28 Jan 2021 and
reached 9,058,687.
Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupts
 Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano on Java island erupted on 27 Jan 2021.
 The 2,963 meter (9,721 feet) high Merapi is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and is already on
the country's second-highest alert level.
 Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other country.
 Merapi had violently erupted in 2010, killing more than 350 people.
Kaja Kallas becomes Estonia’s first female PM
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 Kaja Kallas of the Reform party (Renew Europe) became Estonia’s 1st female Prime Minister on 25 Jan
2021.
 She has become PM after parliament approved her nomination following predecessor Jüri Ratas’
resignation over an inquiry into property expansion.
 Kallas, a former member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 18, is representing the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Toyota beats Volkswagen to become world's no.1
 Japan's Toyota Motor Corp overtook Germany's Volkswagen in vehicle sales 2020, regaining pole
position as the world's top-selling automaker for the first time in five years.
 Toyota group-wide global sales fell 11.3% to 9.528 million vehicles in 2020.
 That compared with a 15.2 per cent drop at Volkswagen to 9.305 million vehicles.
Cannes Film Festival 2021 postponed
 Cannes Film Festival 2021 has been postponed from May to July 2021.
 Initially scheduled from May 11 to 22, 2021, the festival will therefore now take place from July 6 to 17,
2021.
 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic and replaced by a low-key event in October,
showcasing short films but without the A-list movie stars, directors and producers.
Sanofi to produce 100 mn Pfizer vaccine doses
 French pharma giant Sanofi will produce more than 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed
by Pfizer and BioNTech by the end of 2021.
 Sanofi is also working on another Covid-19 vaccine candidate with U.S. firm Translate Bio which uses
mRNA technology, similar to the approach of Pfizer/BioNTech.
 Phase I trials are expected to start this quarter.
UK: 1st to surpass over 1 lakh COVID deaths
 In the United Kingdom, more than one lakh people have died with COVID-19.
 The toll has risen by an average of over 1,000 per day.
 A total of 100,162 deaths have been recorded in the UK, the first European nation to pass the landmark.
 The UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India, and Mexico.
Iran to receive shipment from COVAX soon
 Iran will soon receive its first batch of foreign vaccines against Covid from the WHO-led Covid-19 vaccine
procurement and distribution initiative, the COVAX Facility.
 Iran began the human trials of its first domestic coronavirus vaccine, Covo-Iran, in late December 2020.
 To date, Iran has confirmed over 1.3 mn Covid cases, including more than 57,000 deaths and over 1.1
mn recoveries.
SpaceX creates new world record
 SpaceX created a new world record by launching 143 satellites on a single rocket, on 24 Jan 2021.
 SpaceX has beaten ISRO's record of deploying 104 satellites in a single launch in February 2017.
 The launch vehicle for the SpaceX record-breaking flight was the Falcon 9 rocket.
 The 143 satellites launched include commercial and government CubeSats, microsats, and 10 Starlink
satellites.
Bangladesh to launch vaccination drive
 The COVID vaccination campaign will be launched in Bangladesh on Jan 27, 2021.
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 The programme will be launched with the administration of the vaccine to a nurse at Kurmitola General
Hospital in Dhaka.
 500-600 health professionals of five hospitals of Dhaka will be given the vaccine on an inaugural day.
 After observing them for a week, the next round of listed people will get the vaccine.
Chinese military personnel to get hike
 Personnel of the 2-million-strong Chinese military would get a 40 per cent pay hike from 2021.
 China has also revised its National Defence Law (NDL), expanding the power of the Central Military
Commission (CMC).
 CMC is the overall high command of the Chinese military.
 The new law empowers the CMC to mobilise military and civilian resources in defence of national
interests.
Hungary 1st in EU nation to approve Sputnik V
 Hungary has become the first country in the European Union to give preliminary approval to the Russian
coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V.
 On 21 Jan 2021, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Chief of Staff confirmed both the Russian jab and the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been given the green light by the health authorities.
SpaceX delivers 60 more Starlink satellites
 SpaceX launched its seventeenth batch of Starlink satellites during its first mission of 2021 on 20 Jan
2021.
 It used Falcon 9 rocket that was flying for the eighth time, and that landed again, recording a record for
its reusability program.
 It aims to provide global broadband coverage from up to 42,000 satellites and has delivered over 1,000
satellites.
Nepali climbers successfully climb K2
 A team of climbers from Nepal have become the first mountaineers to successfully complete a winter
attempt on the summit of K2, the world’s second tallest peak.
 Located on the Pakistan China border, K2 is the only mountain over 8,000 metres that had not been
summited in the winter.
 The group included Nirmal Purja, Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma G, Sona Sherpa, among
others.
Russia leaves the Open Skies Treaty
 Russia is leaving the Open Skies Treaty (OST).
 It is an accord between over 30 countries that allows participants to fly unarmed reconnaissance flights
over any part of their fellow member states.
 In November 2020, the United States left the OST first after accusing Russia of violating the pact.
 Under the treaty, a member state can spy on any part of the host nation, with its consent.
Pakistan approves Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine
 The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has approved Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm's
COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
 This is the second vaccine to be given approval for use in the country.
 Earlier, on 15 January 2021, Drap had authorized the Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
for emergency use in Pakistan.
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UAE, Bahrain major strategic partners of US

 The United States has designated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain as its
'major strategic partners'.
 The announcement was made by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
 Both countries have participated in numerous United States-led coalitions over the past 30 years.
Brazil approves use of AstraZeneca, Sinovac
 Brazil has granted approval for the emergency use of AstraZeneca Plc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccines
against Covid-19.
 Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old Black nurse, has become the first Brazilian to get a shot against Covid-
19.
 Brazil is one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, ranking third globally in cases and second only
to the US in the number of deaths.
Designation of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba maintained
 The US has reviewed and maintained the terrorist designations of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ), along with ISIL Sinai Peninsula (ISIL-SP) and several other organisations.
 It has amended the terrorist designations of LJ and ISIL Sinai Peninsula (ISIL-SP) to include additional
aliases.
 LeT was designated as a terrorist organisation by the US in December 2001.
Festival Shakrain celebrated in Dhaka
 The traditional festival of Shakrain was celebrated in several parts of Dhaka on 14 Jan 2021.
 The kite flying competition is followed by winter cake festival -- 'pithapuli' in which rice cake pudding is
eaten by people.
 This is a centuries-old tradition in several parts of Bangladesh celebrated on the last day of the Bengali
month of Paush.
PepsiCo pledges net-zero emissions
 PepsiCo will achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 and is targeting the reduction of absolute greenhouse
gas emissions across its value chain by more than 40% by decade-end.
 It has pledged to achieve the net-zero emissions one decade earlier than called for in the Paris
Agreement.
 Its emissions reduction plan will be comprehensive across priority areas such as agriculture, packaging,
etc.
Fiji wins presidency of UNHRC
 Fiji won the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council on 15 Jan 2021.
 It beat Bahrain and Uzbekistan in a secret ballot.
 Fiji's Nazahat Shameen Khan won with 29 votes versus 14 for Bahrain and 4 for Uzbekistan .
 The presidency rotates geographically with each region typically making a selection by consensus but
this was the first-ever secret ballot in the Council.
AstraZeneca vaccine approved in Pakistan
 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has become the first vaccine against novel coronavirus to get approval for
emergency use in Pakistan.
 Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) granted emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca's
Covid vaccine.
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 In the first phase, two categories of people would be administered the vaccine - the frontline healthcare
workers and people over 65 years of age.
GM to invest C$1 billion in Canada plant
 General Motors Co and labour union Unifor have reached a tentative deal for the automaker to invest
nearly C$1 billion ($785.42 million) in its CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.
 Under the tentative deal, GM has agreed to begin large-scale commercial production of EV600, an
electric van, at its CAMI plant.
 The work would begin immediately at the plant.
Ebola vaccine stockpile set up
 Four international health and humanitarian groups have established a global Ebola vaccine stockpile in
order to secure the outbreak response.
 It will help countries to contain any future Ebola epidemics by providing timely access to vaccines for
populations at risk during outbreaks.
 The Ebola vaccine is manufactured by Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Corp. and developed with support
from the US.
Blue Origin launches NS-14 mission
 Blue Origin has successfully launched and landed its New Shepard vehicle on its latest mission, NS-14,
with hopes that human flights can begin soon.
 The mission launched on 14 Jan 2021 from the company’s launch site One in West Texas.
 Up to six people will eventually be able to fly on the rocket.
 The mission also had a “dummy human” on board, nicknamed Mannequin Skywalker.
North Korea unveils new ballistic missile
 North Korea has unveiled a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, described as "the world's
most powerful weapon", at a military parade on 14 January 2021.
 Several of the missiles were displayed at a parade overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.
 The new type of submarine-launched missiles was larger than the ones North Korea already tested.
Major companies unite to create VP
 Major companies, health organizations, and nonprofits have announced that they are working together
to create digital vaccination passports so that people could prove their COVID-19 immunization status.
 The Vaccination Credential Initiative is a coalition that includes Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, Cerner, etc.
 People without smartphones could receive printed QR codes with the information.
Dhaka International Film Festival from 16 Jan
 The 19th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will be inaugurated on 16th January 2021.
 The film festival for the year 2021 is dedicated to the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman.
 225 films from 73 countries will be screened during the 9-day long festival between 16-24 January 2021.
 Spring Blossom, directed by Suzanne Lindon, will be the opening film of the festival .
Joe Biden unveils $1.9 trillion relief package
 US President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID emergency relief package.
 It is designed to provide another infusion of federal aid for families, businesses, and local governments
confronting a surge of covid cases.
 Biden’s plan includes a new round of direct payments to US households, funding to promote the safe
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opening of schools, and mounting a national vaccine program.

US imposes new sanctions on Chinese officials
 The US has imposed new sanctions on Chinese officials and added CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil
Corporation) to a blacklist.
 It is adding China’s state oil company, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, to a list of companies
with which US citizens are banned from doing business.
 The US administration also added Chinese aviation firm Skyrizon and nine other firms to the blacklist.
Lee's selected as Golden Globes ambassadors
 Satchel and Jackson Lee, the daughter, and son of Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee, have been chosen as
ambassadors for 78th Golden Globes ceremony.
 The annual Golden Globes ceremony, to be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will be held on
February 28, 2021.
 Satchel and Jackson are the first siblings of colour to hold the position.
 Jackson is the first Black male ambassador.
New species of Bat found in West Africa
 A new species of orange and black color bat has been discovered from the Nimba Mountains in West
Africa.
 The species has been named Myotis nimbaensis in recognition of the Guinea mountain range it inhabits.
 The American Museum of Natural History informed about this new discovery.
PayPal becomes 1st fully own payment platform
 PayPal Holding Inc has become the first foreign operator with 100% control of a payment platform in
China.
 It acquired the 30% stake in China's GoPay, formally known as Guofubao Information Technology Co., on
Dec. 31, 2020.
 It had already bought a 70% stake in GoPay in 2019.
 It will compete with domestic payments giants Alipay and WeChat Pay.
World’s oldest cave painting discovered
 A team of archaeologists has discovered the world’s oldest known cave painting dating back to more
than 45,000 years.
 The cave painting depicts a wild boar endemic to the Sulawesi island of Indonesia, where the painting
was found.
 The central Indonesian island, which occupies an area of over 174,000 sq. km, is situated between Asia
and Australia and has a long history of human occupation.
Cuba deisgnated 'state sponsor of terrorism'
 The Trump administration has re-designated Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism".
 It has been given this designation for repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism.
 On May 13, 2020, the State Dept notified Congress that it had certified Cuba under Section 40A(a) of the
Arms Export Control Act as "not cooperating fully" with US counterterrorism efforts in 2019.
Apple announces education funding
 Apple has announced the latest phase of its $100 million initiative to tackle systemic racism and
promote racial equality.
 It is launching a global innovation and learning hub for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
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(HBCUs),in Detroit.
 It will support coding and tech education for minority students and venture capital funding for black and
brown entrepreneurs.
1st US President to be impeached twice
 Donald Trump has become the first US President to be impeached twice.
 The House of Representatives voted on 13 Jan 2021 to charge him with inciting mob attack on US
Congress.
 Trump was impeached by 232 - 197 vote by the US House on a single charge of incitement of
insurrection that left five dead and the Capitol ransacked.
Biden picks Kurt Campbell to head Asia Policy
 United States President-elect Joe Biden has picked veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell to lead his Asia
Policy.
 Campbell currently heads the Asia Group consultancy and is a co-founder of the Center for New
American Security think-tank.
 He was the architect of the trilateral dialogue with India and Japan during the Obama Administration.
Unichem Labs gets USFDA nod
 Drug firm Unichem Laboratories has received approval from the United States Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA)to market its generic Celecoxib capsules.
 These are used for the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and acute pain.
 It has received abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) approval for its Celecoxib capsules in the
strengths of 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg
Amazon India launches ‘Amazon Academy’
 Amazon India has announced the launch of Amazon Academy to help students preparing for the JEE for
entrance to engineering colleges.
 The beta version of Amazon Academy will be available free of cost on the web and the Google Play store.
 Amazon Academy will offer students a range of JEE preparatory resources, including specially crafted
mock tests by industry experts.
Elon Musk donates $5 million to Khan Academy
 Elon Musk has donated $5 million to the American non-profit educational organisation Khan Academy
through his Musk Foundation aiming to boost online education.
 Elon Musk, along with his brother Kimbal, founded the private charitable foundation in 2002.
 Khan Academy, which was founded in 2008, focuses on creating a set of online tools that help educate
students, by creating video lessons.
Malaysia declares state of emergency
 Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah declared a state of emergency across the country on 12 Jan 2021 to
curb the spread of COVID-19.
 An emergency would give the Prime Minister and his cabinet extraordinary powers, including allowing
the government to introduce laws without the approval of parliament.
 The emergency will last until August 1, 2021.
Vaccination in Bangladesh to start in February
 The COVID 19 vaccination programme in Bangladesh will start in the first week of February 2021.
 The vaccine from India will arrive in Bangladesh between January 21-25, 2021.
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 The vaccine will be sent to different districts of the country as per the Directorate General of Health
Services (DGHS) list.
 The online registration for vaccination will start on January 26 2021.
Biden nominates William Burns as CIA Director
 U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on January 11, 2021, nominated former Career Diplomat and former
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns as CIA Director.
 Burns retired from the US Foreign Service in 2014 after a 33-year diplomatic career.
 He is currently President of the international affairs think tank the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
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Person in News
Veteran Bengali actor Indrajit Deb dies
 Veteran Bengali actor Indrajit Deb passed away in Janauray 2021.
 Deb had started his career in popular TV serial Tero Parbon, and played an important role in
Karuanamoyee Rani Rasmoni and web series The Adventures of Gogol.
Grammy-nominated musician Sophie Xeon dies
 Grammy-nominated musician Sophie Xeon passed away in January 2021.
 She was also known as SOPHIE and had worked with stars including Madonna and Charlie XCX.
 The singer was born in Glasgow and started out as a DJ before releasing her debut single in 2013.
Govt extends tenure of CERC Chief and members
 The govt has extended the tenure of Pradeep Kumar Pujari as Chairperson of the Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission (CERC) till mid-2022.
 Pujari is the 1st chairman of CERC to get tenure extension even as the Electricity Act, 2003 forbids it.
 The extension is also likely to apply to the other members - I S Jha and Arun Goyal, giving them 5 years of
service or till they attain 65 years.
Justice Sunil Kumar Awasthi resigns
 Justice Sunil Kumar Awasthi has tendered his resignation from the office of Judge, Madhya Pradesh High
Court, with effect from 2 January 2021.
 He joined Judicial Service on October 15, 1985, as Civil Judge Class Il and served in various capacities.
 He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 13, 2016, and as
Permanent Judge on March 17, 2018.
Veteran actor Arvind Joshi passes away
 Veteran Gujarati theatre personality Arvind Joshi passed away in January 2021.
 He was a prominent face of Gujarati theatre, also featured in Gujarati films such as Gher Gher Matina
Chula and Garvo Garasiyo.
 Apart from Gujarati theatre and cinema, Arvind Joshi also featured in Hindi films such as Love Marriage,
Naam and Sholay.
Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman dies
 Oscar-winning American actress Cloris Leachman passed away in January 2021.
 She won eight Emmys for her work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and other television programs as
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well as an Academy Award for The Last Picture Show.

