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1 www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers
Current Affairs – January 1, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

Here are Today’s News Headlines From The Hindu for
January 1, 2021 – The Hindu
India
AIIMS Rajkot: PM lays foundation stone

On December 31, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid
foundation stone of AIIMS Rajkot through a video
conference.
Colonel Narinder Kumar dies

Colonel Narinder “Bull” Kumar died in New Delhi at the age of 87. He played a major role in
securing the heights of Siachen Glacier in 1984. Also, he played a major role in Operation
Meghdoot.
Kerala Assembly resolution against Farm Laws

On December 31, 2020, the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of
the three farm laws. The resolution demands to scrapping of the three laws.
Economy and Corporate
Interest rate on NSC, PPF and other small savings schemes

unchanged
The Government of India has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged.
The interest rates for various schemes were fixed as follows
 Interest rates of Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Savings Certificate (NSC)
will continue to remain at 7.1% and 6.8%.
 Five Year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: 7.4%
 Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: 7.6%
 Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP): 6.9%
Eight core industries output contracts

The output of eight crore infrastructure dropped by 2.6% in November 2020. Fertilizer,
Barring coal and electricity recorded negative growth.
www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

Upgraded e-Ticketing website and mobile app

On December 31, 2020, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched an upgraded e-ticketing
website and mobile app to book online railway tickets. Under the new initiative, the train
search and selection has been simplified. This has been done by putting all the information on
one page to reduce the time used by passengers and enhance booking experience.
Agriculture Minister inaugurates Virtual agri-Hackathon, 2020

On December 31, 2020, the agriculture and farmers welfare minister Narendra Singh Tomar
inaugurated the Virtual Agri-Hackathon, 2020 in New Delhi. The hackathon will focus on
precision agriculture, farm mechanization, food technology, supply chain, green energy and
waste to wealth.
Labour Ministry to notify 8.5% interest on Employment Provident

Find for 2019-20
The Ministry of Labour will notify 8.5% rate of interest on Employees Provident Fund. It
accounts to over six crore subscribers.
FASTag rollout
The Hybrid lanes at Toll Plaza are to remain operation till February 15, 2021 to avoid
inconvenience to people.
Suneet Sharma appointed as new Railway Board Chairman and CEO

On December 31, 2020, the former Eastern Railway General Manager will be appointed as
the new Railway Board Chairman and CEO.
ADB to provide 231 million USD for 120 MW hydroelectric power

plant
The Asian Development Bank is to provide 231 million USD loan to increase the electricity
generation capacity in Assam through construction of 120 MW hydroelectric power plant.
Reliance Jio Makes domestic calls free

The Reliance Jio recently announced that the interconnect usage charge (IUC) the company
had levied a few months back will be revoked. This means that the voice calls from the
network are free for its users.

IDBI sells 23% stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company to

Ageas
The Private lender IDBI recently concluded that the sale of 23% in IDBI Federal Life
Insurance Compny to Ageas Insurance International NV for Rs 507 crores.
World
Indian Army Chief to hold talks with South Korean counterpart

The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane to hold extensive talks with his South
Korean counter part to boost bilateral military ties. He also visited the Demilitarised Zone. It
is a heavily fortified buffer zone that separates North and South Korea since the Korean war
in 1950s.
China completes Railway line in Tibet

On December 31, 2020, China completed the track laying work for railway line in linking
cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi in Tibet. The railway line is close to Indian border in Arunachal
Pradesh.
Sports
Michael Kondo: Former Hockey player died

On December 31, 2020, the former hockey player Michael Kondo died. He was a member of
Indian Hockey team that won gold in 1975 World Cup.
Light House Project

January 2, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation of the
Light House Project in six states.
Where are the Light House Projects being implemented?
The Light House Projects are to be implemented in Agartala (Tripura),

Ranchi (Jharkhand), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Indore (Madhya
Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) under the
Global Housing Technology Challenge-India.
Which Ministry is to implement the Light House Project?
The Light House Project is to be implemented by Union Urban Ministry.

What are the Key Features of Light House Project?
 Under the Light House Projects, people are provided sustainable housing considering
the local climate and ecology.
 Under the project, cheap and strong houses are built using special techniques.
 The Beam-columns and panels of the houses are to be prepared from factories and
brought to the place of construction.
 The entire carpet area of this project will be in 34.50 square meters.
 Under this, 14-storey towers will be built.
 A total of 1,040 flats are to be built. Each flat will be 415 square feet.
What are the benefits of Light House Project project?
The main advantage of the project is that the duration and cost of construction is
reduced. The houses built under the Light House project will be completely earthquake
resistant. They will be durable and environmentally friendly due to the use of pre-fabricated
materials.
What are the advanced technologies to be used in Light House Project?
 Under the project, the houses being built in Indore will not have brick and mortar
walls, but a pre-fabricated sandwich panel system will be used in it.
 Monolithic concrete is to be used in the houses to be built in Rajkot. This technology
of France will give momentum and the new one will be able to withstand more
disaster.
 Canada technology is being used in a house built in Lucknow, it will have walls
already made, there is no need to plaster and paint these walls.
 The technology of steel frames is to be used in Agartala. This technology has been
sourced from New Zealand.
 In Chennai, Finland’s and America’s precast concrete system will be used.
 In Ranchi, 3-D construction system of Germany is to be used to construct houses.
What is the cost of the Light House Project?
The cost of houses is Rs 12.59 lakh. Out of this, Rs 7.83 lakh will be provided by the Central
Government and State Government. The rest of the 4.76 lakh rupees will have to be paid by
the beneficiaries.
In 2017, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry asked the states and union territories
to select six locations for the light house project under GHTC-India. As per the standards, the
GoI announced to start the Light House Project in the 6 states and Union Territories that
received the highest marks.

LYNX U2 GFCS
January 2, 2021
The Ministry of Defence recently signed an agreement with the Bharat

Electronics Limited to supply ten LYNX U2 GFCS.
What is LYNX U2 GFCS?
It is a Naval Gun Fire Control System. It has been designed to track

and engage targets amidst sea clutter. It can accurately track air and
surface targets. Also, it can generate required target data to predict
weapon aiming points. The target engagement is done using Russian A190, AK176 and
AK630.
The Gunfire Fire Control System is designed with open and scalable architecture that permits
simple and flexible implementation in different configurations.
How long has LYNX U2 GFCS been in service in the Indian Defence Force?
It has been in service in Indian Navy for more than two decades now. It has been meeting
tactical requirements in the Indian Navy meeting the requirements of Indian Naval ships of
different classes such as frigates, destroyers, missile boats, corvettes.
Where will the LYNX U2 GFCS being acquired from BEL be deployed?
The ten LYNX U2 GFCS being acquired from BEL is to be installed on Naval Offshore
Patrolling Vessel Talwar and Teg class of ships.
What are the main features of LYNX U2 GFCS?
The system has servo and weapon control modules, tracking radars. It ensures maximum up-
time. The current LYNX U2 GFCS proposed in the contract is of the fourth generation and is
completely indigenized.
What is the aim of GoI in regard to the current LYNX U2 GFCS?
The LYNX U2 GFCS is to be acquired from BEL. This is developed in true spirit of Atma
Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). India has been trying to increase its domestic defence
production lately. The agreement will help India in increasing its domestic production.
What is cost of LYNX U2 GFCS?
All the ten Lynx U2 Gun Fire control System are to be purchased from Bharat Electronics
Limited at a cost of Rs 1,355 crores. It is to be purchased under Buy (Indian) Category.

Kisan Kalyan Mission of Uttar Pradesh

January 2, 2021
The Uttar Pradesh Government is to launch Kisan Kalyan mission.
What are the key features of Kisan Kalyan mission?
 The Kisan Kalyan mission aims to double the farmer income

covering all the Assembly constituencies of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
This is to be achieved through campaigns that create awareness among
farmers on how to reduce agricultural caused by using fertilizers in a
balanced manner.
 The mission will also encourage farmers to time their cultivation of crops according
to the demand of the market.
 The mission aims to create agricultural diversification.
 Under the mission several programmes such as exhibition of agriculture and associate
sector including products of MSME missions and livelihood missions are to be
launched.
 The mission will act as a unified platform for several state government departments
such as Mandi Parishad, animal husbandry, Horticulture, sugarcane food and supply,
fisheries and Panchayati Raj.
 The mission will provide contemporary information about saving the Rabi crop. It
will also provide solutions on preventing the next crops from damage.
 The mission will also distribute Kisan credit cards.
What is the role of Kisan Vigyan Kendras in Kisan Kalyan Mission?
The Kisan Kalyan mission is to deploy the experts of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. These experts
are to share their knowledge on advanced techniques of farming and how to increase income
of farmers. Krishi Vigyan Kendras are agricultural centres that focus on agricultural research
in practical and localised setting. These centres are linked to Indian Council of Agricultural
Research.
What are the activities undertaken by Kisan Kalyan mission?
 It will provide 100% coverage to bovine vaccination for foot and mouth disease.
 it will cover eradication of sheep and goat plague.
 Distribution of mini kits of oilseeds and pulses.
 Artificial insemination
 demonstration programs on micro irrigation
 demonstrations of integrated cropping practice
What is Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan?

The Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Agriculture and farmers
welfare. It aims to help farmers in improving their farming techniques. The objectives and
intention of Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan is same as that of Kisan Kalyan Mission.
What is the main difference between Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan and Kisan Kalyan
Mission?
This Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan is being implemented by the central government. On the other
hand, the Kisan Kalyan Mission is implemented by UP State Government. The Kisan Kalyan
Abhiyan has chosen 112 aspirational districts in the country. The aspirational districts with
more than thousand population have been selected. The factor of aspirational district in
absent in Kisan Kalyan Mission of UP Govt.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

January 2, 2021
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently announced that

more than 14 crores of free of cost cylinders have been provided under
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to the beneficiaries of the scheme
during covid-19 crisis.
What is the current scenario of prices of LPG in India?
The price of non-subsidised Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders of 14.2

kg is to remain at 694 rupees per cylinder. The commercial customers will have to pay an
additional amount of 17 rupees per cylinder. Also, the new rate of 19-kilogram LPG cylinder
in Delhi has increased to 1349 rupees as compared to the previous price of 1332 rupees. In
Kolkata the price has increased by 23 rupees and in Chennai the prices have increased by 17
rupees.
What is the reason behind the recent LPG price rise?
The Oil marketing companies revise the prices of gas cylinders on the first day of every
month. The price revise is based on the international market rates. The recent price rise is due
to changes in international price changes.
How are LPG prices fixed in India?
The LPG pricing in India is done on the basis of Import Parity Price. The Import Parity price
is determined based on LPG prices in the international market. It is based on LPG prices of
Aramco of Saudi Arabia. It also includes free on-board prices, custom duty, Ocean freight
charges, insurance, port dues, etc. The retail selling price of the non-subsidised LPG cylinder
include the cost of Inland right, GST, bottling charges, marketing costs and margins charged
by the Oil Companies, dealer Commission.

Therefore, a weak performing rupee will also lead to higher prices of LPG in India. The
current price rise in the recent past few months is due to this reason.
What is Import Parity Price?
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the Import Parity Price is the price
at the border of a goods being imported. It includes International transport cost and tariffs.
SII’s Covishield gets emergency-use nod from DGCI

January 2, 2021
The Subject Expert committee that is advising the Drug Controller

General of India (DCGI) recommended restricted Emergency Use
Authorisation for COVISHIELD. COVISHIELD vaccine was
developed by Serum Institute of India.
Who manufactures COVISHIELD?
The COVISHIELD the vaccine is developed by the University of

Oxford and the British Pharmaceutical major Astra Zeneca. In India, the vaccine is to be
made and marketed by Pune Serum Institute of India.
How does the COVISHIELD vaccine work?
The COVISHIELD vaccine uses harmless virus to transport genetic material in order to
trigger the immune response to the COVID-19 virus.
How does COVISHIELD vaccine differ from the others?
The COVAXIN of Bharat Biotech is a whole virus inactivated vaccine. The vaccine
developed by Pfizer takes messenger RNA approach. It Transforms the the human body cells
into vaccine making factories.
Who conducted the COVISHIELD the trials in India?
The COVISHIELD trials in India were conducted by the Serum Institute of India.
How were the trials of COVISHIELD conducted in India?
Around 1600 volunteers were injected with the vaccine during the COVISHIELD trials in
India.
What were the concerns raised from COVISHIELD trials?
One serious adverse event with neurological disorder was reported in Chennai after
COVISHIELD trials.

What is the dosage of COVISHIELD vaccine?
Two full doses of COVISHIELD vaccine are to be given in India.
How many covid-19 doses will India need to vaccinate its essential service workers?
India will need 30 million doses of covid-19 vaccine to vaccinate the essential service
workers including Healthcare professionals, police staff and Municipal staff.
What is the current scenario of covid-19 vaccines in India?
Around 6 vaccines are under various stages of clinical trials in India. Of these four are being
indigenously developed. The clinical trials of COVAXIN by the Bharat Biotech is under
phase 3. Bharat Biotech is conducting the largest trials of COVID-19 vaccine. It is testing the
vaccine on more than 26,000 volunteers.
The Vaccine of Zydus Cadila is under Phase II clinical trial. The Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is
conducting the Phase II and Phase III clinical trials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
RBI Digital Payments Index

January 2, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently released the Digital Payments

Index to measure the growth in cashless transactions in India.
What are the parameters of the Digital Payments Index?
The Digital Payments Index comprises of five broad parameters. These

parameters have different weight to measure the penetration of digital
payments in the country. The parameters of the Digital Payments
Index and its penetration are as follows:
 Payment Enablers: 25%

 Payment Infrastructure-Demand Side factors: 10%
 Payment Infrastructure-Supply Side factors: 15%
 Payment Performance: 45%
 Consumer Centricity: 5%
What are the sub parameters of Payment Enablers of Digital Payments Index?
The sub factors of the payment enablers of the Digital Payments Index comprises of internet,
mobile, bank account, merchants and participants.
What are the sub parameters of Payment Infrastructure of Digital Payments Index?

The sub parameters for the Payment Infrastructure of Digital Payments Index comprises of
credit card, prepaid payment instruments, debit card, point-of-sale terminals, quick response
codes, automated teller machines.
What are the sub parameters of Payment Performance of Digital Payments Index?
The Payment Performance carries the highest weightage in the Digital Payments Index. The
Sub parameters of Payment Performance of Digital Payments Index are paper clearing, cash
withdrawal rules, e volume and value of digital payments, unique users and currency in
circulation.
What are the sub parameters considered under Consumer Centricity of Digital
Payments Index?
The RBI would consider customer education and awareness, complaints, frauds, system
declines under the consumer centricity of the Digital Payments Index.
What is the base year of Digital Payments Index of RBI?
The Reserve Bank of India has set the base year of Digital Payments Index as 2018.
What was the Digital Payments Index for the year 2019 and 2020?
The Digital Payments Index for the year 2019 was 153.47 and for that of 2020 was 207.84
respectively.
When will the Digital Payments Index be released?
The Reserve Bank of India is to publish the Digital Payments Index on a semi-annual basis
from March 2021.
Why is the Digital Payments Index needed?
The digital payments in India have seen a rapid increase in adoption of digital platforms
lately. According to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in December 2020 around 223
crores of transactions worth 4.16 lakh crores of rupees were made as compared to that of 221
crores of transactions worth 3.9 lakh crores of rupees in November 2020. This clearly shows
that the digital transactions in the country are increasing day by day. Therefore, it is essential
to measure its growth and launch respective initiatives to support the growth.

Sea Wing Underwater Drones

January 2, 2021
China has recently deployed underwater drones called Sea Wing

Glider in the Indian Ocean region. The Sea Wing Glider Drone is used
for Naval surveillance. It can operate for months under the sea.
What is Sea Wing Glider Drone?
The Sea Wing Glider Drone is a type of an uncrewed underwater

vehicle. It was launched in December 2019.
What are the other places where China has deployed Sea Wing Glider Drone?
Apart from Indian ocean region China has also deployed the Sea Wing Glider Drone in the
Arctic Ocean. Also, these drones are deployed in South China Sea, East China Sea and other
waters of the Western Pacific.
What is China’s stand in use of Sea Wing Glider Drone?
According to the Chinese, Sea Wing Glider Drones have been deployed for research and
development purposes.
What are the intentions of Chinese with Sea Wing Glider Drones?
According to Defence ministry, around 14 Sea Wing Glider Drones have been deployed in
the Indian Ocean region. Our only 12 are being used. They have been employed for long
range missions.
With the help of Sea Wing Glider Drone the Chinese are gathering oceanography data in the
Indian Ocean region. It gathers information such as salinity, seawater temperature, turbidity,
oxygen content, chlorophyll and ocean current changes.
What are the concerns of GoI in regard to the Sea Wing Glider Drones?
The Sea Wing Glider Drones are capable of carrying acoustic sensors such as acoustic
Doppler current profile sensor, hydrophones and underwater acoustic communication
devices. According to the Government of India, the Chinese might use these drones to listen
to Indian Naval communication and might track Indian Naval ships in the Indian Ocean
region.
China has been increasing its presence in International waters in the name of research and
development. According to India, with this the Chinese are trying to disturb the sovereignty
of international waters. This is against the UNCLOS (United Nations convention for the Law
of the Sea).

Reliance Industries Fined

January 2, 2021
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently fined the
Reliance Industries Limited and its Managing Director Mukesh
Ambani. SEBI also fined two other entities. The fine was imposed for
carrying out manipulative trade in Reliance Petroleum Limited.
What was the fine imposed on Reliance by SEBI?
SEBI imposed Rs 25 crores on Reliance India Limited and Rs 15

crores on its Managing Director Mukesh Ambani. Besides Reliance, the Mumbai Special
Economic Zone (SEZ) and Navi Mumbai SEZ have been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 10
crores and Rs 20 crores respectively.
Why was the fine imposed on Reliance by SEBI?
The fine was imposed on Reliance India Limited because the company violated the
Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices (PFUTP).
In 2017, SEBI observed that Reliance along with 12 other unlisted trading houses carried out
unlawful transactions in the shares of Reliance Petroleum Limited. They first bought the
shares of Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL) in 2007. They then took short positions, that is,
bets that the share prices of RPL will fall.
Later RIL sold 4.1% its stake in RPL. This brought down the prices of the shares. Eventually
RIL won its bets making huge profits.
The bets were placed before starting to sell the shares of RPG in the share market.
Technically shares were first sold in future market and then in spot market.
What are the accusations of SEBI in simple words?
In simple words, bets were first placed and later actions were carried out accordingly to win
the bet. This is unjust according to PFUTP as the other shareholders are losing fraudulently
and at the benefit of RIL.
What is Manipulative Trading?
The actions of the RIL in the case of RPL is called Manipulative Trading. It refers to
artificially inflating or deflating the shares in the market. It also refers to influencing the
behaviour of the market for personal gain.

Argentina Abortion Laws

January 2, 2021
Argentina recently became the largest Latin American country to

legalize abortion.
What are the key features of new Argentina abortion law?
Under the new law Argentina has legalised abortion up to the 14th
week of pregnancy. In India, abortion is legal till 24th week of
pregnancy according to medical termination of pregnancy
(Amendment) act, 2020. Earlier it was 20 weeks.
Why is the new Abortion law of Argentina considered historic?
The new abortion laws of Argentina is considered historic because prior to the passing of the
bill abortions were permitted only in cases of rape or he’ll help. The activist of Argentina
have been campaigning for a new law to overturn this rule since 1921.
How will the new abortion law help the women of Argentina?
Prior to the new law the women and girls were forced to turn towards unsafe and illegal
procedures. The scope of access to safe medical procedures of abortion was even narrower to
the women from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to human rights watch, abortion was
the leading cause of maternal mortality in Argentina. Such was the ill effects of unsafe illegal
abortion in the country.
What are the impacts of Argentina Abortion laws?
The passage of this law will have huge impact in other Latin American countries. Currently
abortions are illegal in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Dominic Republic. In some countries such
as Cuba, Uruguay, Guyana, women can request for abortion only in specific cases. Some of
these countries even have imprisonment as punishment to illegal abortion.
Why did Abortion laws face obstacles in Argentina?
The Catholic Church and the Evangelical community in Argentina hold immense power and
influence in the country. These communities strongly opposed the concept of abortions and
steps taken to legalise abortions.

Punjab State Data Policy

January 2, 2021
The cabinet of Punjab recently approved the Punjab state data policy.
The policy aims to track progress and provide citizens access to
services. With this Punjab has now become the first state in India to
formulate a comprehensive data policy.
What is Punjab State data policy?
The Punjab state data policy will leverage data and technology to
optimize Service Delivery and citizen access. It will also increase the participation of citizens
through user friendly and secure e-governance systems.
What are the key features of Punjab state data policy?
 The policy will create a unified and interoperability data infrastructure for the state of
Punjab.
 It will recognise the potential utility and importance of data generated by government
organisations to, departments and institutions in the state.
 The policy will act as a guiding principle for all departments to collect, manage,
process and use data for effective, efficient, transparent and accessible Service
Delivery to the citizens of the state.
 It will facilitate easy access and sharing of government data. This will support the
sustainable and inclusive governance and effective planning.
 The policy will also help to collect data that will help in implementing and monitoring
the developmental programs, scientific research and managing and mitigating
disasters.
What are the other approvals made by the cabinet?
The Punjab Cabinet also approved to create new block Patiala (rural) and ensure all round
development in the villages falling under it. The new block will include 26- and 32-Gram
Panchayat of Patiala and Nabha block respectively.
Amendments to Punjab Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1966 were also

approved. The rules were remanded to maintain high ethical standards of honesty and
integrity by public servants and professor bit sexual harassment of working women. This has
been done in line with Central Civil Services (conduct) Rules, 1964 and All India Service
(conduct) rules.

Australia makes changes to its National Anthem

January 2, 2021
The Australian Government recently announced certain changes to its

National Anthem “Advance Australia Fair”.
What were the changes made to Australian National Anthem?
The second line of the National Anthem has been changed from ‘For we are
young and free’ to ‘For we are one and free.’
What was the issue with the National Anthem of Australia?
The Australian National Anthem, “Advance Australia Fair” was written in 1878. It became
official National Anthem of Australia only in 1984. According to the critics, the words “for
we are young and free” destroy the 50,000 years of history of Australia. The word young
imply that the Australian history started only with Colonisation. Accordingly, it is believed
that the national anthem celebrates British colonisation. This is unacceptable by the
indigenous communities of the island nation who till date celebrate Australia Day as Invasion
Day.
What is Australia Day?
The Australia Day is celebrated on January 26. It marks the date when the “First Fleet” sailed
into Sydney in 1788. This fleet carried troops from Britain.
When was the last change made to the Australian National Anthem?
1984.
Who composed Australian National Anthem?
The National Anthem of Australia was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick.
Who are the indigenous people of Australia?
The indigenous people make up to only 2.4% of the Australian population. The indigenous
population of Australia is made of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
What are the other issues with the National Anthem of Australia?
The National Anthem is also criticised for its fourth line of the anthem. That is, the fourth
line, “Our Home is girt by sea”. This line is criticised for using the word “Girt”. According to
the critics the word is archaic and impossible to understand.
What was the previous National Anthem of Australia?
Prior to “Advance Australia Fair”, “God Save the Queen” was the national anthem of
Australia. It was the national anthem in number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown

dependencies. The commonwealth realms were sovereign states that had Elizabeth II as its
Head of the state.
Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020

January 2, 2021
The Assam assembly recently passed the Assam Ease of

Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The bill makes
amendments to the Assam ease of doing business act, 2016.
The amendment will avail 0.25% additional borrowing from
the centre.
What are the key features of Assam Ease of Doing

Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020?
 The new bill will simplify procedures and bring

transparency and efficiency in the system.
 Under the new Amendment Bill, the government has committed to create an investor
friendly atmosphere in the state of Assam.
 The Government of Assam is to do away with all types of renewal certificate,
permissions and licences under be Assam is of doing business Amendment Bill . This
is being done because a large number of renewable applications are pending at
different levels in Assam. This causes unreasonable delay .
 A computerized Central random inspection system is to be implemented. Under the
system allocation of inspectors will be done centrally at random. The allocation is to
be done by the competent authorities. The amendment makes sure that same Inspector
is not assigned to the same unit in the subsequent year.
What is Assam Ease of Doing Business Act?
 The Act was enacted in 2016. The Act aimed to streamline the regulatory structures
and processes and simplify the procedures related to renew license, certificate,
permissions in setting up of Enterprises and industries in the state of Assam.
 Assam Bureau of Investment Promotion was established by the act. It oversees the
overall supervision and administration of speedy processing of applications.
How does Assam Ease of Doing Business Act facilitate doing business in the state?
After an application is received, the system will automatically forward it to the competent
authority. The system will then handover hard copies such as applications to the concerned
officer of the competent authority. The officer is responsible to get clearance within the
stipulated time frame. Also, the system will generate a report to the Bureau about the status of
applications received, pending, disposal and the reasons for pending on monthly basis.
Therefore, the act has created a monitoring mechanism and a tracking mechanism to facilitate
ease of doing business in the state.

National Defence Authorisation Act, 2021

January 4, 2021
The National Defence Authorisation act, 2021 was enacted by United

States to specify budget, expenditure and policies of United States
Department of Defence for the fiscal year 2021. The act determined
the annual budget of United States as 740.5 USD. The first National
Defence authorisation act, 2021 was passed in 1961. Since then, the
act has been passed every year.
Why is the act named after William M Thornberry?
The act has been named the William M thornberry National Defence authorisation act. It has
been named after William m Thornberry to honour him. He served as the chair of the house
armed services committee. The committee is responsible for funding and oversight of
department of Defence in the United States.
What is the recent issue in regard to National Defence authorisation act?
The outgoing US President Donald Trump recently vetoed the National Defence
Authorisation act, 2021 arguing that the act affected national security. He also disagreed with
its provisions of renaming military installations after confederate general. However, the
House of representatives voted to override the veto power of President Trump.
What are Veto powers of the US President?
The President of United States may choose to veto or reject the legislation on rare occasions.
However, the lawmakers can override the Veto and enact bills into law by proving two-thirds
of votes in both the Chambers of Congress.
Every Bill for resolution approved by the United States Congress is presented to the president
for his approval. Once the bill is presented, the president may sign the bill into law within 10
days or may reject the bill by returning to the Congress with reasons of objections. If the
president does not do anything with the bill, the bill automatically becomes a law after 10
days.
The term Veto does not appear in the Constitution of United States.

World Braille Day: January 4

January 4, 2021
Every year, the World Braille Day is celebrated on January 4 by

United Nations and several other international organizations. The day
is celebrated to create awareness of the importance of Braille as a
means of communication in the realization of human rights for the
blind.
Why is World Braille Day celebrated on January 4?
It is celebrated on January 4 because the day marks the birthday of Louis Braille, the creator
of this writing system. He was born in France in 1809.
When was the first World Braille Day celebrated?
2019.
What is Braille?
Braille is the representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots. The dots
represent the letters and numbers and mathematical, musical and scientific symbols as well.
Who invented Braille?
Braille was invented by Louis Braille in the 19th century in France.
Braille Language in India
India adopted the uniform Braille codes for different languages in 1951. India established the
first ever Braille plant called Central Braille Plant in Dehradun. In 1954, Central Braille press
was established to manufacture Braille appliances. The press produces simple equipment
such as Braille slate, stylus and arithmetic Braille slate.
What are the steps taken by GoI to support the people with disabilities?
The GoI enacted the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. The act provides special category
called ‘low vision’ along with blind. Also, the act meets the stipulations of the United
Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
India accepted several United Nations resolutions on disabled people. This includes
Observance of International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, observance of UN Decade for
the disabled 1983-92. India also observed Asia-Pacific Decade for the Disabled declared by
ESCAP. ESCAP is Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. It is a
regional think-tank that provides analytical opinions on social, economic and environmental
dynamics in the region.

RoDTEP Scheme
January 2, 2021
The Government of India recently announced that the benefits of

RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products)
scheme is to be extended to all goods.
What is RoDTEP Scheme?
The RoDTEP Scheme was launched in 2020 to boost exports of India

in International markets. Under the scheme, a mechanism will be
created for reimbursement of levies, taxes or duties at central, state and local levels. Prior to
the scheme, the reimbursements were not done under any mechanism.
Which scheme was replaced by RoDTEP Scheme?
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). It was introduced to offset infrastructural
inefficiencies and associated costs involved in exporting goods that are produced in India.
Why was Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) replaced with RoDTEP
Scheme?
The MEIS was not WTO-compliant.
How is RoDTEP Scheme WTO-compliant?
The RoDTEP Scheme will coordinate with the World Trade Organization to reduce the post
production transaction costs for the exporters. In order to achieve this, the RoDTEP Scheme
implementation measures must provide production-oriented processes. This is in accordance
to WTO rules. This will help to boost the production of MSMEs.
Also, under the scheme the indirect taxes are consumed in production process. This is also
consistent with WTO. In simple words, according to WTO principles, indirect taxes on
exports shall be reimbursed to boost the exports.
What are the benefits of RoDTEP Scheme?
Under the RoDTEP Scheme, the exporters of India will meet international standards for
exports. This will boost the value of Indian products in the international market. It is being
achieved through certification and affordable testing that will be provided under the scheme
rather than relying on international organizations.
By replacing MEIS, the RoDTEP Scheme created an automated route for the Input Tax
Credit. The Input Tax Credit is provided to set off the taxes paid on purchase of consumables,
raw materials that are used in the manufacturing goods and services. Therefore, it helps to
avoid double taxation.

National Metrology Conclave

January 4, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to deliver an inaugural

address at the National Metrology Conclave on January 4,
2021.
What is the theme of National Metrology Conclave 2021?
Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation.
Who is organising the National Metrology Conclave?
The National Metrology Conclave is organised by the Council

of scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL).
Where is the National Metrology Conclave held?
New Delhi
What is the significance of 2021 National Metrology Conclave?
It is held on the 75th foundation day of CSIR, January 4, 2021.
What are the key events of 2021 National Metrology conclave?
 The National Atomic Time Scale is to be dedicated to the nation.

 Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya is to be dedicated to the nation.
 Foundation stone of National Environmental Standards Labs to be laid.
What is National Atomic Timescale?
The National Atomic Timescale will create the Indian Standard Time with 2.8 nanoseconds
of accuracy. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is called the Timekeeper of India. The
time scale is maintained with the help of five cesium atomic clocks. Time scale is the time
standard.
What is Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya?
It is a laboratory to support, test and calibrate Quality Assurance. Currently the Government
of India is focusing to support nanotechnology, material science, Ayush, Food and
Agriculture and biologics through Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravyas.
What is the role of National Environmental Standards lab?
It will focus on self-Reliance in certification of ambient air and industrial emission

monitoring equipment. The Global market value of air pollution monitoring system is to
reach 7000 million USD by 2025. The Ministry of environment, forest and climate change
has designated the CSIR-NPL the for verifying and certifying the emission and ambient air

pollution monitoring equipment. Thus, CSIR-NPL is launching the dedicated National

Environmental Standards Laboratory.
What are the key objectives of National Metrology Conclave?
The conclave will strengthen the role of Precision measurement in various segments that has
direct implication in the economic growth of India. It will mainly focus on establishing and
developing primary standards, accreditation, quality systems and standardization, regulations
and Legal Metrology, conformity assessment.
FSSAI new Trans Fat levels

January 4, 2021
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India recently announced

that all edible refined oils, vegetable fat spreads, Vanaspati,
margarines, Bakery shortening and mixed fat spreads can contain only
3% or less trans fats. This is to be implemented by January 2021. By
January 2022, this is to be further reduced to 2%. This is being
introduced because the World Health Organisation has called for
global elimination of trans fat by 2023.
How are trans fats created?
The trans fats are created artificially during the hydrogenation process of vegetable oils. They
result in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
are the major source of Trans fats. Some trans fats are also formed during manufacturing
processes. For instance, trans fats are formed during high temperature refinement process
used in making vegetable oils.
What are the risks of Trans fats?
Consumption of Trans fats results in heart diseases. In 2017, the Global market volume of
partially hydrogenated oils (the main source of Trans Fats) was 13.6 million tonnes.
Eliminating trans fats can save more than 17 million lives in next 25 years.
Why is the regulation made by FSSAI important?
India has the highest burden of heart diseases due to high trans-fat in the world.
According to REPLACE annual report of World Health Organisation that was released in
September 2020, more than 40 countries have implemented the “Best practice policies to
eliminate trans fats”. The best practice policies limit trans fats to 2% or less. India has so far
not implemented the practice. Therefore, the recent regulation introduced by FSSAI is
important.
What is REPLACE?

It was launched by the World Health Organisation in 2018. REPLACE is six areas of actions
as follows
 REview dietary sources of industrially produced trans fats

 Promote the replacement of industrially produced trans fats with healthy oils and fats
 Legislate regulatory actions to eliminate trans fats
 Assess trans-fat content in food supply and changes in trans-fat consumption
 Create awareness about the ill effects of Trans fats
 Enforce complaint policies and regulations
Japan Solution for Space Debris

January 4, 2021
In order to solve the problem of space debris, Japanese researches are to

launch wooden satellites by 2023.
What are wooden satellites?
These satellites are made of wood. They will burn up without releasing
harmful substances into the atmosphere when they plunge back to the earth. With this the
satellite will not leave out any waste in space after it completes its service or when it
becomes de functional.
Who is designing wooden satellite?
The wooden satellites are being designed by the Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto
University. The Sumitomo Forestry is a 400-year-old wood working company of Japan.
Both the entities will research on tree growth and use of wood materials in space. They
will experiment different types of wood in extreme environments on the earth.
What is the issue of space debris?
All the satellites that re-enter the earth atmosphere burn and create tiny Alumina particles.
These particles float in upper atmosphere for many years. According to NASA, 95% of
man-made objects in orbit were space junk. These objects are dangerous to functioning
live satellite.
How are space debris created?
According to European space agency, there are 128 million pieces of debris in the orbit.
Out of these only 34000 objects are larger than 10. However, when these larger objects
collide, they produce smaller ones. The smaller particles can travel more than 20000
miles per hour that collide with other particles to make even more smaller particles.
Why are wooden satellites needed?

According to World Economic Forum there are more than 6000 satellite circling the
earth. Out of these 60% of them are de-functional. It is estimated that thousand satellites
will be launched every year this decade. With this there will be 15000 satellite by 2028.
Therefore, potential damages to live satellites will increase.
In 2006 a very tiny piece of space debris collided with the International Space Station and
took out a chip of the heavily reinforced window. This costed severe damages. Therefore,
it is essential to develop solutions like wooden satellites to completely remove space
debris.
Ice Age Woolly Rhino

January 4, 2021
A perfectly preserved woolly Rhinoceros was found by scientists in

Yakutia in Russia.
Where was the Ice Age Rhino found?
The Ice Age Rhino was discovered on the bank of Tirekhtyakh river.
What are findings about the Ice Age Rhinos?
Most of the intestine of the Rhino was intact. Also, the Rhino had perfectly preserved
hair, soft tissue and a lump of fat. Its horn was found near its uncovered site. According to
scientists, the animal died when it was three to four years old. The age of the carcass has
been dated as 20,000 to 50,000 old.
How was the Ice Age Woolly rhino found?
It was revealed due to the melting of permafrost in Russia. Several other animals such as
Mammoths, cave lion and foals have been found in the region due to permafrost melting.
How will Permafrost Melting affect Russia?
Around 65% of Russia is covered by permafrost. Currently Russia is warming 2.5 times
faster than the other regions of the world that is causing the permafrost in the region to
melt rapidly.
The Norlisk Oil Spill is the major industrial disaster that occurred in May 2020 due to
melting of permafrost.
What is Norilsk Oil Spill?
state emergency was declared in June 20-22 to the oil spill. This was the second largest
oil spill in Russian history. Around 20,000 tonnes of diesel were leaked into Ambarnaya
river. The oil spill turned the river into Crimson red.

What is Permafrost?
Permafrost is the ground that remains completely frozen for at least two years. Permafrost
is defined based on temperature and duration. The permafrost are Grounds that are known
to be below 22% of the land surface on the earth. They are mostly located in polar zones
and regions with high mountains. The permafrost is found in Russia, Canada and Alaska.
Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline

January 4, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to dedicate the Kochi-

Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline to India on January 5, 2021.
What are the Key Highlights of the Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas

Pipeline?
 The pipeline is 444 kilometres long.

 The pipeline is to carry natural gas from the Liquefied Natural
Gas regasification terminal at Kochi to Mangaluru. In its way it will pass through
Ernakulam, Palakkad, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kannur, Kozhikode and Kasaragod
districts. Around 8 districts are to benefit from the pipeline project.
 The main junction of the pipeline is at Koottanad. At the junction, the pipeline
bifurcates towards Bengaluru and Mangaluru.
 The pipeline is expected to fulfil the gas demand of 80 to 90 million cubic metres of
gas per annum.
What is the cost of Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline project?
The average cost of the project is Rs 5,750 crores.
When was the Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline project launched?
It was launched in 2009.
How much Tax Revenue will the Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline project bring
in?
The pipeline is expected to bring in tax revenue of thousand crores of Rupees.
Who built the Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline?
GAIL.
What is the transportation capacity of Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline?
12 million metric standard cubic metres per day.

What were the challenges faced during the construction of Kochi-Mangaluru Natural
Gas Pipeline?
The major construction challenge faced in laying Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipelineis
that it had to cross water bodies in more than 100 locations.
What technology was used to overcome the challenges in Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas
Pipeline?
Horizontal directional drilling method.
What is horizontal directional drilling method?
This method is used for long distances such as under the rivers, lagoons or highly urbanized
areas.
The horizontal directional drilling method involves three main stages. They are:
 drilling a pilot hole

 enlarging The Pilot hole
 full back installation of the carrier pipe
The main advantage of the method is the combination of speed and reliability with the
minimal environmental impact in installation.
Delhi Government to set up Tamil Academy

January 4, 2021
Delhi government recently announced that it is to set up a Tamil

Academy to protect the Tamil language and culture.
Who is the vice chairman of the Tamil Academy set up by Delhi

government?
The Ex-Councilor N Raja has been appointed as the vice chairman of

the newly set up Tamil Academy.
What are the functions of Tamil Academy?
 The newly created Tamil Academy will organise Tamil language classes, give new
awards and organise cultural events to promote and recognise literary works in Tamil.
 Delhi government is to provide language courses through the Tamil Academy.
What are the other Language Academies setup by Delhi government?

The Delhi government already runs Sanskrit, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Hindi, Maithili and
Bhojpuri Academies.
How important is Tamil language in India?
 Tamil was the first language to be classified as a classical language in India.

 It is the official language of Tamil Nadu and to other countries such as Singapore and
Sri Lanka and also the official language of Union Territory of Puducherry.
 The earliest period of Tamil literature called the Sangam literature dates back to 300
BC to 300 ad.
 The most prominent visual art forms of Tamil Nadu are Chola Bronze cultures,
Tanjore paintings. They have received worldwide recognitions.
Why is it important to set up the Tamil Academy in Delhi?
The number of people born outside Delhi was 3.7 million in 1991. This is more than half of
population of Delhi. Delhi holds large number of immigrants from South Indian states such
as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, East Indian states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Bengal.
Therefore, it is important to give equal importance to all the languages and cultures of people
from different parts of India.
Apart from Hindi, the other languages that have official language status in Delhi are Urdu,
Punjabi and English.
Why is Delhi so diverse in culture?
The people residing in the banks of Yamuna river were the original natives of Delhi. On the
other hand, the city has attracted a large number of immigrants as a historical capital and the
prominent City. When the Britishers shifted their capital from Kolkata to Delhi a large
number of Bengalis migrated to Delhi. Also, after the partition of India in 1947 and large
number of people, especially the Punjabis and sindhis migrated to Delhi.
Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act

January 4, 2021
The United States recently passed the Malala Yousafzai Act for
Pakistani Women.
What are the Key Features of the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship

Act?
 The Act requires the United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) to award at least 50% of scholarship to
Pakistani women between 2020 and 2022.

 It requires the USAID to leverage investments by Pakistani private sector in the

United States. This is being done to improve and expand access to education
programs in Pakistan.
 The act makes it mandatory for the USAID to brief the US Congress about the
number of scholarships provided under the programme. This includes percentage of
recipients who are involuntarily pushed out of the programme for their failure to meet
programme requirements as well.
What is the role of USAID in the scholarship programme?
The USAID has so far awarded more than 6000 scholarship to the young women of Pakistan
since 2010. These scholarships help the Pakistani women to receive Higher Education in
Pakistan. The Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act aims to expand this programme.
Who is Malala Yousafzai?
Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education. She is also the Youngest Nobel Prize
Laureate. She fought against the Taliban for women education. The Taliban had banned girls
from attending schools.
On October 2012, Yousafzai was shot by Pakistani Taliban Gunman in retaliation for her
activism. She was hit in the head with bullet and remind unconscious. She was later
transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in United Kingdom.
What is Malala Day?
On July 12, 2013, Malala spoke at the United Nations to call for worldwide access to
education. This was on her 16th birthday coincidentally. The United Nations had dubbed the
event as Malala Day.
What is USAID?
It is an interdependent agency of the United States that is responsible for administering

foreign aid. It is one of the largest aid agencies in the world with a budget of 27 billion USD.
IFSCA in IOSCO
January 4, 2021
The International Financial Services Centres Authority recently

became an associate member of the International Organization of
Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
What are the benefits of IOSCO membership?

 The IOSCO works closely with the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the G20
nations, to set up the standards that strengthen the securities markets.
 According to FSB, IOSCO membership is one of the key standards for sound
financial system. This will increase the reputation of the member in the global market.
 IOSCO membership will provide the International Financial Services Centres
Authority a platform to interchange information at global level and at regional levels.
What is IOSCO?
 The International Organization of Securities Organizations is an association of

national securities regulatory commissions spread all over the world.
 It includes, the Financial Service Authority (UK), Exchange commission & Securities
in (US) and 100 other similar bodies.
What are the key roles of IOSCO members?
 To cooperate in developing, implementing, promoting and obeying internationally

recognized and consistent standards of regulations and enforcement
 To protect the investors and to maintain fair and efficient markets. This will address
systematic risks
 To promote investor confidence in rightness of securities markets through
strengthened information exchange and enforcement against misconduct
 Interchange information at both global and regional levels
 To help in strengthening infrastructure of markets
What was the most important agreement signed by IOSCO and IFRS?
IFRS is International Financial Reporting Standards. The IFRS and IOSCO signed an
agreement in 2013 on a set of protocols to improve the consistency in the implementation of
IFRS. This agreement increased the reputation of IOSCO members further.
What are the new areas supported by the agreement signed between IOSCO and IFRS?
IOSCO on IFRS identifies four new areas for mutual supportive work:
 Use of IFRS’s jurisdictions- IOSCO and IFRS foundation will frequently share
information to maintain accurate data
 Security Regulators affected by IASB standards- IFRS foundation will note and
explain implementation aspects of IASB’s new amendment standards.
 IFRS enforcement matters- IOSCO will organize annual IFRS discussion sessions to
clarify the issues and other enforcement matter with IASB members.
 Timely input of IFRS foundation will help IOSCO members to make opinions.

India approved two COVID-19 vaccines for Emergency Use

January 4, 2021
The Drug Controller General of India recently announced that it has

authorised two COVID-19 vaccines for restricted Emergency Use in
India.
What are the two COVID-19 Vaccines approved by DGCI for

emergency use?
COVAXIN and COVISHIELD
What is COVAXIN?
The COVAXIN is the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech and ICMR (Indian
council of Medical Research). It was the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine to be developed
in the country.
What is COVISHIELD?
The COVISHIELD vaccine was developed by Oxford University and Astra Zeneca, the
pharmaceutical company.
What are the COVID-19 vaccines in India?
Apart from COVAXIN and COVSHIELD the following are the other COVID-19 vaccines in
India
 ZyCoV-D
 Sputnik V
 NVX-Cov 2373
 Biological E Limited Vaccine
 HGCO19
What is ZyCoV-D?
ZyCoV-D is a covid-19 vaccine that has been approved by the DCGI in India. The vaccine
was developed by Zydus Cadila.
What is Sputnik V?
Sputnik V is a Russian vaccine that is under phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials in India. It was
developed by the Gameleya institute of Russia. The clinical trials of the vaccine is being
conducted by Dr Reddys Laboratories in India. The Government of India has planned to
make 300 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine.
What is NVX-Cov 2373?

NVX-Cov 2373 is a covid-19 vaccine developed by serum Institute of India in collaboration

with an American company NovaVax. The Phase III trial of the vaccine is under
consideration .
What is Biological E Limited Vaccine?
The Biological E Limited is to start large scale stage trials of COVID-19 vaccine in India.
The company has started early and mid stage human trials of its vaccine in India. The vaccine
is being developed in collaboration with us-based dynavax Technologies and baylor college
of medicine in Houston.
What is HGC019?
It is a mRNA vaccine candidate developed by Pune based Gennova biopharmaceuticals. The

vaccine is supported by Ind-CEPI mission. Gennova is to start the Phase 1 clinical trial of the
vaccine in January 2021.
ISRO decade plan

January 5, 2021
The Indian Space Research Organization recently released the plan for
the decade. The plan included reusable satellite launch vehicle, heavy
lift rocket and semi-cryogenic engine.
What are the key highlights of the ISRO Decade plan?
ISRO is to complete its moon mission Chandrayaan-3, the solar

mission Aditya-L1 and first Indian Data Relay Satellite in the decade
2021-2030. Also, the space agency will complete the first developmental flight of the Small
Satellite Launch Vehicle.
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre will help to boost the Semi-Cryogenic Propulsion
capability. With this, the Indian rockets will be able to carry 5.5 tonnes to the Geostationary
Transfer Orbit.
What is Aditya Mission?
The Aditya-L1 mission is the first Indian scientific expedition to the sun. the Aditya space
probe will be placed at a point in space called the L1 Lagrange point and hence the name
Aditya-L1 mission. The mission will study the photosphere, chromosphere, corona of the sun.
It will also study solar winds, solar emissions and solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections.
What is Chandrayaan-3?
It is the planned third lunar mission of the ISRO. It is very much similar to Chandrayaan-2.
Under Chandrayaan-2 mission, the lander failed to land on the lunar surface as it crashed

towards the ground. The Chandrayaan-3 is thus a mission repeat. The Chandrayaan-3 is to
include only Rover and lander. It will not have an orbiter.
What is Indian Data Relay Satellite?
India is to launch India Data Relay Satellite System series to track the space assets and enable
communication between space-to-space assets. The IDRS is important to track the Indian
satellites and stay in touch with then. ISRO has planned to launch three of the satellites in the
series. Each satellite will cover a third of the earth.
ADB signs 100 million USD loan to boost power supply in Bengaluru
January 5, 2021
The Asian Development Bank recently signed an agreement of 100

million USD modernize and upgrade the power distribution in
Bengaluru city.
Key Highlights
The 100 million USD loan is to be used to enhance the quality and
reliability of electricity supply in Bengaluru city under the Bengaluru
Smart Energy Efficient Power Distribution Project. Also, the loan will be used to install
2,800 km of fiber optical cables. These fiber optical cables are to be laid in parallel to the
underground distribution cables. This parallel laying of the electrical and communication
lines will help to reduce technical and commercial losses by 30%.
The fiber optical cables are to be used for smart metering systems and distribution automation
system in the distribution grid. Also, the project will install 1,700 automated ring main units
to control the distribution line switch gears.
Bengaluru Smart Energy Efficient Power Distribution Project
 The Project aims to convert the overhead distribution lines into underground cables.
 It will also install optical fiber cables in parallel to the underground cables.
 Install automated ring units in six divisions of Bengaluru city
 Increase the institutional operational capacity of BESCOM (Bangalore electricity
Supply Company)
ADB Loan Approvals
 On December 1, 2020, the ADB signed 132.8 million USD loan to strengthen
Meghalaya Power Distribution sector.
 On December 8, 2020, the Asian Development Bank approved two loans. A 500
million USD loan to construct new metro lines in Bengaluru and 300 million USD to
strengthen primary health care in urban areas.

 On December 18, 2020, the Asian Development Bank signed 300 million USD loan
to upgrade rural power distribution to provide reliable electricity supply to the rural
areas of Uttar Pradesh.
 In January 2021, India and ADB signed 231 million USD of loan to increase power
generation in Assam.
The Asian Development Bank is mainly assisting India in transport and power projects of
India helping towards modernization of the country.
Bird Deaths in Pong Dam Sanctuary

January 4, 2021
More than 1700 migratory birds died in Pong Dam of Himachal Pradesh
under mysterious circumstances.
How did the birds die?
The scientist believe that the birds would have died of viral or bacterial
infections. Also, they believe that it might be a flu as the birds are dying in large numbers.
What steps have been taken to find out the cause of death?
The forest officials have collected more than15 samples from different locations. These
samples have been sent to Indian veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh Bareilly, high
security animal disease laboratory is situated in Bhopal and to the northern regional disease
Diagnostic laboratory in Jalandhar to determine the cause of death.
Which birds died in pong dam?
Around 95% of birds that were found dead in the Pong Dam Sanctuary were the Bar Headed
Geese that migrate from Siberia and Mongolia.
About Pong Dam Sanctuary
Around 1.15 to 1.2 lakh birds migrate to Pong Dam Bird Sanctuary during winters every
year. They nest up to four months in the sanctuary.
The Pong Dam is also called the Beas dam. It is an artificial embankment Dam constructed
across the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh. The Reservoir created by the dam is called
Maharana Pratap Sagar and is a renowned Bird Sanctuary. The dam was constructed for
hydroelectric power generation and irrigation.
The Maharana Pratap Sagar is located in the wetland zone of Shivalik Hills.
Is Maharana Pratap Sagar Reservoir one of the International wetland sites of Ramsar
convention?

Yes.
What are the other recent mass wildlife deaths in India?
 Recently bird flu virus was detected in around 50 crows in Madhya Pradesh. They
were infected with H5N8 virus.
 Also, bird flu virus was detected in crows of Rajasthan. Around 47 crows have died in
Kota, 72 in Baran and hundred in Jhalawar till now.
Sagarmala Seaplane Services Project

January 4, 2021
The Government of India is to initiate the project of Sagarmala

Seaplane Services on selected routes.
Which ministry is implementing the Sagarmala Seaplane services?
Ministry of sports, shipping and waterways.
What is the main objective of Sagarmala Seaplane services?
The project aims to provide air connectivity to numerous tourist, religious, remote and
unexplored locations near water bodies. This is to make the journey easier and simulate
tourism on these new locations. Ultimately the project will contribute to boost the GDP of the
country in the long run.
Under which Central Government scheme will the seaplane services operate?
Udan. Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik scheme.
What are the proposed locations for sagarmala seaplane services?
The locations included under the Sagarmala Seaplane Services are as follows:
 Andaman and Nicobar Islands

 Lakshadweep Islands
 Guwhati riverfront
 Yamuna riverfront
 Umrangso reservoir
 Mumbai as a hub
 Dwarka
 Kandla
 Khindsi dam
 Erai Dam
What is the seaplane service that is already in operation in India?

The sea plane service between kevadiya and Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad is already in
Operation. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2019.It is
operated by SpiceJet subsidiaries Spice shuttle. Currently this is the only seaplane service that
is operational in the country.
Why are the Seaplane Services needed?
 The seaplane services are to act as a game changer in providing faster and
comfortable transportation all over India.
 It will provide air connectivity to various tourist and religious places. Therefore, it
will bring in huge tourism revenue.
 The seaplane services will save travel time.
 It will stimulate localised short distance travelling in hilly regions and across rivers
and lakes.
 Increasing connectivity across India will improve tourism and make India as an
attractive destination for tourists.
India’s Rice Exports to Vietnam

January 5, 2021
Vietnam recently started to buy food grains, especially rice, from India
due to its attractive prices. Vietnam has started to import rice from
India in spite of the fact that the country (Vietnam) is the third biggest
exporter of rice in the world.
Why did Vietnam begin to import rice from India?
 Vietnam has begun to import rice from India because the local
prices in the country jumped to the highest in nine years due to Limited domestic
supplies. This is mainly because Vietnam has begun to stockpile huge quantity of rice
for future.
 Also, the Indian prices of rice are highly attractive. The huge price differences is
forcing Vietnam Government to import rice from India.
At what price will India export rice to Vietnam?
The Indian traders are to export 70,000 tonnes of rice at around 310 USD per ton to Vietnam.
India is to export broken rice to Vietnam during January and February, 2021.
How is stockpiling of rice in Vietnam inducing rice imports from India?
 The Global pandemic has prompted Vietnam and other countries to stockpile rice.
This is because the shrinking supplies of food grains are increasing concerns about
food insecurity.

 Vietnam is planning to stockpile 270,000 USD of rice to ensure food availability

amidst covid-19 supply chain disruptions worldwide. Thus, it is facing shortage and is
relying on imports.
Why did the international market value of Indian Rice increase?
India is offering broken rice at 381 USD to 387 USD per ton. On the other hand, Vietnam is
offering broken rice at 500 USD to 505 USD per ton. This attractive price of Indian rice has
increased its demand from Asian and African countries. It is expected that the other Asian
countries like Thailand are to shift towards India for rice imports.
What is the current scenario of paddy cultivation and exports in Vietnam?
The total output of Vietnam in 2020 fell by 1.85 % compared to 2019. Also, the rice exports
of Vietnam in 2020 have fallen by 3.5% as compared to 2019.
NHRC recommendations on Manual Scavenging

January 5, 2021
The National Human Rights Commission recently made recommendations

to achieve Zero Manual Scavenging in the country.
Why were the recommendations made?
According to the National Human Rights Commission, several States make

tall claims that they have achieved zero manual scavenging and Nil sanitary latrines.
However, based on regional workshops held by the National Human Rights Commission the
claims are far from the truth. Therefore the commission has recommended certain regulations
to be followed while reporting by the concerned authorities.
What are the recommendations?
 The rehabilitation process of manual scavengers should be linked to schemes. By this

the manual scavengers can immediately start earning. The authorities should revisit to
see how their families or doing after rehabilitation.
 The compensation amount being paid as one-time cash assistance for the
rehabilitation of manual scavengers should be enhanced to Rs 1 lakh. Currently, the
one-time cash assistance of rehabilitation paid to manual scavengers is 40,000 rupees.
 The role of middlemen in making provisions such as direct benefit transfer for
collaboration with Non-Governmental organisations should be removed.
 Strict actions should be taken against local authorities for employing manual
scavengers. A toll free number and mobile application for registration of complaint
should be launched.
 The National Crime Record Bureau should monitor the sewer deaths and include their
death in its report.

 The Ministry of Finance should designate a particular nationalized bank for each state
to extend loans to the manual scavengers up to 10 lakhs of rupees.
 The National Safai Karmachari Finance and Development Corporation should provide
financial assistance to manual scavengers. This will help them startup working in the
domain of sanitation.
 The Government of India should plan adequately to facilitate investments in shifting
towards Technology based sanitary cleaning. Also, the workers should be trained to
operate the technology.
 A Vigilance committee and a monetary mechanism should be established.
 A police investigation officer with special training has to be deployed.
40th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

January 5, 2021
The Government of India recently launched the 40th Indian

Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.
Which ministry launched the Indian scientific expedition to

Antarctica?
Ministry of Earth science.
Which vessel has been deployed for the 40th Indian scientific expedition to
Antarctica?
Ice class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovin.
What are the main objectives of the 40th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica?
The expectation will e take a team of 40 members to Antarctica and return by April 2021.
XL Indian Antarctica expedition has been Limited due to existing challenges of covid-19.
It will mainly focus on ongoing scientific projects on ocean observations, climate change,
electric and magnetic flux measurements, geology, Re supplying of food, environmental
monitoring, fuel, and accomplish the return of the winter crew.
When did the Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica begin?
1981.
What is the name of the Indian Research base stations in Antarctica?
Dakshin Gangotri, Bharti, Maitri.
What is the role of Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica?

It was the first permanent settlement of India built in 1983. It was excavated in 1989 and
is being used as supply base and transit camp .
What is the role of Maitri?
It was the second permanent settlement of India in Antarctica. The station is located close
to Lake Priyadarshini. It accomplished the mission of geomorphological mapping of
Schirmacher Oasis.
What is the role of Bharti ?
It was established in 2015. It will collect evidence of Continental break up to reveal the
120-million-year-old Ancient History of Indian subcontinent.
Who manages the Indian research base stations in Antarctica?
National Centre for polar and ocean research located in Goa.
Is India a signatory to Antarctic treaty?
Yes. The Indian Antarctic program was launched in 1981 after India signed the Antarctic
treaty .
What is Antarctic treaty?
The Treaty was signed in 1961. Currently there are 54 signatories to the Treaty. It is an
arms control Treaty signed during cold war.
TRIFOOD Parks in MP
January 5, 2021
The TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development

Federation of India) operating under Ministry of Tribal Affairs
signed a memorandum of understanding with Akhil Bhartiya
vanvasi Kalyan Ashram to setup TRIFOOD parks in Madhya
Pradesh.
What are the key highlights of the Memorandum of

understanding?
According to the MoU, TRIFED and Akhil Bhartiya vanvasi Kalyan Ashram will
together implement Van Dhan Yojana. This is to be achieved through mobilization of self
help groups, TRIFOOD parks, Van Dhan Vikas Kendra. They will together provide
machinery and equipment, identify self help groups, organised training and building
infrastructure. They will also focus on other activities such as Horticulture, fisheries,

floriculture, animal husbandry and craft. They will mainly work to to improve the
livelihood of tribals.
What is TRIFOOD?
The TRIFOOD is a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of food

processing industry and TRIFED. It was launched under Van Dhan Yojana in August
2020. The TRIFOOD Parks are food processing centres. They will aim to promote value
addition to the minor forest produce.
What are the main functions of TRIFOOD?
The TRIFOOD Parks will procure raw materials from Van Dhan Kendras. They will then
be processed and sold across the country through the tribes India outlets.
Who decides the minimum support price for minor forest produce?
Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It is revised once in three years by the pricing cell constituted
under the ministry.
Who decides the minimum support price of food crops?
The minimum support price of food crops other than the minor forest produce is set by
Commission for agricultural costs and prices operating under Department of Agriculture
and cooperation.
The minimum support price are set twice a year for 24 commodities.
Do the minimum support prices have legal backing?
There are no laws in India that protect or support the minimum support prices.
Statement on Climate of India during 2020

January 5, 2021
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recently released its

Statement on Climate of India during 2020. According to IMD, 2020
was the eight warmest year on record since 1901.
What are the Key Highlights of the Statement on Climate of India,

2020?
 Around twelve out of fifteen warmest years since 1901 were

between 2006 and 2020.
 The rainfall as a whole during South West Monsoon was above normal. It was 109%
of the Long Period Average (calculated between 1961 and 2010).

 The past decade, 2019-20 was the warmest decade on record.

 Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the hardest hit states due to adverse weather. More than
350 deaths were reported in these two states sue to thunderstorms. Cold wave events
and lightning.
 Thunderstorm and Lightning caused 815 deaths in 2020.
 The average Land Surface Air Temperature over India in 2020 was 0.29 Degrees
Celsius above normal.
 The mean temperature during winters was also above normal. It was recorded as
0.140 degrees Celsius greater than the normal.
 The Monsoon and post monsoon seasons recorded mean temperature anomalies of
+0.430 degrees Celsius and +0.53 degrees Celsius respectively.
 According to the World Meteorological Organization, the Global mean surface
temperature anomaly was recorded as +1.2 degrees Celsius.
What were the Cyclones formed during 2020?
There were five cyclones formed in the North Indian Ocean in 2020. They were Super
Cyclonic Storm AMPHAN, Cyclonic Storm BUREVI, Severe Cyclonic Storm NISARGA
and Very Severe Cyclonic Storm NIVAR and GATI. Of these cyclones, Nisarga and Gati
formed over Arabian Sea and the remaining formed in Bay of Bengal.
Under which Ministry does IMD operate?
Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Where are regional offices of IMD located?
Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Nagpur and Guwahati.
Which regions are under the monitoring of IMD?
Northern Indian Ocean including Malacca Straits, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf.
It mainly monitors formation of cyclones and issues warnings to these regions.
Assam Rifles Public School launched as Khelo India Sports School

January 5, 2021
The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju
recently launched the Assam Rifles Public School as a Khelo India
Sports School.
Where is Assam Rifles Public School located?
Shillong.
Is Assam Rifles Public School a Khelo India Sports School?