 She was nominated 12 other times for Emmy and also won a Daytime Emmy in 1972.
MI & Sood join hands for 'Shiksha Har Haath'
 Mi India has announced a new initiative - #ShikshaHarHaath, in collaboration with the popular actor and
real life hero, Sonu Sood.
 This partnership is in continuation with the brands efforts of enabling the student community from
underprivileged sections to pursue their education without any roadblocks.
 Mi India has pledged to empower thousands of students by donating Redmi smartphones.
Assam MLA Jamal Uddin Ahmed passes away
 Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Congress leader and MLA from Badarpur constituency in Assam passed away in
January 2021.
 He had won thrice from the Badarpur seat--first in 2001 on a Trinamool Congress ticket and in 2011 and
2016 as a Congress candidate.
Lt-Gen CP Mohanty to take over as next Army VC
 Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty will take over as the new vice-chief of Army staff on 1
February 2021.
 He is presently the Southern Army Commander and will be succeeding Lt General SK Saini on his
superannuation.
 An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehradun and National Defence Academy, Lt Gen
Mohanty is a June 1982 batch Infantry Officer from the Rajput Regiment.
Carlos Holmes Trujillo passes away
 Colombias Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo passed away in Jan 2021.
 He has been replaced by Fernando Navarro, who was previously head of the Colombian armed forces.
 He became defense minister in November 2019, after serving as foreign minister.
 He was also the mayor of Cali from 1988-1990 and held several ministerial and diplomatic positions
during his decades-long political career.
Hindustan Zinc CFO Swayam Saurabh resigns
 Hindustan Zinc has announced the resignation of CFO Swayam Saurabh.
 It has reported a 36% increase in net profit at ₹2,200 crores in the quarter ending 31 December 2020.
 Hindustan Zinc Limited is an Indian integrated mining and resources producer of zinc, lead, silver, and
cadmium.
 It is headquartered in Udaipur and Arun Mishra is its CEO.
Shrishti Goswami to be 1-day CM of Uttarakhand
 Haridwar-based Shristi Goswami will become the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for one day on 24
January 2021, which is the National Girl Child Day.
 She has been the CM of Bal Vidhan Sabha (Children's State Assembly) since 2018.
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 Some of the schemes she will review include Atal Ayushman Scheme, Smart City project, Homestay
Scheme by the tourism department, and other development projects.
US TV and radio host Larry King passes away
 The American television and radio host Larry King passed away in January 2021.
 Larry King started his career as a local journalist in Florida in the 1950s and 1960s.
 He, however, gained prominence with the show ‘The Larry King Show’.
Morgan Stanley's CEO is the top-paid
 Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman leaped past JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon
as the best-paid CEO of a major U.S. bank.
 Morgan Stanley boosted Gorman’s pay 22% to $33 million for 2020, when it posted its third consecutive
year of record earnings.
 His pay includes $1.5 million in salary and a $7.88 million bonus.
Shyam Srinivasan: Banker of the Year
 Shyam Srinivasan, MD and CEO of Federal Bank, is the Business Standard Banker of the Year for 2019-20.
 This decision was taken by a high-profile jury of five, chaired by former RBI deputy governor S S Mundra.
 Other members were Keki Mistry, vice-chairman and CEO of Housing Development Finance Corporation;
Rashesh Shah, chairman and CEO of Edelweiss Group, etc.
West Bengal Forest Minister resigns
 West Bengal Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee has quit the cabinet
 He is the third minister to resign from the state government in one month.
 In December 2020, another West Bengal Cabinet Minister Suvendu Adhikari quit the government and
the Trinamool Congress.
 On January 5, 2021, Minister of State for Sports Laxmi Ratan Shukla resigned.
 He, however, has not quit as MLA or from the party.
Malinga to retire from franchise cricket
 Lasith Malinga will retire from franchise cricket.
 He had informed his decision to the Mumbai Indians management earlier in January 2021.
 Mumbai Indians has released seven players including Malinga, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and James Pattinson
for the 2021 edition of the IPL.
 The retained players include Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Chris Lynn,
Anmolpreet, etc.
Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri dies
 Veteran Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passed away in January 2021.
 He made his acting debut with Desadanam 1996.
 He had also played a pivotal role in Kamal Haasan’s hit comedy-drama, Pammal K Sambandam (2002).
D Tripathi invited to watch R Day Parade
 Gorakhpur’s CBSE Topper – Diyangi Tripathi has been invited to watch the Republic Day Parade 2021
from PM’s box.
 Divyangi, who topped the district in Class 12 in 2020 by scoring 99.6% is among the other meritorious
students who have been invited to view the parade alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this
Republic Day.
Larsen & Toubro CFO Ashok Kumar resigns
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 Larsen & Toubro Infotech's CFO Ashok Kumar Sonthalia has resigned from the company.
 Larsen & Toubro Infotech has reported a 37.85 percent jump in net profit to Rs 519.3 crore for the
December quarter.
 It had posted a 12 percent increase in revenue to Rs 3,152.8 crore for the December quarter, as against
Rs 2,811 crore in 2019.
Bhawana Kanth to take part in R-Day parade
 Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic
Day parade.
 Kanth will be a part of the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) tableau that will showcase mock-ups of the light
combat aircraft, light combat helicopter and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.
 She is currently posted at a Rajasthan airbase and commissioned on a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane.
on 14 Jan 2021.
20-month-old girl becomes youngest donor
 A 20-month-old toddler girl Dhanishtha from Delhi has become the "youngest cadaver donor" in the
country.
 She lost her life after suffering a fall from the first floor of her house.
 Her heart, liver, both kidneys and both corneas were retrieved at the Sir Ganga Ram hospital and used in
five patients.
 At 0.26 per million, India has among the lowest rate of organ donation.
Lee's selected as Golden Globes ambassadors
 Satchel and Jackson Lee, the daughter, and son of Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee, have been chosen as
ambassadors for 78th Golden Globes ceremony.
 The annual Golden Globes ceremony, to be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will be held on
February 28, 2021.
 Satchel and Jackson are the first siblings of colour to hold the position.
 Jackson is the first Black male ambassador.
IFFI 2021 to pay homage to 28 artists
 IFFI 2021 will showcase films of 19 artists from India and 9 international names who passed away in
2020.
 Actors Irrfan Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor and Hollywood star Chadwick Boseman are
among 28 names from the world of cinema to be honoured during the 51st International Film Festival of
India.
 A total of 224 films will be screened under different sections at the 51st edition.
SC Bar Association President D Dave resigns
 Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave has stepped down as the President of the Supreme Court Bar
Association (SCBA) on 14 January 2021.
 He was first elected SCBA President in 2014 and was re-elected in 2015.
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 Senior Advocate Chander Uday Singh also resigned from his post of Member of the Executive (Senior) of
the SCBA.
1st US President to be impeached twice
 Donald Trump has become the first US President to be impeached twice.
 The House of Representatives voted on 13 Jan 2021 to charge him with inciting mob attack on US
Congress.
 Trump was impeached by 232 - 197 vote by the US House on a single charge of incitement of
insurrection that left five dead and the Capitol ransacked.
Padma Shri awardee D Prakash Rao passes away
 Cuttack-based tea seller and Padma Shri awardee D Prakash Rao passed away in January 2021.
 Rao was known for his contribution towards imparting education to slum and orphan children in
Cuttack.
 He founded a school named 'Asha Ashvaasan' and spent 50 per cent of his income to educate the
children at his school.
 He was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2019.
Daily Telegraph owner Sir David Barclay dies
 Sir David Barclay, the co-owner of the Daily Telegraph newspaper, passed away in January 2021.
 Sir David, together with his twin brother Sir Frederick, built up a business empire spanning hotels, retail
and media.
 They acquired the Telegraph Group in 2004 for £665m from Conrad Black's Hollinger group.
 They also bought The Scotsman in 1995 and Sunday Business in 1997.
Estonia's Prime Minister resigns
 Estonia's Prime Minister, Juri Ratas, resigned on 13 Jan 2021 after his ruling Center Party came under
investigation as part of a corruption probe.
 President Kersti Kaljulaid now has 14 days to name a new Prime Minister who would then have to be
approved by Parliament.
 Among other suspects in the corruption investigation is Kersti Kracht, an adviser to Finance Minister
Martin Helme.
Astrophysicist Shashikumar Chitre passes away
 Renowned astrophysicist Professor Shashikumar Madhusudan Chitre passed away in January 2021 .
 He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan, and a stalwart of the Indian astronomy community, particularly
solar physics.
 He retired as a senior Professor from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in 2001.
Former Gujarat CM Madhavsinh Solanki dies
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 Senior Congress leader Madhavsinh Solanki, who served as former Chief Minister of Gujarat and External
Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992, passed away in January 2021.
 Solanki was a two-term MP of Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
 He had been the longest-serving chief minister of the state before Narendra Modi became the CM.
First woman to officiate in a men’s Test
 Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate at a men’s Test match on 7 Jan 2021 when
she walked out on the ground as the fourth umpire during the encounter between India and Australia in
Sydney.
 She was also the first woman umpire to stand in an Australian men’s domestic fixture after officiating a
one-day match between New South Wales and a Cricket Australia XI in 2017.
Elon Musk becomes the world's richest person
 Tesla Inc. and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk overtook Jeff Bezos as the world's wealthiest person for the first
time on 7 Jan 2021, based on calculations using the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
 Elon Musk has a net worth of $188.5 billion, $1.5 billion more than Bezos.
 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $187 billion.
 Since 2017, Jeff Bezos has been the richest man in the world.
Former MH Minister Vilas Patil Undalkar dies
 Former Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and seven-time Congress MLA Vilas Patil Undalkar passed away in
January 2021.
 He was elected seven times till 2014 from Karad-South Assembly seat.
 Undalkar served as minister in the Law and Justice and Cooperative Departments during the Congress-
led state governments.
Greece appoints its first openly gay minister
 Greece's centre-right government has made history by naming the country's first openly gay minister in
a Cabinet reshuffle in Jan 2021.
 Nicholas Yatromanolakis, 44, was named as the new Deputy Minister of Culture after being promoted
from the position of General Secretary at the Ministry.
 He was also the first openly gay man to be appointed as General Secretary in July 2020.
British diplomat Brian Urquhart passes away
 Sir Brian Urquhart, the British diplomat who played a role in the establishment of the United Nations,
passed away in January 2021.
 Urquhart was the second staff member hired by the UN following its founding in 1945 and worked as a
principal adviser to five UN secretaries-general in his 41-year career.
 He published an autobiography in 1987 titled "A Life in Peace and War".
Uliyin Osai director Ilavenil passes away
 Tamil director and writer Ilavenil passed away in January 2021.
 The director is known for his film Uliyin Osai, which was written by Karunanidhi, and produced by S. P.
54 | P a g e
Murugesan.
 The film released on 4th July 2008 and it featured Vineeth and Keerthi Chawla in the lead roles.
 Ilavenil had worked in popular movies like Alladista, Pen Singam.
Hollywood director Joan Micklin Silver dies
 Hollywood filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver, who directed films like 'Hester Street' and 'Crossing Delancey',
passed awayin January 2021.
 Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska to Russian Jewish parents, Silver left home to attend Sarah
Lawrence College in New York.
 Silver made her film debut in 1967, and Silver began writing scripts for educational films for children.
Tamil film producer K Balu passes away
 Renowned Tamil film producer K Balu has passed away in January 2021.
 He was known for bankrolling films like Prabhu and Kushboo starring Chinna Thambi under his banner
KP Films.
 Balu has contested Tamil Film Producers Council election and emerged the winner as an executive
committee member.
Sumo wrestler Dzhambulat Khatokhov passes away
 Russian sumo wrestler Dzhambulat Khatokhov, who entered the Guinness World Records as the world's
heaviest child in 2003 passed away in December 2020.
 As a two-year-old, Khatokhov weighed about 34 kilogrammes and weighed in at around 180
kilogrammes when he was 13.
 Wrestling is popular in Russia's North Caucasus area, including in the regions of Kabardino-Balkaria,
Chechnya and Dagestan.
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Govt. Policies and Schemes