Yes.
What are Khelo India Sports School?
 The main objective of Khelo India Sports school is to integrate sports with education.
 The Government of India will bear the expenses of the students in Khelo India Sports
School. It includes expenses of education, boarding, lodging, competition exposure.
 The Khelo India Sports school will help in identification and upliftment of talent from
the North Eastern regions, tribal areas and rural areas.
Is Assam Rifles Public School the first Khelo India Sports School in the North East?
Yes.
How many Khelo India Sports Schools are there in India?
Currently, there are nine Khelo India Sports Schools in India. Out of these five are managed
by Paramilitary and Defence forces.
Why was Assam Rifles Public School designated as the Khelo India Sports School?
The Assam Rifles Public School had a good track record in sports and academics, sufficient
space to develop sports facilities, adequate lodging and boarding. Also, it has good
inclination to develop Olympic sports under the inter-ministerial partnership between the
Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. For these reasons, the
Assam Rifles was designated as the Khelo India Sports School of India.
What is Khelo India?
The Khelo India was launched in 2018. It aims to improve sports culture in the country. The
Khelo India was launched by consolidating the Rajiv Gndhi Khel Abhiyan, National Sports
Talent Search System and Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme. The programme promotes
“sports for all” and also “sports for excellence”.
Supreme Court approves Central Vista Project

January 5, 2021
On January 5, 2020, the Supreme Court allowed the Central Vista Project to
go ahead.
What is the Central Vista Project?
The Central Vista project aims to renovate 86 acres of land in the Lutyen’s
Garden in New Delhi. It includes Landmark structures of Indian government such as
Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, India Gate and North and South Block.

What is the background of recent Supreme Court judgement on Central Vista project?
In April 2020, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the centre’s decision to
renovate the 86 acres of Lutyens Garden. According to the petitioner, the decision violated
the Right to Life of citizens guaranteed under article 21. This is because the plan deprived
people of open and green spaces. Also, the petition argued that the plan violated the Master
plan of Delhi 2021.
What were the actions of Supreme Court in response to the petition against the central
Vista project?
The Supreme Court heard the challenge on the basis of three main Grounds. They were
violations of Municipal Law, change of land use and violations of environmental law.
Why is a new Parliament required?
The current Parliament was built in 1927. It was not intended to house a bicameral
legislature. Rather it was built to house Legislative Council. Also, the current Parliament
House signifies an Imperial origin. It is not in accordance with the aspirations of independent
Indian citizens.
The current parliamentary Complex was built by the British. There are International
examples of Building New parliamentary structures immediately after independence. For
instance, USA constructed its capitol building within 25 years of its independence. The
existing building does not abide by safety norms and is not earthquake proof. The 2001
parliamentary attack is the best example questioning the safety of the current parliamentary
building.
Floating Solar Energy Project

January 5, 2021
The Government of India is to construct the largest floating

solar energy project in the world. The project is to be
constructed at Omkareshwar Dam on Narmada river. The
project will begin its power generation by 2022 to 2023.
What is the energy capacity of the project?
600 megawatts of solar energy.
What is the estimated cost of the project?
Three thousand crores of Rupees
Which international organisations are to provide financial assistance to the project?

International Finance Corporation and World bank.
Which Indian organisation is to provide financial assistance to the project?
Power Grid.
What are the key features of the project?
 The project is to have floating solar panels of 600 megawatts of power generation
capacity.
 The solar panels are to be installed over the backwaters of the Omkareshwar Dam.
 The project is to be completed in two years.
 The electricity is to be generated in about two thousand hectares of water area by
installing solar panels in the dam.
 The solar panels will automatically adjust upward and downward based on the water
level of the Dam. The floods and strong waves will not have any effect on the solar
panels. The solar panels are to float on the surface of water.
What is floating solar power plant?
The floating solar power plant refers to solar panels installed on structures that float on
surface of the water.
What are the two types of floating Solar Power Plant?
 Floating photovoltaic Solar Power plant that uses photovoltaic panels installed on
floating platform
 Floating concentrated solar power System. It uses mirrors to redirect the solar power
to a tower.
What are the advantages of floating Solar Power Plant?
 No land Occupancy
 They help to reduce water evaporation. Therefore, is highly water saving.
 Solar power plants have a natural cooling system generated by the water layer beneath
the panels

Where is Jack Ma? Reasons of Disappearance

January 5, 2021
The Chinese billionaire, Alibaba founder, Jack ma has not been seen in
public since October 2020. At the same time the billionaire had hit out
against the ruling communist Regime in China.
What is the issue?
The speculation around the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma recently

peaked after he failed to appear in the final episode of his own Talent
Show Africa’s business heroes. The show aimed to provide a space to the African
entrepreneurs in competing for 1.5 million USD price. Jack ma was replaced by an Alibaba
executive in the finals of the show.
What are the recent Chinese government actions against Jack ma and his Enterprises?
 In December 2020, the market Watchdog of China began investigating alleged anti
competition practices of Alibaba. Rectification plan for Jack Ma’s fintech venture and
group has been laid out.
 The people’s Bank of China (the apex bank of the country) has summoned Alibaba
and group for regulatory Talks. The bank has also announced a sweeping plan for the
fintech firm to rectify its regulatory violations.
 China had suspended the Ant Group 37 billion USD Initial Public Offer (IPO). The
IPO was halted just before 48 hours of its listing on Hong kong and Shanghai stock
exchanges.
What are Alibaba’s investments in India?
The investment of Alibaba in India includes Paytm, food delivery startup Zomato, online
retailer Snapdeal, online grocer big basket, Logistic firm Xpressbees.
Who is Jack Ma?
Jack Ma is an English school teacher turned entrepreneur. As of July 2020, his net worth was
of 48.2 billion USD and is the second wealthiest person in China. In 1994, Jack ma started his
first company Hangzhou Haibo translation agency. In 1995, he started a website call China
Yellow Pages with the help of his friends. In 1999 he launched Alibaba. In 2012 the online
transaction volume of Alibaba exceeded 1 trillion Yuan. He founded a business school in
2016. He stepped down from the board of Alibaba in September 2019.

WHO: UK Variant of COVID-19 in 41 countries

January 6, 2021
The World Health Organisation recently announced that the United Kingdom covid-19
variant has been detected in more than 41 countries. The VOC-
202012/01 the was first detected in South Africa. This variant is 70%
more transmissible than the other covid-19 mutants.
Has VOC-202012/01 reached India?
Yes. Around 38 people have been found infected with the mutant. It
has been detected in 10 samples at the National Institute of Mental
Health and neurosciences, 11 samples at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-
Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), three samples at the Centre for
Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and in 5 samples at the National Institute of
Virology, Pune.
Which Indian institute has successfully isolated and cultured the UK covid-19 variant?
National Institute of virology, Pune has successfully isolated VOC-202012/01. It is to test the
virus on COVID-19 vaccines that are developed and also on vaccines that are currently under
trials in India.
What is India doing to fight against the UK covid-19 variant?
 As soon as the UK variant covid-19 began to spread to different parts of the world,
India temporally suspended all the flights coming from UK.
 India also made it mandatory to test all the UK return air passengers through RT-
PCR.
 Standard Operating Protocol was issued to the states and union territories to tackle the
mutant variant.
 India launched INSACOG. The identified new covid-19 variant is sent to INSACOG
(Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Consortium) labs.
What is INSACOG?
 INSACOG was launched in the backdrop of the emergence of UK variant. INSACOG

aims to accelerate virus surveillance, characterisation and genome sequencing.
 It is a consortium of ten labs namely DBT-NIBMG, DBT-ILS, ICMR-NIV, DBT-
NCCS, CSIR-CCMB, DBT-CDFD, DBT-InSTEM, NIMHANS, CSIR-IGIB and
NCDC. These labs are now called INSACOG labs.
 INSACOG will have inter-ministerial steering committee. The committee will provide
guidance and oversight to the Consortium.
 In future, INSACOG will help in developing vaccines, diagnostics and potential
therapeutics.
 A road map for INSACOG has been prepared by the Department of Biotechnology,
CSIR and ICMR.

What is National Atomic Time Scale?

January 6, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the National

Atomic Scale at the National Meteorology Conclave.
What is Atomic Time?
Atomic Time provides the exact speed at which the clock ticks. In
technical words, it measures the actual length of a second. Atomic
Clocks deviate only one second in up to 100 million years.
The International System of Units (SI unit) define one second (in atomic time) as the time
taken by the Cesium-133 atom in the ground state to oscillate 9,192,631,770 times. In simple
words, the atomic clocks count one second after the Cesium-133 atom has oscillated
9,192,631,770 times.
What is the significance of National Atomic Time?
With the newly inaugurated National Atomic Time, India has become self-reliant in
measuring time within the range of nanosecond. It has now achieved the accuracy level of 2.8
Nanosecond matching the International Standard Time.
Why is Atomic Time so important?
Reaching an accuracy of 2.8 Nanoseconds in atomic time is of great help to ISRO. Atomic
time pay huge role in cutting edge technology. Also, accurate atomic time measurement is
essential in the field of weather forecast, disaster management, telecom, Defence, Railways
and Banking.
What is International Atomic Time?
It is calculated by taking weighted average of more than 300 atomic clocks. These clocks are
located at more than sixty timing laboratories around the world. It is also called Astronomical
time that refers to the Earth rotation. It is computed by the International Bureau of Weights
and Measures (BIPM) located in Paris, France.
What is Universal Time?
The Universal Time is the time standard based on the rotation of the earth. This is was in use
for several decades. However, this is not accurate as the earth’s rotation is not constant and is
affected by the celestial bodies around it. The Greenwich Meridian Time is a Universal Time.

Draft Arctic Policy of India

January 5, 2021
The Government of India recently released the Draft Arctic Policy.
What is the main objective of the Policy?
The policy ensures that the Arctic resources are explored and used
sustainable. Under its policy, India will make sure the it abides by
rules and regulations of Arctic Council. India became the observer of
Arctic Council in 2013 and its membership as an observer was
renewed in 2018 for another five years.
What are the five main pillars of Arctic Policy?
The main five pillars of Arctic Policy are as follows:
 Science and Research

 Economic and Human Development
 Transportation and Connectivity
 National Capacity building
 Governance and International Cooperation
Who is to implement the Arctic Policy?
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research that operates under the Ministry of Earth
Sciences will serve as the nodal agency in implementing the Arctic Policy.
How does Arctic Policy connect India and Arctic region?
The policy envisages to connect the Arctic residents, especially the indigenous communities
with those living in the Himalayan regions. The policy aims to create opportunities where the
Indian enterprises can be involved to become part of the international commerce businesses
and promote traditional indigenous knowledge.
India and Arctic Research
 India signed the Svalbard Treaty in Paris. The treaty allowed free access to the Arctic
region along with the commitment of not militarizing it.
 India launched its first scientific expedition to Arctic in 2007.
 In 2008, India established a research base called Himadri at Ny Alesund, Svalbard,
Norway.
 In 2014, India deployed IndArc. It is a multisensory observatory in Kongsfjorden.
 In 2016, India set up Gruvebadet Atmponsheric Laboratry at Ny Alesund, Svalbard.
How will Arctic Policy help India achieve its SDGs?
The Arctic Policy has been synchronised and adapted to the Goal 11 of Sustainable
Development Goals. The Goal 11 of SDG is “Sustainable cities and Communities”.

Alphabet Workers Union

January 5, 2021
More than two hundred engineers and workers have formed the Alphabet Workers Union
capping years of growing activism in the company.
What is the main objective of Alphabet Workers Union?
The Alphabet Workers Union will strengthen the growing labour

movement at Alphabet and serve as a vehicle for workers to voice their
concerns.
Is Alphabet a subsidiary of Google?
No. Alphabet was formed through restructuring Google. Alphabet has now become the parent
company of Google and Waymo (a self-driving car company).
What is the stand of National Labour Relation Board on Alphabet?
According to the National Labour Relation Board of the US, Alphabet is conducting unlawful
monitoring and questioning of workers. The employees are fired for unionization attempts
which is unlawful according to the board.
Why did Alphabet employees form the Union?
The Alphabet Employees have been protesting against several actions of the company. Some
of the major issues where the employees protested in large scale against the company are as
follows:
Sexual exploitation case
In 2018, Google faced severe condemnation of employees in the sexual exploitation case of
women. At that time, more than 20 thousand employees of the company left the work and
took to the streets.
Artificial Intelligence controversy
Google employees opposed the Maven project to be held in 2018 with the US Ministry of
Defense. In this project, the government wanted to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology
for the army. Then more than 3100 employees wrote to the company that Google should not
enter the war business.
Transparency issues
There are controversies that Google is secretly working on a search engine for China. When
the company openly named it Dragon Fly and brought out that the controversies were true,
the employees got angry. They were angered that they were working on search engine
projects of China. The employees then asked the company to bring transparency in their
work. Dragon Fly was designed to be compatible with China’s State Censorship provisions.

UJALA and SLNP schemes complete six years

January 6, 2021
The UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) and SLNP
(Street Lighting National Programme) completed six years of
successful implementation. The two programmes revamped household
and public lighting system across the country.
What are the achievements of UJALA in six years?
 Under UJALA, the EESL distributed 6.69 crores of LED bulbs.

It has installed more than 1.14 crores of LED street lights. This has helped to save
more than 55.33-billion-kilowatt hour of energy per year.
 The scheme helped to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions by 38.59 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide per year.
 The scheme distributed 72 lakhs of LED tube lights and 23 lakhs of energy efficient
fans at affordable prices.
What are the achievements of SLNP in 6 years?
 The EESL installed more than 1.1 crores of LED street lights under SLNP. This
helped to save 7.67-billion-kilowatt hour of energy per year.
 The scheme helped to reduce the greenhouse gas emission by 5.29 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide per year.
 With the help of the scheme the municipalities were able to save 5,210 crores of
Rupees in their electricity bills.
What are the awards received by the schemes?
 SAPIA, 2017 (South Asia Procurement Innovation Award) for innovative use of IT in
SLNP
 CIO 100 in 2019
 Global Solid State Lighting Award for excellence in transformational contribution to
LED sector
 CII National Award for Excellence in Energy Management, 2020
What are the overall achievement of the schemes?
 The schemes have helped in the growth of domestic LED markets.

 They have helped to bring down the average household electricity bills by 15%.
 The schemes have helped families to access better brightness in their homes and
thereby improved their quality of life.
Way Forward
The SLNP has plans to bring investment of Rs 8,000 crores by 2024 to cover entire rural
India. More than 30 million LED street lights are to be installed by EESL in coming years.

World Bank’s 105 million USD loan to improve Waterways in West

Bengal
January 6, 2021
The World bank, Government of India and Government of West

Bengal recently signed a 105 million US the agreement. The fund has
been allocated to the West Bengal inland water transport, logistics and
special development project.
What are the key features of the agreement?
 According to the agreement the one hundred and five million

USD fund is to be used to improve the inland water transport infrastructure in
Kolkata, West Bengal.
 With the help of the allocated fund the West Bengal inland water transport, logistics
and special development project will facilitate freight and passenger Movement in the
Hooghly river.
 The project will also undertake a spatial planning to improve accessibility in the
Kolkata Metropolitan Area.
 The project will enhance the quality of life of the residents through inexpensive
waterways and increased connectivity.
 It will contribute to the growth of the logistics sector of West Bengal.
What is West Bengal inland water transport, logistics and special development project?
 During the first phase the project will enhance the the capacity of Inland water
transport system. This includes rehabilitating existing jetties, installing electronic
Gates and buying new ferries.
 During the second phase the project, it will support long term investments for
passenger movements. Also, it will improve the design of Inland water transport
vessels and ensure night navigation on the most trafficked and hazardous routes. It
will encourage the private sector to invest in Ro-Ro vessels to facilitate easier
movement of trucks across the Hooghly river.
What are the benefits of the project?
The Hooghly river is a distributary of river Ganga. It separates the Kolkata port, from its
large consumption centres, that is, the vast hinterland comprising of the two landlocked
neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan and the entire North East. Therefore, it is
essential to increase the water way transport on Hooghly river. More than 80% of passenger
and freight traffic currently cross the river.
Why is the project needed?
Currently the Kolkata city has restricted the movement of trucks to the port through the
bridges and for limited hours. This reduces the access to the port and increases cost of
logistics. The ferries of West Bengal provide efficient, flexible mode of transport to both
freight and the passengers. They also save operating costs and travel time as compared to the

road Journeys. However, the ferry system currently caters to only 2% of passenger traffic and
very small portion of freight movement. The project will increase the number of ferries
operating and will also increase the waterway connectivity.
DRDO Biodigester Mk II technology in metro rail

January 6, 2021
The Defence Research and Development Organisation recently signed

a memorandum of understanding with the Maha Metro. Maha Metro is
Maharashtra metro rail Corporation. It is a joint venture company of
the Government of India and Government of Maharashtra.
What are the key features of the agreement?
The agreement will render technical support to implement the

advanced biodigester Mk II technology to treat human waste in Metro Rail Network.
What is the current status of bio digester in Indian Railways?
The Indian Railways has already installed more than 2.4 Lakh biodigester in its passenger
coaches.
How will Bio digester help to control Dal Lake pollution?
DRDO recently demonstrated a customised version of bio digester to treat human waste
generated from the houseboats in the Dal lake. Around hundred units of biodigester are to be
procured for civil Habitat around the lake to minimise water pollution. This project is being
monitored by a committee of experts constituted by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir.
Why was the Biodigester technology developed?
The biodigester technology was basically developed by DRDO for the Indian armed forces in
high altitude Himalayan regions.
What is biodigester technology?
The biodigester technology degrades and converts human waste into usable water and gases.
The generated gas is used for cooking and water for irrigation purposes. This is done in an
eco-friendly manner.
What is the working of bio digester technology?
The biodigester technology involves bacteria that feed upon fecal matter. The fecal matter is
dumped into a tank along with the bio digesting bacteria. The bacteria through anaerobic
process will degrade the fecal matter. During the process water and methane gas are released.

What is an anaerobic process?
It is the process that occurs in the absence of free or combined oxygen.
Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog announces Online Exam

January 6, 2021
The Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog recently announced that it is to

conduct a National-level “Gau-Vigyan” (Cow Science) online exam.
This is being done to generate interest among the students and public
about the indigenous cow and its benefits.
About the Exam
 The exam is to be held on February 25, 2021.

 All students of primary, secondary and college level can participate in te exam
without any fee.
 The exam is to be held every year starting from 2021.
 The exam is first of its kind in the country.
 All the participants of the exam are to be provided with certificates and the exam
results will be declared immediately after the exam.
 The Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog has prepared a study material on cow science to
help the exam aspirants.
What is the significance of the exam?
The exam will infuse curiosity to all Indians about cows and make them aware of the
business opportunities and unexplored potential a cow can offer after it stops giving milk.
What is Rastriya Kamadhenu Aayog?
The Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog was constituted to organize animal husbandry in lines of
modern and scientific approaches. It will take steps to improve cow breeds, prohibit cow
slaughtering. It functions as an integral part of Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
What are the functions of Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog?
 It will review existing policies, laws and suggest optimum economic utilization of
cow wealth.
 It will guide and advise state and central governments on policy matters concerned to
protection, conservation, development and welfare of cows.
 It will promote schemes that encourage use of organic manures. Also, it will promote
schemes that provide incentives for use of cow urine, cow dung in organic manure.
 It will provide solutions to problems related to abandoned cows.
What is Rashtriya Gokul Mission?

The mission aims to conserve and develop indigenous bovine breeds. It was launched in 2014
under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
GoI sets up control room to control spread of Bird Flu

January 6, 2021
The Department of Animal Husbandry has set up a control

room after confirmation of Bird Flu in Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh.
What are the functions of the control room?
The control room will watch the situation and take stock on
daily basis of the preventive and control measures
undertaken by the respective State Governments. The
control room will also abide by the National Action Plan of Avian Influenza.
What is National Action Plan of Avian Influenza?
The National Action Plan on Avian Influenza comprises of the following divisions:
 Advises to the States and Union Territories on preparedness against Avian Influenza
outbreaks.
 The second part of the action plan indicates the actions to be taken if an outbreak of
the Avian Influenza is suspected.
 The third part describes the actions during the outbreak of the disease.
 The fourth part identifies the persons who will handle Avian Influenza infected
poultry. The person will advise on biosafety and biosecurity measures.
What are the different types of Avian Influenza virus?
The Influenza virus is grouped into Type A, B and C. Type A Influenza Virus is known to
infect animals only and is zoonotic. This means Type A can infect humans as well. The
subtypes of Avian Influenza are H5N1, H7N9 and H9N2. The subtypes are classified based
on surface proteins called Newuraminidase and Hemagglutinin.
What is GISRS?
It is Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System launched in 1952 by the World
Health Organization. It monitors seasonal trends and potentially pandemic Influenza in the
world. It is the backbone to the Global Alert System for Influenza.
What is Global Influenza Strategy?
It was launched by World Health Organization for 2019-2030. It aims to prevent seasonal
influenza and control the spread of the virus from animals to humans.

Bharat Griha Raksha Policy: The Home Insurance Policy

January 6, 2021
The IRDAI is to introduce standard products covering the risk of fire and allied perils. The
policy being introduced is to replace the Standard Fire and Special
Perils Policy. It has three main components namely the Bharat Griha
Raksha, Bharat Laghu Udyam Suraksha and Bharat Sookshma Udyam
Suraksha.
What is Bharat Griha Raksha?
Under the Bharat Griha Raksha policy, the IRDAI (Insurance

Regulatory Development Authority of India) will introduce a standard home insurance policy
that will cover risk of fire and other related dangers.
What are the key features of Bharat Griha Raksha Policy?
 The policy will cover a wide range of dangers such as Natural catastrophs like
cyclone, storm, tsunami, Hurricane, floods, earthquake, landslide, fires, bushfires,
impact damages of any kind, strike, riot, acts of terrorism, malicious damage of,
overflowing of water tanks, pipe leakage from automatic sprinkler installations,
bursting of water tanks and test within 7 days from the occurrence.
 The policy will also offer “General Home Content Insurance” apart from insurance
coverage for home building.
 The policy will offer 20% of sum insured for the building subject to a maximum of 10
lacs of rupees.
 There are two optional covers offered by the policy. They are insurance for valuable
content such as jewellery and insurance for personal accident of insured and spouse
due to and insured danger under the policy.
 The policy provides complete waiver of Under insurance. If the sum of the insured
general home content is less than that declared, the policy will still pay the entire
amount. For instance, assume that, the policyholder has insured home content for
50,000 rupees. On the other hand, the actual value of the home content is 1 lakh
rupees. This means that the insured value is less than the actual value. In such cases
the policy will pay the entire sum insured and not in proportion in spite of the fact that
the insured value is less.
What is Bharat Sookshma Udyam Suraksha?
It is the standard product for enterprises for which the total risk value of up to Rs 5 crores. It
will provide coverage to machinery, buildings, plant, stocks and other assets.
What is Bharat Laghu Udyam Suraksha?
It will cover enterprises for which the total value of risk across the insurable asset classes in
the location exceeds Rs 5 crores.

Bird Flu outbreak in India

January 6, 2021
The Bird Flu in India has been reported in wild Geese in Himachal Pradesh, ducks in Kerala,
crows in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Also, in Haryana more than one
lakh poultry birds have died mysteriously in the last few days. The Kerala
Government recently declared Avian Influenza as State Disaster. In Kerala
more than 1,700 ducks have died due to flu.
How severe is the Bird Flu in India?
 Kerala Government has started culling of ducks and chicken.

 The Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Government have stepped up surveillance and formed
guidelines.
 In Madhya Pradesh more than 155 crows died of H5N8 strain.
 Migrant birds died in Pong Dam Lake Sanctuary due to H5N8 infections.
 In Rajasthan, birds in Kota and Baran were found dead with the infection.
What is Avian Influenza or Bird Flu?
It is a contagious viral disease caused by Influenza Type A virus. It usually affects poultry
birds such as Turkeys and Chickens. There are several types of Influenza Type A virus. Some
of the virus may cause low egg production and others result in early cracking of egg shells.
When did the Bird Flu start infecting humans?
The humans were first known to have contracted with bird flu in 1997. The H5N1 strain was
the first Influenza virus to infect humans. It occurred following an outbreak in a live bird
market in Hong Kong.
According to the World Health Organization, the H5N1 does not spread from person to
person. Also, according to WHO, there are no evidences that the virus can spread through
properly cooked poultry. The virus is highly sensitive to heat and dies in cooking
temperature.
Why is the Bird Flu outbreak creating havoc in the country?
The H5N1 is deadly. Around six out of ten bird flu cases have led to deaths in humans. The
virus if mutated becomes easily transferable from person to person by altering its shape to
grab human cells. This might result in a pandemic. Thus, the bird flu is currently creating a
havoc in the country. The pandemic and seasonal flu have jumped from birds to humans
through mutation.

Delhi School Bag Policy

January 6, 2021
The Delhi Government recently issued guidelines to reduce the weight of school bags of
students in the National Capital Region under its Delhi School Bag Policy.
What are the Key Features of the Delhi School Bag Policy?
 According to the new Delhi School Bag Policy, the weight of the school bag of
students between Class 1 and Class 10 should not be more than 10% of their body
weight.
 The policy suggests that the schools should follow and use textbooks prescribed by
NCERT, SCERT and CBSE only.
 The schools should also formulate thoughtful time table so that the students need not
carry too many books on a single day.
 The policy envisages to promote holistic development of students through
participation in games, art and culture, sports and other creative activities.
 The students should be practiced with the habit of reading library books.
 Only single notebook should be carried by class 1 and class 2 students. For students of
other classes one notebook per subject should be prescribed.
 No homework should be issued to students of class 1 and class two students.
What is the class-wise weight limits prescribed for school bags?
The Delhi government has also issued class wise weight limit for school bags in order to
avoid confusion in implementation of the policies.
Accordingly, the pre-primary classes should not carry bags and should not be issued with the
homeworks.
 The class 1 and class 2 students with average body weight of 16 to 22 kg have been
recommended with bag weight of 1.6 kg 2.2 kg.
 The class three, class 4 and class 5 students with average body weight of 17 to 25 kg
have been recommended with bag weight of 1.7 kg to 2.5 KG .
 The Class 6 and class 7 students with average body weight of 20 to 30 kg have been
recommended with bag weight of 2 to 3 kg.
 The class 8 students with an average body weight of 25 to 40 kg have been
recommended with the bag weight of 2.5 kg to 4 kg.
 The class 9 and class 10 students with average body weight of 25 to 45 kilograms
have been recommended with the bag weight of 2.5 kg to 4.5 kg.

 The class 11 and class 12 students with average bag weight of 35 to 50 kg have been
recommended with bag weight of 3.5 kg to 5 kg.
Global Economic Prospects Report

January 6, 2021
The World Bank recently released the Global Economic Prospects report.
What are the key findings of the Global Economic Prospects report?
 According to the report the Indian economy is to contract by 9.6% in 2020-21. The
Indian economy is to recover 5.4 percent in 2021-22. The contraction in Indian
economy will be mainly due to sharp decline in household spending and private
investment. The informal sector that accounts to four fifth of employment in the
country has been badly affected.
 On the other hand, the world economy is to expand by 4% in 2021.
 The services and manufacturing sector are gaining Momentum.
According to World Bank India is facing its first technical recessionary phase.
What is Technical recessionary phase?
When the GDP growth is negative for two consecutive quarters or more than the period it is
called technical recessionary phase. In India, the Gross Domestic Product declined by 23.9
percent between April and June quarter. The Gross Domestic Product growth rate contracted
by 7.5 % during the July and September quarter. This clearly shows that the GDP growth of
India has been negative for two consecutive quarters. Thus, India is in a technical
recessionary phase.
What is the state of unemployment in India?
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy more than 50 lakh salaried persons
lost their jobs during the covid-19 pandemic.
What are the predictions made by other Global rating agencies?
Several Global rating Agencies have made their predictions for Indian economy. In
September 2020 the switch agency sharply lowered its growth forecast of India. It said that

the gross domestic product of the country for the financial year 2020-21 is expected to
contract by 10.5%. Earlier it had predicted a contraction of 5%. The Asian Development
Bank predicted that India’s growth will contract by 9% in 2020-21.
Advisory for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

January 7, 2021
The National Board of Wildlife recently approved advisory for Human-Wildlife Conflict
Management.
About the Advisory
 The advisory empowers the Gram Panchayats to deal with problematic wild animals
according to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
 It encourages to use the crop compensation allocated under Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana against crop damage due to human-wildlife conflict.
 The Inter-Departmental Committees at state and local level should adopt early
warning systems and dedicate circle wise control rooms. They should operate toll free
numbers that could be operated 24/7.
Caracal
Apart from providing the advisory the National Board of Wildlife has also included Caracal
into list of critically endangered species. Caracal is a medium sized wild cat found in
Currently there are twenty-two wild life species under the programme for Critically
Endangered species.
What is the Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species?
It is one of the three components of centrally funded scheme Integrated Development of

Wildlife Habitats. The programme was started in 2009. The Critically Endangered species
included under the Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species are as follows:
 Snow Leopard
 Bustard (includes Floricans)
 Solphins
 Hangul
 Nilgiri Tahr

 Marine Turltes
 Edible Nest Swiftlet
 Dugongs
 Asian Wild Buffalo
 Manipur Brow-antlered Deer
 Nicobar Megapode
 Vultures
 Malabar Civet
 Asiatic Lions
 Indian Rhinoceros
 Swamp Deer
 Jerdon’s Courser
 Norther River Terrapin
 Clouded Leopard
 Arabian Sea Humpback Whale
 Red Panda
What is Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat?
It was launched during the eleventh five-year plan. The Integrated Development of Wildlife
Habitat is an ongoing Centrally sponsored scheme. The three main components of the
programme are as follows:
 Support to Protected Areas

 Recovery Programme to save Critically Endangered Species
 Protection of wildlife outside protected areas
Payment Infrastructure Development Funds

January 7, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently announced operational guidelines to Payment

Infrastructure Development Funds. The main aim of the funds is to deploy more digital
payment infrastructure across tier-3 to tier-6 centres and in the north eastern states.
What are the guidelines issued by RBI?

 The Central Bank has constituted an advisory council under the chairmanship of B P
Kanungo. The advisory council will basically govern the funds. On the other hand, the
funds will be administered and managed by RBI.
 The fund is to be operational for two years, 2021 and 2022.
 The fund has a corpus of 345 crores of rupees. Of this, 250 crores will be contributed
by RBI and 95 crores of rupees by card networks operating in India.
What is the main function of the advisory council?
The advisory council will plan a transparent mechanism to acquire banks, non-banks in
different locations. This will help to increase the banking infrastructure of the country.
Who are the primary targets of the scheme?
Merchants providing essential services such as hospitality, transport, health care facilities,
public distribution systems.
Why is Payment Infrastructure Development Fund needed?
The payment ecosystem in the country has evolved with wide range of options such as
mobile phones, bank accounts, cards, etc. It is essential to provide further fillip to the
digitization of payment system to provide impetus to accept infrastructure in the country
accordingly. The enhanced ability of Point-of-Sale infrastructure will reduce the cash demand
over time. By 2021, there will be more than five million active Point-of-sale by 2021.
What is Acceptance Development Fund?
The Acceptance Development Fund was proposed by the RBI in 2019 to develop card
acceptance infrastructure such as swipe machines in Tier III and Tier VI cities. The fund will
ensure growth of card acceptance infrastructure such as swipe machines in the country
especially in Tier III and Tier VI cities.

India-Japan Partnership in Specified Skilled Worker

January 6, 2021
The Union Cabinet recently approved the Memorandum of Understanding between India and
Japan on “Specified Skilled Worker”.
What are the Key Features of the MoU?
 Under the agreement, India will send skilled labours to Japan.

 The MoU will set an institutional framework for cooperation between India and Japan
for accepting skilled workers. The only condition is that the workers should have
qualified in the required skill test and in Japanese language test.
 According to the MoU, the qualified Indian workers can work in fourteen specified
sectors in Japan. The Indian workers are to be provided new status of residence of
“Specified Skilled Worker” according to the agreement.
 A joint Working Group is to be set up to implement the Memorandum of
Understanding.
 The MoU will also enhance people to people contacts. Also, it will foster mobility of
workers and skilled professionals from India to Japan.
What are the 14 sectors included in the MoU?
The fourteen sectors are Industrial machinery, building cleaning, nursing care, material
processing industry, electric and electronic information related industry, industrial machinery
manufacturing industry, shipbuilding and ship-related industry, aviation, automobile
maintenance, lodging, aviation, fisheries, agriculture, food and beverages manufacturing
industries, food service industry, construction.
What is India-Japan Nuclear Deal?
The Nuclear deal between India and Japan was signed in 2016. The deal raised concerns as
India was a non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty member. The deal was very much needed for
India as it was key to India’s deals with French and US nuclear firms that had stakes in Japan
or were owned by Japanese firms.
What are the key India-Japan projects?

 In 2015, India agreed to introduce the Shinkansen system, the high-speed bullet train
of Japan.
 India and Japan had formed Act East Forum that aims to expand the collaboration
between India in North East and Japan.
AI based Survey of African Elephants

January 6, 2021
An International Team of researchers led by University of Oxford have developed a new

approach to survey African Elephants using satellite images and Artificial Intelligence.
What is the new approach?
 The method uses satellite orbiting in space that is capable of capturing more than five
thousand square kilometres of images. The captured images is then processed through
deep learning model that will detect elephants eliminated other objects.
 The International team used a customised dataset to cover more than thousand
elephants in South Africa.
 The method eliminates the risk of double counting. Also, it makes it possible to
conduct repeat surveys in short intervals.
 The method is capable of identifying calves separately.
What are the current methods used to count elephants?
Manual counting and Manned Aircrafts for aerial counts are current methods. Of this, the
manned aircrafts for aerial counts is highly expensive. Also, such methods are hindered by
poor visibility and are highly challenging. The other manual counting methods might lead to
erroneous counting. This might result in misallocation of scarce conservation resources and
misunderstanding of population trends.
Elephants in India
The population of elephants in India is 27,312. The Indian Elephants are one of the three
subspecies of Asian elephants.
Conservation of Elephants

In 1986, the Asian elephants were listed as “Endangered” in IUCN Red List. They have been
listed under CITES Appendix I. India launched Project Elephant in 1992 to provide financial
and technical support of wildlife management efforts. The project aims to increase the life of
the elephants in their natural habitats by protecting their habitats and migration corridors.
Elephant Corridors in India
There are 138 elephant corridors in India. Of these 28 are interstate and seventeen are
international state corridors. The Elephant corridors are narrow strips of land that connects
two large habitats of elephants. They are crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents.
India’s first double stack long-haul container train

January 7, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off the first double stack long-haul
container train from New Ateli in Haryana to New Kishanganj in Rajasthan.
What are the Key Features of the Double Stack Long-Haul Container Train?
 The train is to be operated in the 360-km long Rewari-Madar Section of the Western
Dedicated Freight Corridor.
 The train is 1.5 kilo metres long.
 It is hauled by Electric traction.
What is the speed limit of freight trains in India?
Currently, the freight trains are operated at maximum speed of 75 kilometres per hour. The
speed is to be increased to 100 km/hr. The average speed of the freight trains are to be
increased from 26 km/hr to 70 km/hr.
What is Mission Sheeghra?
The Indian Railways operated Mission Sheeghra in Uttar Pradesh. It was launched by the
Lucknow Division of Indian Railways. Under the mission, the trains attained a maximum
permissible speed of 100 km/hr.
Why are speed limits important in trains?
High speeds are not a problem if trains are travelling in a straight line. However, the bends
and ups and downs might derail the trains when appropriate speeds are not maintained at

these points. In India, the speed limits to the trains are universal, that is, applicable to all
trains in the country.
What are Dedicated Freight Corridors?
The Dedicated Freight Corridors are high speed high capacity railway corridors that are
exclusively meant for transportation of freight. The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is
from Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai to Dadri on Uttar Pradesh. The eastern Freight
Corridor connects Dakuni in West Bengal and Ludhiana in Punjab. The South-West
Dedicated Freight Corridor connects Chennai and Goa.
How are Dedicated Freight Corridors beneficial?
They reduce Logistics cost. They are more environment friendly. They help in faster
movement of goods. They are huge boost for the real estate sector.
RBI forms Academic Advisory Council for Supervisory College

January 7, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently formed an advisory council under former deputy
governor N S Vishwanathan to advise the director of the central bank on supervisory
colleges.
What is the role of the council?
 The council will identify areas where upskilling and building are required in
supervisory colleges.
 Also, the council will plan and develop curricula of all programmes and benchmark
the programmes with international standards and best practices.
 The council will develop appropriate teaching methods. The council will also
benchmark the programmes with the international standards and improve the teaching
methods.
What is RBI Supervisory College?
The Reserve Bank of India Supervisory Colleges were introduced to reinforce supervisory
skills among its regulatory bodies. This was done to facilitate unified and focused training
inputs to the supervision staffs.

Why did RBI establish Supervisory Colleges?
The Reserve Bank of India established supervisory colleges to monitor Indian banks abroad.
To which banks were the Supervisory College established?
The Supervisory colleges were established for six banks namely State Bank of India, ICICI
Bank, Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank, Bank of India and Punjab National Bank. These banks
have significant international presence.
What are the main objectives of Supervisory Colleges?
The main objectives of Supervisory colleges are to improve understanding of risk profile of
the banking group, to enhance information exchange and cooperation among supervisors and
facilitate effective supervision of internationally active banks.
Why is it important to promote international banking?
 The International Banks provide more protection during economic shifts.

 They minimize tax obligation.
 They provide broader access to investment opportunities.
 They enjoy competitive currency exchange rates.
 They ease access to accounts.
Why is Banking Supervision needed?
The Banking Supervision is needed to ensure safety of the banking system. It will help the
banks to reduce their risk taking.
What forced RBI to launch Supervisory Colleges?
India launched the Supervisory colleges after the PMC Bank scam. The Supervisory colleges
were launched to prevent PMC Bank scam scenarios in the future.
Committee formed for preservation of Ladakh’s land, culture and

language
January 7, 2021

The Government of India recently formed a committee to protect language, land, culture of
Ladakh and ensure participation of citizens in the development of Union Territory. The
Committee is to be headed by Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy. It will include
elected representatives from Ladakh, central government and Ladakh Autonomous Hill
Development council.
Why was the Kishan Reddy Committee formed?
A ten-member delegation from Ladakh met Home Minister Amit Shah to express their
concerns about the threat to the unique culture, language and demography of the region in the
development process. Concerns have also been raised about the rights and demand for the
inclusion in the sixth schedule. Earlier, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had
recommended the inclusion of Ladakh under the sixth schedule.
What are the main provisions of Sixth Schedule?
 The Sixth Schedule has provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the states of
Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram.
 The sixth schedule has provisions for constitution of autonomous districts and
councils to frame laws to protect interests of the tribal.
 The Sixth Schedule was constituted under Article 244.
 It currently holds provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Meghalaya,
Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. It was passed by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. It
seeks to safeguard the Autonomous District Councils.
Why should Ladakh be included in Sixth Schedule?
More than 90% of Ladakh population is tribal. The primary Scheduled Tribes of Ladakh are
Bot, Balti Beda, Brokpa, Changpa, Mon, Garra and Purigpa. Including Ladakh in the sixth
schedule will help to enhance the transfer of funds for speedy development of the region.
What is National Commission for Scheduled Tribes?
The commission was established under the 89th Amendment Act, 2003. It monitors matters
related to safeguards provided for the Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution. It advises the
planning process of socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes. It also evaluates the
development in the union and in the state.

United States Capitol Protests, 2021

January 7, 2021
On January 5 to January 6, 2021, the US President Donald Trump supporters gathered in

Washington DC to protest against the results of recent US President Elections
What are the United States Capitol Protests?
On January 6, 2021, the protesters gathered for the “Save America” rally. During the rally the
attendees heard speeches of President Trump. The rally culminated in a riot. Eventually the
protesters invaded the United States Capitol building. President Trump instructed his
supporters to march into the Capitol building to overturn the elections. It ended up in an
armed standoff. The storming of the building and the riots are being described as sedition,
infection and domestic terrorism. Some sources even refer it to an attempted coup. The series
of these incidents leading to the invasion of US Capitol building are called United States
Capitol Protests.
What are the key events of United States Capitol Protest?
Trump rally in Washington

On January 6, 2021, protestors gathered around the Washington monument to Rally against
the recent US elections and its results. At the rally the President Trump told his supporters to
March on the Capitol building.
What is Washington Monument?

It is an obelisk that was built to commemorate George Washington. He once served as the
commander in chief of the continental Army. He was the first president of United States.
Rioting in the capitol building

The rioters attempted to storm the buildings in the US Capitol Complex. The buildings in the
complex were evacuated and rioters broke passed the security and entered the national
statutory hall. The protestors were so violent that the law enforcement had to use tear gas
within the building.

What is National Statutory Hall?

It is a chamber in the United States Capitol building that is devoted to sculptures of
prominent Americans.
What was the reaction of the US government?
A one thousand one hundred strong force of the DC National Guard was sent to quell the
violence. The order was initially resisted by President Trump and was signed by the Vice
President.
What is United States Capitol Complex?
The complex is a group of more than a dozen of buildings that is located in Washington DC.
The buildings are used by the US Federal Government. The Capitol Building in specific is the
meeting place of the United States Congress. It is also the seat of the legislative branch of the
United States Federal government. It was built in 1800. Earlier to this violent protest, the
Capitol building faced similar attacks during burning of Washington in 1814.
What is Burning of Washington?
On August 24, 1814, during the Battle of Bladensburg, a British force led by major general
Robert Ross Set Fire to multiple government buildings including the White house and the
Capitol Building. This is referred to as burning of Washington.
Central Government Scheme for Industrial Development of J&K

January 8, 2021
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi approved an ambitious scheme to boost the industrial development of Jammu and
Kashmir. The Government of India has allocated 28,400 crores of Rupees for the industrial
development of Jammu and Kashmir scheme. The funds are to be used to develop industrial
sector of the territory till 2037.
What are the key features?

 The main objective of the scheme is to generate jobs that will lead to economic
development and boost industry and service later development of the union territory.
This in turn will attract new investment.
 The scheme is ambitious as it offers attractions to both large and small industrial
units.
What are the incentives offered by the scheme?
The scheme offers incentives as follows:
 The scheme will provide capital investment incentive at 30% in zone.

 It will provide investment incentive of 50% in Zone B. This includes investment in
manufacturing and construction sector.
 The maximum limit of incentive is 5 crores of Rupees in zone a and 7.5 crores of
Rupees in Zone B respectively.
 The scheme will provide interest subvention at an annual rate of 6 pc for 7 years on
loan amounts up to 500 Crores of rupees.
 The GST linked incentive will be three hundred percent of the eligible value of actual
investment.
 The amount of incentive provided should not exceed one tenth of the total eligible
amount of incentive.
What are the employment benefits of the scheme?
The scheme is expected to attract major investments and provide 4.5 lacs of direct and
indirect employment in the region.
What are the investments made by the GoI in J&K after Abrogation of Article 370?
So far, the central government has invested a total of 1123 crores of Rupees as a part of
industrial policy in the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
India-France Annual Strategic Dialogue

January 7, 2021

India and France held their annual strategic dialogue in New Delhi.
What are the key takeaways from the India-France Annual Strategic Dialogue?
The countries mainly focused on COVID-19 vaccines, nuclear, Indo-Pacific, space,

environment, maritime safety, digital economy, environment and defence sectors.
Why is France important to India in terms of Indo Pacific?
France has a deep presence in the Indian Ocean Region. The territories of Mayotte Island and
Reunion Island are under French control. These overseas areas provide France an area of 28
lakh square kilo metres in the Indian Ocean Region as Exclusive Economic Zone under the
UNCLOS Treaty.
China has increased its presence in the Indian Ocean with its presence in Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Djibouti and Maldives. On the other hand, the French has established
permanent Naval Bases in Abu Dabi and Djibouti.
What are the recent military agreement signed by India and France?
India and France recently signed a logistics sharing agreement. This enables the countries to
use the military facilities of the other. This is highly significant in terms of growing Chinese
influence in the Indian Ocean Region.
About India-France Strategic Dialogue
The India-France Strategic dialogue is held annually with the countries alternating as hosts.
The India-France Strategic Dialogue, 2020 was held in Paris.
India-France Trade
French companies are one of the top investors of India. India-France trade stands at 13 billion
USD. The French imports from India are helicopters, satellites, airplanes, spacecraft launch
vehicles.
India-France Relations
The countries have “Special Relationship” with each other. India and France signed the
landmark Nuclear Agreement in 2008. According to the Agreement, France constructed six
European Pressurised Reactors each of 1,650 MW.

France was the first country to sign a nuclear deal with India following India-specific NSG
waiver.
Rewari-Madar freight corridor section

January 7, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently dedicated the Rewari-Madar section of the Western
Dedicated Freight Corridor. The Prime Minister also flagged off the world’s first double
stack long haul 1.5 km container train.
About the Rewari-Madar Section
It is situated in Haryana and Rajasthan. It runs for 227 km in Rajasthan. It crosses through
Sikar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Nagaur and Alwar districts.
Why is Rewari-Madar Freight Corridor Section important?
Currently, the freight traffic does not get priority over passenger trains. After completion, at
least 70% of the freight trains will be transferred to the DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India) network. This will help in timely movement of cargo.
With the new track, the freight trains are to run at maximum speed of 100 km/hr. This is
because, the Indian Railways is planning to increase the maximum speed of freight trains to
100 km/hr. The line has compatible to achieve such speeds. The weight carrying capacity of
the wagons in this route has been increased by 14%.
How will Rewari-Madar Freight Corridor Section help businesses?
The Rewari-Madar Freight Corridor section will be of great help to the E-Commerce
companies such as Flipkart and Amazon. Apart from the E-commerce sector, the freight
corridor will also open up doors for automobile sectors.
Which trains will use Rewari-Madar Freight Corridor?
The Rewari-Madar section will help to decongest the existing Kanpur-Delhi main line traffic.
The Kanpur-Delhi line handles 150% of line capacity of Indian Railway. The section has
more than 50 passenger trains and sixty goods trains. With the new route, more passenger
trains and goods trains can be pumped in.

The route is highly important for the transport of food grains and fertilisers from the northern
region to the eastern and north eastern regions. Also, the northern region receives coal, jute,
iron ore, petroleum products from the eastern parts through this route.
Food Price Index of FAO

January 7, 2021
The Food and Agriculture Organization recently released the Food Price Index. The Food
Price Index has been released for the seventh consecutive month in December 2019.
Key Highlights
 The food price index for the month of December was 100 7.5 points.
 The food price index for the month of November was 105.2
 the Food and Agriculture Organisation calculates the food price index measuring the
monthly changes of a basket of oilseeds, cereals, meat, dairy products and sugar.
 The food crisis of all the major categories increased for the seventh consecutive
month barring sugar.
 For the year of 2020, the food price index was 97.9 point. This is a three-year high
and 3.1 % increase as compared to that of 2019.
 The historical peak of the food price index occurred in 2011.
Oil prices
The vegetable oil prices increased by 4.7 % in December 2019 as compared to that of the
previous month. This price increase was mainly due to the supply restrictions in major oil
producing countries. Especially the trade of palm oil was affected due to a sharp hike in the
export duties of Indonesia. Also, the prices of soy oil increased due to the prolonged strikes in
Argentina.
Cereals
The price rise of cereals increased by 1.1 % in December 2019. For the year 2020 the price
rise of the cereals was 6.6 % more than that of 2019 level. The export prices of sorghum,
wheat, rice and Maize increased mainly due to price rise in North and South American
countries as well as Russia.
Dairy

The price rise of dairy products increased by 3.2 % in December 2019 as compared to that of
the previous month. In 2020, the overall price of dairy products was one percent less than that
of 2019.
Meat
The meat index increased by 1.7% in the month of December 2019. The prices of poultry in
December 2019 rebounded due to the outbreak of Avian influenza in Europe. The Pig meat
trade declined due to the suspension of German exports to Asian Markets and also due to
African swine fever outbreak.
India to chair 3 UNSC Committees

January 9, 2021
The Ambassador of India to the United Nations recently announced that India has been asked
to chair three important committees of the Security Council.
What are the three UNSC committees to be chaired by India?
Counter-Terrorism Committee, Libya Sanctions Committee and Taliban Sanctions

Committee.
What is the Counter-Terrorism Committee?
 The Counter-Terrorism committee of the United Nations Security Council was

established in the wake of 09/11 terrorist attack in the United States.
 Earlier India had chaired the Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2011-12.
 It monitors and implements counter terrorist activities.
Who are the member states of Counter-Terrorism Committee?
There are fifteen member states of Counter Terrorism committee. They are Belgium,
Dominic Republic, China, Germany, France, Niger, Indonesia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Russia, South Africa, UK, Vietnam and US.
What is Libya Sanctions Committee?

 The Libya Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council implements
the sanctions regime in Libya.
 It also monitors two-way arms embargo on Libya, travel ban, asset freeze.
 It measured the illicit export of petroleum in the country.
 The member states of the committee are required to prevent sale of arms supply and
related material to Libya.
What are UN Sanctions on Libya?
The United Nations imposed an Arms Embargo on Libya since February 2011. It is related to
the supply of arms and military equipment to and from Libya.
Why did UN impose sanctions on Libya?
The UN imposed sanctions in Libya in response to the violence and use of armed forces
against civilians in Libya and systematic violations of human rights by the former Qadhafi
Regime.
What is Taliban Sanctions Committee?
 The Taliban Sanctions Committee works to promote stability, peace and security of
Afghanistan.
 It is also called the 1988 Sanctions Committee.
When can the United Nations Security Council impose sanctions?
The Unite Nations Security Council can impose sanctions in response to threat to
international peace and security.
January 9: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

January 9, 2021
Every year the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9.
What is the theme of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, 2021?
Theme: Contributing to Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

Why is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated?
It is celebrated to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community towards the

development of India.
Why is important to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
It is important to celebrate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as it reconnects the Non-Resident

Indians with their roots. Also, it celebrates their achievements. It acknowledges the
difficulties faced by the Indian expatriate workers living abroad. The day acts as a platform to
create a network of NRIs in all the countries and connect the younger generation with
immigrants. This will help the immigrants to evolve and contribute significantly to the
development of the country.
What is Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports on January 8, 2021.
What is the theme of Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
Bringing together Young Achievers from India and Indian Diaspora.
What is Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards?
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are presented to recognize the achievements of NRIs,
PIOs or organizations established by NRIs.
Who confers Pravasi Bhratiya Samman Awards?
President of India.
Why is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated on January 9?
It is celebrated on January 9 to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to
Mumbai on January 9, 1915.
When was the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated?
2000
Who sponsors Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?
It is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Confederation
of Indian Industries.
Which committee recommended Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?

L M Singhvi Committee. The L M Singhvi committee was set up by the late PM Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee.
What is 25th Amendment of US Constitution?

January 8, 2021
The United States Capitol Protests, 2021, has induced calls to invoke 25th Constitutional
amendment.
What is 25th Amendment of US Constitution?
The 25th Constitutional amendment lays out how a US President or a

Vice President can be replaced or succeeded. It includes resolve issues
revolving around unfortunate situations like death, resignation to
removal of US President and actions to be followed after a President
becomes disabled to such a degree that he is unable to fulfil his responsibilities. The
amendment has four sections.
What are the four sections of the amendment?
 The vice president would assume the position and title of the president in the event of
the resignation of the president. Which will effectively prevent the departing current
from returning to office.
 The second section of the amendment includes provisions of vacancies in the office of
vice president.
 the third section of the amendment provides provisions to determine that a city of
presidents to discharge his powers and duties.
 The vice president can take over as acting president if the president declares his or her
inability to act as president. When the president is unable to declare his or her
incompetent then the fourth section of the amendment is invoked. This section
requires the vice president and the cabinet to jointly prove the incompetence of the
Vice-President.
 Currently, citizens and leaders of the United States of America or insisting vice
president Pence to invoke this fourth section of the 25th Constitutional Amendment
against President Trump.
When was the 25th US Constitutional Amendment introduced?
The 25th US Constitutional amendment was proposed in 1965 and was ratified by the states in
1967.
Has the fourth section of 25th US Constitutional Amendment invoked so far?
No.
Why did Trump supporters storm the US Capitol?

The Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building as Trump repeatedly asserted that the
US Presidential Election, 2020, in which he lost was rigged.
Single Window Clearance System for Coal Mines

January 11, 2021
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently launched the “Single Window Clearance
System” for coal mines.
What is Single Window Clearance System?
The Single Window Clearance System for Coal Mines is an online platform launched to
obtain clearances for smooth operationalisation of coal mines. It is aimed at allowing coal
bidders to obtain all required clearances from a single portal. Currently, a company has to
receive 19 major approvals to start a coal mine. Now with the single Window Clearance
System, all the 19 approvals can be obtained in one place. This is one of the major steps in
Coal Sector reforms of Government of India.
What are the recent coal sector reforms?
The Government of India recently introduced several coal sector reforms. They are as follows
 Commercial mining of coal was allowed with fifty blocks offered to private sector.
 Coal blocks were offered to private companies on revenue sharing basis.
 Coal Bed Methane extraction rights are to be auctioned from Coal India’s coal mines.
Why were coal sector reforms introduced?
Coal Sector reforms were introduced to reduce coal imports in the country. Despite of the fact
that India is the fourth largest producer of coal in the world, the country is the second largest
importer of coal in the world. Therefore, the coal sector reforms were introduced to make
India self-reliant in coal sector.
What are the benefits of coal sector reforms?
In 1973, the coal sector was nationalised. This meant that domestic coal can only be mined by
public sector companies. However, the coal demand continued to grow at a faster rate.
Because of this, the coal imports increased. The coal imports stood at 23% between 2009 and

2014. Introduction of commercial mining of coal will help to increase the coal production and
bridge the supply gap. The Commercial coal mining will increase investment opportunities
and save foreign exchange.
What is Coal Bed Methane?
It is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds.
What are Coal Bed Methane reserves of India?
2,600 billion cubic metres.
Where are Coal Bed Methane reserves found in India?
Majority of the coal bed methane reserves are found in the Gondwana sediments of eastern
India.
WHO Map of India

January 11, 2021
The World Health Organization recently released a new map. The map differentiated Jammu
and Kashmir and Ladakh from the rest of Indian mainland with a different colour.
What is the new WHO map of India?
The new WHO map of India has marked the newly created Union Territories of India,
Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in grey colour. Also, it has marked the disputed Aksai Chin
region in grey colour with blue stripes. The blue stripes are in identical shade as that of
China. The map shows India in navy blue colour.
What is India’s stand on the new map?

India is not pleased with the new map. India believes that China has a big role in the new map
of WHO. The influence of China on the World Health Organization is high as the country
provides huge funding to the organization.
What are other recently map discrepancies of India?
India recently had tussled with Nepal and Pakistan regarding discrepancies depicted in maps.
What is India-Nepal map issue?
In May 2020, Nepal released a new political map that claimed regions of Kalapani, Lipulekh
and Limpiyadhura. Nepal released the map after India inaugurated a motorable link road
connecting India and China. The road passes through Lipulekh pass. This region is claimed
by Nepal as its own territory.
What is India-Pakistan map issue?
In August 2019, Pakistan released a map that showed the geographical areas of Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh within its area. Also, the Junagadh of Gujarat was shown as its own
territory. The map was released a day before Indian Government rolled back the special
status of Jammu and Kashmir. Also, the it was a counter action for India’s inclusion of
Pakistan occupied Kashmir as part of the Unin Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
National Youth Parliament

January 11, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address be National Youth Parliament. The top winners
of the National Youth Parliament will speak before the Prime Minister on January 12
valedictory function.
When was the first National Youth Parliament held?
The first National Youth Parliament was held in 2019 under the theme “be the voice of new
India and find solutions and contribute to policy”.
Why is the National youth parliament organised?

The National Youth Parliament is organised to hear the voice of the youth between the age of
18 and 25 years.
Why is National Youth Parliament held on January 12?
It is held on January 12 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Also,

the Government of India celebrates the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda as National
Youth Day.
How is the National youth parliament held?
It is held at three levels. They are district youth parliament at district level, state youth
parliament at state level, National youth parliament at National level.
What is the importance of National Youth parliament?
The National Youth Parliament will encourage the youth of the country to engage and
understand the public issues in the view of a common man and form opinion and express
them in an articulate manner. Their strong voices will be captured and documented to make
them available to policymakers and implementers to take it forward.
Who organises the National Youth parliament?
The National Service Scheme operating under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
What is National Service Scheme?
The National Service Scheme (NSS) is a central government scheme. It provides opportunity
to students of class 11 and 12, graduate and postgraduate students at colleges and Universities
to participate in various government alert community services.
What is the objective of National Service Scheme?
The main objective of the scheme is to provide hands on experience to young students in
delivering community service.
When was the National Service Scheme started?
1969.
ISRO to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs

January 11, 2021

The Indian Space Research Organization recently announced that it is to adopt 100 Atal
Tinkering Labs across the country.
How will ISRO help the Atal Tinkering Labs?
By adopting hundred Atal Tinkering Labs, ISRO is to

facilitate mentoring and coaching of students in cutting edge
technologies. It includes technologies related to space as well.
How will the initiative benefit the students?
ISRO will promote scientific temperament among students

and will encourage them for space related technologies. The students will gain practical and
application-based knowledge of STEM through the programme.
What is the current scenario of Atal Tinkering Labs in India?
There are more than seven thousand Atal Tinkering Labs in India. It helps more than three
million students to acquire problem solving, innovative and tinkering mindset.
Who establishes Atal Tinkering Labs?
NITI Aayog.
Under which programme are Atal Tinkering Labs established?
Atal Innovation Mission.
What is Atal Innovation Mission?
The Atal Innovation Mission was launched to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the
country. It has two core functions namely entrepreneurship through self-employment and
innovation promotion.
What are the major initiatives of Atal Innovation Mission?
 Atal New India Challenges fosters product innovations. It aligns them to the needs of
various ministries.
 Atal Incubation Centres fosters world class startups and will add a new dimension to
the incubator model.
 Mentor India Campaign is a national mentor network that is launched in collaboration
with corporates and public sectors to support all the initiatives of Atal Innovation
Mission.
 ARISE is Atal Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises. It stimulates research
and innovation in MSME industry.
 AIM-iCREST is Incubator Capabilities Enhancement Programme that is focused on
creating high performing startups. It was designed to support established incubators of
AIM in the country.

NASA to test the most powerful rocket ever built

January 11, 2021
NASA is to launch the mot powerful rocket in the world on January 17, 2021. NASA has
named it as the “Space Launch System”.
What are the Key Features of Space Launch System?
 The Space Launch System is to carry the first woman and the next man to the moon.
 It is 98 metres tall. On the other hand, Saturn V that carried Astronauts to the moon in
1960s was 110 metre tall.
 It has capacity to carry more than twenty-seven tonnes.
 The Space Launch System is to be hauled into the Lower Earth Orbit.
 It has four RS-25 engines.
How does the giant rocket of NASA work?
The Space Launch System consists of a giant core. It has two solid rocket boosters. Apart
from these, the core has two large storage tanks. One tank stores liquid hydrogen and the
other stores liquid oxygen. When the liquid oxygen and hydrogen are fed into the engine
chambers, the chemical reaction produces vast amount of energy and steam. This steam exits
engine nozzles at speeds of 16,000 km/hr to generate force that propels the rocket through the
air.
What is the use of Solid Rocket Booster in SLS?
The Solid Rocket Boosters provide extra power to escape gravity clutches. These solid
boosters provide 75% of the total thrust. They will burn six tonnes of Solid Rocket Booster
every second.
Why is SLS the most powerful rocket?
 The SLS will generate 39.1 mega Newtons of thrust at launch. This is 15% more than
Saturn V. This is the highest thrust level ever achieved.
 In 1960, Soviet Union built N1. N1 was built to reach moon. It could produce 45.4
mega Newtons of thrust. However, the N1 mission ended in failure.
What are the future high power rockets?

 The future version of SLS is called Block-2 cargo. It is expected that Block-2 of SLS
will reach the thrust levels of N1.
 The vehicle called Starship being built by SpaceX is capable of producing 66.7 Mega
Newtons of thrust. When launched, this will the most powerful rocket in the world.
Khadi Prakritik Paint

January 11, 2021
The Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari is to launch “Khadi Prakritik Paint”.
Who Developed Khadi Prakritik Paint?
Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
What is Khadi Prakritik Paint?
The Khadi Prakritik Paint is a non-toxic eco-friendly paint with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
properties. It is the first-of-its kind product.
What is the main ingredient of Khandi Prakritik Paint?
The Khadi Prakritik Paint was developed with cow dung as its main ingredient. It is odourless
and cost-effective.
Is Khadi Prakritik Paint certified by Bureau of Indian Standards?