MP CM launches ‘PANKH Abhiyan’ for Girl Child
 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the 'PANKH Abhiyan' under the 'Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme in order to aid in empowerment and growth of the girl child on National
Girl Child Day.
 He also announced scholarships worth Rs6.47 cr for 26,099 girls under Ladli Laxmi Yojana.
 The Abhiyan will go on for a year.
MP CM transfers ₹400cr to 20L farmers
 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan transferred an amount of Rs 400 crore to the
accounts of 20 lakh farmers of the state under CM Kisan Kalyan Yojana on 30 Jan 2021.
 In February and March Rs 400 crore will again be transferred to farmers' accounts.
 Madhya Pradesh CM further stated now every farmer of the state gets Rs 10,000 per year .
Agriculture Pump Power Connection Policy
 In Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray formally launched the Agriculture Pump Power Connection
Policy.
 The government has decided to provide immediate electricity connections to farmers through this
policy.
 He also inaugurated Krishi Urja Abhiyan Policy Web Portal, Solar Energy Land Bank Portal, Maha Krishi
Abhiyan App and ACF App prepared by the power discom Mahavitaran .
New scheme initiated in Rajasthan
 A new scheme has been initiated in Sirohi, Rajasthan to make people aware of the importance of
nourishment for pregnant women and children.
 The scheme is called 'Ek Paudha Suposhit Beti Ke Naam'.
 It has been started under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme of the union government.
 Under this, on the birth of a girl child, a drumstick plant will be distributed by the district administration .
UP govt to provide free coaching for exams
 UP govt will provide free coaching to students preparing for various competitive exams like JEE, NEET,
NDA, CDS, and UPSC.
 Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced the launch of an ambitious, state-wide, free coaching
facility - ABHYUDAYA from Feb 2021.
 In the first phase, it will start in 18 divisional headquarters of the state, where coaching will be imparted
physically and virtually.
Govt extends Ayushman Bharat scheme to CAPF
 Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched the Ayushman CAPF health scheme in Guwahati for about
28 lakh Central Armed Police Forces and their families.
 It has been launched in all the states where Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is
operational.
 The primary aim of the PMJAY scheme is to provide health coverage to approximately 50 crore citizens
of India.
Assam government launches SVAYEM scheme
 For local industries and rural economy, the Assam government has launched a scheme 'Swami
Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment' (SVAYEM) at Amingaon, Guwahati.
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 It will provide over 2 lakh skilled and talented youths in the state with the financial assistance of 50,000
each as seed money to start business ventures.
 The scheme would help the youth to become self-employed.
‘Horticulture Development Mission’ announced
 Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has announced the ‘Horticulture Development Mission’ (Bagayat Vikas
Mission).
 The aim of this mission is to double the income of farmers involved in medicinal and horticulture
farming.
 Under this mission, the wasteland of the government will be given on 30-year lease for farming
horticulture and medicinal crops.
Inter Country Transport Vehicles Rules 2021
 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified Inter-Country Transport Vehicles Rules, 2021.
 These would facilitate and regulate the movement of passenger and goods vehicles between India and
neighbouring countries.
 The State Transport Authority has been given the power to grant the Inter-Country Transport Permit,
valid for the period of 1 yr, after thoroughly examining the application
PM releases financial assistance under PMAY-G
 PM Modi released financial assistance of around 2,691 crore rupees to over 6 lakh beneficiaries in UP
under Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G), on 20 Jan 2021.
 The assistance included the release of the first installment to 5.30 lakh beneficiaries and the second
installment to 80 thousand beneficiaries who have already availed of the first installment of assistance
under PMAY-G.
‘One School One IAS’ scheme launched
 Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has launched Vedhik Erudite Foundation’s ambitious
scheme ‘One School One IAS’.
 It will provide free coaching for civil services and other competitive examinations to 10,000 meritorious
but financially weak students across the State.
 Malayalam film actor Manju Warrier has made the first sponsorship declaration by adopting 10 girl
students across Kerala.
Railway Ministry rolls out new iron ore policy
 Ministry of Railways has rolled out a new iron ore policy governing the allocation of rakes and
transportation of iron ore.
 The policy aims to attune it to the present-day needs of customers and to meet the complete
requirement of transportation of iron ore customers.
 The new policy has been named Iron-ore Policy 2021 and will come into effect from 10th February 2021.
PM announces Startup India Seed Fund Scheme
 PM Narendra Modi has announced the launch of the Rs 1,000-crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme.
 It will provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product
trials, market-entry, and commercialization.
 He announced this while addressing the 'Prarambh: Startup India International Summit', which
also marked the fifth anniversary of Startup India.
Fellowship scheme for artists in Delhi
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 In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, on 15 January 2021, launched "Street
Theatre and Performing Arts Fellowship" scheme.
 It will give artists an opportunity to showcase their craft.
 The flagship scheme has been started by the Sahitya Kala Parishad under the Department of Arts,
Culture and Languages.
 Nearly 500 artists have been selected for this scheme.
DoFPD's scheme to ramp up ethanol distillation
 The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DoFPD) has notified a modified scheme for extending
financial assistance for the expansion of ethanol distillation capacity.
 This scheme will also facilitate the setting up of distilleries to produce first-generation ethanol from
feedstocks such as rice, wheat, barley, corn, and sorghum.
3rd phase of PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana
 The 3rd Phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana will be launched on 15 Jan 2021 in 600 districts
across the country.
 Spearheaded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, this phase will focus on new-
age and COVID-related skills.
 The scheme envisages the training of eight lakh candidates over a scheme period of 2020-2021 with an
outlay of 948.90 crore rupees.
KTR launches free drinking water scheme
 Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao launched a scheme on 12 Jan 2021 to supply
free drinking water up to 20,000 litres in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits.
 The scheme would benefit over nine lakh families, with no bills to be issued in slums.
 The financial burden of Rs 500 crore arising due to the scheme will be borne by the State government .
Gujarat CM announces new tourism policy
 Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has announced the new Tourism Policy with a view to develop and augment
tourism in a sustainable manner.
 The New Tourism Policy 2021-25 will remain effective from 1st January 2021 to 31st March 2025.
 The focus of the new policy will be on Vocal for Local’ to boost employment at the local level .
PM Fasal Bima Yojana completes 5 years
 The Central Government's flagship crop insurance scheme - the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
(PMFBY) has successfully completed 5 years of its operation.
 The scheme was launched on 13th January 2016.
 The scheme extends coverage for the entire cropping cycle from pre-sowing to post-harvest including
coverage for losses arising out of prevented sowing and mid-season adversities.
Govt. plans to make free power to farm sector
 The Andhra Pradesh government is initiating measures to make the nine-hour supply of power to the
farm sector free of cost a permanent scheme.
 The State has embarked on the installation of a 10,000 MW solar power plant for supply of free power
to the farm sector for the next 30 years.
 The government is spending ₹8353.58 cr. on implementation of free power scheme.
Tamil Nadu govt announces free 2 GB data
 In order to enable students to attend online classes, the Tamil Nadu government has announced a data
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scheme for students.

 Free 2GB data per day would be provided to 9,69,047 students enrolled in govt and government-aided
arts and science colleges, polytechnic, engineering colleges and scholarship-funded private colleges.
 It will be provided for 4 months from January-April 2021.
Industrial development scheme announced in J&K
 The Union government has announced an industrial development scheme for Jammu and Kashmir.
 The scheme is worth Rs 28,400 crores.
 The scheme will facilitate new investments, substantial expansion and also nurture existing industries in
the newly-carved union territory.
 The scheme will come into force from the day of notification until 2037.
UP govt launches Kisan Kalyan Mission
 Uttar Pradesh government launched a special program named as Kisan Kalyan Mission for farmer
welfare and to double the farmer's income of the state, on 6 Jan 2021.
 A 3 week-long campaign will be organised in every development block of all 75 districts.
 Under this program, the UP government will also felicitate 100 ‘progressive farmers’ in each district of
the state.
4000 villages to be covered under a scheme
 Gujarat government will cover 4000 villages under the Kisan Suryoday Yojana by the end of January
2021.
 Kisan Suryoday Yojana was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat in 2020.
 Under this scheme, farmers are being provided day time agriculture power supply.
 Gujarat government has planned to cover all the villages under this scheme by the end of 2022.
Madhya Pradesh rolls out 'Launch Pad Scheme'
 In MP, 'Launch Pad Scheme' is being started for boys and girls coming out of child care institutions and
having completed 18 years of age.
 The objective is to provide such a platform to these youth, through which they will be able to become
self-reliant by continuing their education and training.
 5 divisional headquarters are being started in Indore, Sagar, Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Bhopal.
Telangana to join Ayushman Bharat Scheme
 The Telangana govt has agreed to join the Ayushman Bharat Scheme launched by the Union Govt 2 yrs
ago.
 Ayushman Bharat, which is aimed at offering Universal Health Coverage (UHC), has 2 components of
health centres and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which offers a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family.
 This includes tertiary care hospitalisation to over 10.74 cr poor and vulnerable families.
Delhi govt extends water bill waiver scheme
 The Delhi government has extended till March 31, 2021, its scheme offering a one-time waiver of water
bill arrears and late payment surcharge.
 Under the scheme, all categories of houses get an exemption from late fee payments, while their
pending water bills are waived partly or fully depending on the housing category.
 The scheme was launched in August 2020.
14 cr cylinders provided to PMUY beneficiaries
 More than 14 crores free of cost cylinders have been provided to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
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beneficiaries during Covid-19.

 Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package free of cost LPG cylinders were provided to the
beneficiaries for up to three free LPG refills till 31st December 2020.
 The scheme aims at providing clean-cooking fuel to poor households.
Jharkhand to construct 1,008 houses
 Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has announced under the Centre's Light House Projects they will be
constructing 1,008 houses for the poor and middle-class population in the state.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Light House Projects (LHPs) under Global
Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India at six sites across six States on Jan 1, 2021.
DDA launches housing scheme for sale of flats
 The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) launched a housing scheme on 2 January 2021.
 This Scheme is for the sale of over 1,300 flats mostly in the High-Income Group (HIG) and Middle-Income
Group (MIG) categories.
 The scheme will be launched online through newly developed AWAAS software of DDA and applications
will remain active until February 16, 2021.
Delhi government notifies a policy
 The Delhi govt has notified the Tree Transplantation Policy.
 Under this, agencies will have to transplant a minimum of 80 per cent of the trees affected by their
development works.
 Ten saplings will be planted for each tree transplanted or felled and the Department of Forests and
Wildlife will keep a detailed and up-to-date record of applications approved for tree felling.
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Science and Tech

ISRO Chief inaugurates a satellite
 ISRO Chief K Sivan has inaugurated a private satellite, developed by a group of 12 students of Sri Shakthi
Institute of Engineering and Technology at the cost of Rs 2.5 crore.
 The academic satellite will be launched on February 28, 2021 from Sriharikota Range by PSLV C-15.
 This is the first time that a satellite has been developed by a private institute.
Geological evidence of Himalaya earthquake
 Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) have found the first geological evidence of
an earthquake at Himebasti Village on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
 It was documented by historians as Sadiya earthquake.
 This finding could contribute to a seismic hazard map of the eastern Himalaya, which can facilitate
construction and planning in the region.
‘Aqua Rejuvenation Plant’ unveiled
 CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute has unveiled the 1st wastewater treatment
technology model.
 It purifies wastewater for irrigation purposes.
 Aqua Rejuvenation Plant (ARP) has six-stage purification profile for comprehensive treatment of
wastewater,
 The approx. 24,000 litres of water that can be rejuvenated will be sufficient for almost 4 acres of
agricultural land
Earth losing ice faster: Study
 Earth’s ice is melting faster than in the mid-1990s, as per a new study.
 Altogether, an estimated 28 trillion metric tons of ice has melted away from the world’s sea ice, ice
sheets, and glaciers since the mid-1990s.
 Annually, the melt rate is now about 57% faster than it was three decades ago.
 The study has been published in the journal The Cryosphere.
Rare UV bright stars spotted
 Astronomers, while exploring the massive globular cluster in the Galaxy called NGC 2808, have spotted
rare hot UV-bright stars in it.
 These stars whose inner core is almost exposed, making them very hot, exist in the late stages of
evolution of a Sun-like star.
 One of the UV-bright stars was found to be about 3000 times brighter than the Sun with a surface
temperature of about 100,000 K.
‘Shaft with Multiple Outlets’ by IIT Bombay
 IIT Bombay has come up with ‘Shaft with Multiple Outlets’ as an intervention for improving the
performance of existing piped water distribution networks.
 IIT Bombay and IIT Madras implemented the solution in the towns of Saphale, and Umerpada, in Palghar
district, Maharashtra, which is currently provided with water from a multi village water supply system.
New ant species discovered from Kerala
 2 new species of a rare ant genus Ooceraea have been discovered in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
 They differ from others on the basis of the number of antennal segments.
 One of them found in the Periyar Tiger Reserve of Kerala, has been named Ooceraea joshii, in honour of
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Prof. Amitabh Joshi, an evolutionary biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific
Research (JNCASR).
SpaceX to build floating launchpads
 SpaceX bought 2 deepwater oil rigs in 2020 and is converting them into floating launchpads, to support
the enormous Starship rockets that the company is developing.
 The rigs are in the Port of Brownsville, near SpaceX’s Starship development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
 The rigs have been renamed Deimos and Phobos, presumably in homage to the Martian moons.
SpaceX delivers 60 more Starlink satellites
 SpaceX launched its seventeenth batch of Starlink satellites during its first mission of 2021 on 20 Jan
2021.
 It used Falcon 9 rocket that was flying for the eighth time, and that landed again, recording a record for
its reusability program.
 It aims to provide global broadband coverage from up to 42,000 satellites and has delivered over 1,000
satellites.
Apple's latest patent for FaceID
 Apple has received a new patent related to Face ID, which is a biometric user authentication system.
 The patent details next-generation face recognition technology that uses a face heat mapping.
 The company’s patent filing also includes details of the new technology, describing “occlusion” of the
user in images during the facial recognition process.
EV battery that can fully charge in 5 minutes
 An Electric-Vehicle battery that can be charged in five minutes has been produced for the first time in a
factory in China.
 The new lithium-ion batteries were developed by the Israeli company StoreDot and manufactured by
Eve Energy in China.
 The company has produced 1000 sample batteries compliant with li-ion battery certifications.
 Standard batteries take about eight hours to fully charge.
Blue Origin launches NS-14 mission
 Blue Origin has successfully launched and landed its New Shepard vehicle on its latest mission, NS-14,
with hopes that human flights can begin soon.
 The mission launched on 14 Jan 2021 from the company’s launch site One in West Texas.
 Up to six people will eventually be able to fly on the rocket.
 The mission also had a “dummy human” on board, nicknamed Mannequin Skywalker.
New species of Bat found in West Africa
 A new species of orange and black color bat has been discovered from the Nimba Mountains in West
Africa.
 The species has been named Myotis nimbaensis in recognition of the Guinea mountain range it inhabits.
 The American Museum of Natural History informed about this new discovery.
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Agnikul builds 3D printed rocket engine
 Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos has developed a single piece, fully 3D printed rocket
engine called Agnilet, which can be directly used in a rocket.
 The engine will be used in the second stage of Agnikul’s launch vehicle Agnibaan.
 Launched in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM, Agnikul Cosmos is involved in building India’s
private small satellite launch vehicle.
Moderna to develop 3 new mRNA-based vaccine
 Moderna will pursue development programs around three new mRNA-based vaccine candidates in 2021.
 These include potential vaccines for HIV, seasonal flu and the Nipah virus.
 An mRNA vaccine differs from typical, historical vaccines because it involves providing a person with just
a set of instructions on how to build specific proteins that will trigger a body's natural defences.
Starlink broadband gets approval in UK
 Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband system received licensing approval for its user terminals from
the UK’s communications regulator in Jan 2021.
 Greece, Germany, and Australia have also approved the new system.
 Starlink has already launched hundreds of the satellites and started testing a beta service in North
America.
Science and Technology Hyderabad cluster
 Science and Technology Hyderabad Cluster, one of the four such geographic clusters the Centre has
proposed to boost science, research and innovation through a collaborative environment, was launched
on 8 Jan 2021.
 The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) had
recommended the setting of the clusters, in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, NCR-Delhi and Pune.
Aryan Jain wins NASA App Development Challenge
 Aryan Jain, a high school student, is among the winners of an app development challenge organised by
NASA.
 He is amongst the winners of NASA's Artemis Next-Gen STEM–Moon to Mars App Development
Challenge.
 He is a student of SunCity School, Gurugram (Haryana).
 He had teamed up with six high school students from the US.
New state of matter 'liquid Glass'
 University of Konstanz's researchers have discovered a new state of matter 'liquid glass'.
 Scientists have used a technology called confocal microscopy to discover this matter.
 Researchers recorded temporal development of the 3D positions and orientations for nearly 6,000
ellipsoidal particles using confocal laser scanning microscopy.
Technology to make power generation efficient
 Waste steam from industrial processes could be a significant source of power if the variability of steam
pressure and flow can be corrected.
 A new technology by scientists has introduced a method of correcting such pressure and flow
inconsistencies.
 The Energy and Emission Research Group at IIT Madras, has developed a steam expander technology to
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correct irregularities in steam pressure.