Yes.
What are the two forms of Khadi Prakritik Paint?
The Khadi Prakritik paint is available in two forms namely plastic emulsion paint and
distemper paint.
What are the main advantages of Khadi Prakritik paint?
 The paint is free from heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium,
cadmium.
 The paint will help in doubling farmers income. This is because, the technology
adopted in the making of Khadi Prakritik paint will increase consumption of cow
dung as raw material for eco-friendly products. This will generate additional revenue
to Gaushalas and farmers. The Khadi Prakritik paint is expected to generate an
additional income of Rs 30,000 per annum per animal to farmers. On the other hand,
utilisation of cow dung will prevent clogging of drains and will clean the
environment.
Who tested Khadi Prakritik Paint?
National Test House, Mumbai, National Test House, Ghaziabad and shri Ram Institute for
Industrial research, New Delhi.
What are the environmental impacts of normal paint?
They are high in Chromium and Lead. The conventional paints used in day-to-day life release
Volatile Organic Compounds during the drying process, that is, after the coating is applied.
What are the environmental labels of paint cans?
The paints are labelled in the following way based on the release of Volatile Organic
Compounds:
 To be labelled as Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), the paint should contain
less than fifty grams per litre of VOC.
 To be labelled as Zero-Volatile Organic Compound, the paint should contain less than
five grams per litre of VOC.
What is Vanadium?
January 11, 2021

The Geological Survey of India has found promising concentrations of Vanadium in the
Tamang and Depo areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
What are the new explorations of Vanadium in India?
According to Geological Survey of India, the Vanadium mineralisation is geologically similar

to the “Stone Coal” Vanadium deposits of China. The GSI has discovered about seven metre
thick carbonaceous phyllite for a length of more than six kilo metres in Depo area. Vanadium
was also found in Subansiri district for a length of 15.5 km and thickness of 7 metres.
What is Vanadium?
Vanadium is a by-product obtained from the processing of Vanadiferous magnetite ores. In

its pure form, Vanadium is soft, ductile and grey in colour.
How much Vanadium reserves does India hold?
According to Indian Bureau of Mines, the total estimated reserves of Vanadium in India is
around 24.63 million tonnes. Of this, the estimated Vanadium Pentoxide is 64,594 tonnes.
What is the Vanadium consumption of India?
India consumes 3,360 metric tonnes of vanadium annually. This is 4% of Vanadium

consumed by the world. Globally, 84,000 tonnes of Vanadium is consumed annually.
What is the Vanadium production and consumption in China?
China consumes 44% of world Vanadium production. And China produces 57% of the world
Vanadium.
What are the characteristics of Vanadium?
Vanadium alloys are durable in extreme environments. They are corrosion resistant. They
improve tensile strength of steel and reinforce steel bars used for tunnels, buildings and
bridges. Their atomic number is 23.
What are the major applications of Vanadium?
 The Vanadium Pentoxide is used as a catalyst in the production of Sulphuric acid.

 85% of the Vanadium produced in the world are used as steel additive. Vanadium
steel is used in gears, bicycle frames, axles and other critical components.

 Vanadium Dioxide is used in production of glass coatings that blocks infrared

radiation.
DRDO Landing Gear System for UAV

January 11, 2021
The Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment operating under DRDO
recently developed the Retractable Landing Gear System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,
TAPAS. These landing gear systems are to be used by the Indian Navy.
What are Retractable Landing Gear System?
The Retractable Landing Gear System consists of a hydrogas shock strut integrated with
wheel and brake system. It absorbs and dissipates landing impact load to safeguard the
aircraft. It has nitrogen combined with hydraulic fluid to absorb and dissipate impact loads.
What is new in Retractable Landing Gear System?
It absorbs and dissipates landing impact load to safeguard the aircraft. Also, it supports the
aircraft during ground manoeuvrings. Also, the Hydro-Gas Strut is new in the design.
What is the purpose of Landing Gearing Systems?
The main purpose of Landing Gear systems in Drones is to facilitate safe take-off and landing
of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

What is TAPAS UAV?
TAPAS is Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance beyond horizon. It is also
known as RUSTOM-2. It was developed by India on the lines of American Predator Drones.
The first flight of TAPAS took place in 2016.
Why are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles important?
They are important for search and strike missions. It is expected that by 2050, at least 50% of
combat missions will be designated to UAVs.
Where is India in UAV technology?
India is at its infancy stage in UAV. Israel and US are the leaders of UAV technology. India
has signed several agreements with these countries to develop its UAV technology. India has
also procured UAVs from Israel and USA. The Heron UAV fleet of India was procured from
Israel.
The production of an Indian Combat Mission capable UAV is at least a couple of decades
away.
Pope’s Amendment of Church Law

January 12, 2021
Pope Francis recently changed the Church laws to allow women to do more things during
Mass. The law that defines proceedings during Mass and in Altar is called Code of Canon
Law. This law has now been amended to allow women to serve in Altar.
Can women become priests under the new laws?
No.
What are the amendments made to the Code of Canon Law?
 The new amendments will allow women to do more things during Mass.
 Women can read the Gospel and serve at the Altar as ministers. Previously such roles
were reserved only to men.

 Women can be allowed to play the role of Lectors and Acolytes. Lectors are persons
who reads lessons in a church service. An Acolyte is a person assisting the celebrant
in a religious service or procession.
Pope Francis has created a second study commission to study if women could be deacons.
The first commission failed to reach a consensus.
What is Code of Canon Law?
The Code of Canon Law is the code of ecclesiastical laws that govern the Catholic Church.
It is also called the Johanno-Pauline Code. It is the fundamental laws of Latin Church. It was
promulgated by John Paul II and took legal effect in 1983. It replaced the Code of Canon
Law, 1917. The Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Benedict XV.
Which was the first Code of Canon Law?
The Code of Canon Law, 1917 promulgated by Benedict XV was the first.
What is Canon?
It is the Greek word for rule.
Who are controlled by the Code of Canon Law?
Only those who are baptized in the Catholic Church are bound by the laws. It does not apply
to travelers or locals who are not baptized.
What is Baptism?
Baptism is the Christian religious rite of sprinkling water to a person’s forehead symbolizing
purification and admission to the Christian Church.
Legal Entity Identifier System

January 12, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently announced the introduction of Legal Entity Identifier
System.

What is Legal Entity Identifier System?
 The Reserve Bank of India introduced the Legal Entity Identifier system for all
payment transactions of fifty crores and above through NEFT (National Electronic
Funds Transfer) and RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement).
 The system is being introduced to identify the legal entities involved in financial
transaction. The central bank has adopted the system to improve the quality and
accuracy of the financial data systems.
 Under the system, the banks have to include information of the remitter and
beneficiary.
Under which act has the Legal Entity Identifier system introduced in India?
Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
What is Legal Entity Identifier?
It is a twenty-digit unique number. It is a global identifier for entities participating in

financial transactions. It is developed by International Organization for Standardization.
What is the validity of Legal Entity Identifier?
One year from the period of registration.
Why was Legal Entity Identifier System introduced?
During the financial crisis of 2008, the international regulators realized that there was no
single code to each financial institution with which it can be identified in all countries
universally. Every country had their own set of identity numbers. This made it difficult to
assess the risk exposures, analyzing and resolving risks across the market.
When was the first LEI issued?
2012.
Does Legal Entity Identifier follow ISO?
Yes, it follows International Organization for Standardization.
What is the code structure of LEI?
It is an alpha-numeric string. The first four characters identify the local operating unit. The
characters five to eighteen are assigned by the Local Operating Unit. The last two characters
are Checksum digits. The Checksum digits are used to identified the errors that occur during
the process of transaction.
Heritage Conservation Committee

January 12, 2021
The Supreme Court recently cleared the Central Vista Project that covers a three kilo metre
stretch between the Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate. Following this, the Heritage
Conservation Committee has approved the construction of a new parliament.
What is Heritage Conservation Committee?
The Heritage Conservation Committee is set up under the chairmanship of Additional

Secretary, Ministry of Urban Affairs under the provisions of Section 23 in Delhi Building
Byelaws, 1983 to protect heritage buildings. Only buildings in and around Delhi are governed
by these laws. Similar conservation committees are set up at state levels as well. The local
authority should consult the Heritage Conservation Committee before granting permission.
The heritage buildings are graded by the Heritage Conservation Committee for
developmental activities.
What are the gradings offered by the Heritage Conservation Committee?
The Heritage conservation Committee offers three grades. They are as follows:
Grade I: The buildings under Grade I includes buildings of historic importance. No

interventions are permitted either on the interior or exterior of the Heritage buildings unless it
is essential in the interest of strengthening the life of the building.
Grade II: These buildings comprises of regional or local importance processing architectural
merit or historical significance. Internal changes are allowed in these buildings. Also,
adaptive reuse shall be allowed.
Grade III: It comprises of buildings that evoke architectural or sociological interest. Both
internal changes and adaptive reuse of these buildings are allowed.
What is the applicability of Heritage Conservation Committee?
The regulations of Heritage Conservation Committee applies to heritage sites such as

artifacts, buildings, areas and structures that are listed in Unified Building Bye Laws for
Delhi, 2016.
What are the notified Heritage buildings?
There are 886 buildings notified in the list. The list is prepared by the National Disaster
Management Committee, Delhi Development Authority.

Henley Passport Index – Update (January, 2021)

January 12, 2021
The Henley Passport Index was launched by the International air Transport Association.
Around 227 different travel destinations are considered to launch the index. The index is
released based on the number of destinations the holders can access without visa.
What are the Key findings of Henley Passport Index?
 Nepal at rank 104 and Pakistan at 107 continue to be the “Worst passports to hold”
category. Pakistan had a visa-free score of 32 countries and Nepal had a score of 38
countries.
 The countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria were the countries with the worst
passport to hold with a score of 26, 28 and 29.
 The report said that Japanese citizens can travel to 191 countries and Japan was the
top performer.
 Singapore was in second position with a score of 190.
 South Korea and Germany were at third position with a score of 189.
 Countries such as UK, USA, New Zealand and Switzerland were at the seventh
position. They are considered as the most powerful passports in the world. Their score
was 185.
 Australia was at eighth position with a score of 184.
What was the rank of India in Henley Passport Index?
India ranked 85th in the Henley Passport Index. India scored 58 in the Henley Passport Index.
What is new about Henley Passport Index, 2021?

Over the past sixteen years, the top positions of Henley Passport Index were taken by the
European Union countries, USA and UK. This year, the Asia Pacific countries have become
the top performers.
What is Passport Index?
The Passport Index is an online tool. It provides insights about visa-free travel option. The
Passport Index includes World Openness score, Visa-free scores and Global mobility scores.
What are Visa free destinations?
There are 58 destinations in the world that does not require prior visa. Of these twenty are in
Africa and eleven are in Asia.
Management report of National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries

January 12, 2021
The Union environment Minister shri Prakash Javadekar recently released Management
Effectiveness Evaluation report of 146 National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The report is
first of its kind in the country
What are the Key findings of the report?
 Around 60% of leopard population, 70% of Asiatic lions and 70% of global tiger
population are the main reasons for the thriving of the National parks and wild life
sanctuaries in the country.
 The top five national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India are Jaldapara National
Park of West Bengal, Raiganj wildlife sanctuary, Tirthan wildlife sanctuary, Sainj
wildlife sanctuary of Himachal Pradesh and the Great Himalayan National Park.
 The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary of Uttar Pradesh, Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary
of Uttar Pradesh were ranked at the bottom most. The other three bottom most
wildlife sanctuaries were located in Rajasthan, Haryana and Assam.
 There are 903 protected areas in the country. These areas cover five percent of the
total geographic area.
What were the highest performing wildlife sanctuaries?

In the northern region, Great Himalayan and Tirthan Wildlife sanctuary scored the highest. In
the southern region, Someshwara wildlife sanctuary and Gulf of Mannar marine national park
scored the highest. In the eastern region, Jaldapara Wildlife sanctuary and Raiganj wildlife
sanctuary were the highly performers. In the western region, Kuno-Palpur wildlife sanctuary
and Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuary were the highest performers. In the north-eastern region,
Khangchendzonga National Park and Nongkhyllem wildlife sanctuary of Meghalaya were the
highest performers.
What are the other announcements made by the minister?
The minister also announced that from 2021, ten best national parks, top five zoos, top five
coastal and marine parks are to be ranked in the country.
From where was the assessment process of the report adopted?
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Commission on
Protected Areas (WCPA)
What are the key features of the report?
The report was generated based on thirty headline indicators developed under six elements of
the Management Effectiveness Evaluation framework.
One Planet Summit

January 12, 2021
The One Planet Summit was held on January 11, 2021. The summit aims to advance the
protection of nature.
What is One Planet summit?
The One Planet summit is an international event that focused on biodiversity to mobilize
commitments to protect the ecosystems and make links to human health.
What is the aim of One Planet summit?
The One Planet Summit aims to promote worldwide ecological transformation. The summit
will measure environmental and climate protection combined with innovation and economy.

What is the theme of One Planet Summit, 2021?
Let’s act together for nature
Who organizes One Planet Summit?
United Nations, World Bank and France.
Why is One Planet Summit important?
The COVID-19 has reminded the importance of nature for our daily lives and economies. It is
highly challenging to reverse trend set by the pandemic. The One Planet Summit will help to
transform the value chains, consumption habits and business models.
With the global economic powers like the United States withdrawing from Paris Agreement,
it is important for international organizations act swiftly. The One Planet Summit will help
the world in this direction.
When was the first One Planet Summit held?
2017. The first One Planet Summit was organised two years since the historic Paris
Agreement. It then adopted twelve international commitments. They are as follows:
 Responding to the Extreme Events in Island states

 Protecting land and water against climate change
 Mobilizing researchers and young people to work for the climate
 Public procurement and access for local government to green financing
 Zero emission targets
 Sectoral shifts towards a decarbonized economy
 Zero-pollution transport
 Work towards a carbon price compatible with the Paris Agreement
 Anchoring climate issues at the centre of decisions of financial actors
 International mobilization of development banks
 Commitment by sovereign funds
 Mobilizing institutional investors
Sea Vigil 2021

January 12, 2021

The second edition of coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil-21 is to be conducted between
January 12 and January 13, 2021.
What is Sea Vigil Exercise?
The Sea Vigil exercise will be undertaken along the 7,516 kilo metres coastline. It involves
all the thirteen coastal states, Union Territories and the Exclusive Economic Zone. Also, the
exercise involves the fishing and coastal communities. The exercise is conducted by the
Indian Navy.
The Sea Vigil is a build-up towards the major theatre level exercise TROPEX that the Indian
Navy conducts every two years. Both Sea Vigil and TROPEX will together cover the entire
spectrum of maritime security challenges. This includes transition from peace to conflict.
What is Exclusive Economic Zone?
An Exclusive Economic Zone is an area in the sea where a sovereign state has special rights
regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. The Exclusive Economic Zone are
demarcated according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
When was the first Sea Vigil exercise held?
2019.
How frequently is the Sea Vigil exercise held?
Once in two year. Sea Vigil is a biennial exercise.
What is TROPEX?
TROPEX is Tropical Level Readiness and Operational Exercise. It is an inter-service military

exercise that involves the participation of Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Indian Navy. It
is generally held at the beginning of the year. The exercise is held to test the combat readiness
of the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Indian Coast Guard. The first
TROPEX was held in 2005.
How is the TROPEX conducted?
The TROPEX is conducted in three phases namely independent workup phase, tactical phase
and joint workup phase.
What is the significance of the exercises?
According to the US Pentagon, the Chinese PLA Navy is the largest navy in the world.
Therefore, it is important for India to maximize its potential in the Indian Ocean region.

National Youth Day: January 12

January 12, 2021
Every year National Youth Day is celebrated on January 12. It is also called the “Yuva
Diwas”. The National Youth Day is celebrated to create
awareness about rights of people in India. It educates people
to behave properly in the country.
What is the theme of National Youth Day, 2021?
YUVAAH-Utsah Naye Bharat Ka
Why is National Youth Day celebrated on January 12?
The National Youth Day is celebrated to commemorate the

birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Why is National Youth Day celebrated?
The National Youth Day is celebrated to propagate ideals and philosophy of Swami
Vivekananda.
When is International Youth Day celebrated?
The International Youth Day is celebrated on August 12. The International Youth Day is
celebrated by the United Nations and several other international organizations. The first
International Youth Day was celebrated in 2000.
Why is International Youth Day celebrated?
The International Youth Day is celebrated to draw attention to a given set of cultural and
legal issues surrounding the youth.
About Swami Vivekananda
He was born on January 12, 1863. In 1881 he met Shri Ramkrishna Pramahamsa at the
Dakshineswar Kali Temple and became his disciple. He introduced the principles of Yoga
and Vedanta to the western world. Swami Vivekananda represented India at the Parliament of
the World Religion in 1893. It was held at Chicago.
How does India celebrate National Youth Day?
India organizes National Youth Festival to celebrate National Youth Day. The National
Youth Festival is organised by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The National Youth
Parliament is held as a part of National Youth Festival. This year, in 2021, PM Narendra
Modi is to address the National Youth Parliament. The first National Youth Festival was

celebrated in 1995. National Youth Festival is organised by the National Service Scheme
every year.
What is Insect Apocalypse?

January 12, 2021
The entomologists from all over the world attended the proceedings of National Academies
of Sciences recently. According to the entomologists, the insect population is declining at
rapid rate. The scientists have named this as Insect Apocalypse.
What is Insect Apocalypse?
The Earth is losing 2% of its insects every year. This is being termed as “Insect Apocalypse”.
What are the main reasons for the Insect Apocalypse?
The main reasons of Insect Apocalypse are as follows:
 Insecticides
 Climate Change
 Light Pollution
 Herbicides
 Invasive Species
 Changes in land use
 Intensive agriculture
Which two insects best illustrate insect decline?
Honey Bees and Butterflies.
What are the main reasons for the decline of honey bees?
Lack of food, insecticides, herbicides and parasites.
How bad is insect decline?
Insect decline is the worst in North America and in parts of Europe. The first Global
Scientific review published in the Biological conservation journal has found the following:

 A third of the insect species have become endangered.

 More than 40% of insect species have declined.
 The rate of extinction of insects is eight times faster than that of birds, mammals and
reptiles.
 At the rate of insect apocalypse, insects could vanish within a century.
Why are insects important?
Insects outweigh humanity by seventeen times. They are essential for the proper functioning
of the ecosystem as pollinators, food for other creatures and as recyclers of nutrients.
When was the insect decline discussed internationally for the first time?
The United Nations Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS
COP-13) discussed the effects of insects decline on migratory species for the first time.
According to the Convention on Migratory Species, insect extinction is to begin. A draft
resolution was prepared at the convention. The resolution will help understand die off of the
insects and its effects on migratory species.
Global Ebola vaccine stockpile

January 12, 2021
The Global Ebola Vaccine stockpile was recently established by four international health and
humanitarian organizations.
What are the four international organizations that

established Global Ebola Vaccine Stockpile?
World Health Organization (WHO), Medecins Sans

Frontieres (MSF), International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and UNICEF.
What is International Coordinating Group (ICG)?
Together WHO, MSF, UNICEF and IFRC (the above 4 organizations) are called the
International Coordinating Group.
Who is to provide financial support to the Global Ebola Vaccine Stockpile?
GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), the vaccine alliance.
What is the current status of Ebola vaccine?
The Ebola Vaccine was licensed by the European Medicines Agency in November 2019. The
vaccine was pre-qualified by World Health Organization. It has also been licensed by US

Food and Drug Administration. Also, the vaccine has been licensed in eight African
countries.
Who is to manage the Ebola vaccine stockpile?
UNICEF is to manage the Ebola vaccine stockpile on behalf of ICG.
What are the other vaccines stockpiles managed by UNICEF?
Meningitis, Cholera and Yellow Fever vaccine stockpiles.
How will the vaccines be delivered under the Global Ebola Vaccine Stockpile?
 The decision to allocate the vaccine is to be made within 48 hours of receiving the
request from a country.
 The vaccines are to be made available together with ultra-cold chain packaging.
 The overall delivery time of the vaccine from the stockpile to the countries is seven
days.
Are there natural markets for Ebola Vaccine?
No. This is because, the Ebola outbreaks are rare and unpredictable. Therefore, there is no
natural markets for Ebola currently.
Is Global Ebola Vaccine Stockpile the only way to obtain Ebola vaccine?
Yes.
What is SAGE-recommended requisite of an emergency stockpile of vaccine?
500,000 doses. This means that when a stockpile of vaccine is established, it should have at
least 500,00 doses.
What is SAGE?
SAGE is Strategic Advisory Group of Experts operating under WHO.
US names Cuba as State Sponsor of Terrorism

January 12, 2021

The United States recently designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
What is US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism?
The United States lists the countries that repeatedly provide support for acts of international
terrorism under the State Sponsors of Terrorism. The list was first released in 1979 with Iraq,
Libya, Syria and South Yemen in it.
What is the history of US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism?
Cuba was added in 1992, Iran in 1984. Later North Korea and Sudan were added in 1988 and
1993 respectively. Later South Yemen was removed in 1990. Iraq has been removed twice
from the list, once in 1982 and then again in 2004. Libya was removed in 2006. North Korea
was removed in 2008 and again re-added in 2017. Cuba was removed in 2015 and has now
been re-added.
What are the other countries that are currently in the list of state sponsors of
terrorism?
Iran, Syria and North Korea.
Which country was recently removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism?
Sudan.
Why was Sudan removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism?
Sudan was recently removed to sign Israel-Sudan Normalisation Agreement. The agreement
was signed in October 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and Sudan. The agreement
was signed after Bahrain and UAE signed peaceful agreements with Israel.
What are the issues between Cuba and US?
Between 1908 and 1902, Cuba had become a US protectorate as per Treaty of Paris. By 1958,
after Cuban revolution, the US-Cuba relations had further deteriorated. Later again in 2016, a
peculiar syndrome had affected US diplomats visiting Havana. It was named the Havana
Syndrome and it further soured the relationship between the countries.
What sanctions can US place listing a country under State Sponsor of Terrorism List?
The United States can place four categories of sanctions on countries that are part of the list.
They are as follows:

 Restrictions on US foreign assistance

 Ban on defence exports and sales
 Controls over exports of dual use items
 Miscellaneous financial and other restrictions
Supreme Court suspends implementation of Farms Laws

January 12, 2021
The Supreme Court recently suspended the implementation of three farm laws to end the
disagreement between the farmers and Government of India.
What was the judgement pronounced by the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court has directed to form a committee to resolve the issue. The apex court also
indicated that it was highly disappointed with the negotiation process between the farmers
union and the union government. The central government and the farmer unions were unable
come to a conclusion even after eight rounds of talks.
What are the Farm Laws?
The three farm laws that were recently enacted by the Union Government are as follows:
 Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm

Services Act, 2020. This act creates a national framework for contract farming
between farmer and buyer.
 Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020. The
act permits inter-state and intra-state trade of farmers produce beyond the premises of
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC). The act abolished market fee. It
allows electronic trading. Also, it facilitates lucrative prices for the farmers through
alternative trading channels to promote barrier free inter-state and intra-state trade of
agricultural produce.
 Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Why are the farmers protesting against the Farm Laws?
The laws lay the framework to sell the produce directly to the corporates. The farmers do not
trust the corporates. According to the farmers, this might end the Minimum Support Price
system in the country.

Why are the protests high in Punjab and Haryana?
The agriculture in Punjab and Haryana is high as Green revolution was first introduced in
these states. So are the MSP procurement in these states. Around 89% of rice produced in
Punjab and 85% produced in Haryana are procured by the Government.
India-UAE MoU for Scientific and Technical Cooperation

January 13, 2021
The Union Cabinet recently approved India-UAE Memorandum of Understanding for

Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
What are the Key Features of India-UAE MoU?
 The MoU provides sharing of knowledge between the countries

 It will also allow to share information of data from satellites, radar, tide gauges,
meteorological stations.
 MoU also allows the countries to share knowledge of operational products for
seismological and oceanic services.
 To exchange experiences in terms of research scholars, scientists, specialists, etc.
 To exchange technical and scientific information.
 To deploy meteorological observation networks
 Cooperation in early warnings of dust and sand storms through exchange of
knowledge
 Cooperation in the field of seismology. This includes study of seismic activities that
has potential to generate Tsunami waves in Oman sea and Arabian sea.
 Sharing of real time seismic data
 Cooperation to support Tsunami Early Warning Centre designed to support Tsunami
forecasting operations.
Why is the MoU important?
The weather services enhance the efficiency of weather dependent sectors of the economy.
This includes agriculture and transport. The global cooperation in this field is highly
important to modernize weather and forecasting services. This in turn will strengthen the
resilience of the countries to fight against climate change and related disasters.

Also, both UAE and India are located in the same region of the World Meteorological
Organization. The WMO divides the countries into six regions. The WMO is a specialised
agency that promotes international cooperation in climatology, science, hydrology and
geophysics. Therefore, it is important for India to sign such MoUs to increase cooperation
among its regional partners.
India-UAE
UAE occupies key role in West Asia Policy of India. UAE accounts to 8% of oil imports of
India.
Health Ministry Kayakalp Awards

January 13, 2021
The Kayakalp Awards are presented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare annually
to the health facilities with the highest standards of sanitation and hygiene. Recently, the
Kayakalp awards for the year 2019-20 was presented.
Key Highlights
 The Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research

(JIPMER) was awarded the second prize under the Kayakalp Awards scheme.
JIPMER received the prize under the Group A Central facilities category, hospitals
having more than thousand beds. Earlier, it had received second place in 2018-19 and
third place in 2017-18.
 AIIMS Bhubaneswar has received the best central government hospital under
Category B of the Kayakalp Awards for cleanliness for the third consecutive time.
Earlier, it had received the award in 2018 and 2019 becoming the second cleanliest
hospital in the country. Category B holds hospitals with less than thousand beds.
 The Rairangpur Sub Divisional Hospital of Mayurbhanj district was felicitated as the
best Sub-divisional hospital community health centre category.
 Rani Durgavati Hospital received the award for the fourth time consecutively.
What are the factors considered to present Kayakalp Awards?
Waste Management, Hospital Upkeep, Sanitation and Hygiene, Infection Control, hygiene
promotion, support services and beyond hospital boundary.

When was the Kayakalp Award Scheme launched?
2015.
What are the objectives of Kayakalp Awards Scheme?
 The scheme aims to incentivize public health care facilities that show high
performance in following protocols, infection control, cleanliness and sanitation.
 It inculcates a culture of peer review of performance related to sanitation, hygiene,
infection control.
 It shares and create sustainable practices related to improving cleanliness in public
health facilities.
What is Swachh Swasth Sarvatra? How is it related to Kayakalp Awards?
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra scheme was launched in 2016. The main objective of Swachh
Swasth Sarvatra is to strengthen community health centres in open defecation blocks,
especially in the region of those Public Health Centres or hospitals that have received the
Kayakalp Awards. The following are the three main objectives of Swachh Swasth Sarvatra:
 To enable Gram Panchayats where the Kayakalp awarded Public Health Centres are
located to become Open Defecation Free.
 To strengthen the Public Health Centres to reach the Kayakalp standards through
support of Rs 10 lakhs under the National Health Mission.
 To build capacity through training in sanitation, water and hygiene.
India’s Eight Point Action Plan to UNSC to combat terrorism

January 13, 2021
The External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar recently addressed the United Nations Security
Council open debate. During his address, the minister proposed eight-point action plan.

What is the eight-point action plan proposed by India?
 All the member nations should fulfil their obligations in international counter-
terrorism conventions and instruments.
 The countries should not bring in double standards in the battle. For instance, there
are countries that support terrorism by offering financial support. Such countries are
black listed by the international bodies such as FATF (Financial Action Task Force).
These countries are being referred to double standard countries.
 The working methods of the committees dealing with counter-terrorism should be
reformed.
 The enlisting and delisting of individuals and entities under the United Nations should
be done objectively and not for political and religious considerations.
 The linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism should be
addressed vigorously.
 The FATF should continue to identify weaknesses in anti-money laundering and
counter-terror financing frameworks.
 Adequate funding should be allocated to the UN Counter terrorism bodies.
Who chaired the United Nations Security Council open debate?
Tunisia. Because Tunisia is the current President of the fifteen member UNSC body.
Who are the current 15 members of UNSC?
The UNSC is made of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. The five
permanent members are China, UK, France, Russia an USA. The ten non-permanent
members are India, Estonia, Kenya, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Niger, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Vietnam and Tunisia.
How are non-permanent member seats of the UNSC distributed?
Of the ten non-permanent member seats in the United Nations Security Council, five are for
Asian and African countries, one for Eastern European countries, two for Latin American and
Caribbean countries and two for western European countries.
There is an informal understanding between Asia and the African group to reserve one seat
for an Arab country. The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turn for every two years to put
up an Arab candidate.
Does a non-permanent member enjoy voting rights at the decisions of the United
Nations Security Council?
Yes.
New Foreign Trade Policy

January 13, 2021

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently announced that the new Foreign
Trade Policy. 2021-26 is to come into effect from April 1, 2021.
What is the goal of New Foreign Trade Policy?
To make India a 5 trillion USD economy.
What are the Key Highlights of the new Foreign Trade Policy?
 The District Export hubs are to play a major role in the new Foreign Trade Policy.
 The policy will aim to boost exports.
 It will enhance ease of doing business.
 It will bring improvements in the operations of domestic manufacturing and services
sector through infrastructure support.
 The policy will bring changes to regulatory and operational framework and lower
transactional costs.
Who are the largest trading partners of India?
Bangladesh, UK, USA, Bhutan, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Israel, Nepal,
Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Iraq.Which is the biggest export of India?
Pharmaceuticals
By which year has India set to achieve the target of 5 trillion USD?
2024
Can India achieve the target of 5 trillion USD?
If India grows at 12% nominal growth then from the 2018 levels of 2.7 trillion USD, India
can achieve 5 trillion USD by 2024.
What are challenges India should address to become a 5 trillion USD economy?
 Under-employment.
 Slowdown in agriculture
 Funding issues
 Slow pace of infrastructure development
 Export issues
What was the previous Foreign Trade Policy?