Scientists prepare a composite material
 A team of scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru have prepared
liquid crystal - nanoparticle composite materials using nematic liquid crystal and nano-particles
synthesized from biowaste.
 They have the potential to reduce the power consumption of display devices such as liquid crystal
displays, mobiles, and laptops.
T'gana govt school kids make organic chalks
 Two students from a government school in Hyderabad's Adilabad have come up with an innovative
organic replacement for gypsum chalks.
 P Harshit Verma and K Rudra, students of the Telangana State Model School in Bangari Guda, made this
organic substance.
 Natural ingredients such as rice flour, natural clay, and essential oils are used to make these chalks.
IIT-K team makes 5G network system
 Researchers at IIT-Kharagpur have developed drones with 5G infrastructure built-in, to help as airborne
mobile telecommunication towers.
 The system involves an android-based application fitted to a fleet of drones that can create emergency
communication networks from closest available mobile towers.
 It can set up emergency communication networks in disaster regions.
9,000 families in slums receive 'Plus Codes'
 9,000 families living in slums across Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kolhapur now have an independent
digital address.
 The address is based on their latitude and longitude and displayed as numbers and letters.
 NGO Shelter Associates has partnered with Google and UNICEF to bring a unique solution `Plus Codes’.
 Plus Codes are like street addresses for people or places that don’t have one.
Scientists develop drone from pineapple leaves
 Malaysian researchers have developed an eco-friendly drone made out of the fibre found in the
pineapple leaves.
 The project has been headed by Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan from Malaysia’s Putra
University.
 The prototype drones have been able to fly to a height of about 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) and stay in the
air for about 20 minutes.
IIT-B: AI model to identify malaria parasites
 Researchers from IIT-Bombay have created an AI-based model using proteomics technology that can
help differentiate between two major species of malaria parasites, P falciparum and P vivax.
 The artificial intelligence-based models can be used for the diagnosis and prognosis of the two species of
malaria parasite based on the changing trend of proteins in human blood.
New method of producing hydrogen peroxide
 Scientists have found an efficient and inexpensive method for producing hydrogen peroxide.
 Researchers from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) have shown that a chemical called
Nickel cobalt phosphite (NiCo-Phi) decorated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can facilitate ORR to
produce H2O2 selectively in high yield.
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 The research was published in the journal ChemElectroChem.

Adobe shuts down Flash Player
 Adobe's Flash Player has been officially discontinued on December 31, 2020.
 The plugin was first released in 1996.
 Adobe has been planning for the end, announcing in 2017 that it would phase out Flash by the end of
2020.
 FarmVille's creator Zynga has announced that the end of Flash would also mean the end of FarmVille
since the game relies on the Flash plugin.
'Artificial sun’ achieves 100 million degrees
 South Korea's magnetic fusion device, the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research, or
KSTAR, has set a new world record, reaching an ion temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for a
record 20 seconds.
 The KSTAR was able to achieve a temperature of over 6.6 times more than that of Sun’s.
 The KSTAR has often been referred to as South Korea’s “artificial sun”.
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Business and Economy

Telangana gets additional Rs.179 crore
 The Dept of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has approved capital projects of an additional amount of
Rs.179 cr in Telangana.
 This is in addition to the capital projects of Rs.179 crore approved in the state earlier.
 Telangana has become the second state to get additional funds under the Scheme.
 Earlier, Madhya Pradesh was sanctioned additional capital projects of Rs. 660 crore.
Taiwan's Pegatron to invest in Tamil Nadu
 Taiwan’s Pegatron Corporation and Tata Electronics will invest separately in Tamil Nadu to make mobile
phones and parts.
 Tata Electronics will invest ₹5,763 crores for making mobile phone components and Pegatron will invest
₹1,100 crores to make mobile phones as part of its phase I investment.
 The other companies to invest in Tamil Nadu include Sun Edison and Ola Electric.
Eight core industries' output contracts 1.3%
 The output of eight core infrastructure sectors contracted for the third month in a row by 1.3% in
December 2020.
 The output of crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel and cement declined by 3.6%,
7.2%, 2.8%, 2.9%, 2.7%, and 9.7%, respectively.
 The eight core industries constitute 40.27% of the Index of Industrial Production.
HDFC Life launches term insurance policy
 HDFC Life Insurance has launched a term insurance policy Click 2 Protect Life.
 The non-linked, non-participating, individual term policy will cater to the changing needs in the different
life stages of an individual.
 The policy has three options, which are Life & Critical Illness Auto-balance, life protect option, and
income plus option.
Marico targets ₹100 cr revenue
 Marico Ltd aims to fetch a revenue of ₹100 cr from its Saffola brand of packaged honey by 2021.
 In Dec'20, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report said several Indian honey brands such as
Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami’s Zandu were adulterated with sugar syrup according to the globally
accepted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test.
 Saffola was one of the brands that cleared the test.
L&T bags up to ₹2,500-cr contract
 Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has bagged ₹2,500-crore contract for a high-speed rail corridor project for
Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
 The order is to procure, fabricate, assemble, paint and transport 28 bridges.
 The project was secured through a consortium of L&T and IHI Infrastructure Systems (IIS) of Japan.
 These bridges will be built over railway lines, rivers, highways, roads and other structures.
Bharat Biotech signs pact with GSK
 Bharat Biotech International has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc and non-profit global
health organisation PATH.
 It has signed the agreement to obtain technology from GSK to produce the world’s first vaccine against
malaria caused by plasmodium falciparum parasite.
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 The vaccine is currently being administered in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

Toyota beats Volkswagen to become world's no.1
 Japan's Toyota Motor Corp overtook Germany's Volkswagen in vehicle sales 2020, regaining pole
position as the world's top-selling automaker for the first time in five years.
 Toyota group-wide global sales fell 11.3% to 9.528 million vehicles in 2020.
 That compared with a 15.2 per cent drop at Volkswagen to 9.305 million vehicles.
Rajasthan: 5th to complete ULB reforms
 Rajasthan has become the 5th state to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms
stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
 It has thus become eligible for additional reform linked borrowing.
 Accordingly, the state has been granted permission by the Department to mobilise additional financial
resources of Rs.2,731crore through Open Market Borrowings.
Shapoorji Pallonji to invest on new project
 Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate will invest around ₹4,000 cr to develop a large mixed-use project in Pune
as part of its expansion plan.
 Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate, which is the realty arm of business conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji, has
launched a 148-acre project VANAHA near Bavdhan, West Pune.
 It will be executed in phases and will have more than 6,000 apartments on completion.
Brookfield to launch ₹3,800 crore REIT IPO
 Brookfield India Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), backed by Canadian asset manager Brookfield Asset
Management Inc, will raise ₹3800 cr through an initial public offering (IPO).
 The issue will open on 3 Feb and close on 5 February 2021.
 The issue price will be between ₹274-275 per unit of the REIT.
 Currently, BPG Holdings Group Inc, a Brookfield entity, holds a 99% stake in the REIT.
Cabinet approves MSP of copra at Rs 10,335
 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Minimum Support Price (MSP) of copra at Rs
10,335 per quintal for 2021 season which is an increase of Rs 375 over 2020 rates.
 This will benefit millions of farmers engaged in copra farming and impact the farmers of 12 coastal
states.
 This is one of the many decisions taken by the Centre for the benefit of the farmers.
Finance Ministry releases over Rs 12,000 crore
 The Dept of Expenditure of the Ministry of Finance has released an amount of over Rs 12,351 cr to 18
States for providing grants to the Rural Local Bodies.
 It has been released to states which have provided the Utilisation Certificate for the first installment.
 The states are required to transfer the grants to the Rural Local Bodies within 10 working days of receipt
from the Central govt.
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ABFRL buys 51% stake in Sabyasachi

 Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) has signed a definitive agreement to buy 51% stake in
designer brand Sabyasachi for Rs 398 crore.
 Incorporated in 1990, Sabyasachi is Indias largest luxury designer brand.
 The fashion brand reported Rs 274 crore revenue in the financial year 2019-20.
 The deal is expected to be closed in late-February or mid-March.
Twitter acquires newsletter startup Revue
 Twitter has announced that it has acquired the newsletter startup Revue, a Dutch startup that allows
users to publish and monetize email newsletters.
 Twitter will continue to operate Revue as a standalone product, with its team remaining focused on
improving the ways writers create their newsletters, build their audience, and get paid for their work.
Overseas investment by dips 42% to $1.45 bn
 Overseas investment by domestic firms fell by over 42% to $1.45 billion in December 2020, according to
Reserve Bank's data.
 In the year-ago period, companies in India had invested $2.51 billion in their foreign firms (joint ventures
/ wholly-owned units).
 In November 2020, the total outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) was of $1.06 billion.
BB-rating to Hyderabad Airport's bond issue
 S&P Global Ratings has assigned BB-rating to GMR Group-operated Hyderabad International Airport
Ltd's $300 mn proposed bond issue, with a negative outlook.
 GMR seeks to use the proceeds of the bond issue to fund its capital expenditure requirements over the
next five years.
 The company will face peak capex requirements of Rs1,600-1,800 cr in 2021-22, and another Rs2,000
cr in fiscal 2023.
TCS: India's most valued firm
 Tata Consultancy Services has surpassed Reliance Industries Ltd to become the country's most valued
firm by market capitalization.
 The market valuation of TCS was at ₹12,45,341.44 crore on 25 Jan 2021 while that of Reliance Industries
Ltd (RIL) was at ₹12,42,593.78 crore on the BSE.
 TCS had in March 2020 also reclaimed the status of the country's most valued firm by market valuation.
Indian Oil raises ₹1,290 cr
 Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) has raised ₹1,290.20 crores in debt.
 It has issued 5.60 percent unsecured, listed, rated, taxable, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of
₹10 lakh each aggregating to ₹1,290.20 crores on a private placement basis.
 The funds will be utilized for, inter alia, refinancing of existing borrowing and/or funding of capital
expenditure of the company.
5paisa launches UPI autopay facility
 5paisa.com has announced the UPI AutoPay facility on their platform for mutual fund transactions.
 The feature, which was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2020, will
enable the processing of mutual funds and purchase of subscription products for customers of
5paisa.com.
 5paisa.com and NPCI aim to reach about 1.2 million customers on the 5paisa.com platform.
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UP RERA slaps ₹2.5 cr penalty on 11 developers