The previous foreign trade policy was implemented between 2015 and 2020. This policy
aimed to boost “Make in India” initiative. The policy merged five different schemes under
“Merchandise Export from India Scheme” (MEIS). The five different schemes were Market
Linked Focus Product Scheme, Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market scheme, VKGUY and
Infrastructure Incentive Scrip. Also, the Served from India scheme was replaced with Service
Exports from India Scheme.
RBI Working Group on Digital Lending

January 15, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently constituted a working group on digital lending. The
working group was constituted to study all aspects of digital lending activities in the
regulated and regulated financial sector. The working group will ensure that an appropriate
regulatory approach is put in the digital lending platform.
Functions of the working group
 The working group will evaluate digital lending activities in the country.
 It will assess the standards of outsourced digital lending activities of entities regulated
by the Reserve Bank of India.
 It will suggest regulatory changes to promote orderly growth of digital lending.
 The working group is to identify risks to be faced by the unregulated digital lending.
It will mainly focus on risks faced by consumers and regulated entities that are
exposed to unregulated digital lending.
 It will recommend measures to expand statutory perimeter in digital lending. Also, it
will suggest the role of various regulatory and government agencies in digital lending.
 The working group will recommend a robust fair practice code for Digital lending
players.
What are the benefits of digital lending?
 Digital lending makes the financial products and services more efficient, inclusive and
fair.
 Earlier digital lending played a peripheral supporting role. However currently it is
now at the core of the design, delivery and pricing of financial services and products.
What are the six Commandments RBI to banks on digital lending?

 The names of the digital lending platforms working as agents are to be disclosed on
the websites of banks and other non banking financial corporation.
 The digital lending platforms that are working as agents are to be directed to disclose
the details of name of the bank, customers on whose behalf they are interacting.
 The sanction letter should be issued to the borrower on letter head of the bank. This
should be done immediately after the sanction of the loan Agreement but before its
execution.
 A copy of loan Agreement should be furnished to all borrowers at the time of
disbursement of loans.
 Effective monitoring should be ensured.
 Adequate efforts should be made in successful implementation of grievance redressal
mechanism.
Pradhan Mantri Kausal Vikas Yojana 3.0

January 15, 2021
On January 15, 2021, the Government of India is to launch the third phase of Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The third Phase is to be implemented by the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.
What are the key features of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0?
 Under the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, 729 Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Kendra are to be established and more than 200 ITIs are to be rolled out
under Skill India mission. This will build a robust pool of skilled professionals.
 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0 is to train more than 1 lakh candidates for a
period of one year with an investment of 950 crores of Rupees.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana Phase 2
The phase 2 of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana was launched in 2015. It focused on
the following
 Short term training: The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas training centres provided
short term training to candidates who were school or college dropouts or unemployed.
The training was provided according to the the National Skills Qualification
Framework. The curriculum mainly focused on entrepreneurship, soft skills, digital
literacy.
 Recognition of prior learning: It focused on aligning the competencies of the
unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skills Qualification Framework.
 Special projects: The special projects of the phase consisted of those projects that
may require certain deviation from the terms and conditions of the short-term training
under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
Pradhanmantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana Phase 1
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana was launched as National Skill Development Mission
in 2010. It consisted of the following three institutions
 Prime Minister National Council on skill development

 National Skill Development Corporation
 National Skill Development co-ordination board
The main focus of the phase was to provide training to class 10 and class 12 dropouts.
What is the target of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?
The National Policy on Skill Development had set a target of skilling 50 crore people by
2022.
Who implements Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas yojana?
National Skill Development Corporation operating under Ministry of skill development and
Entrepreneurship.
Tsar Icicle
January 13, 2021

The Tsar Icicle recently collapsed killing four tourists in Russia.
What is Tsar Icicle?
The Vilyuchinsky waterfall in winter is called Tsar Icicle. The Vilyuchinsky waterfall lies in
Kamchatka peninsula. It is home to more than one hundred and sixty volcanoes. Of these
twenty-nine are still active. Many of these volcanoes are capped with glaciers. As these
glaciers melt during warm weather, they form waterfalls. One such waterfall is the
Vilyuchinsky waterfalls.
What is an Icicle?
Icicle is a spike of ice formed when water falling from an object freezes.
About Vilyuchinsk town
The Vilyuchinsk town is a closed town under Krai jurisdiction. The town served as a base for
submarine construction.
Is Vilyuchinsk Waterfall located in Ring of Fire region?
Yes.
Why is it called the Ring of Fire?
Because it forms a track around the rim of the pacific ocean. More than 75% of the earth’s
volcano is located in ring of fire.
What are the main features of ring of fire?
It has oceanic trenches, plate movements and volcanic arcs. More than 80% of the world
largest earthquakes occur along the circum-pacific belt.
What is the Ring of Fire found in Planet Venus?
While the ring of fire of the earth is formed by plate tectonics, the ring of fire of Venus is
formed by volcanism. In other words, the ring of fire in Venus is created by the same
phenomenon that produced Hawaiian islands.
The Magnellan spacecraft of NASA captured images of Venus that had unusual circular
structures called coronae. According to the scientists, the coronae were produced by the
mantle plumes of Venus. Group of these coronae have formed the ring of fire in Venus.
How were the coronae formed in planet venus?
The hot molten rocks were carried upwards by convection current that formed a mushroom
like shape at the top. As the molten rocks melted the crust, the head of the plume expanded to
form the circular structure called coronae.

RBI Financial Stability Report

January 15, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India recently released to the financial stability report for December
2020. This is the 22nd issue of financial stability report of the
apex bank. It is released twice a year.
Key Findings of the Financial Stability Report of RBI
 The Gross non-performing assets ratio of the scheduled

commercial banks is to increase to 13.5% by September 2021.
 The net NPA and GNPA ratios continue to decline. The
GNPA ratio stood at 7.5% in September 2020. On the other
hand, the NNPA the ratio stood at 2.1 % in September 2020
and at 3% in March 2020.
 According to the financial stability report, the GNPA might increase to 13.5% by
September 2021 under baseline scenario. Under severe stress scenario, the GNPA
ratio might increase to 14.8% by September 2021.
 According to the the July 2020 financial stability report prediction GNPA was to
increase from 8.5 % in March 2020 to 12.5% by March 2021. Also, the July 2020
financial stability report predicted that the GNPA ratio was to increase to 14.7 %
under severe stress test scenario.
 The loans to corporate have grown to multi quarter high of 5.65 % in March 2020
quarter.
 The financial stability report says that the long-standing trend of private and public
sector banks have been reversed. According to the report, the private bank credit has
grown rapidly and the public sector bank credit has declined.
What is GNPA?
Gross Non-Performing Assets.
What is NNPA?
Net Non-Performing Assets.
What is the difference between GNPA and NNPA?
The GNPAs are the summation of all the loan assets that are classified as non performing
asset under RBI guidelines. The NNPA subtracts the provisions made by the banks from the
gross NPA. Therefore, only NNPA gives the exact value of the non-performing assets.
Who releases Financial Stability Report?
The RBI Financial Stability Report is released by the Financial Stability and Development
Council. The idea of the council was mooted by Raghuram Rajan Committee in 2008. The
Union Finance Minister is the chairperson of the Financial Stability and Development
Council. The other members include RBI Governor and other senior officials of RBI.

CollabCAD software
January 15, 2021
The National Informatics centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
jointly launched the CollabCAD software.
About CollabCAD Software
The CollabCAD software provides engineering solution for students and Faculty of
Engineering Graphics curriculum. It aims to provide a platform to students across the country
to create and modify digital designs.
The aim is to provide a good platform to the students of Atal tinkering labs across the
country. With the software the students of Atal tinkering labs will be able to create and
modify 3D designs with free flow of creativity. It will enable students to create data across
the network and access the same design data for storage and visualisation.
Key Features of CollabCAD software
 The software runs on zone Linux and OS platform .

 It is available in both standalone and client server mode.
Tinker from Home

The Tinker from Home Campaign was launched by the Atal tinkering lab programme to
ensure that the children in India have access to easy to learn online resources. The objective
is to use the creativity of children by encouraging self initiatio.
Atal Tinkering Labs
The Atal Tinkering Labs aim to “cultivate 1 million children in India as neoteric innovators”.
The Atal innovation mission will provide one time establishment cost of 10 lakh rupees and
operational expenses of another 10 lakh rupees to each Atal tinkering lab. This financial
support will be provided for maximum period of 5 years.
Any school can set up Atal tinkering lab. The only criteria is that the applicant school should
provide at least 1500 square feet of built up space. On the other hand, an applicant school in a
hilly region or Island State should provide at least 1,000 square feet of built-up space.
ISRO role in Atal Tinkering Labs
Recently the Indian Space Research Organisation adopted hundred Atal tinkering Labs. This
will promote scientific temperament among students and will encourage them to learn space
related Technologies.
Joe Biden’s 1.9 trillion USD plan

January 15, 2021
The United States President elect Joe Biden recently announced 1.9 USD “American rescue
plan”. It is a covid-19 stimulus package.
Key features
 The plan will provide 130 billion USD to help the schools in the United States to
reopen safely within the first hundred days of the presidency of Biden.
 Eligible individuals are to be provided with 1,400 USD of stimulus payments.
 The package includes 415 billion USD to bolster the response to covid-19 virus and
also to roll out the covid-19 vaccine.
 The package includes one trillion USD direct relief to households.
 it will provide 440 billion USD to develop the small businesses and communities
particularly to those that are hardly hit by the covid-19 pandemic.

 And unemployment insurance of 400 USD per week is to be provided. Earlier it was
300 USD per week.
Covid-19 vaccine in United States
According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and prevention more than 9
million Americans have been provided with the covid-19 vaccination dose as of January 11,
2021.
Recently the United States Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use
authorisation of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The moderna vaccine was the second vaccine to
receive emergency use authorisation in the country.
Operation Warp Speed
It is a public private partnership that was initiated in the United States to facilitate and
accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of covid-19 vaccine. The
operation was launched by the government of United States. It was announced in May 2020.
The operation promotes mass production of multiple vaccines and fast distribution. It
promotes different types of vaccine Technology. The operation was initially funded with 10
billion USD from the CARES Act.
CARES Act of US
CARES Act is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. It was a 2.2 trillion
USD economic stimulus Bill passed by the US Congress in March 2020 in response to the
economic fallout of covid-19 pandemic in the United States of America. It included three
hundred billion USD of one-time cash payment to individual Americans, 350 billion USD to
the small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Programme, 260 billion USD to increase
unemployment benefits.
Office for International Affairs in Education institutions

January 16, 2021
The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently asked the higher education institutes
across the country to establish an office for international affairs.

About the Office of International Affairs
 The Office of International Affairs will be an integral part of internationalisation of

higher education in India.
 They will be responsible for academic and research collaborations with foreign
institutes.
 The Offices will act as a liaison body between foreign students and sponsoring
agency.
 It will address the grievances of foreign students.
 The Office for International affairs will facilitate networking and extend all support to
foreign students to adapt to the country.
 The office will disseminate information related to admission process among
prospective foreign students.
 It will engage in promotional activities and brand campaigns abroad.
 The Office will coordinate all matters related to welcoming and supporting foreign
students.
Background
Under the New Education Policy, 2020, the Government of India asked colleges to expand
global outreach of Indian higher education institutes to promote India as a global study
destination. The offices are being set up to achieve this goal of the policy.
Recent Developments
The UGC recently amended its regulations allowing Institutions of eminence to set up
campuses abroad. The Institutions of Eminence have to receive No-Objection certificates
from Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs to set up their campuses
abroad. Currently there are eighteen Institutions of Eminence.
Institutions of Eminence
The UGC has nominated twenty Institutions as Institutions of Eminence. The nominations
were made based on the recommendations of Empowered Expert Committee headed by N
Gopalaswami. Only those institutions that appear in the global or national ranks shall be
recommended for the Institutions of Eminence status. The public institutions are assessed
based on the QS-2020 world ranking. The private institutions are assessed based on National
Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF). The institutes that do not appear in QS-2020, QS-
2019, NIRF are excluded from the Institutes of Eminence tag.
Pakistan permits Dubai Royals to hunt “Houbara Bustard”

January 16, 2021

Pakistan recently issued special permits to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-
Maktoum and five other members of their family to hunt Houbara Bustard during the 2020-
21 hunting season.
Key Highlights
The controversial private hunting expeditions of Houbara Bustard by the Dubai Royals date
back over four decades. The hunting continued even after the Pakistan Supreme Court
imposed a blanket ban on the killing of Houbara Bustard in 2015. However, the order was
reversed.
About Houbara Bustard
The Houbara Bustard is a large terrestrial bird found in the parts of Asia, Africa and middle
east. After breeding in central Asia during spring, the Houbara bustards migrate south to
spend the winter in Pakistan.
International Fund for Houbara Conservation
According to the International Fund for Houbara Conservation, currently there are only
42,000 Asian Houbara Bustards and 22,000 North African Houbara Bustard.
What are the concerns?
Over the four decades, the Pakistan foreign ministry extended yearly invitations to the
wealthy and powerful Arabs for hunting the Houbara Bustard in the deserts of Punjab and
Balochistan to strengthen their relations with the Arabs. The Arabs kill the birds for sport and
also for their meat. The meat of Houbara Bustard is said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Pakistan permits the Arabs to hunt a total of 100 bustards in a designated area during a ten-
day safari. However, in 2014, a Saudi Arabian prince shot more than thousands of Houbara
bustards during a three-week hunting safari. This created nationwide outrage from
conservationists.
India and Arab in hunting
Similar expeditions had taken place in India as well in the borders of Rajasthan. The Arabs
used to hunt Great Indian Bustard in the borders. The practice was banned in 1972.
Conservation
 Great Indian Bustard: Critically Endangered (IUCN)

 Houbara Bustard: Vulnerable (IUCN)
Impeachment of Donald Trump

January 16, 2021
The US President Donald Trump has become the first president of the country to be
impeached twice.
Impeachment of Donald Trump
The House of Representatives of the United States recently voted to charge President Trump
with inciting mob attack on US Congress. Recently President Trump instructed his supporters
to March into the US Capitol building to overturn the US Presidential elections held in 2020.
This ended up in an armed standoff.
US Constitutional Provisions
The United States constitution says that there are two ways to punish an impeached official.
One is to remove the impeached official from his office and disqualify him to hold any office
of honour, profit or trust under the United States Government. The second way is to remove
an official by convicting with two third majority from the US Senate. Only a simple majority
is needed for disqualification.
Grounds of impeachment of US President
The US President can be impeached based on accusation such as treasons, high crime, bribery
and misdemeanors.
On what grounds is an Indian President impeached?

Violation of constitution.
Process of impeachment of US President
 Firstly, the House of representatives of the United States has to vote for the charges
framed against the president.
 After the passage of votes with simple majority, the president is impeached. However,
he is not removed from the office.
 In the next phase of the impeachment process, US Senate, that is, the upper house is
convened like a court. The hearings are held and the President shall be removed from
office only if two thirds of the Senate vote for it.
Process of impeachment of an Indian President
 The impeachment charges of an Indian President are initiated either in Lok Sabha or
in Rajya Sabha.
 After the impeachment resolution is passed by majority of two thirds in one house, it
is sent to the other house. The other house investigates the charges.
 If the other house also sustains the charges, an impeachment resolution is brought in.
 If the impeachment resolution is passed with two-thirds majority, the president is said
to be impeached.
Prarambh: Startup India International Summit

January 16, 2021
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to interact with the startups and address Startup India
International Summit, Prarambh.
About the Summit
The Startup India International Summit is organised by Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal trade (DPIIT) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The summit is being
organised as a follow-up of the announcement made by the prime minister Modi at the 4th
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic cooperation, BIMSTEC
Summit held in 2018 at Kathmandu, Nepal. During the Summit India also committed to host
the BIMSTEC Startup Conclave.
Significance of the Summit

 The Summit will bring together speakers from all over the world. This will facilitate
discussions on innovation, technologies, robust policies and enable international
organisations and governments to share their views and thereby driving them to solve
the problems and challenges.
 The Summit also marks the 5th anniversary of Startup India initiative. The startup
India initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, 2016.
 The Summit will be the largest startup conclave being organised by the Government
of India since the launch of startup India initiative. More than 25 countries and 200
global speakers are to participate in the Summit.
Objective of the Summit
The main objective of the Summit is to focus attention of global capital for startups in India,
provide opportunities for accessing International markets to the startups in the country,
mobilize domestic capital and evolve enabling policy provisions.
Startup India
The Startup India initiative was launched to promote and support the startup in India by
providing bank finances. The three main pillars of the startup India scheme are as follows:
 To provide funding support and incentives to the startup in the country

 To provide industry Academy partnership
 Simplification and handholding
Also, the Startup India initiative focuses discarding restrictive state government policies such
as Land permissions, licence Raj, foreign investment proposals and environmental clearance
rest.
India-Japan MoU in ICT sector

January 16, 2021
India and Japan recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation in

the field of Information and Communications Technology. The agreement included
standardization of 5G as well.
Key Features of the Agreement

India and Japan will enhance cooperation in the field of telecom security, 5G technologies,
submarine optical fiber cable system to islands of India, smart cities, spectrum management,
high altitude platform for broadband in unconnected areas, public safety and disaster
management.
India-Japan
In September 2020, India and Japan signed Military Logistics Agreement. The agreement
allowed the countries to exchange supplies and services on a reciprocal basis. Japan was the
sixth country with which India signed the agreement after US, France, Singapore, South
Korea and Australia.
Japan has committed to manufacture 30% of Indian aircrafts. This will increase defence
manufacturing of India.
India-Japan Nuclear Deal
India and Japan signed the nuclear deal in 2015. Under the agreement, Japan can supply
nuclear reactors, fuel and technology to India. The Agreement allows India to purchase
nuclear reactors with more than 1,000 MW capacity. India will get nuclear breeder
technology and nuclear fuel fabrication technology from Japan. India is the only non-NPT
(Non-Proliferation Treaty) signatory with which Japan has entered into a civil nuclear deal.
Military Exercises
India and Japan Armies held the first “Dharma Guardian” exercise in 2018. Also, the Indian
and Japanese Air Force held their first bilateral exercise called “Shinyuu Maitri” in 2018.
India, United States and Japan hold Malabar Naval exercise annually on regular basis.
Maritime Domain Awareness
The defence cooperation between India and Japan has helped in steady progress of Maritime
Domain Awareness. The Maritime Domain Awareness is the understanding associated with
global maritime domain. India has two centres specially dedicated for Maritime Domain
Awareness. They are as follows
 Information Management and Analysis Centre, IMAC

 Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)
The centres are located at Gurugram.

Drone Swarming
January 18, 2021
Recently on Army Day (January 15, 2021), the Indian Army displayed its combat drones that
are part of the Swarm Technology.
What are Swarm drones?
Swarm drones are lightweight drones that carry multiple packages to a single destination at a
time. In simple words, multiple drones are engaged in a single operation. Here, multiple
drones receive commands from a single drone. They overcome single drone’s payload and
battery limitations. They work on swarm intelligence. Swarm Intelligence is the collective
behaviour of decentralized and self-organized Systems.
Key features
 The Swarm drones of Indian Army has a range of 50 kilometres. These drones can
make deep in roads behind enemy lines with the capability to hit the target from a
distance of 500 metres.
 The drones carry out randomised sonic missions using artificial intelligence. They are
driven by continuous satellite feeds.
 These drones can also be used for dropping food, ammunition, medicine and other
special needs for soldiers positioned in locations cut away from supply lines.
Child Drone and Mother Drone
In the Swarm Drone Technology, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a mother drone that is
attached to a child Drone. The child Drone is meant to fire and self-destroy after hitting the
target.
Current Scenario
The Indian Army had only 5 combat drones in August 2020. The Drone capabilities of the
Indian Army has been enhanced with the induction of 75 indigenous unmanned aerial
vehicles. These UAVs can be used for surveillance and also to carry out targeted strikes.
Background

The Indian Army has purchased more of combat drones as the tensions escalated with China
in the region of Ladakh. Also, the ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the line of control has
increased.
Artificial intelligence offensive Drone operations
The Indian Army has taken up several technology initiatives in coordination with startups.
The Artificial Intelligence Offensive Drone Operations is one such project that has been
incubated with an Indian startup. It aims to develop high tech swarm drones for Indian Army.
Jallikattu event in Tamil Nadu

January 16, 2021
With the assembly elections are to be held in Tamil Nadu in 2021, Jallikattu, a traditional
bull-taming sport of the state has caught the attention of the political parties in the country.
The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently attended the Jallikattu event.
About Jallikattu sport
The Jallikattu is a two-thousand-year-old competitive sport and an event that honours bull
owners who rear them for mating. It is a violent sport. During Jallikattu, the contestants try to
tame the bull for a prize. If the contestants fail, the bull owner wins the prize.
Why is Jallikattu important?
The sport is a traditional way of preserving pure breed native bulls for the peasant
community. Currently, cattle breeding has become an artificial process. The conservationists
argue that Jallikattu is the best way to protect the male animals which otherwise are used only
for meat.
What are the popular native cattle breeds used in Jallikattu?
Pulikulam, Kangayam, Umbalachery, Malai and Bargur are the popular native cattle breeds
used for Jallikattu.
What were the issues related to Jallikattu?
In 2011, the central government added bulls to the list of animals whose training and
exhibition were prohibited. Later in 2014, the Supreme Court banned Jallikattu sport.
Currently, the state government of Tamil Nadu has legalised Jallikattu events. In 2018, the

Supreme court referred the case of Jallikattu to a constitutional bench. The case is still
pending.
Concerns were raised under Article 29(1) against ban on Jallikattu. Article 29 (1) provides
rights to Indian citizens to preserve their script, language and culture.
Jallikattu in other states
In Karnataka Jallikattu is called Kambala. The Karnataka Government too passed a law to
save the sport. Except in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the sport is banned in other states such
as Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Difficult Four Countries

January 18, 2021
The Chatham House recently published a report proposing a blueprint for foreign policy of
UK after Brexit. The report classed India as one of the
“difficult four” countries along with China, Saudi Arabia and
Turkey.
Key Highlights of the report
 The report was titled “Global Britain, Global Broker”.

 The report points that the complex fragmented domestic
politics in India makes it one of the countries resistant to open
trade and foreign investment.
 The report raises concerns over pursuance of India in
extreme right-winged policies.
 With Indian politics entering ethno-nationalist phase, D10 coalition might end up as
D9 damaging the relations between India and UK. Ethnonationalism is a form of
nationalism where the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity.
 The report criticizes India for its diplomatic behaviour. According to the report, India
did not join the group of countries that criticized China at the United Nations General
Assembly held in 2019. The UN Members criticized China for its human rights
violations in Xinjiang. Also, India stayed silent over the National Security Law in
Hong Kong.
Implication of India as a Difficult Four countries
By grouping India as one of the Difficult Four countries, UK has destined India to count
among its rivals or awkward counterparts as it pursued global goals.
Chatham House
The Chatham House is also called the Royal Institute of International Affairs. The Chatham
House aims to promote debate on significant developments in international affairs and policy

responses. It is usually used as a source of information by experts on matters involving major

international issue.
D10
The D10 group of countries was proposed by Britain. The D10 group will include all the G7
countries and additionally India, Australia and South Korea. D10 means Ten biggest
democracies in the world.
Ndrangheta
January 18, 2021
The Italian authorities believe that the Ndrangheta Mafia is responsible for controlling the
massive amount of cocaine entering Europe from South America. This was confirmed by the
Italian Government after a massive mafia trial targeting the Ndrangheta group.
Ndrangheta
The Ndrangheta is a prominent Italian Mafia based in the region of Calabria. The Mafia has
been in existence since 18th century. The first official report of Ndrangheta was submitted in
1792 during the reign of the Bourbons of Naples. The House of Bourbon ruled Southern Italy
and Sicily for more than a century during 18th and 19th century.
According to the US, money laundering activities, narcotics trafficking account to 3% of

Italy’s GDP. The annual revenue of Ndrangheta is about 50 billion USD to 60 billion USD.
Ndrangheta is also active in other countries such as Albania, Australia, Argentina, Belgium,
Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Switzerland, Slovakia, UK,
Uruguay and USA.
According to EUROPOL (European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation),

Ndrangheta is the most powerful organized crime groups in the world.
EUROPOL
EUROPOL was formed in 1998 to handle criminal intelligence and combat serious
international organised crime and terrorism. EUROPOL has no executive powers. The

officials of EUROPOL cannot arrest the suspects without prior approval from competent
authorities.
Calabria
Calabria is the region where the Ndrangheta are highly powerful. The region is located in
southern Italy. The region is bordered by Ionian sea in the east and Tyrrhenian sea in the
west. The Strait of Messina separate Calabria from Sicily. The Sicilian Mafia is considered to
be one of the closest allies of Ndrangheta.
Allies of Ndrangheta
The allies of Ndrangheta mafia are Camorra, Sacra Corona Unita, Societa foggiana, Stidda,
Albanian Mafia, American Mafia, Primeiro Comando da Capital.
The Camorra, Sicilian Mafia, Sacra Corona Unita, Stidda and Societa foggiana are located in
Italy. Primeiro Comando da Capital is located in Brazil.
Flint Water Crisis

January 18, 2021
Nine former officials who served in the Michigan, US and the state’s former governor Rick
Snyder were recently charged in connection with a criminal investigation into the Flint Water
crisis.
Flint Water Crisis
The Flint Water Crisis is an ongoing investigation on public health crisis. The issue began
when the City of Flint in the state of Michigan shifted its water supply from Lake Huron to
Flint river. The city has a population of 100,000 people. The shift caused water distribution
pipes to corrode. This resulted in leaching of lead and other contaminants into the municipal
drinking water. The city suffered from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease due to the
leaching of lead. This is referred to as Flint Water crisis.
The main reason behind crisis is that the officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the
water.
Legionnaires’ disease

The disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. According to US

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, people get sick from the disease if they breathe or
accidentally swallow the bacteria containing water. There are no vaccines available for the
disease. The disease can be prevented by good maintenance of water systems.
State Emergency due to Flint Water Crisis
The outbreak of the disease was very serious that the State of Michigan declared a state of
emergency in 2016. The residents were advised not to drink municipal tap water unless it was
filtered.
Flint river
The Flint river is also called the Thronateeska river.
Lead Poisoning
It is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead. Lead poisoning causes almost 10% of
intellectual disability and can result in behavioural problems. Pre-industrial human Blood
Lead Level are estimated to have 0.016 micro grams of lead per deci-litres. This increased
from 0.8 to 3.2 micro grams per deci litres. The US Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention has identified 10 micro grams per deci litres of lead in blood level as a level of
concern.
US National Rifle Association

January 18, 2021
The United States National Rifle Association recently filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11
of the bankruptcy code. The association filed for bankruptcy
in order to avoid being investigated by New York Attorney
General.
Background
The New York Attorney General had sued the National Rifle
Association in August 2020 based on allegations that the
association top executives diverted millions of dollars for
their personal trips.
United States Rifle Association
It is a non-profit organisation formed by the civil war veterans General George Wingate and
Colonel William C Church in 1871. The organization was formed to promote and encourage
rifle shooting on scientific basis. It is considered as the most influential pro-gun organisation
in the US. The critics believe that the organisation is an enabler of gun violence in the
country.

NRA teaches firearm safety and competency. It publishes several magazines and sponsors
competitive marksmanship events. As of December 2018, the NRA consisted of more than
five million members.
The major efforts of NRA were the Firearm Owners Protection Act that lessened the
restrictions of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Dickey amendment that blocked the
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention from using federal funds to advocate for gun
control.
The US National Rifle Association was formed in line with the British National Rifle
Association that was formed a year and a half earlier.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865. The civil war began as a result
of long-standing enslavement of Black people. The NRA is believed to be an outcome of the
civil war.
Arms Trade Treaty
The National Rifle Association recently opposed the Arms Trade Treaty. The Arms Trade
Treaty is a multilateral treaty that regulates international trade. More than 109 states have
ratified the treaty. The treaty is an attempt to regulate international trade of conventional
weapons.
Iron Ore Policy, 2021

January 18, 2021

The Ministry of Railways recently approved a new Iron Ore Policy. The policy is to come
into effect on February 10, 2021. The Iron Ore Policy governs the allocation of rakes and
transportation of iron-ore.
About Iron Ore Policy
 The rake allotment system module is to be updated by the Centre for Railway
Information Systems (CRIS).
 The policy will provide high priority to the movement of iron-ore for domestic
manufacturing activity. Within the domestic movement, higher priority is to be
provided to steel, sponge iron, pig iron, pellet or sinter plant owning customers with
private sliding at loading and unloading ends. These customers will be followed by
those with private sliding of their own and relying on public goods sheds.
 The policy has categorized movement of iron ore based on the availability of railway
infrastructure developed by customers. Also, the nature of movement will be in such a
way to maximize iron-ore movement by rail.
Iron Ore and Indian Railways
Iron ore is the second most important stream of traffic of Indian Railways. Iron ore and steel
together account for more than 17% of total freight loading of Indian Railways (2019-20
data). The total freight loading of Indian Railways is 1,210 tonnes. Of this, 153.35 million
tonnes are of iron ore and 53.81 million tonnes are of steel.
Centre for Railway Information System
The Centre for Railway Information System designs, develops, implements and maintains the
information system of Indian Railways. It was established in 1986. The major projects of
CRIS are computerization of freight operations, passenger reservation system, NGeT (Next
Generation e-ticketing), computerization of Indian Railways Unreserved ticketing system,
national train enquiry system, rail budget compilation system, etc.
Iron Ore in India
The total recoverable reserves of iron ore in India are 9,602 million tonnes of hematite and
3,408 million tonnes of magnetite. The principal states producing iron ore in India are
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
Central Adoption Resource Authority

January 18, 2021

The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) recently celebrated its 6th annual day on
January 15, 2021. The annual day is celebrated on January 15 because CARA was granted
the status of statutory body on this day under Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice act, 2015.
About CARA
 Central Adoption Resource Authority operates under the Ministry of Women and
Child development. It acts as the nodal body for the adoption of Indian children. It
monitors and regulate inter country and in country adoptions.
 CARA has been designated as the central authority to deal with intercountry adoption
according to the provisions of Hague convention on intercountry adoption, 1993.
India ratified Hague convention in 2003.
 CARA mainly deals with the adoption of abandoned, for fun and surrendered children
through its recognised adoption Agencies.
Hague convention
The convention protects children against the risks of irregular, illegal and premature
adoptions all over the world. It has created safeguards to make sure that the intercountry
adoptions are in the best interests of the children.
Challenges faced by CARA
Between 2015 and 2019, CARA faced several instances of disruption. Disruption are those
circumstances where an adoption is stopped after the child is placed in an adoptive home.
According to CARA, six in 400 children are being returned at advanced stages of adoption.
Between countries that are not signatories of Hague convention, the authorities in both
countries do not agree in certain terms.
Adoptions in India
On an average there are 4000 legal adoption in India.
Way forward
The major challenge faced by Central Adoption Resource Authority is that the child is unable
to forget the relationship it had developed with the earlier family. In order to resolve this, post
adoption trauma therapy shall be adopted. Psychological conditions of the parents and their
background should be checked properly before adoption.