 The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) of UP has imposed a penalty of ₹2.5 cr on 11 developers for
non-compliance with its past orders issued in favor of homebuyers.
 The authority has levied a penalty of ₹46 lakh on Newtech Promoters & Developers Pvt. Ltd, ₹34 lakh on
Supertech Ltd.,₹57 lakh on Lucknow Development Authority, ₹30 lakh on Tulsiani Construction and
Developers Pvt. Ltd, etc.
MP: 1st to get additional funds for projects
 MP has become the first state to get additional funds for capital projects for successfully carrying out
reforms in various citizen-centric areas.
 The Dept of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has allocated additional 660 crore rupees to the state for
capital expenditure for undertaking the One Nation, One Ration Card Reforms, Ease of Doing Business
Reforms, and Urban Local Bodies Reforms.
FM launches Union Budget mobile app
 FM Nirmala Sitharaman launched the 'Union Budget mobile app' for hassle-free access of Budget
documents by MPs and the general public on 23 Jan 2021.
 Launched on the occasion of the customary 'halwa' ceremony, the app helps complete access to 14
Union Budget documents, including the annual financial statement, Demand for Grants (DG), finance bill
and more as directed by the Constitution.
RBI plans stricter norms for NBFCs
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to tighten rules for major non-bank lenders.
 It has proposed to classify the non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) into four categories, depending
on their systemic importance and the potential risk to the stability of the financial system.
 All NBFCs with assets of up to ₹1,000 crores will fall under the NBFC-Base Layer category.
Tata Power Solar wins Rs 1,200 crore order
 Tata Power Solar has bagged an order worth Rs 1,200 crore from NTPC for setting up of 320 MW
ground-mounted solar project.
 Tata Power Solar is India's largest integrated solar company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata
Power.
 The scope of work includes acquisition, engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning of
the grid-connected solar project on a turnkey basis.
Yes Bank board approves fundraising
 Yes Bank has approved raising funds of up to ₹10,000 crores.
 The bank had floated follow-on public offer (FPO) of ₹15,000 crores in July 2020 to shore up its buffers
that have fallen below the regulatory thresholds.
 However, it was subscribed 95% on the final day so it raised ₹14,267 crores through its FPO.
NTPC to raise ₹2,500 crore via bonds
 NTPC will raise ₹2,500 crores through the issuance of non-convertible bonds on January 27, 2021.
 It will do it through a private placement at a coupon of 6.43 per cent per annum with a door to door
maturity of 10 years on January 27, 2031.
 The proceeds will be utilised for funding capital expenditure, refinancing of existing loans and other
general corporate purposes, among others.
Grasim set to enter paints buisness
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 The Aditya Birla group’s flagship company Grasim has approved an initial infusion of ₹5,000 crores over
three years to enter the paints segment.
 The paints sector registered a compound annual growth rate of around 11% in revenue during FY14-
FY19, facilitating value migration from unorganized to organized markets.
Adani Total Gas acquires 5% in IGX
 Adani Total Gas and Torrent Gas have acquired a 5% stake each in the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), an arm
of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
 The companies have spent around ₹4 crores for their respective 5% share each.
 IGX launched in June 2020, is an online trading platform for physical delivery of natural gas and provides
a neutral and transparent marketplace to multiple buyers and sellers.
UBS sells IndusInd Bank shares worth ₹366 cr
 UBS Principal Capital Asia Ltd has sold nearly 40 lakh shares of IndusInd Bank Ltd worth over ₹366 crore
through an open market transaction.
 UBS Principal Capital Asia offloaded 39.50 lakh shares of the bank at an average price of ₹928 apiece,
valuing the transaction at ₹366.56 crore.
 The shares of IndusInd Bank were purchased by BofA Securities Europe SA at the same price.
SEBI fines HDFC Bank
 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed a fine of ₹1 crore on HDFC Bank.
 It has been fined for violation of SEBI's interim orders.
 The bank had extended a loan facility of ₹87.75 cr against shares to BRH and BRH Commodities.
 However, it invoked securities pledged to the extent of ₹158.68 cr without giving any notice.
IL&FS to launch InvIT
 Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) will launch its infrastructure investment trust (InvIT)
soon.
 It will convert the outstanding debt owed to banks in 10 road projects into units of the trust.
 It has received all approvals for the launch.
 It has also completed the green channel filing with the Competition Commission of India and
obtained final registration from SEBI.
SpaceX to build floating launchpads
 SpaceX bought 2 deepwater oil rigs in 2020 and is converting them into floating launchpads, to support
the enormous Starship rockets that the company is developing.
 The rigs are in the Port of Brownsville, near SpaceX’s Starship development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
 The rigs have been renamed Deimos and Phobos, presumably in homage to the Martian moons.
Joynagar Moa being exported for the first time
 Joynagar Moa, a GI-tagged winter delicacy of West Bengal, was on 20 Jan 2021 exported abroad for the
first time in over a century.
 It was exported to Bahrain and talks are also being finalised to export the product to Italy and Canada.
 It obtained the GI tag in 2014.
 Kanakchur Khoi, nolen gur, ghee, khoya kheer, cardamom, raisins, and cashew nuts, etc., are used to
prepare the delicacy.
Zerodha launches Step-up SIP option
 Zerodha, the countrys biggest stockbroker and a direct mutual fund platform has introduced a plan
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called Step-up SIPs on @CoinByZerodha to fight the dilemma of under-investment.

 Coin is the name of the direct mutual fund platform by Zerodha.
 A person can set how much his SIP value should go up by every year, through this plan.
Antler to deploy $100 mn in Indian startups
 Global early-stage venture capital (VC) fund Antler plans to invest more than $100 million across 150
Indian technology startups in the next four years.
 The fund has appointed investor Nitin Sharma as partner and co-lead for its India operations.
 Sharma will co-lead the India efforts with Rajiv Srivatsa, who is the co-founder of Urban Ladder and was
appointed to the fund in 2020.
SBI MF launches a fund with term insurance
 SBI Mutual Fund has launched its flagship retirement benefit fund.
 It is aimed at long-term investing and offers four different investment plans with different asset
allocation strategy in each plan.
 The scheme comes with a SIP Insure feature, where monthly SIP with tenure of three years and above
will be covered under a term insurance plan by SBI Life Insurance.
Government to get ₹1,544 crore from IRFC IPO
 The government will get ₹1,544 crores from the initial public offering (IPO) of the Indian Railway Finance
Corporation.
 The ₹4,633 crores IPO of Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) was subscribed 3.49 times on the
final day of bidding on 20 Jan 2021.
 So far in the current fiscal, the government has mopped up ₹15,220 crore from disinvestment and share
buyback.
SEBI grants approval to RIL-Future Group deal
 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has granted approval to the Future Group and Reliance
Retail deal.
 In August 2020, Future Group had entered into a ₹24,713 crore agreement with Reliance Retail.
 As part of the deal, Future Group was to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehouse businesses to
Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL).
MP purchases 37.26 lakh metric tonnes of paddy
 In Madhya Pradesh, there has been a record purchase of 37.26 lakh metric tonnes of paddy on MSP for
the year 2020.
 It recorded excess paddy purchases in all the districts of the state on support price except Vidisha
compared to 2019.
 Districts with maximum procurement include Hoshangabad, Raisen, and Sehore.
 Payment of Rs 5000 crore has also been disbursed to the farmers.
SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank remain SIBs: RBI
 The RBI has informed that SBI, along with ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank continues to be Domestic
Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) or institutions that are 'too big to fail'.
 SIBs are subjected to higher levels of supervision so as to prevent disruption in financial services in the
event of any failure.
 The Reserve Bank had issued the framework for dealing with D-SIBs in July 2014.
Flipkart gets BCMS certification
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 Flipkart has got a business continuity management system (BCMS) certification after having met
requirements set by the British Standard Institute (BSI).
 BSI is an accredited business standards company.
 As part of this exercise, 26 sites including Flipkart’s Corporate Office in Bengaluru and 25 other
warehouses across the country received the ISO 22301:2012 certification in the first attempt.
Adani commissions solar power plant at Kutchh
 Adani Solar Energy Kutchh One Limited has commissioned a 150 Megawatt solar power project, three
months prior to the scheduled date, in Kutch, Gujarat.
 Adani Solar Energy Kutchh One is a subsidiary of Adani Green Energy Limited.
 This plant has a Power Purchase Agreement with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited at ₹2.67/kWh for a
period of 25 years.
ICICI Bank launches ‘InstaFX’ mobile app
 ICICI Bank will launch a new mobile application ‘InstaFX’.
 The app enables the authorized money changers, who are partners of the Bank, to complete the KYC
verification and validation of customers digitally and on a real-time basis.
 ICICI Bank is the first bank in the country to offer such a facility to money changers.
Government to sell the stake in TCL
 The government will sell the residual 26.12% stake in Tata Communications Ltd (TCL) to exit the
erstwhile Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
 It will garner around ₹8000 crore as part of its disinvestment receipts in the current financial year ending
31 March 2021.
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved selling up to 16% stake through offer
for sale and remaining to the Tatas
Madhya Pradesh takes lead in reforms
 Madhya Pradesh has taken the lead in undertaking power sector reforms stipulated by the Dept of
Expenditure of the Ministry of Finance.
 It has successfully implemented one out of the three stipulated reforms in the power sector.
 Successful implementation of the reform has made it eligible to mobilize additional financial resources
equivalent to 0.15% of its Gross State Domestic Product.
IDFC First Bank to offer interest-free cash
 IDFC First Bank Ltd has launched two unique offerings, which are interest-free cash advances for 48 days
and dynamic interest rates on revolving credit.
 The interest-free cash scheme is a first for the industry.
 Another key feature that will attract customers is dynamic interest rates, from 9% to 36% per annum,
compared to the fixed rates of 36-40% charged by other card-issuing banks.
Odisha seeks ₹7.2k crores for railway infra
 The Odisha govt has sought ₹7,200 crores for railway infrastructure and ₹5,650 crores for the
development of the telecom sector in the state, in the forthcoming 2021-22 Union Budget.
 A provision for sufficient funds towards the development and maintenance of the national highways and
adequate allocation for piped drinking water was also sought.
Man Industries bags orders worth ₹250cr
 Pipe manufacturer Man Industries (India) Ltd has bagged orders worth ₹250 crores.
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 These will be executed over the next 5 months.

 Man Industries is the flagship company of Man Group and is one of the largest players in longitudinal
submerged arc welding (LSAW) pipes, spirally welded pipes, and coating systems.
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Sports
Pujara rises to 6th place in Test rankings
 Virat Kohli remained the highest-placed Indian batsman at the fourth position in the latest ICC Test
rankings issued on 30 Jan 2021.
 Cheteshwar Pujara moved up one place to 6th.
 Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is the other Indian batsman in the top-10 on the eighth spot.
 New Zealand captain Kane Williamson continued to lead the batting charts.
No Ranji Trophy for first time in 87 years
 The BCCI will not be conducting Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 years as it has opted for the Vijay
Hazare Trophy.
 The BCCI will also host the U-19 National One Day tournament for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and the
Women’s national 50-over tournament.
 The Ranji Trophy is a domestic cricket championship played in India.
 The competition currently consists of 38 teams.
ICC announces Player of the Month awards
 The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the introduction of the ICC Player of the Month
awards.
 It will recognize and celebrate the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms
of international cricket.
 An independent ICC Voting Academy comprising former players, broadcasters, and journalists from
around the world, will team up with fans to vote.
IOC, Tokyo Olympics to unveil a rule book
 Playbook is the rule book that the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers are set to
launch in the coming few days.
 It will explain how 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes and others can safely enter Japan.
 The rollout at Olympic headquarters in Switzerland is also planned for 4 February 2021.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21
 In Cricket, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 is being played from 26-31 January 2021, at Sardar
Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.
 The stadium is now the largest in India in terms of capacity.
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 As per the schedule, four quarter-finals were played from 26-27 January 2021, two semi-finals will be
played on January 29, 2021, with the final scheduled on January 31, 2021.
Archery competition under Khelo India
 Ladakh Administration organised the opening ceremony of Archery Competition at Leh.
 Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the competition on 22 Jan
2021.
 The Archery Competition was held under First Khelo India Ladakh Winter Games at NDS Sports Stadium
in Leh.
ITBP wins national ice hockey championship
 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has won the 10th National Ice Hockey Championship held in Jammu and
Kashmir's Gulmarg.
 The team defeated Ladakh 5-1 at the Gulmarg ice rink located at a height of 8,694 feet.
 The national championship was organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) from January 16-
22, 2021 in which eight teams participated.
Juventus wins Italian Super Cup
 Juventus won the Italian Super Cup by beating Napoli 2-0 on 20 January 2021.
 It was Juventus' ninth Super Cup title, taking it two above AC Milan, which is the team with the second-
most victories in the competition.
 Andrea Pirlo won his first trophy as a coach after the team won the match.
Hockey India inducts 5 academies as members
 Hockey India has announced Khalsa Hockey Academy (Amritsar), RoundGlass Punjab Hockey Club, Adyar
Hockey Academy, Surjit Hockey Academy Jalandhar and S.G.P.C Hockey Academy, as new members.
 With the inclusion of new members, Hockey India currently has 22 permanent members, 36 associate
members, 39 academy members and 2 hockey members.
First-ever scientific training for players
 The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) along with Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) have introduced a
revolutionary High-Performance Assessment and Scientific Analysis & Evaluation Programme -“Rise in
Sports Excellence” for the very first time.
 During a rigorous camp of almost a month, scheduled from January 18 to February 16, 2021, 138
players, including 18 women players, will be monitored by experts.
Malinga to retire from franchise cricket
 Lasith Malinga will retire from franchise cricket.
 He had informed his decision to the Mumbai Indians management earlier in January 2021.
 Mumbai Indians has released seven players including Malinga, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and James Pattinson
for the 2021 edition of the IPL.
 The retained players include Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Chris Lynn,
Anmolpreet, etc.
Premier League being held in J&K
 In J&K, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha declared open Premier League on 20 Jan 2021.
 It is an ambitious sporting event for the youth that will enhance the quality of competition and
performance of the players.
 Jammu & Kashmir is the first to organize 1250 matches across all the districts in four different
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disciplines, such as Football, Hockey, Volleyball, and Kabaddi.