Thiruvalluvar
January 18, 2021
The state of Tamil Nadu celebrates Thiruvalluvar Day during Pongal celebrations. Every
year, the Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated on the second day of Tamil month “thai”.
Thiruvalluvar
 Thiruvalluvar is a Tamil poet and is best known as the author of Thirukkural.

Thirukkural is a collection of couplets on political and economic matters, ethics and
love.
 There are no known details about the life of Thiruvalluvar. However, he is believed to
have lived near Chennai between fourth and sixth century.
 In 2005, a research team from the Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research
Centre (KHCRC) claimed that Valluvar was born in Thirunayanarkurichi,
Kanyakumari. This claim was based on an old Kani tribal leader. According to the
research team, Thiruvalluvar ruled the Valluvanadu territory in the hilly tracts of
Kanyakumari.
 Apart from Thirukkural, Thiruvalluvar has also written “Gnana Vettiyan” and
“Pancharathnam”. These books contribute to tamil science, siddha medicines and
literature.
About Thirukkural
The Kural (couplet) literature has three parts. They are aram (virtue), porul (wealth) and
inbam (love). The couplets aim at attaining ultimate salvation.
Tribute to Thiruvalluvar
In 1976, Valluvar Kottam was built in Chennai. It houses one of the largest auditoriums in
Asia. A 133-foot-tall statue of Thiruvalluvar was built at Kanyakumari. The number 133 has
its significance. Thirukkural written by the legend has 1330 couplets and the couplets are
divided into 133 sections. Thus the height of the statue of Thiruvalluvar is 133 foot.
G U Pope

George Uglow Pope translated Thirukkural in English. He came to India under Anglican
Christian Missions He lived in 19th century. He spent more than forty years in Tamil Nadu
and translated tamil literature in English.
Other translations of Thirukkural
Thirukkural was translated into Latin in 1730. This helped to make the work known to
European intellectuals.
Aero India 21 app

January 18, 2021
The Aero India-21 mobile application was recently launched by the Union Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh. The mobile app will act as a handy interactive interface for all the issues
related to Aero India 2021. The application has features to support the attendees, exhibitors
and media of Aero India 21.
Aero India 21
 The Aero India is a biennial air show held in Bengaluru. It is organised by the
Defence Exhibition Organisation operating under the Ministry of Defence. This year,
the Aero India is being conducted under the theme “Runaway to a Billion
Opportunities”. Aero India-21 is the first hybrid event where the business element
will happen both physically and virtually.
 The first edition of Aero India was held in 1996.
 The Aero India 21 is to be held in line with the Draft Defence Production and export
Promotion Policy 2020.
Defence Exhibition Organisation
The Defence Exhibition Organisation was established in 1981. It was established to promote
the export potential of the Indian defence industry. It is responsible for organizing
international exhibitions such as DEFEXPO.
Draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy, 2020
 Currently the size of the Defence industry is Rs 80,000 crores. Of this the contribution
of public sector is Rs 63,000 crores and that of private sector is Rs 17,000 crores. The

policy aims to increase the participation of the private sector helping India achieve its
Atma Nirbhar goals.
 The main objective of the policy is to achieve a turn over of Rs 1,75,000 crores
including exports of Rs 35,000 crores by 2025.
 The policy aims to reduce defence imports and boost “Make in India” initiative.
 A negative list of weapons was notified The policy aims to update the list at least once
a year.
 The two defence corridors in the country located in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are
to e targeted by providing additional support.
International Migration 2020

January 18, 2021
The United Nations recently released the report “International Migration 2020 Highlights”.
According to the report, the Indian diaspora is the largest in
the world. More than 18 million people from India were
living outside India as of 2020.
Key Findings of the report
 The other countries with large diaspora are Mexico,

China, Russia and Syria.
 According to the report, India’s diaspora is distributed
across a number of major countries such as UAE (3.5
million), Saudi Arabia (2.5 million) and US (2.7 million).
 The other countries hosting large number of migrants from India are Oman, Australia,
Kuwait, Canada, Qatar, Pakistan and UK.
 Between 2000 and 2020, the size of migrant population has grown in all countries.
During his period, India experienced the largest gain at nearly ten million. India was
followed by Syria, Venezuela, China and Philippines. The countries where the
migrant population increased during this period are Armenia, India, Ukraine,
Pakistan, Tanzania, Ukraine.
 The migration of India was motivated by labour and family reasons.
 The United States was the largest country of destination of international migrants.
There were more than 51 million migrants in the US as of 2020. This is equal to 18%
of the total migration population of the world.
 The US was followed by Germany. Germany hosted the second largest migrants
worldwide holding more than 16 million migration population. Germany was
followed by Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UK.
 The COVID-19 has slowed down the growth in the stock of international migrants by
around two million by mid-2020. This is 27% less than the growth expected since
2019.
 The growth in the number of international migrants has reached 281 million. It was
173 million in 2000 and 221 million in 2010. Currently, the total international
migrants are about 3.6% of the world population.

 In terms of regional migration corridors, the central and southern Asia to Northern
Africa and Western Asia grew the most. In these corridors the migrant population
almost tripled between 2000 and 2020.
SAKSHAM Awareness Campaign

January 18, 2021
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently launched SAKSHAM awareness
campaign. The campaign was launched to spread awareness about green energy.
About SAKSHAM
The campaign will spread awareness about clean energy. It is a one-month long people
centric fuel conservation campaign. The campaign is to be launched by the Petroleum
Conservation Research Association (PCRA). The campaign is to create awareness in seven
key drivers namely greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels, moving towards
gas based economy, cleaner use of fossil fuels, achieving renewable targets with the set
deadlines, increased use of electric vehicles to decarbonize mobility, increased use of cleaner
fuels and digital innovation across all energy systems.
Green Energy Schemes in India
Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM)

The PM-KUSUM scheme covers grid connected renewable energy power plants, grid
connected agriculture pumps and solar water pumps. The scheme aims to install 10,000 MW
of decentralised grid connected renewable energy power plants. It will install standalone off
grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs. Also, it will solarise the existing grid-
connected agriculture pumps. With this the farmers can sell the surplus solar power generated
to the Discoms.
Grid Connected Roof top Solar Programme

The programme aims to achieve a cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW of Rooftop solar power
projects by 2022. In a grid connected rooftop solar power project, DC power generated is
converted into AC power using power conditioning unit and is then fed into the grid. The

main objective of the solar programme is to promote solar power generating plants among the
residential, institutional and community establishments.
National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy
The main aim of the policy is to provide a framework to promote large grid connected wind-
solar hybrid system. It aims to encourage new technology and way-outs involving combined
operation of solar and wind power plants.
National Offshore Wind Energy Policy
The policy was notified in 2015. The main objective of the policy is to develop offshore wind
energy in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone. The policy has identified eight zones that
have cumulative offshore wind energy potential of 70 GW.
PM Modi to attend G7 Summit [All about G7]

January 19, 2021

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently invited PM Modi to attend G7 summit. UK
has invited Australia and South Korea as well. Earlier, UK had proposed the idea of D10.
D10 includes members of G7 and India, Australia and South Korea.
About G7
G7 was originally formed in 1975. The members are USA, Canada, Germany, France, Japan,
Italy, UK. Russia was formally inducted as a member of the group in 1998. With this G7
became G8. However, when Russia moved its troops into eastern Ukraine and conquered
Crimea in 2014, the other G8 countries criticized Russia heavily. They subsequently
suspended Russia from G8. With this, the G8 again became G7 in 2014.
For a country to become the member of G7, it must hold high net national wealth and high
Human Development Index.
Working of G7 summit
The G7 annual summit is presided over by leaders of its member countries on rotational
basis. The summit is an informal gathering that is held for two days. During the summit, the
leaders discuss global issues. The ground work of the summit is done by the “Sherpas”.
Sherpas are the personal representatives or members of ambassadors of G7 members.
Importance of G7
The decisions taken at G7 have huge impact globally as the members are the major economic
powers. They represent 58% of global net wealth. However, the decisions taken at G7 are not
legally binding but has strong political influence.
Five of the seven members of G7, US, Italy, Japan, France, Germany have the largest proven
reserves of gold.
Criticisms
G7 attracts thousands of protestors. The protestors claim that G7 has no representatives from
Africa and other middle eastern countries. The protest groups use worldwide platform as a
stage to loby and campaign on issues that are important to them. Also, several claim that G7
is increasing the gap between the developed and developing countries and is making the fight
against poverty more difficult.

Special Marriage Act

January 18, 2021
The Allahabad High Court recently ruled that couples planning to marry under Special
Marriage Act shall choose not to publish thirty-day notice before registering their marriage.
According to the judgement, the provisions of the act invade the fundamental rights of liberty
and privacy. That is, putting a prior notice that provides the details of the bride and groom
invades their privacy.
Special Marriage Act, 1954
It is an act that was enacted to provide special form of marriage in certain cases. This
includes validating and registering interreligious and inter caste marriages. The three main
objectives of Special Marriage act are as follows:
 To provide registration for certain special marriages

 To provide special form of marriage in certain cases
 To provide divorce
Applicability of Special Marriage Act, 1954
The Special Marriage Act is applicable to:
 Any person irrespective of his or her religion

 All the Indians living abroad
Requirements under Special Marriage Act, 1954
The Special Marriage Act does not demand rites or ceremonies. Rather it is a civil contract.
Both the parties signing the contract have to file a notice of intended marriage to the Marriage
Registrar of the district. In this, one of the parties should have resided in the district for not
less than thirty days. After thirty days of such notice and if the marriage is not objected by
any person the marriage may be solemnized. Now, this formality of thirty-day notice has
been cancelled by the Allahabad High Court under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
Conditions in Special Marriage Act, 1954
The conditions under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 are as follows:

 The marriage should be monogamous for both the partners.

 The bride should have attained the age of 18 years and the groom should be at least 21
years old.
 Both the parties should be competent in regard to their mental capacity to give
consent for the marriage.
Open Skies Treaty

January 18, 2021
Russia recently announced that it is withdrawing from the “Open Skies Treaty”. The treaty
allows the signatories to carry out unarmed surveillance flights over each other’s territories.
In 2020, the US announced that it is to leave the Open Skies Treaty.
Open Skies Treaty
The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 after the Disintegration of the Soviet Union. It
was first proposed by the former US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1955 to deescalate cold
war tensions. The treaty was signed between NATO (Non-Atlantic Treaty Organization)
members and the former Warsaw Pact countries. In 2002, more than 35 countries had signed
the treaty. This included US and Russia as well. India is not a signatory of the Open Skies
Treaty.
Key Features
The Open Skies Treaty aims to build confidence among its signatories. According to the
treaty, a member state can spy on any part of the host nation only after receiving its consent.
Also, a member state can take aerial images of the host state after providing a notice before
72 hours. The Open Skies Treaty regulations covered territories such as mainland, territorial
waters and islands.
Russia and US
The US left the Open Skies Treaty accusing that Russia is non-compliant with the Open Skies
Treaty. On the other hand, according to Russia, withdrawal of US from the treaty has created
imbalance in its implementation. This is the reason for Russia’s withdrawal.

Also, the Open Skies Treaty was signed during a time where satellite surveillance did not
exist. This puts the treaty in async with the satellite surveillance technology which is
currently the preferred mode of intelligence gathering.
Other treaties
The US and Russia left the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF) in 2019.
According to INF, the countries agreed to destroy lethal missile systems from their own
stocks as a means to decelerate the nuclear arms race.
DRDO Rakshita Bike Ambulance

January 19, 2021
The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) recently developed a bike ambulance called “Rakshita”. The bike ambulance
will attend the evacuation needs of the CRPF personnel during emergency or battle injury.
The ambulance was developed by INMAS (Institute of Nuclear and Allies Science) operating
under DRDO. The ambulances have been developed on Royal Enfield bikes.
Importance
The Rakshita ambulance will be of great help in the areas such as Sukma, Bijapur and
Dantewada where the CRPF cannot take big vehicles or ambulances inside the jungle. These
are Naxalite zones with narrow roads.
Naxalism in India
The Left-Wing Extremism is known by other names such as Naxalism and Maoism. The
Left-Wing extremists are those who reject parliamentary democracy and aim at waging an
armed revolution against the government.
The origin of Left-Wing Extremism in India can be traced back to 1967. It mainly emerged in
three areas such as Naxalbari, Khoribari and Phansidewa in West Bengal. The term
“Naxalism” has originated from “Naxalbari”. The term Naxalism is used only in India. While
in rest of the world, it is termed as Maoism.
Red Corridor

The red corridor is the region in eastern, central and southern parts of India where the
Naxalite and Maoist activities are higher. It roughly extends from the India-Nepal border in
the north till the fringes of Tamil Nadu. The districts affected by Naxalism and Maoism are
the poorest in India. Also, they have very low literacy rate.
Operation SAMADHAN
The Government of India launched Operation SAMADHAN in 2015 to tackle Left Wing
Extremism in the country. Operation SAMADHAN stands for S- Smart Leadership, A-
Aggressive Strategy, M- Motivation and Training, A- Actionable Intelligence, D- Dashboard
Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), H- Harnessing Technology, A- Action plan for
each Theatre, N- No access to Financing.
Also, the GoI is focusing to build up the infrastructure in these regions. In 2017, Rs 11,000
crores was allocated to build road connectivity in all forty-four Moist affected areas. In 2018,
1,326 kilo metres of road was built in Naxal affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
Malaysia’s 3.7 billion USD package

January 19, 2021
The Malaysian Government recently unveiled 3.7 billion USD package to help the economy
recover from impacts of COVID-19. The package amounts to 1.1% of GDP of Malaysia. The
package was announced as the country struggled to curb its third wave of COVID-19
infections.
About the package
The 3.7 billion USD package of Malaysia includes cash support to the poor, wage subsidies,
tax breaks. The Malaysian Government is to implement twenty-two initiatives under the new
package.
Objectives of the package
The 3.7 billion USD package of the Malaysian Government mainly focuses on the following
objectives:
 To combat COVID-19
 To protect the welfare of people of Malaysia
 To support business continuity in the country

Background
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Malaysian Government had launched four economic
stimulus packages. They together amount to 73.2 billion USD. This is more than 20% of the
GDP of the country.
Economy of Malaysia
According to International Monetary Fund, Malaysia is the sixth largest economy in the
Southeast Asia. The major export of Malaysia is Palm oil. Malaysia is the second largest
exporter of palm oil in the world after Indonesia. India is the largest importer of palm oil in
the world. India accounts to 23% of total global demand of palm oil.
Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian economy was facing Middle Income Trap.
According to World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the Middle-Income Trap faced
by Malaysia is mainly due to Bumiputera policies. The Bumiputera or Bumiputra is a term
used in Malaysia to describe the indigenous people of Malaysia.
Middle-Income Trap
Middle-Income Trap is an economic situation where a country gets stuck at a level after
attaining a certain income level. In such cases, the country will be unable to keep up with
more developed economies and will also begin to lose its competitive edge in the export of
manufactured goods.
WE Hub: Women Entrepreneurs Hub

January 19, 2021

WE Hub recently announced its partnership with i-Hub. I-Hub operates under Government of
Gujarat. WE Hub operates under Government of Telangana.
WE Hub
WE Hub is Women Entrepreneurs Hub. It is a startup incubator, that is, it provides an

environment for the women entrepreneurs to grow their business. It aims to support women
entrepreneurs with solutions, innovative ideas and entitles to focus on emerging areas. It also
supports unexplored and under explored sectors along with service sectors. The main goal of
WE Hub is to eliminate financial and societal barriers for women.
i-Hub
i-Hub is Student Startup and Innovation Hub. It aims to develop end-to-end innovation and
entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state of Gujarat. Also, it provides amenities such as
futuristic and advanced technology labs, techno-commercial mentoring, networking and
regulatory and advisory services. It was created under the Student Startup and Innovation
Policy of Gujarat.
Student Startup and Innovation Policy
The Student Startup and Innovation Policy aims to assist student-led startups. It aims to
create a common platform for the students to showcase their innovation and set up an end-to-
end support system in education institutions.
Student Startup
According to the Student Startup and Innovation Policy, a student startup is a student-led
innovation-based startup that was founded by the efforts of one or more students or alumni
(not more than five years from graduation).
Background
These hubs were created to achieve the goals of Startup India mission. The National Startup
India action plan aims to support the following:
 Student startups and university innovation-based enterprises

 Startups at post-incubation stages
 Top performing startups that need regulatory supports
Startup India was launched in 2015 at Red Fort. It was introduced to develop seventy-five
startup support hubs in the country. According to Startup India State Rankings 2019, Gujarat
was the best performer. Karnataka and Kerala were ranked as the top performers.
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary

January 19, 2021

A bird festival is to be organised at Mahananda wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal. The

festival is first of its kind. It is to be organised by Darjeeling Wildlife Division. The
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary has been identified as an Important Bird and Biodiversity
Area.
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area is identified using internationally agreed set of
criteria that are globally important for conservation of bird population. The Important Bird
Area concept was developed by Birdlife International.
Currently there are 12,000 Important Bird Area spread all over the world. The thresholds of
the Important Bird Areas are set by the respective national governing organisations. In order
to be listed under Important Bird Area, the site must satisfy at least one of the following
criteria:
A1: Globally threatened species

The site should hold population of bird species listed as Critically Endangered, vulnerable or
endangered under IUCN red list.
A2: Restricted range species

The site should be an Endemic bird Area. The Endemic Bird Area is identified by the Birdlife
International as those habitats that contains restricted bird species that are endemic to them.
Around 218 Endemic Bird Areas have been identified by the Birdlife International. Endemic
means the species is native to a single geographic location and not found elsewhere.
A3: Biome-restricted range species

The site should hold restricted biome species. The site should form a set of selected adequate
representation of all species in that biome. That is, the species living in the site should be
endemic and should be found only in that particular biome (not anywhere else in the world).
A4: Congregations
This applies to waterbirds, seabirds and wetland birds. This has been created based on
Ramsar Convention.

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
It is located in the foothills of Himalayas between Teesta and Mahananda rivers. It was
provided the status of sanctuary mainly to protect Indian bison and Royal Bengal Tiger.
Jammu & Kashmir: GI tag for Gucchi Mushroom

January 19, 2021
The Jammu and Kashmir Government recently sought GI tag for Gucchi mushroom. The
Gucchi mushrooms are highly expensive and are full of health benefits. 500 grams of Gucchi
mushrooms cost Rs 18,000.
Recently, GI Tag was provided to Saffron of Jammu and Kashmir.
About Gucchi mushrooms
Gucchi mushroom is a species of fungus belonging to the family Morchellaceae. They are
pale yellow in colour with large ridges and pits on their cap. They are raised on a large white
stem. The Gucchi mushrooms are locally called “Thuntoo”.
The Gucchi mushrooms prefer soil with limestone base. They also grow in acid soils. The
Gucchi mushrooms are usually found in early spring.
They are referred to “May Mushrooms” in North America.
The time of fruiting of the mushrooms varies locally from February to July. In Canada, they
appear only after June.
Expensive
The Gucchi mushrooms cannot be cultivated commercially. They grow in the conifer forests
of Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It takes months for the villagers
to collect these mushrooms, dry them and bring them to the market. The Gucchi mushrooms
grow in clusters on logs of decaying wood, humus soil and leaves. They may not grow in the
same spot the next season. This makes the process of collection more tedious. Due to these
reasons, the Gucchi mushrooms are highly expensive.
The Guchhi mushrooms cannot be cultivated commercially for their nature of germination.
They germinate and grow in low temperature soil. They usually appear after fires. The
fruiting of Gucchi mushrooms require alkaline conditions produced by wood ash mixed with
water. These criteria make commercial cultivation of Gucchi highly challenging.

Health Benefits
The Gucchi mushrooms are rich in vitamins, potassium and copper. They are also rich in
Vitamin-D. further they are rich in antioxidants that prevent health issues such as heart
diseases and diabetes.
Ex-Desert Knight 21: India-France Military exercise

January 19, 2021
India and France are to hold Ex-Desert Knight 21 exercise. It is a bilateral air exercise to be
held between Indian Air Force and French air and Space
Force. The Ex-Desert Knight 21 is to be held in Jodhpur,
Rajasthan. Rafale Fighter Jets are to participate in the
exercise.
Background
Under the Indo-French Defence Cooperation, the French Air

and Space force and the Indian Air Force have so far held six
editions of air exercise called “Garuda”. The last of the six
exercises was held in Air Force Base Mont-de-Marsan,
France in 2019. The Ex-Desert Knight 21 is being held in addition to the Garuda series
exercise.
About Ex-Desert Knight 21
The main objective of the exercise is to provide operational exposure and share best
practices. From the French Air and Space Force, Rafale Flighter Jets, Multi-role Tanker
Transport and around 175 personnel will participate in the exercise. From the Indian Air
Force, Su-30 MKI, Mirage 2000 and IL-78 flight refuelling aircraft are to participate in the
exercise.
Defence Exercises
The regular defence exercises held between India and France are as follows:
 Exercise Shakti is held between the Armies of India and France

 Exercise Varuna is held between Indian Navy and French Naval Forces
 Exercise Garuda is held between the Air Forces of the two countries
India-France
The three main pillars of India-France strategic partnership are space, defence and civil
nuclear cooperation. France has been a continued support of India’s permanent membership
at the United Nations Security Council. France had also been a great supporter of India for its

membership at the Missile Technology Control Regime, Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia

Group and Nuclear Suppliers Group.
India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement as the 42nd member. Also, India joined Missile
Technology Control Regime in 2018. India’s entry to NSG is being opposed widely as India
is a non-signatory of Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Mt Trishul: Indian Mountaineering Foundation approves winter

climbing
January 19, 2021
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation recently approved a three-member team of

mountaineers led by Arjun Vajpai for winter climbing expedition to Mount Trishul. In India,
the mountaineering expeditions are taken up only during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon
period. For the first time, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation has approved the concept of
winter mountaineering.
Arjun Vajpai
Arjun Vajpai is the youngest Indian to climb Mount Everest at the age of 16 in 2010.
Mount Trishul
The Mount Trishul is a group of three Himalayan peaks that form the shape of a trident. The
three peaks are named Trishul I, Trishul II and Trishul III. Mount Trishul is located at a
Massif. The massif runs north-south. Massif is a section of earth’s crust demarcated with
faults. The Mount Trishul was first scaled by a British mountaineer Tom Georage Longstaff.
Indian Mountaineering Foundation
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation is the apex body that organises rock climbing and
mountaineering at high altitudes in the Himalayas. The foundation also promotes
environmental protection works in the Indian Himalayas. The Indian Mountaineering
Foundation was established in 1957.
It is also the regulatory body for the competitive Olympic sport of Sport Climbing.
Kumaon
Mount Trishul is located in the western Kumaon of Uttarakhand. The people in Kumaon
region are called Kumaonis and they speak Kumaoni language. The UNESCO Atlas of the

World’s Languages has placed Kumaoni in the unsafe category. In 2010, a private member
bill was introduced to include Kumaoni in the eighth schedule of the constitution.
The Kumaon region is home to one of the highly decorated regiments of Indian Army called
Kumaon Regiment. It mainly consists of Ahirs, Rajputs and Brahmins. The regiment traces
its origin to eighteenth century. The regiment has fought both the world wars, Indo-Pakistan
war of 1971, Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 and also Sino-Indian War of 1962.
Davos Agenda Summit, 2021

January 19, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jing Ping are to participate in
the Davos Agenda Summit. The Davos Agenda Summit is
organised by the World Economic Forum. The “Great Reset
Initiative” of the World Economic Forum is to be launched
during the Davos Agenda Summit.
The theme of the Davos Agenda Summit, 2021 is

“Stakeholders for a cohesive and sustainable world”.
Objectives
The four major objectives that are to be discussed during the

Davos Agenda Summit, 2021 are as follows:
 To address the urgent climate and environmental challenges harming the global
economy
 To transform industries into more inclusive business models
 To Govern technologies driving the fourth industrial revolution
 To adapt to social, demographic and technological trends reshaping employment,
education and entrepreneurship
Key Highlights of Davos Agenda Summit, 2021
The following discussions will be the key focus at the Davos Agenda Summit, 2021:
 America First: The America First policy of USA has created huge breakdown in
international agreements in the last few years. It has undermined several global
agreements including Paris Climate Change deal.
 Tensions in Iran: Upon the authorisation of the US President Donald Trump, General
Qasem Soleimani was killed by the US army in a drone attack. This has increased the
geopolitical tensions between USA and Iran.
 Russia’s annexation of Crimea has strained the tensions between US and Russia more
than at any time since the cold war.
Great Reset Initiative

In 2021, the World Economic Forum has brought up a new twin-summit format in its Davos
meeting. One of the meets is the usual Davos Agenda Summit and the other is the new Great
Reset Initiative. Just like the Davos Agenda Summit, the Great Reset Initiative will bring the
world leaders and will primarily focus on managing direct consequences of COVID-19 crisis.
Basically, the Great Reset Initiative is being started to recover global economy from COVID-
19 crisis.
Flight Lieutanant Bhawana Kanth

January 19, 2021
Bhawana Kanth is to become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day
parade. She was one among the first women fighter Pilots inducted in Indian Air Force in
2016. The other fighter pilots inducted into the Indian Air Force were Avani Chaturvedi and
Mohana Singh.
Bhawana Kanth
In 2019, Bhawana Kanth became the first female fighter pilot of India to qualify to undertake
combat missions. She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President of India Ramnath
Kovind in March 2020.
Republic Day parade, 2021
The Republic Day parade of 2021 will feature the newly acquired Rafale fighter jets. The
Rafael Jets will be a part of the Ekalavya formation. The Ekalavya formation will include one
Rafale jet, two MiG 29s and two Jaguars.
The fly past is to culminate with a single Rafale jet that will carry out Vertical Charlie
formation.The vertical Charlie formation is when an aircraft flies at lower altitude and
conducts rolls before stabilizing at higher altitude.
About the Parade
The Republic Day parade marches from Rashtrapati Bhavan till India Gate along the Rajpath.
The first Republic Day parade was held in 1950. The chief guest of the first Republic Day
parade was the then President of Indonesia Sukarno. Prior to the parade the Prime Minister
lays a floral Wrath at Amar Jawan Jyoti. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is a Memorial to the fallen

soldiers at the India Gate. Following this 2-minute silence in the memory of the soldiers is
observed.
Republic Day parade begins with flag hoisting by the President of India and the
Independence Day parade begins with the flag hoisting by Prime Minister of India.
Awards at Republic Day Celebrations
Awards presented during the Republic Day celebrations are Kirti chakra and Ashok Chakra.
These awards are presented by the President of India. The Ashok Chakra award is presented
on Independence Day as well.
Mitochondrial DNA based COVID-19 test

January 20, 2021
The United States scientists have developed a new rapid COVID-19 test to measure
mitochondrial DNA in the blood sample of the COVID-19 patients. The test will be highly
helpful to identify people at the highest risk of the virus.
About the test
The mitochondrial DNA is a unique type of genetic material that normally resides inside the
energy factories of the cells. However, in COVID-19 patients the mitochondrial DNA is
spilling out of the body cells into the bloodstream. This leads to cell death. Eventually the
COVID-19 patients go into hyperinflammatory death.
According to the scientists, the spill out of mitochondrial DNA is the main reason for tissue
damage and eventual organ failure especially in lungs, kidney and heart in COVID-19
patients.

Mitochondrial DNA
The Mitochondrial DNA is located in the mitochondria of the body cells. Mitochondria
converts chemical energy in food into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The ATP provides
energy for muscle contraction and nerve impulse propagation.
The mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother.
Apart from humans, the mitochondrial DNA is also found in algae and fungi.
Mitochondria
Mitochondria is called the power house of the cell. They are membrane bound organelle. It
functions as the digestive system of a cell. It promotes growth of new cells and cell
multiplication. It is found in both plant cell and animal cell.
Necrosis
The violent death of cells is called necrosis. It is common in COVID-19 patients. Necrosis is
a form of cell injury that results in premature death of cells. This occurs when too little blood
flows into the tissue.
Reactive Oxygen Species
The major side effect of COVID-19 is inducing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. The
Reactive Oxygen Species are highly reactive chemical molecules. They are formed due to
electron acceptability nature of oxygen. Some of the Reactive Oxygen Species are
superoxide, peroxides, hydroxyl radical, alpha-oxygen.
Apartheid State: The Israel-Palestine Conflict

January 20, 2021
Israel has been recently banning the human rights groups in the country that called Israel to
be an apartheid state.