India wins Border-Gavaskar Trophy
 India defeated Australia by 3 wickets in the final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane and retained the Border-
Gavaskar Trophy, on 19 Jan'21.
 India successfully chased the 328-run target to seal the 4-match series 2-1.
 This was the 1st defeat for Australia at their fortress Gabba in 32 years.
 Rishabh Pant's 89 and Shubman Gill's 91 runs knock in the 2nd innings guided India to the win.
Nihal Sarin wins Gazprom Brilliancy Prize
 Indian chess prodigy Nihal Sarin has won the Gazprom Brilliancy Prize.
 The award is given to the best game from the FIDE Online World Cadets and Youth Championship played
during December.
 Sarin had beaten Francesco Sonis 1.5-0.5 in the Open Under-18 section on the way to winning the gold
medal at the event.
 Rakshitta Ravi and D Gukesh had also won gold medals in their respective categories.
1st Zanskar Winter Sports Festival begins
 In Ladakh, Khelo India 1st Zanskar Winter Sports Festival began on 18 Jan 2021.
 Engaging the youth and opening new vistas of tourism in Zanskar are the main aims of the festival.
 A series of snow-based activities are scheduled for the next 13 days in Zanskar.
 Chadar Trek was also inaugurated as part of the festival.
Srinagar's first-ever snowshoe run organised
 A new snowshoe run and interaction programme was held in Srinagar for the first time, in January 2021.
 The programme was held during the heavy snowfall season in the state.
 It was organized by the Snowshoe Federation of India to boost winter sports in the Kashmir region.
 The event was organized in under 19 categories and open categories.
Sporting facilities to be named after athletes
 Sports Ministry will name all upcoming and upgraded sporting facilities of the Sports Authority of India,
after renowned athletes, who have contributed to sports in India.
 In the first leg, the newly built wrestling hall and the learners swimming pool in the National Centre of
Excellence, NCOE in Lucknow, and the 100-bedded hostel in NCOE Bhopal will be named after local star
sportspersons.
Varun Kapur in top-10 in world junior rankings
 In badminton, Indian shuttlers Varun Kapur and Samiya Imad Farooqui have confirmed top-10 spots in
the world junior rankings of Badminton World Federation.
 They have been ranked world no. 2.
 3 more shuttlers-Tasnim Mir (4), Treesa Jolly (8) and Aditi Bhatt (10) have found a place in the top-10.
 In the women’s doubles category, Tressa (8), Tanisha Crasto (9) and Aditi (9) are in top-10.
Voot bags streaming rights for Poker League
 Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd-owned over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platform Voot has bagged
streaming rights for Poker Sports League (PSL).
 The league will hold its third season online as the pandemic has disrupted the physical tournament.
 Instead of the 5-day on-ground event, the virtual league will have 8 teams battling it out over two
months with 2-3 matches per week, starting 16 Jan 021.
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F1 postpones Australia, China Grands Prix

 Formula One has confirmed a revised calendar for the start of the 2021 season after the postponement
of the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.
 Australia was due to open the season in Melbourne on 21 March while China on 11 April 2021.
 F1’s plan is to hold 23 races this year and Bahrain will now host the first on 28 March 2021.
Khelo India Zanskar Festival 2021 from Jan 18
 A 13-day Khelo India Zanskar Winter Sport & Youth Festival 2021 will begin from 18th January 2021 in
Ladakh.
 It will go on till 30 January 2021.
 Various events like meditation, yoga, ice skating, hockey, snow skiing, climbing, traditional archery, snow
scooter, biking, Yak and horse riding, snow sculpturing, etc. would be a part of the festival.
Panicker defeats world's strongest bodybuilder
 Kochi-based arm wrestler Rahul Panicker defeated 'world's strongest bodybuilder' Larry Wheels in Jan
2021.
 The super match took place in Dubai.
 Rahul, the current 70kg National Arm Wrestling champion, has already earned six national medals in the
last ten years.
 Rahul’s father PT Panicker was a powerlifter and had won the title of Powerman of India.
Ronaldo becomes joint-highest goalscorer
 Ronaldo has become the joint-highest goalscorer of all time in the history of football.
 Ronaldo now has 759 goals and he is tied at the first spot along with Josef Bican.
 The Portuguese striker achieved the feat on 10 Jan 2021 after scoring a goal against Sassuolo in Serie A.
 He also became the only player to score at least 15 goals in each of the last 15 seasons in the top five
leagues.
SPO from Ladakh wins 4th position in Marathon
 Jigmet Dolma from India secured the fourth position in the Dhaka Marathon 2021 organized on 10 Jan
2021.
 The marathon was organized to commemorate the return of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from
Pakistan jail to Bangladesh in 1972.
 Hicham Lakohi of Morocco came 1st in the men’s category while Angela Jim Asunde from Kenya won the
women's category in the same event.
WADA launches ADEL platform
 The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has launched its Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform
(ADEL).
 It is a new and improved version of the current Anti-Doping e-Learning platform (ADeL) that was
launched in January 2018.
 It will provide education and learning opportunities for the anti-doping community worldwide; including:
athletes, coaches, parents, medical professionals and more.
First woman to officiate in a men’s Test
 Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate at a men’s Test match on 7 Jan 2021 when
she walked out on the ground as the fourth umpire during the encounter between India and Australia in
Sydney.
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 She was also the first woman umpire to stand in an Australian men’s domestic fixture after officiating a
one-day match between New South Wales and a Cricket Australia XI in 2017.
Sports Minister inaugurates residential hostel
 Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated a residential hostel in the premises of
the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Delhi.
 It will be a 162-bed air-conditioned hostel.
 There will also be an air-conditioned dining area and facilities for sports-specific diet and a separate
recreation area for boys and girls.
 The facility has been created at a cost of Rs 12.26 crore.
Ice Hockey tournament begins in Kargil
 In Kargil, Ladakh, Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament is being organized at Chiktan from 6 January 2021.
 For the first time, the women team of Chiktan also participated in the Khelo India Games in the 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.
Ronaldo becomes 1st to get 25 cr followers
 Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person ever to reach 250 million followers on image-and video-
sharing platform Instagram.
 He is also the most followed person on Facebook and the most followed sportsperson on Twitter.
 The only account which has more followers than Ronaldo on the platform is Instagram’s official account,
which has 382 million followers.
Cristiano Ronaldo Surpasses Pele's record
 Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Brazilian legend Pele in the list of all-time leading goalscorers by netting
twice for Juventus in a Serie A match against Udinese on January 3, 2021.
 Ronaldo scored his 757th and 758th goal in either half of a 4-1 win as he became the second-highest
goalscorer pushing Pele (757) down to the third spot.
 Ronaldo has now scored 758 goals for club and country.
Dagmara Baskova banned for match-fixing
 Slovakian tennis player Dagmara Baskova has been banned for a period of 12 years after an investigation
by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) uncovered five incidents of match-fixing by the player in 2017.
 Baskova, who had the highest WTA ranking of 1117 in singles and 777 in doubles, has also been fined
$40,000.
 The majority of the fine is suspended, with $1,000 payable within 90 days.
Leon Mendonca: India’s 67th Grandmaster
 Leon Mendonca has become India’s 67th chess Grandmaster by winning the third and final norm at the
Vergani Cup in Italy.
 Mendonca, who achieved the feat at 14 years, is the second GM from Goa.
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 At the Vergani Cup in Bassano del Grappa, he finished second with 6.5 points behind Ukraine’s Vitaliy
Bernadskiy (7 points).
Ronaldo named 'Player of the Century'
 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 'Player of the Century' award at the Globe Soccer Awards.
 Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, during the event, won the Player of the Year award.
 The club's coach Hansi Flick bagged the Coach of the Year award.
 Also, Bayern Munich won the Club of the Year award.
 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola won the Coach of the Century award.
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Defence
HAL to perform 'Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight'
 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced that its indigenous aircraft will perform the
'Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight' at the 13th edition of Aero India 2021.
 HAL will showcase its prowess in defence and aerospace at the world’s 1st hybrid exhibition through a
static and dynamic display of its helicopters & trainers and fighter jets.
3 more Rafale fighter jets join IAF
 India's Rafale squadron added the third batch of three fighter jets which arrived from France on 27 Jan
2021.
 Indian Air Force's only Rafale squadron is based in Ambala.
 India ordered 36 warplanes from France in September 2016 for 59,000 crore rupees under a
government-to-government deal.
 With the new jets, the number of Rafales in the IAF's inventory has increased to 11.
DRDO conducts launch of Akash-NG missile
 DRDO conducted the successful launch of Akash-NG (New Generation) Missile from Integrated Test
Range off the coast of Odisha on 25 Jan 2021.
 Akash-NG is a new generation Surface to Air Missile meant for use by the Indian Air Force with an aim of
intercepting high manoeuvring low RCS aerial threats.
 The multi-function radar was also tested for its capability of integration with the system.
Joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX-21 conducted
 A large-scale tri-service joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX – 21 was conducted in the Andaman &
Nicobar group of islands from 21-25 Jan 2021.
 The exercise involved the participation of Naval ships, amphibious troops of the Army, and different
types of aircraft from the Air force.
 It was aimed at validating India’s capabilities to safeguard the territorial integrity of its island territories.
Surya, Sarang to perform in Aero India Show
 Indian Aerobatic team of Surya Kiran will perform along with Sarang aerobatic team for the first time in
the 13th edition of Aero India show.
 The event will be held from Feb 3-5, 2021 in Bengaluru.
 The Chief of Air Staff Conclave will be held on the first two days.
 Besides, this is also for the first time an air show is being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, anywhere
in the world.
Smart Anti Airfield Weapon test fired
 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 21 Jan 2021, successfully test-fired a Smart Anti Airfield Weapon
(SAAW) from the Hawk-i aircraft off the coast of Odisha.
 The indigenous stand-off weapon, developed by DRDO's Research Centre Imarat (RCI), is the first smart
weapon fired from an Indian Hawk-Mk132.
 HAWK-i provides secured voice communication and data link capability.
India to conduct military drills in ANC
 A large-scale joint military exercise 'Excercise Kavach' will be conducted in the last week of Jan 2021,
under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), the only Joint Forces Command of India.
 The exercise involves assets of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
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 The tri-services exercise aims to fine-tune joint war-fighting capabilities and SOPs towards enhancing
operational synergy
Air Force Academy celebrates golden jubilee
 The Air Force Academy (AFA) at Hyderabad, commemorated 50 years of its existence on 19 January
2021.
 IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria unveiled a statue of the "Eternal Pilot" presented to the
Academy by pioneers of 107 Pilots'' Course - the first course to undergo flying training at AFA.
 The Air Force Academy conducts training for all Flying and Ground Duty branches of IAF.
Aero India show from 3rd February 2021
 The Air Force Station in Bengaluru will organise Aero India show from 3-5 February 2021.
 The 13th Edition of the show has been reduced to three days due to the pandemic.
 It will hold the world's first hybrid aerospace and defence exhibition, where exhibitors will participate
both physically and also in virtual mode.
 The focus will be on Atma Nirbhar in the Defence sector for 2021.
Bhawana Kanth to take part in R-Day parade
 Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic
Day parade.
 Kanth will be a part of the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) tableau that will showcase mock-ups of the light
combat aircraft, light combat helicopter and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.
 She is currently posted at a Rajasthan airbase and commissioned on a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane.
Air exercise Ex Desert Knight-21 from 20 Jan
 Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force will conduct a bilateral Air exercise Ex Desert Knight-21
at Jodhpur Air Force Station between January 20 and 24, 2021.
 About 175 airforce personnel from the French side will participate with Rafale, Airbus A-330 Multi-Role
Tanker Transport, etc.
 Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force will participate with Mirage 2000, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, etc.
Swachhata Pakhwada organised by NCC
 Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar inaugurated Swachhata Pakhwada organized by National Cadet Corps,
NCC at India Gate, on 18 Jan 2021.
 The theme of this Swachhata Pakhwada is 'Clean India, Green India, Yeh Hai Mera Dream India'.
 During the Swachhata Pakhwada, the NCC cadets will keep Rajpath clean for the Republic Day Parade -
2021 by spreading awareness through displaying banners, etc.
CRPF gets 21 DRDO-developed bike ambulances
 21 'bike ambulances' developed by the DRDO have been inducted into the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF).
 These will be used for casualty evacuation tasks in remote Naxal violence and insurgency-affected areas.
 The customised 'Rakshita' ambulances have been created on 350cc Royal Enfield Classic bikes by the
Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS).
IAF TETTRA conference held
 The annual TETTRA (Technical Type Training) conference was held in a hybrid format at Air Force Station
Jalahalli in Bengaluru on 15 Jan 2021.
 The conference was presided over by Air Marshal RD Mathur, Air Officer Commanding in Chief Training
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Command.
 Trophies were presented to the best TETTRA schools in three different categories viz- Fighter aircraft,
Transport Aircraft, and Systems.
on 14 Jan 2021.
North Korea unveils new ballistic missile
 North Korea has unveiled a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, described as "the world's
most powerful weapon", at a military parade on 14 January 2021.
 Several of the missiles were displayed at a parade overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.
 The new type of submarine-launched missiles was larger than the ones North Korea already tested.
Shakti: World's 1st flexible bulletproof vest
 An Indian Army Major has indigenously developed the world's first bulletproof jacket, meant to be used
by both male and female combatants.
 The ballistic vest, dubbed 'Shakti', made by Major Anoop Mishra is also the world's first flexible body
armour.
 The flexible design means that the ballistic jacket will be able to absorb the impact and reduce or stop
penetration to the torso.
Indian Army signs a contract with ideaForge
 The Indian Army has signed an approximately USD 20 million contract for a high-altitude variant of
ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year.
 SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of
the Indian Forces.
 It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.
Indian Army Day: 15 January
 Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on 15 January.
 The year 2021 marks India's 73rd Army Day.
 In 1949, on this day, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, General Sir Francis Butcher, was
replaced by the then Lieutenant General KM Cariappa.
 He became the first Indian Army Chief of independent India.
 Kariyappa commanded the Indian Army in the 1947 Indo-Pak war.
Indian Army officer develops 'microcopter'
 An Indian Army officer has indigenously developed a 'microcopter' which can be used by the Army to
carry out surveillance inside a building or room in which terrorists are hiding.
 The microcopter has been developed by Lieutenant Colonel GYK Reddy.
 The trials of the microcomputer have been successfully carried out by a Para Special Forces battalion in
Jammu and Kashmir.
India clears Tejas jet deal worth Rs 48,000 cr
 India has approved a deal worth Rs 48,000 cr to procure 83 indigenously-developed Light Combat
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Aircraft Tejas for the Indian Air Force.

 The decision to procure the fleet was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired
by PM Narendra Modi.
 About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working
with HAL in this procurement.
DRDO develops pistol ASMI
 Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) has developed the country's first indigenous
machine pistol ASMI.
 The pistol is set to replace the 9mm pistols in the defence forces.
 The machine pistol can fire at a range of 100 metres and is in the class of the Uzi series guns of Israel.
 The prototype has fired over 300 rounds in the last four months of its development.
Bangladesh contingent to take part in R-Day
 A 122 member strong Bangladesh armed forces contingent has departed for India to take part in the
Republic Day parade on 26 Jan 2021.
 This is only the third time in India’s history that any foreign military contingent has been invited to
participate in the National Parade at Rajpath in Delhi.
 It is especially significant as the year 2021 marks 50 years of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Army to induct women as pilots in aviation
 The Army has decided to induct women as pilots in its aviation wing and the first batch is to be admitted
for training in July 2021.
 As of now, women are allowed in air traffic control and ground duties in the Army aviation wing.
 In 2018, flying officer Avani Chaturvedi of the Indian Air Force scripted history by becoming the first
Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo.
Indian Navy conducting Sea Vigil-21
 Indian Navy is conducting the second edition of largest coastal defense exercise Sea Vigil-21 starting 12
Jan 2021.
 The inaugural edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2019.
 The two-day biennial pan-India coastal defense exercise will be undertaken along the entire 7,516-km-
long coastline.
 It will involve all the 13 coastal states and UTs along with other maritime stakeholders.
BSF organized a cycle rally
 BSF is organizing a cycle rally to commemorate the birth centenary of Sheikh Majibur Rehman from 10
Jan 2021.
 The Sheikh Majibur Rehman Maitri cycle rally will cover 4,097kms and will end on 17 Mar 2021, at
Border out Post Silkor, 60 Battalion, and Mizoram Frontier.
 In a span of 66 days, the 13 BSF personnel would be passing along the Indo-Bangladesh border covering
a distance of 4,097kms.
DRDO develops Him-Taapak for Indian army
 DRDO has developed multiple products such the Him-Taapak heating devices (Bukhari) and snow
melters to help keep the soldiers warm in the extremely low temperatures.
 DRDO has also developed 'Alocal cream' that helps in preventing frostbite chilblains and other cold
injuries.
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 The Indian Army has placed orders worth ₹420 crores for these appliances.
Bandhan Bank signs agreement with Indian Army
 Bandhan Bank has signed an agreement with the Indian Army to provide banking services to the
personnel of the force.
 The bank has got the mandate to maintain zero-balance salary accounts of the Army personnel.
 They will be offered other preferential services such as six percent interest on balance over Rs 1 lakh,
unlimited free ATM transactions across ATMs, etc.
Bullet proof jackets handed over to Army
 Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik handed over one lakh bulletproof jackets to the Indian
Army Chief General M M Naravane in New Delhi, on 6 January 2021.
 They have been manufactured by SMPP Private Limited and have been delivered four months ahead of
the delivery schedule.
 These have been made in India itself.
Operation Sadhbhavana observed
 In Leh, on behalf of the Fire and Fury Corps, the Ladakh Scouts Regiment Centre (LSRC) observed
Operation Sadhbhavana on 5 Jan'21.
 Under this, LSRC Commandant Rinchen Dorje distributed Covid management equipment to primary
health centres in Phyang, Phey and Spituk villages in Leh district.
 LSRC is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, also known as 'Snow Warriors'.
Iran tests drones in military exercise
 Iran launched exercises featuring a wide array of domestically produced drones on 5 Jan 2021.
 Iran’s armed forces are to test combat drones used as bombers, interceptors and in reconnaissance
missions in the two-day exercises in central Semnan province.
 The exercise was conducted two days after the first anniversary of the killing of Iranian general Qassem
Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike.
NCC Republic Day Camp 2021 inaugurated
 Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC) Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich formally
inaugurated NCC Republic Day Camp (RDC) - 2021 on 4 Jan 2021 in Delhi Cantt.
 The inauguration ceremony started with ‘Sarv Dharam Pooja’.
 Around 1,000 cadets, including 380 girl cadets with 500 support staff are participating in this camp.
 It will culminate with the PM's Rally on 28 Jan 2021.
Indian Army creates a new human rights cell
 The Indian Army has created a new human rights cell for greater transparency and probity in its
functioning in disturbed areas like J&K and the northeast.
 Major General Gautam Chauhan, who was commissioned into the Gorkha Rifles, has taken charge as the
first additional director general (human rights) at the Army headquarters in New Delhi.
 He will report directly to the Army Vice-Chief.
Indian Army signs contract with Goa Shipyard
 The Indian Army has signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Limited for 12 fast patrol boats for surveillance
and patrolling of large water bodies.
 The boats would be used for patrols in high altitude regions.
 The signing of the contract comes eight months after India first detected intrusions by Chinese soldiers
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into Indian territory including along the banks of the Pangong Tso lake.
IAF e-Governance (e-Office) portal launched
 Indian Air Force Chief, Air Marshal R K S Bhadauria formally launched the IAF e-Governance (e-Office)
portal in New Delhi on 31 Dec 2020.
 The launch of the portal is part of Digital India and e-governance initiative that will transform the entire
IAF into a paperless office workflow.
 It marks a major shift from the current method of correspondence, filing and documentation to a digital
one.
General Naravane receives Guard of Honour
 Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Mukund Naravane received a Guard of Honour at Republic of Korea
(ROK) Army Headquarters at Gyeryong in December 2020.
 The Chief of Army Staff also called on General Nam Yeong shin, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea
Army and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation.
 He also visited the Agency for Defence Development at Daejeon.
Rafale jets to carry out SKYROS wargames
 Rafale fighter jets of India and France will carry out wargames codenamed Exercise SKYROS in Jodhpur in
the third week of Jan 2021.
 The French Air Force Rafale fighters would be coming to Jodhpur which would see them flying with
Indian Rafales from the 17 Squadron and the Su-30MKI fighters.
 This would be the first major wargame of the Indian Air Force (IAF) involving the Rafale fighters.
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Books and Authors

MH CM releases a new Marathi book
 Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has released a book Maharashtra-Karnataka Seemavad:
Sangharsh Aani Sankalp.
 The new 530-page book gives an account of the boundary dispute between the two states.
 Maharashtra governments officer on special duty Deepak Pawar has edited this book.
Book on law of emergency to be released
 A book titled "The Law of Emergency Powers: Comparative Common Law Perspectives", was released on
January 23, 2021.
 It has been authored by Dr Abhishek Singhvi and Prof. Khagesh Gautam.
 It aims to provide a comprehensive legal and constitutional study of emergency powers from a
comparative common law perspective.
 It was released by Supreme Court judges including Justice NV Ramana.
Ramachandra Guha’s new book
 Historian and cricket fan Ramachandra Guha has come up with his new book- 'The Commonwealth of
Cricket: A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind'.
 The book not only talks about cricket in India, but is about cricket in other countries too.
 It has been co-published by HarperCollins India and William Collins UK.
Former CEC Quraishi's new book
 Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi will come out with a book in Feb 2021.
 The book is titled "The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India".
 It evaluates India's demographics from a religious perspective and seeks to bust the myth that Islam is
against family planning.
 It is a detailed analysis of the 'Muslim rate of growth'.
'Modi India Calling-2021' book released
 A coffee table book filled with hundreds of photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his "107
overseas and bilateral visits" was released on 8 Jan 2021.
 The book, titled "Modi India Calling - 2021", is the brainchild of senior BJP leader Vijay Jolly.
 It was released by Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta at the Press Club of India.
RBI officer pens novel 'Right Under our Nose'
 A general manager at RBI, R Giridharan has written his debut book ”Right Under our Nose”.
 The book was published by Rupa Publications.
 He set the story in Nagpur as he wanted to write about a Tier-2 Indian city.
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National Affairs
MP CM launches ‘PANKH Abhiyan’ for Girl Child
 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the 'PANKH Abhiyan' under the 'Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme in order to aid in empowerment and growth of the girl child on National
Girl Child Day.
 He also announced scholarships worth Rs6.47 cr for 26,099 girls under Ladli Laxmi Yojana.
 The Abhiyan will go on for a year.
SPPU, PMC to provide free tuition to students
 The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) and the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) social welfare
department, together, will provide free tuition to 100 schedule caste, and 50 open category students, for
competitive exams.
 Students can apply online on the official portal - sdd.punecorporation.org till 20 Feb 2021.
 Selected students will get the benefit for 1 year under this scheme.
Chandigarh to get North India's 1st 'Dog park'
 North India's 1st Dog park to come up in Chandigarh’s Sector 42.
 The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the MC has approved the creation of the park within the
Mango Park in Sector 42.
 It will cost ₹49-lakh and project will come up on 1.5-acre land.
 Depending on the success of the first dog park, the MC will plan more in other sectors of the city.
Temple for MGR and J Jayalalithaa opens in TN
 A temple dedicated to AIADMK icons, M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, was unveiled on 30 Jan
2021, by CM K Palaniswami and DCM O Panneerselvam.
 The statues of both Jayalalithaa and MGR feature statues of a lion and the shrine was thrown open for
the public.
 The temple has been built on a 12-acre plot at a cost of ₹50 lakh.
UP govt sanctions land acquisition for NIA
 The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned ₹4,000 cr for land acquisition for the 2nd phase of the
Noida International Airport(NIA) scheduled to come up at Jewar.
 The Yeida had sought permission from the UP Govt to start work on the 2nd project in November 2020.
 A total of 1,365 hec will be required for phase 2, 1,318 hec for phase 3 and phase 4 will witness land
acquisition of 735 hec.
Chitkara University announces NOVATE 2021
 Chitkara University has launched the 4th edition of its flagship-event NOVATE 2021.
 This edition aims to empower and help MSME's to collaborate with universities for technical problem-
solving.
 Through this competition, funding of Rs 25 lakhs will be awarded to up to 10 project proposals.
 The last date for submitting project proposals is January 31, 2021.
Cell for migrant labourers set up in Goa
 A dedicated cell has been set up in Goa to resolve the issues being faced by migrants labourers in the
state as part of a central government initiative.
 The state is the first one in the country to set up a dedicated migration cell to address the issues of
migrant workers.
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 It will provide legal support, job linkages, access to public services, health, insurance and financial
inclusion.
Bharti AXA launches 'Krishi Sakha' app
 Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched its new app ‘Krishi Sakha’.
 It will cater to the specific needs of the farmers in the country and guide them in adopting best farming
practices and enhancing productivity.
 It shares relevant information about the scientific way of farming, crop cultivation, sowing, or harvesting
of major crops.
IBBI organised a workshop
 The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India jointly with SBI and the Indian Banks’ Association
organised a one-day virtual workshop on 29 Jan 2021.
 It was on “Committee of Creditors: An Institution of Public Trust”.
 This was the 5th such workshop in the series for the benefit of financial creditors who comprise
Committee of Creditors (CoC) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
KVIC distrubutes charkha, looms to artisans
 Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) rolled out a massive employment drive in Malda district
of West Bengal on 29 Jan 2021.
 Aiming to create sustainable livelihood opportunities, it distributed 1155 new model charkhas, 235
readymade garment making machines, 230 modern looms and 135 reeling basins to artisans’ families.
 The beneficiaries include nearly 90% of women artisans.
PFC organised technical workshop on Kanthasth
 Power Finance Corporation organised a technical workshop on Kanthasth (Translation software based on
memory) and Hindi e-tools at Urjanidhi, headquarters of PFC, on 28 Jan 2021.
 The workshop was organised in association with the Dept of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs.
 Around 50 personnel from various departments of Government of India benefitted from the technical
workshop.
CSIR launches a new campaign
 The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched a new campaign of highlighting 80
success stories from the organization.
 It is set to turn 80 years old in 2022.
 This campaign was launched recently as CSIR’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)
completed two decades of safeguarding India’s traditional knowledge.
Ministry of Tourism dedicates 3 pavilions
 Ministry of Tourism has dedicated 3 virtual pavilions, Dekho Apna Desh, Statue of Unity, and Incredible
India in Bharat Parv 2021.
 The Bharat Parv is being organized on a virtual platform www.bharatparv2021.com from 26-31 Jan 2021.
 The Statue of Unity pavilion provides detailed information about the destination.
 Incredible India Pavilion comprises information on UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Serum Institute seeks approval for trials
 The Serum Institute of India (SII), has sought the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) permission to
conduct a small domestic trial of the Novavax coronavirus vaccine.
 The vaccine was found to be 89.3% effective in a UK trial.
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 In Sept 2020 Novavax had announced its deal with the world's largest vaccine manufacturing firm SII in
order to produce 2 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines.
Release of Rs 1,751 cr approved for 5 states
 The High-Level Committee under the chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional
central assistance of over Rs 1,751 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund, NDRF to five states.
 The states are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
 They were affected by floods, landslides during South-West Monsoon-2020 and hailstorm during Rabi
2019-20.
PM Modi to address at ‘Prabuddha Bharata’
 PM Narendra Modi will address the 125th-anniversary celebrations of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ on 31 Jan
2021.
 The event is being organized by Advaita Ashrama situated at Mayavati Ashram in Uttarakhand.
 Prabuddha Bharata, a monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order was started by Swami Vivekananda in
1896.
 Its publication was started from Chennai, formerly known as Madras.
HAL to perform 'Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight'
 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced that its indigenous aircraft will perform the
'Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight' at the 13th edition of Aero India 2021.
 HAL will showcase its prowess in defence and aerospace at the world’s 1st hybrid exhibition through a
static and dynamic display of its helicopters & trainers and fighter jets.
India’s 1st centralised AC railway terminal
 The Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal at Baiyappanahalli in Bengaluru is all set to become the
country’s first largest air-conditioned rail concourse, which will give passengers an airport kind of
experience.
 The terminal will have seven platforms, apart from eight stabling lines and three pit lines.
 The terminal is expected to be ready by February end of 2021.
SDMC opens 'garbage cafes'
 Intensifying the unique initiative 'Plastic Lao Khana Khao', the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC)
has opened 23 more garbage cafes.
 Anybody depositing one kg of plastic wastes with the 'garbage cafes,' would get a coupon for a free
breakfast, lunch, or dinner at SDMC partner restaurants.
 In 2019, India's first 'garbage cafe' was opened in Ambikapur district of Chhattisgarh.
Telangana: Inauguration of 2BHK Dignity Houses
 Telangana ministers inaugurated the 264 two-bedroom 'Dignity Houses' in Hyderabad's Gandhinagar
and Sri Ram Nagar localities on Jan 29, 2021.
 Out of the total houses, 200 houses located in Gandhinagar were built with Rs 15.50 crore and Sairam
Nagar with Rs 4.96 crore.
 Each unit measures 560 sqft and construction cost per house is Rs 7.75 lakh, the dwellings are equipped
with basic amenities.
Heritage tours of BMC headquarters
 Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has inaugurated heritage tours of Mumbai’s iconic BMC headquarters.
 The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), in collaboration with BMC, will begin the
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heritage tours from 30 Jan 2021.

 The MTDC will be responsible for booking the tours.
 The MTDC has appointed local tourism agency Khaki Tours to curate heritage tours of the BMC building.
Maharashtra extends lockdown till Feb 28
 The Maharashtra government has extended the lockdown across the state till 28 Feb 2021.
 Maharashtra CM announced the local trains in Mumbai will be opened for all from Feb 1, 2021, with
proper care to avoid crowding.
 Women have already been allowed access to the local train services since Oct 2020.
 After Kerala, Maharashtra accounts for the 2nd highest number of active cases in the country.
Mission Bhagiratha: Telangana's drinking water
 Telangana government has launched its own packaged drinking water under the brand name of ‘Mission
Bhagiratha’.
 It has now been made compulsory in all government meetings.
 Bottles used in Mission Bhagiratha brand are reusable instead of PET bottles.
 Mission Bhagiratha, a flagship programme of the Telangana government, is aimed at providing safe
drinking water to every household.
Airtel successfully demonstrates 5G services
 Bharti Airtel has become the first telecom service provider in the country to successfully “demonstrate
and orchestrate” live 5G service.
 The demonstration took place in Hyderabad on 29 Jan'21.
 Airtel tested the new 5G network over its existing liberalised spectrum in the 1800 MHz band through
the NSA (non-standalone) network technology.
 Its new network is capable of delivering 10x speeds.
School of Public Health launched in Rajasthan
 A new School of Public Health (SPH) has been launched in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
 It has been named after Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) chairperson S.D.
Gupta.
 It will provide technical support to health systems and render help to the state government.
 The major thrust areas would be digital health technology and evaluation of surveillance mechanisms.
L&T builds LC-Max reactors for Visakh Refinery
 Larsen & Toubro flagged off 3 LC-Max reactors weighing 2,313 tonnes each, to Hindustan Petroleum Co
Ltd's (HPCL) Visakh Refinery, on 28 Jan'21.
 The reactors will enable India’s first Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) by Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation’s Visakh Refinery to convert the heaviest oils to high-quality BS-VI diesel.
 It will also increase feedstock and improve product flexibility.
ASCI to launche a consumer initiative
 The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will launch an integrated consumer connect initiative
to raise awareness about misleading advertisements.
 It is titled 'Chup mat baitho' (don't sit quietly).
 The campaign is inspired by ASCI’s Trust in Advertising Report 2020 findings which said only 10% of
consumers who come across misleading advertisements report them.
COVID-19 vaccination Center at ASCOMS, Jammu
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 In J&K, COVID-19 Vaccination Center has been inaugurated at Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical
Sciences & Hospital (ASCOMS), Jammu.
 Currently, 162 sites for vaccination are operational in the Union Territory and more than 15, 000 health
workers have already been vaccinated.
 18 more vaccination sites have been started in Jammu from 28 January 2021.
Paddy procurement deadline extended in Bihar
 In Bihar, the last date for procurement of paddy has been extended from January 31 to February 21,
2021.
 The state government has set a target to buy 45 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from farmers.
 Till date, 21 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured.
 3137 crore rupees have been paid to farmers for procurement of paddy.
UP govt to set up India's first leather park
 Uttar Pradesh government will establish the first leather park of the country in Kanpur district.
 The project will be established in 268 area of land in Ramaipur village of Kanpur district and is expected
to attract an investment of more than Rs 5850 crores.
 It will also have an effluent treatment plant of 20 million litres per day capacity so that it does not
pollute the Ganga river.
23rd meeting of Group of Ministers
 Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired the 23rd meeting of the High-level Group
of Ministers on COVID-19 on 28 Jan 2021.
 He informed that 146 districts have no new cases since last 7 days, 18 districts since the last 14 days, 6
districts since 21 days and 21 districts since the last 28 days.
 165 cases of UK Variant have been reported so far.
IIT Kanpur selects 20 students from J&K
 20 students including 8 girls of J&K have started their online internship program at IIT Kanpur.
 The internship started from Jan 27 will continue to March 29, 2021.
 All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has signed MoU with IITs for providing internship
opportunities to students from J&K in institutes to provide an exposure to the academic culture at
higher learning institutes.
Puducherry government launches helpline number
 The Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare in Puducherry has launched a helpline to help
fishermen contact the department to find solutions to their grievances.
 Fishermen could contact the helpline number (0413-2227289) to know details of various schemes
available to them, incentives and financial succour and welfare schemes.
PMC to set up veterinary hospital
 The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will set up its own veterinary hospital, primarily to check the
stray dog menace in the city by increasing sterilisation procedures.
 The new veterinary facility would have a capacity of operating on as many as 200 dogs at a time.
 The hospital will be constructed on the premises of Naidu Sewage Treatment Plant on Raja Bahadur Mill
road of the city.
National Marine Turtle Action Plan launched
 The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) released ‘Marine Mega Fauna
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Stranding Guidelines’ and ‘National Marine Turtle Action Plan’ in New Delhi on 28 Jan 2021.
 The documents contain ways and means to not only promote inter-sectoral action for conservation but
also guide improved coordination amongst the government, civil society etc.
Qutub Minar to be lit up on Jan 30
 The Qutub Minar will be lit up on 30 January 2021 to mark the second World Neglected Tropical
Diseases (NTD) Day as India joins other countries to combat such diseases.
 On World NTD Day, more than 50 landmarks representing 25 nations will be lit up to celebrate how far
the world has come together in defeating NTDs.
BITS Pilani to invest ₹1,500 cr for B-School
 BITS Pilani will set up a dedicated business school in Mumbai at an investment of ₹1,500 cr.
 BITS School of Management (BITSoM) will come up at Kalyan in Mumbai metropolitan region.
 It will be a zero-carbon footprint campus spread over 60-acre land with stellar faculty from the top
business schools globally, including Wharton, University of Texas Austin and Singapore Management
University.
HSBC inaugurates international banking unit
 HSBC has inaugurated it's International Banking Unit (IBU) branch at GIFT City near Gandhinagar city in
Gujarat.
 HSBC is one of the earliest global financial institutions setting up a branch at India's GIFT City.
 It was the first bank to get a licence from the newly set up International Financial Services Centres
Authority (IFSCA).
Govt to launch CES survey
 The government is planning to launch the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) with a revised
methodology for FY22.
 The previous survey in FY18 was discarded due to data quality issues.
 The CES data is used to calculate poverty and inflation levels, as well as to track economic progress in
rural and urban India.
Jayalalithaa Memorial inaugurated in Chennai
 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy inaugurated Jayalalithaa Memorial at Chennai on 27 Jan
2021.
 The 79 crores worth grand memorial is built on a nine-acre land situated on the shores of the Marina
Beach.
 The phoenix shaped memorial has a statue of Jayalalithaa and MGR with an artificial waterfall.
 The building was completed within a record period of 30 months.
UP CM transferred installments of PMAY
 UP CM Yogi Adityanath transferred Rs 2409 cr as 2nd and 3rd installments of PM Awas Yojana - Urban to
over 3.42 lakh beneficiaries of the state, on 27 Jan 21.
 He also visited the Chauri Chaura martyrium to oversee the preparations for the centenary celebration
of the historical event that took place in 1922.
 The state-wide celebration will begin from 4 Feb 21 and will go on for a year.
Next phase of Covid vaccination begins in UP
 The next phase of Covid vaccination started on 28 Jan 2021 in UP.
 The health workers will get the vaccine on 28-29 Jan 2021 and also in the next phase on 4-5 Feb 2021.
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 The state govt has fixed 2 days Thursday and Friday in the week for the vaccination.
 Till date state has conducted 2.74 crore covid tests and more than 15 crore people have been contacted
regarding the coronavirus infection.
Virtual Intelligence tool Tejas launched
 IT and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the virtual intelligence tool Tejas and
Work from Anywhere portal on 28 Jan 2021.
 Tejas is a virtual intelligence tool that extracts critical information from data to make meaningful
information for policy decisions and improving efficiency in government services and citizen delivery.
Home Ministry issues new COVID-19 guidelines
 The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new Guidelines for Surveillance, Containment and Caution of
COVID-19.
 The guidelines will be effective from 1st of February and will remain in force up to 28th of February
2021.
 As per the order, all activities have been permitted outside containment zones, except those which will
be subject to strict adherence of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Finance Ministry releases over Rs 12,000 crore
 The Dept of Expenditure of the Ministry of Finance has released an amount of over Rs 12,351 cr to 18
States for providing grants to the Rural Local Bodies.
 It has been released to states which have provided the Utilisation Certificate for the first installment.
 The states are required to transfer the grants to the Rural Local Bodies within 10 working days of receipt
from the Central govt.
Prime Minister addresses NCC rally in Delhi
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the rally of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at Cariappa Ground
in Delhi on 28 Jan 2021.
 He inspected the Guard of Honour, reviewed March Past by NCC contingents, and witnessed cultural
performance during the event.
 The NCC was formed under the National Cadet Corps Act of 1948 and is currently headed by Lt General
Tarun Kumar Aich.
PM Modi chaired meeting of PRAGATI
 PM Narendra Modi chaired the meeting of 35th edition of PRAGATI on 27 Jan 2021.
 PRAGATI is a multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving
central and state governments.
 In the meeting, ten agenda items were taken for review including nine projects and one program.
 These nine projects have a cumulative cost of 54,675 cr rupees concerning15 states.
MI & Sood join hands for 'Shiksha Har Haath'
 Mi India has announced a new initiative - #ShikshaHarHaath, in collaboration with the popular actor and
real life hero, Sonu Sood.
 This partnership is in continuation with the brands efforts of enabling the student community from
underprivileged sections to pursue their education without any roadblocks.
 Mi India has pledged to empower thousands of students by donating Redmi smartphones.
GNIDA to build 10,000 flats under PMAY
 The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has decided to build 10,000 affordable
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homes for the economically weaker sections and low-income groups under the Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojna (PMAY).
 These houses would measure between 245 sqft and 323 sqft and would be built in sectors 1, 2 and 3 of
Greater Noida.
 A survey to select beneficiaries would be conducted from Feb 1, 2021.
'Gender Park' to come up in Kerala
 The Kerala governments three-tower Gender Park in Kozhikode will become functional from 11 Feb
2021.
 The launch will coincide with the second edition of International Conference on Gender Equality on
February 11.
 CM Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Feb 11-13 IGCE-II and the Gender Park.
 He will also lay the foundation of the International Womens Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC).
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Committees and Recommendations

Govt nominates 28 non-official members on NSAC
 A National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) has been formed which includes Byju's founder Byju
Raveendran, among others, who have been nominated as non-official members.
 The 28-member council will suggest measures to foster a culture of innovation amongst citizens and
students in particular.
 The term of the non-official members of the startup advisory council shall be for a period of 2 years.
Telghani Board to be formed
 Telghani Board will be formed in Chhattisgarh to provide employment opportunities to the people of
rural areas.
 Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has announced Rs 20 lakhs for construction of social buildings in five
districts of Raipur division- Raipur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balodabazar.
 The people of rural areas will get employment opportunities with the help of this board.
IRDAI sets up panel
 Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a panel of experts to
examine the availability of health insurance products in the country.
 It will recommend suitable products and processes.
 It will also suggest the approach on coverage of specific disease or an area of practice (like cardiology).
 IRDAI Chairperson Subhash Chandra Khuntia will head the committee.
A high level committee consituted
 A high-level committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been constituted to
commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
 The committee will decide on the activities for a one-year-long commemoration, beginning 23rd January
2021.
 The members of the committee include family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and persons
associated with Azad Hind Fauj.
Odisha government forms a panel
 The govt of Odisha has constituted a high power committee to make necessary recommendations
regarding reservation for students of state-run high schools in engineering and medical courses.
 Dr. Justice AK Mishra, a retired judge of Odisha High Court will head the committee.
 He has earlier been the Director of Odisha Judicial Academy, Special Judge CBI, and Registrar General
Odisha High Court.
India sets up a high-level group
 The govt has set up a high-level group headed by former Union Power Secretary Ram Vinay Shahi.
 It would help in building a South Asia-focused energy security architecture.
 The high-level group is named the South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE).
 It has been set up under the Ministry of External Affairs-run think tank Research and Information System
for Developing Countries (RIS).
Centre decides to form a committee
 Centre has decided to form a committee to protect the language, culture, and land of Ladakh and
ensuring citizen's participation in the UT's development.
 The Committee will be headed by the Minister of State for Home G.Kishan Reddy.
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 It will also include elected representatives from Ladakh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council,
central government, and the Ladakh administration.
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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I

Awards and Honors

 He is also a recipient of Padma Shri award and Dr BC Roy National award.

Mergers and Acquisition

Happiest Minds acquires Pimcore

Snap acquires location data startup StreetCred

Amazon acquires podcast network Wondery

Days and Events

'National Girl Child Week': 21 to 26 Jan 2021

countries like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore and Malaysia.

MoU and Agreements

ensuring quality as per the requirement of Japanese buyers.

Indian Army signs MoU with SIDM

entrepreneurs in Gujarat and Telangana.

consultants and technologists for FCA ICT India.

AICTE joins hands with Cyberpeace

26,000 volunteers across India.

Nandita: Member of a Technical Committee

with effect from April 1, 2021.

Chief Science Officer of COVID Response, etc.

 He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Tripura and Sikkim.

especially women empowerment.

UAE, Bahrain major strategic partners of US

opening of schools, and mounting a national vaccine program.

well as an Academy Award for The Last Picture Show.

Govt. Policies and Schemes

scheme for students.

beneficiaries during Covid-19.

Science and Tech

 She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.

correct irregularities in steam pressure.

 The research was published in the journal ChemElectroChem.

Business and Economy

 The vaccine is currently being administered in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

ABFRL buys 51% stake in Sabyasachi

UP RERA slaps ₹2.5 cr penalty on 11 developers

called Step-up SIPs on @CoinByZerodha to fight the dilemma of under-investment.

 These will be executed over the next 5 months.

disciplines, such as Football, Hockey, Volleyball, and Kabaddi.

F1 postpones Australia, China Grands Prix

Aircraft Tejas for the Indian Air Force.

Books and Authors

heritage tours from 30 Jan 2021.

Committees and Recommendations

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