Apartheid
Apartheid is a system of institutionalized racial segregation.
Israel and Apartheid Analogy
Israel is being criticized to be an Apartheid State for its actions against Palestinians. The
actions of Israel occupying the West Bank region is criticized as being apartheid.
West Bank Occupation
Israeli occupation of the West Bank began in 1967 during a six-day war and is continuing till
date. The status of West Bank as an occupied territory has been affirmed by the International
Court of Justice. Israel cites Balfour Declaration for retaining West Bank.
Balfour Declaration
It was a public statement made by the British Government during the first World War. Under
the Balfour Declaration the British extended its support for the establishment of a national
home for Jewish people in Palestine. The Balfour declaration is the founding document of
Mandatory Palestine that later became Israel and Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration is considered as the principal cause of the ongoing Israeli-Palestine
conflict.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
The establishment of Palestine as the national home of Jews by the Balfour declaration
created tension in the region between the Jews and the Arabs. The conflict widened after the
1947-1949 Palestine war. It further increased after Israeli military occupation of Palestinian
territories in 1967 after a six-day war.
The United Nations has called for “Two State Solution” to end the Israel-Palestine conflicts.
Two State Solution
According to the Two State solution, one would be a state of Jews and the other would be the
state of Palestinian Arabs. The idea however is rejected by the Arabs.
Current Scenario
More than 83% of world countries have recognized Israel as a sovereign state. Recently,
UAE, Sudan and Bahrain normalized their ties with Israel.
Parakram Diwas
January 20, 2021

The Government of India recently announced that the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose is to be celebrated as “Parakram Diwas”. Parakram Diwas means Courage
Day. Netaji was born on January 23, 1897.
The Central Government and the Bengal Government are to begin the year long celebrations
of 125th birth anniversary year on January 23, 2021.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
 Netaji was an Indian nationalist. He was born in Cuttack to an affluent family. He

acquired a degree in philosophy and was later selected for the Indian Civil Services.
He refused to join as he did not want to serve the British Government.
 Netaji joined the Indian National Congress in 1921.
 Netaji started a newspaper called “Swaraj”. He had written a book called “The Indian
Struggle”. The book covers the Indian Independence movement between 1920 and
1942.
 The term “Jai Hind” was coined by Netajji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Netaji in Indian independence struggle
 Netaji was prisoned in 1925 for his nationalist activities. Later released in 1927. After
his release, he became the general secretary of the Indian National Congress.
 He formed the All India Forward Bloc as a part of the Indian National Congress in
1939.
 During the second world war, Netaji protested the British Raj for not consulting the
Indians before pulling them into the war. He was arrested for his protests. Later he
was released and was kept under surveillance. In 1941, Bose escaped to Germany via
Afghanistan and Soviet Union. In Germany, Netaji met German leaders and other
Indian students and European political leaders.
 He founded the Indian Legion with 4,500 Indian soldiers. These soldiers were taken
as prisoners by the Germans from North Africa. In 1943, he left for Japan and revived
the Indian National Army.
 The Indian National Army supported the Japanese army in their invasion of Northeast
India. They together tool control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India Innovation Index, 2020

January 20, 2021
The NITI Aayog is to launch the second edition of India Innovation Index. The Index ranks
states of the country based on how they support innovation. The first edition of India
Innovation Index was launched in 2019.
About India Innovation Index
The India Innovation Index was developed on the lines of Global Innovation Index. It
attempts to create an extensive framework for the continuous evaluation of the innovation
environment of the states and union territories in India.
The index is calculated as the average of scores of two dimensions namely enablers and
performance. The enablers provide the innovative capacities of the states and the performers
give the benefits derived by the nation from the state’s innovation. The enablers are human
capital, investment, business environment, knowledge workers and safety and legal
environment. The performance parameters are knowledge diffusion and knowledge output.
Importance of India Innovation Index
India has huge opportunities and potential to become the innovation leader of the world. The
Innovation Index will act as an evaluator of innovation in the country. This will help to
channelize the improvement of innovation environment. Also, it will promote competitive
federalism among the states.

India Innovation Index, 2019
Karnataka emerged as the topper in overall rankings in the category of major states in India
Innovation Index, 2019. Maharashtra performed the best in the dimension of Enablers.
Sikkim topped the ranking in north eastern states category and Delhi topped the list in the
category of Union Territories.
Way forward
There is a need to improve the capability of top rung education institutions in the country to
produce greater innovation outputs. Also, the spending on research and development should
be increased with greater collaboration between the educational institutions and industries. A
collaborative platform with innovators, investors and researchers will strengthen industry-
academia linkages and will ease the technology transfer processes.
Global Firepower Index, 2021

January 20, 2021
The Global Firepower Index ranks the countries based on their potential military strength.
India was ranked fourth in the index. The Global Firepower
Index ranked 138 countries. The countries were evaluated
based on prolonged offensive and defensive military
campaigns.
Rankings
 The United States topped the index with 904 attack

helicopters and eleven aircraft carriers. Also, the country has
sixty-eight submarines and 40,000 armoured fighting
vehicles.
 The US was followed by Russia with 189 fighter aircrafts and 538 attack helicopters.
Russia has 13,000 tanks and 64 submarines.
 China was ranked third with 1,200 combat aircrafts and 327 attack helicopters and
seventy-nine submarines. Also, China has 35,000 armoured vehicles.
 India was ranked fourth in the Global Firepower Index with 542 combat aircraft, 17
submarines, 4,730 tanks and 37 attack helicopters.
 Japan was ranked fifth in the Global Firepower Index with 2 helicopter carriers, 27
destroyers.
 South Korea was ranked sixth in the world and North Korea was ranked 28th.
About Global Firepower Index, 2021
The Global Firepower Index is calculated using fifty individual factors from geography to
logistical capability. It also includes manpower, land forces, airpower, natural resources,
naval forces, logistics and financials. Under manpower, the factors considered are total
population, paramilitary, reaching military age annually, active reserves and active services.

Under equipment, the factors considered are trainer fleet, aircraft fleet strength, helicopter
fleet, attack fleets, rocket projectors, tank strength, towed artillery, aircraft carriers, naval
fleet strength, destroyers, submarines, coastal patrol craft, frigates, mine warfare craft, coastal
patrol craft and tanker fleets. The finance factors include external debt, defence budget,
reserves of foreign exchange and gold and purchasing power parity.
Pakistan
Pakistan was ranked the tenth most powerful country in the Global Firepower
Index. Pakistan has surpassed Israel, Indonesia, Iran and Canada in terms of military power.
Currently Pakistan dedicates 7 billion USD from its annual budget for defence purposes.
Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries

January 20, 2021
The top palm oil producers for the first time are looking for opportunities to run an advocacy
campaign in Europe. The largest oil producers of the world Indonesia and Malaysia have sent
proposals to hire an advocacy firm to run campaign in Europe through the Council of Palm
Oil Producing Countries.
What is the issue?
According to the European Union, the producers of palm oil primarily Malaysia and clear
vast areas of biodiversity rich rainforest in South East Asia exploiting migrant workers. The
Union is to ramp up legislations on deforestation as a part of European Green Deal. This
could restrict the use of palm oil in fuel and food. Therefore, the CPOPC dominated by
Indonesia and Malaysia are looking for opportunities to launch campaigns to change the
perceptions of European countries.
Background
The European Union had finalised a rule in 2019 to phase out palm oil from renewable fuel
by 2030 mainly due to deforestation concerns.
Malaysia and Indonesia account to 85% of the global palm oil output. Indonesia alone
produces 60% of world’s palm oil. India and China are the biggest buyers of palm oil.
Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries

It is an intergovernmental organisation. It was established in 2015. Indonesia and Malaysia

are the founding fathers of the Council of Palm Oil Producing countries. The council aims to
promote and strengthen cooperation in oil palm cultivation. It enhances welfare of oil palm
stakeholders. It addresses the impediments to palm oil trade. The six main focus areas of
cooperation of the council are sustainability of palm oil, research and innovation, productivity
of small holders, industrial cooperation towards value added production, trade policy issues
and technical regulations and standards.
European Green Deal
The European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives of the European Union to make Europe
climate neutral by 2050.
Tropical Rain Belt: Climate Change to alter its position

January 20, 2021
The researchers from the University of California recently predicted that the future climate
change will cause an uneven shifting of the tropical rain belt. This might threaten food
security for billions of people.
Key Findings
According to the study, the shift of the tropical rain belt over the Indian Ocean and Eastern
Africa will result in drought stress in south eastern Africa and Madagascar. Also, it will
increase the flooding in southern India. The southward creeping of the tropical rain belt over
the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean will cause greater drought in Central America.
Tropical Rain Belt
The tropical rain belt is the region around the tropics that receives abundant rainfall. It is
largely the manifestation of the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone).
During October to March, the tropical rain belt lies in the southern hemisphere of the Indian
Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. The northern tropics are dry during this period.
Between April and September, the tropical rain belt occurs in the northern hemisphere and
the southern hemisphere goes dry then.

The belt shifts roughly between the equator and the fifteenth parallel north (south) latitude.
Near these latitudes one dry and one wet season occurs. On the other hand, there are two wet
and two dry seasons in the equator as the belt passes through the equator twice.
Abundant rain in Tropical Rain Belt
The air in the tropics warm up quickly. The warm air rises up. As the hot air rises, the cold air
occupies the vacant spaces. As more and more cold air replaces the warm air, the tropics lose
their ability to hold moisture. As a result, the excess moisture turns into rain showers and
thunderstorms. This is the main reason for abundant rain in the tropics
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The region is called Doldrums by the sailors because of its windless weather. This is the
region where the south east and north east trade winds converge.
STARStreak Air Defence System: India-France sign Agreements

January 20, 2021
Thales, a French Multinational Company has signed an agreement with the Bharat Dynamics
Limited, a Government of India enterprise to jointly work on STARStreak Air Defence
System
STARStreak Air Defence System
 The STARStreak is a short-range surface-to-air missile. It was earlier called as the

Shorts Missile System. It travels at Mach 3 speed, that is, the speed of the missile is
three times the speed of sound.
 STARStreak has been in service with the British Army since 1997.
 The minimum range of the system is 0.3 km and the maximum range is 7 km. The
range of STARStreak System II variant is more than 7 km.
 The other variants of the STARStreak system are air to air system that can be fired
from helicopters. The Light Weight Multiple Launcher variant of the STARStreak
system can be used mounting on a stationary vehicle.
 The surface to air missile installed in the STARStreak Air Defence System is
currently the fastest short-range surface to air missile in the world. After being fired
from the system, the missile picks up speed greater than Mach 4 level.
 The missile is made of three LASER guided Darts. Usually, the missile systems have
only one LASER guided dart that increases the probability of missing the target. On

the other hand, STARStreak systems have three darts that increases the accuracy of
reaching the target position.
Advantages of STARStreak Air Defence System
 The STARStreak Air Defence System cannot be jammed by infrared

countermeasures.
 The STARStreak Air Defence System has been optimised to engage attack
helicopters.
 The speed of the system makes it difficult for the pilots to evade.
 The STARStreak Air Defence System cannot be suppressed with anti-radar missiles.
 It has high speed that reduces the amount of time for a counter measure such as
illuminating the guidance laser source or beam manoeuvring.
Disadvantages of STARStreak Air Defence System
 The STARStreak Air Defence System does not have proximity fuse. This makes it
compulsory for its missiles to collide with the target in order to harm it.
 The high speed of the system makes it difficult to intercept a fast-moving aircraft.
However, it can intercept the fast-moving targets that are head on with the missile.
What is Keystone Pipeline Project?

January 20, 2021
The US president elect Joe Biden is expected to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project.
Keystone pipeline system
The keystone pipeline system is an oil pipeline system in the

United States and Canada. It was commissioned in 2010 and
is owned by the Government of Alberta and TC Energy. The
pipeline runs from the Western Canadian sedimentary basin in
Alberta to the Refineries in Texas and Illinois.
What is the issue?
Recently a proposed fourth phase of the keystone pipeline system attracted opposition from
environmentalists over climate change and fossil fuels. In 2015, President Obama delayed the
implementation of the 4th phase of the project. In 2017, President Trump permitted the
completion of the pipeline. In 2021, President elect Biden has planned to cancel the project.
Environmental Concerns
The major environmental concern raised against the project is that the pipeline spill will
threaten Ogallala aquifer. Ogallala aquifer is one of the largest freshwater reserves in the
world. It supports more than 2 million people by providing drinking water to them. Also, the

aquifer supports 20 billion USD of agricultural activities. It is located beneath The Great
Plains in the United States.
Oil Spills in Keystone Pipeline System
In 2016 more than 400 barrels of oil leaked from the keystone pipeline network due to weld
anomaly. In 2017 the pipeline leaked more than 9600 barrels of oil. In 2019, the pipeline
spilled more than 9000 barrels of oil.
Oil Sand Concerns
The environmental organisations also opposed the project due to its transportation from Oil
Sands. The oil Sands are technically called bituminous sands. These are unconventional
petroleum deposits. They occur naturally in the mixture of sand, water, and clay. The
petroleum in oil sands is highly viscous. Large quantities of natural bitumen deposits are
found in Russia, Venezuela, Canada and Kazakhstan.
The major concern of extracting Petroleum from oil sands is that it releases 17% more
greenhouse gas emissions than the conventional oil extraction.
Salvator Mundi: 500-year-old stolen Copies recovered

January 21, 2021
The Italian Police recently recovered a sixteenth century copy of “Salvator Mundi”. Salvator
Mundi is the world most expensive painting of Leonardo da Vinci.
Salvator Mundi
 Salvator Mundi is a painting by the Italian renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. The
painting depicts Jesus in Renaissance dress making the sign of cross with his right
hand. Also, he holds a transparent crystal orb in his left hand in the painting. The
painting represents “Celestial Sphere” of the heavens. There are twenty other
variations of the same work by the students of Leonardo da Vinci. However, the
original painting was created by the legend himself.
 The Salvator Mundi is one of the few of the twenty-known works of Leonardo.
 Salvator Mundi is the most expensive painting in the world. The painting was sold at
450 million USD in 2017. It was sold to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah. He is the

current Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia. Since then, the painting holds the place
of the most expensive painting of the world till date.
 Scholars believe that the Salvator Mundi might have been painted for Louis XII of
France. It might have been presented to him after the Second Italian War. Louis
fought the war to claims on the thrones of Naples and Milan.
Leonardo da Vinci
 Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath. Polymath is an individual whose

knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects. He knows to draw on complex
bodies of knowledge to solve a particular problem.
 He is considered as one of the most diversely talented individuals during his era. He
became known for his notebooks where he made notes on his scientific inventions.
His inventions involved variety of subjects such as botany, astronomy, anatomy,
painting, cartography and palaeontology.
 Some of the popular works of Leonardo were Annunciation, Mona Lisa, The Last
Supper, Lady with an Ermine.
Kamalam: Gujarat renames Dragon Fruit

January 21, 2021
The Gujarat Government is to patent the Dragon Fruit in the name of “Kamalam”. Kamalam
is also the name of the BJP state party headquarters in Gujarat.
Dragon Fruit
 The Dragon fruit is a cactus variety fruit. It is widely cultivated in South east Asia,
United States, Australia, India, Caribbean islands and Mesoamerica.
 The total lifespan of a Dragon fruit plant is fifteen to twenty years. They grow in
regions where summer temperatures rise above forty degrees Celsius.
 Dragon Fruits grow only during summers. They do not grow in the rest of the year.
However, when they grow their growth is rapid.
 Dragon flowers bloom only at night. It occurs only once in a year. They rely on
nocturnal pollinators such as moths and bats for fertlization.
Dragon Fruit Cultivation and Demands in India
India imports 95% of its Dragon fruit from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The
Dragon Fruit has great export potentials to countries such as USA, Gulf and European. The
farmers in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka have taken up
Dragon Fruit Cultivation only in the recent years.

Vietnam is the largest producer and exporter of Dragon Fruit. The fruit was brought here by
the French.
Farmer Benefits
 The Dragon Fruit plants are raised on poles. One pole can support four plants. In an
acre, more than 300 poles can be installed. Commercial planting is highly beneficial
as they can be planted in clusters. Thus space consumption in dragon fruit cultivation
is very minimal.
 They will require only one to two litres of water per day. This can easily be achieved
through drip irrigation.
 Also, Dragon fruits fetch good rates. They are sold for Rs 300 to Rs 400 per kilogram.
 In India, Dragon fruits are consumed for their taste and health benefits.
LauncherOne launched by Virgin Orbit

January 20, 2021
Virgin Orbit recently launched its LauncherOne rocket to the orbit. This is the first successful
flight of the rocket. Earlier an unsuccessful launch attempt was made in May 2020.
LauncherOne
 LauncherOne is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle. It is an air-launched rocket. It is

capable of carrying small satellite payloads up to 300 kilograms. The LauncherOne
rocket is carried to the upper atmosphere on Boeing 747 called “Cosmic Girl”. During
the first attempt in May 2020, LauncherOne failed to reach the space.
 During the recent second launch, the LauncherOne delivered ten CubeSats to the Low
Earth Orbit.
 LauncherOne is the first all liquid fuelled air-launched orbital rocket.
 LauncherOne places the satellites in Sun Synchronous Orbit.
Sun Synchronous Orbit
The Sun synchronous Orbit is nearly a polar orbit around a planet. In this orbit, the satellite
passes over a given point at the same local mean solar time. That is, it maintains the same
relationship with the sun every year. This orbit is generally used for spying and imaging.
CubeSats

The CubeSats are miniature satellites for space research. They are made of multiple cubic
modules that are of 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm size.
ElaNa 20
The launch of ten CubeSats by LauncherOne is a part of ElaNa Mission. ElaNa is

Educational Launch of Nanosatellites. The mission made partnerships with the universities in
the US to launch research satellites called CubeSats. ElaNa 1 was launched in 2011. It carried
three CubeSats. LauncherOne is the 20th mission of ElaNa programme.
Air-Launch-to-orbit
LauncherOne was launched by Air Launch to Orbit method. In this method, the rockets are
launched at an altitude from a conventional aircraft. The aircraft carries the rocket to the low
earth orbit and the rocket is then launched from there. This reduced the mass, thrust and cost
of the rocket as compared to the conventional vertical rocket launches.
Article 19 of the UN Charter: Iran loses voting rights in the United

Nations General Assembly
January 20, 2021
Iran and six other countries have lost their voting rights in the United Nations General
Assembly as they had not paid their dues. The other countries
that lost their voting rights were Niger, South Sudan,
Zimbabwe, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic and
Libya. On the other hand, three other countries such as
Comoros, Somalia, Sao Tome and Principe will be allowed to
vote despite of their missing dues.
The actions of suspending the members from voting has been

taken under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter.
Article 19 of UN Charter
According to the Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member shall have no voting rights if it has
arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the UN. The Charter provided two
years of grace period. That is, if the arrears are pending for more than two years, then the
voting rights are suspended.
Iran
Iran owes 16.2 million USD to the United Nations. According to Iran, the US sanctions is
troubling the country in paying its contribution to the UN.
United Nations Budget Contributions

The US is the highest contributor of the UN. The United States contributed 22% of the UN
budget, China contributes 12%, Japan contributes 8.574% and Germany contributes 6.090%.
These four countries together finance 49% of the entire UN budget.
India
India is one among the thirty-four United Nations members to pay the budget dues on time.
In January 2020, India paid 23, 396, 496 USD to the United Nations as its contribution.
Determination of UN Budget
Every three years, the UN Members collectively decide on the formula called “Scales of
Assessment”. The formula decides how much currency should each member contribute to the
UN regular budget and to peace keeping operations.
The formula is highly complicated. It begins with the Gross National Income of the country.
Later adjustments are applied taking account where the country is relative to average global
income per head. A ceiling and a minimum floor is applied to Least Developed Countries.
National Democratic Front of Bodoland

January 21, 2021
The Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal recently

provided four lakh rupees to around 1,279 surrendered cadres
of National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
National Democratic Front of Bodoland
 The National Democratic Front of Bodoland is an

armed separatist that seeks to obtain sovereign Bodoland for
the Bodo people. The Government of India has designated the
National Democratic Front of Bodoland as the terrorist
organisation.
 The NDFB is a militant group that was created in 1986. The group has conducted
several attacks targeting non-Bodo civilians. The NDFB mainly targets Munda,
Santhal and Oraon tribes. These tribal people were brought to Assam as tea labourer
by Britishers.
 In 1990s, the NDFB established twelve camps along the Bhutan-Assam border. The
Bhutan Government launched Operation All Clear to drive away them from Bhutan
border. The Indian Government launched Operation Bajrang and Operation Rhino
against the Assam separatist groups.
Bodo Accord 2020
The Bodo Peace Accord, 2020 was signed between All Bodo Students Union, Assam
Government and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Following the accord, the GoI
announced Rs 1,500 crore package for Bodo Areas of Assam.

In twenty-seven years of conflict, the Government of India has signed three agreements with
the Bodo tribes. In 1993, an agreement signed with the All-Bodo Students Union resulted in
the creation of Bodoland Autonomous Council. The 2003 agreement was signed with Bodo
Liberation Tigers.
Bodos
Bodos are the single largest tribal community of Assam. They make up 5% to 6% of the
state’s population. They are a part of the Bodo-Kachari family spread across the North East
India. They speak Boro language. The Boro Language is recognised as one of the twenty-two
languages in the Indian Constitution.
The Bodos are recognised as plains tribes in the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti celebrated in India

January 21, 2021
India celebrated Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti on January 20,

2021.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti
Guru Gobind Singh was the last of the ten Sikh Gurus. He
was born on December 22, 1666 in Patna. His birthday is
celebrated according to the Nanakshshahi calendar.
Accordingly, this year, the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind
Singh was celebrated on January 20, 2021.
Nanakshahi Calendar
 The Nanakshahi Calendar is a solar calendar used by the Sikhs. It is based on Barah
Maha. The Barah Maha was composed by Sikh Gurus. It is a poem that translates the
twelve months in a year.
 The calendar is named after the founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanak.
 The first year of Nanakshi calendar starts in 1469. It is the year of the birth of Guru
Nanak.
 Magh Mela held in Punjab is celebrated according to Nanakshahi calendar.
Guru Gobind Singh
 Guru Gobind Singh was nine years old when his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was
beheaded on the orders of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
 He established the Khalsa in 1699. The Khalsa was a warrior community. A male
Khalsa is titled as “Singh” and a female as “Kaur”.
 The five ‘K’ tradition for the Khalsa was started by Guru Gobind Singh. They are as
follows:

o Kesh-Uncut hair
o Kanga-wooden comb
o Kara-Iron or steel bracelet
o Kirpan-Dagger
o Kacchera-short breeches
 The 5 Ks are the five articles of faith that a Khalsa should always adorn.
 He also laid down several other rules for the Khalsa such as abstaining from halal
meat, alcohol and tobacco products.
 The Khalsa warriors are duty bound to protect the people from persecution.
 He named the religious text of Sikhs Guru Granth Sahib as the next guru of the Sikhs
and Khalsa.
 The literary contributions of Guru Gobind Singh are Benti Chaupai, Jaap Sahib, Amrit
Savaiye.
Avalokana Software launched in Karnataka

January 21, 2021
The Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa recently

launched Avalokana software. The software will enable the
state government to access data on expenditures and sanctions
incurred on 1,800 programmes.
Avolokana software
It is a transparent e-governance tool that will provide

Assembly constituency wise release of government grants and
allocations to different government programmes. This will
help the government to decide on releasing funds based on the
expenditure incurred by the department. It will eventually increase the government hold over
resources.
The software provides a focused view on scheduled caste sub plan, sustainable development
goals and tribal sub plan and centrally sponsored scheme.
Funds of Central Government of India
There are three types of funds that are available with the Government of India. They are
 Consolidated Fund of India

 Contingency Fund of India
 Public Account of India
Consolidated Fund of India
The Consolidated Fund of India are filled by the indirect and direct taxes. Also, it is filled by
the interests on loans. Article 266 of the Indian Constitution provides the provisions of these

funds. In order to withdraw money from the Consolidated Funds of India, the Government of
India has to get parliamentary approval.
Contingency Fund of India
The Contingency Fund of India has a corpus of Rs 500 crores. The provisions of this fund is
provided under Article 267 of Constitution of India. The fund is used to meet unforeseen
expenditure. The State governments have their own contingency funds.
Public Account of India
All the other money that are not covered in Consolidated Fund of India and received by the
Government of India are credited to Public Accounts of India. It is made of National
Investment Fund (that is the money earned by GoI through disinvestment), National Small
Savings Funds, postal insurance, provident funds, defence funds, bank savings account of
different ministries. Unlike Consolidated Fund of India, GoI need not take permission to take
advances from this account.
Quantum Computing Application Lab: GoI and Amazon Partnership

January 21, 2021
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in

partnership with the Amazon Web Services is to establish
Quantum Computing Applications Lab. The lab will identify
quantum computing problems faced by Central and State
Governments and also by the research institutions. The chosen
proposals from these entities will get access to Amazon Web
Services to use computing cloud platform from Amazon.
Also, it will provide access to simulators and programming
tools at no cost.
National Mission on Quantum Technology and

Applications
 It is to be implemented by the Department of Science and Technology operating

under Ministry of Science and Technology.
 The mission focuses on fundamental science, technology development and addresses
the issues concerning the national priorities.
 It will prepare next generation skilled manpower and encourages entrepreneurship and
startup ecosystem development.
 The Union Budget 2020-21 had proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crores on the National
Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.
Quantum Technology

The Quantum Technology is based on principles of quantum physics. That is, it is based on
quantum theory. In simple words, it is the behaviour of energy and material in atomic and
subatomic levels. It will help achieve information processing that will go beyond the limits of
classical world. A conventional computer will process in bits. On the other hand, a quantum
computer will process in quantum bits.
Applications of Quantum Technology
The major applications of Quantum technology are as follows:
 Communication: The Quantum Technology is used by China to link its terrestrial

stations and satellites. As the technology promises fast computing, it is significant to
military and cyber security.
 The Quantum technology will help in solving fundamental questions related to black
hole and gravity.
 The Quantum Technology will give boost to Genome India Project. It is a
collaborative project of twenty institutions.
 With Quantum technology, natural disasters such as tsunamis, drought, earthquakes
and floods become highly predictable.
 The technology will reduce the time frame of discovery of new molecules in the field
of pharmaceuticals.
 Quantum technology will help to augment industrial revolution 4.0.
Abell 370: NASA shares picture

January 21, 2021
NASA recently shared the picture of a huge cluster of galaxies called Abell 370.
Abell 370
 It is a galaxy cluster located four billion light years

away from the earth. The galaxy cluster is located in the
constellation called Cetus.
 The core of Abell 370 is made of more than hundred
galaxies.
 The Galaxy was catalogued by George Abell and hence
the name.
 Abell 370 has several arcs of light. These arcs are the
mirages caused by gravitational lensing of dark and massive
objects located between the observer and the distant galaxies.
 The Abell 370 galaxy cluster was first discovered in 2002 using the lensing effect.
What is Gravitational Lensing?

As light emitted by galaxies (located in far distances) passes by massive objects, the
gravitational pull from these objects tend to bend or distort the light. This is called
Gravitational lensing.
Cetus Constellation
 Cetus is a sea monster in Greek Mythology.

 Cetus constellation is located in the region of the sky where the other constellations
such as Pisces, Aquarius and Eridanus are located.
 There are fourteen stars in Cetus Constellation.
 Mira was the first star discovered in the Cetus constellation.
 Tau Ceti of the constellation is the nearest sun-like star.
Nick Name: The Dragon
Abell 370 Galaxy is also nick named as The Dragon by the NASA scientists. This is mainly
because in 2009, a study on Abell 370 revealed a group of galaxies in the background of the
cluster. The grouping was lensed and distorted by the cluster as a dragon. The head of the
dragon was made of spiral galaxy. These galaxies were five billion light years away from
each other.
Spiral Galaxy
The spiral galaxy is a class of galaxy that consists of a central concentration of stars called
bulge and flat rotating disk containing gas, stars and dust. Pinwheel Galaxy is a spiral galaxy.
Ratle Hydropower Project

January 21, 2021
The Union Cabinet recently approved the Ratle Hydropower

Project of 850 MW. The cabinet has nodded to an investment
of Rs 5,281.94 crores in the project. The project is located in
River Chenab.
About the Ratle Hydropower Project
 It is a joint venture of Jammu and Kashmir State Power

Development Corporation and National Hydroelectric power
corporation. The share of NHPC in the project is 49% and that
of Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development
Corporation is 51% respectively.
 The project is to be commissioned within sixty months.
 The project is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to more than four
thousand individuals.
 The project includes 133 metres tall gravity dam and two power stations.
 The main power station of the project will contain four 205 MW Francis Turbines.

 The auxiliary power station of the project will contain 30 MW of Francis Turbine.
 The foundation stone to construct the dam was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in 2013.
Status of the Project
 The project did not start till 2015.

 In 2017, the World Bank allowed India to construct the dam. The Indus Water Treaty
was signed after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help
of World Bank.
 The project received severe objections from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Stand on the Ratle Hydropower Project
According to Pakistan, the Ratle Hydropower Project violates Indus Water Treaty. According
to Indus Water Treaty, the western rivers such as Indus, Chenab and Jhelum were allocated to
Chenab. According to Pakistan, as the project is built across Chenab, it violates the treaty.
However, the treaty also says that the waters can be used by India for specified domestic and
agricultural use as provided by the treaty. The eastern rivers such as Beas, Ravi and Sutlej are
to be used by India. Accordingly, India has constructed Bhakra Dam on Sutlej, Thein on Ravi
and Pandoh and Pong dam on Beas.
What is 1776 Commission?

January 21, 2021
The White House recently released the 1776 Commission

report. The 1776 Commission was setup by President Trump
when he was lagging behind the president elect Joe Biden
during the US President Election 2020.
The 1776 Commission
The 1776 Commission was a counter to the 1619 project. It

was an eighteen-member commission. It did not include any
historians. Rather, it comprised of conservative politicians and
activists. It was an advisory commission. The commission
recently released its report on Martin Luther King Day (January 18, 2021).
About the 1619 project
The 1619 project is a collection of essays on African American history of past four centuries.
It is also a Pulitzer prize winner. The essays of 1619 project explores the contribution of
black community towards nation-building. It covers the period between the era of slavery and
modern times.
Key Findings of 1776 Commission

The commission has identified racism, progressivism and identity politics as the challenges to
the United States of America.
The report refers John Calhoun as the leading fore runner of identity politics. John Calhoun
was an American politician who held important positions including Vice President of US
(1825-1832). He strongly supported slavery.
Identity Politics
It refers to political positions based on the perspectives and interests of social groups. For
instance, it includes social organisations based on social class, age, caste, culture, sex.
Identity Politics in India
In India, religious identities, rise of low castes and linguistic groups have contributed to
identity politics. The other impacts of identity politics in India are as follows:
 Formation of coalition government based on ideology and identity

 The rise of state and regional parties. For example, Shiv Sena, BSP, etc.
 On the positive side, the political parties are able to focus on particular sections that
are deprived of economic opportunities in identity politics.
 On the negative side, it has sowed seeds of enmity and hatred among different
sections of the society based on religion, castes and ethnicity.
Regulatory Compliance Portal lunched by DPIIT

January 21, 2021
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

(DPIIT) recently launched a regulatory compliance portal. The
portal is to act as a bridge between the industries, citizens and
the government in minimising burdensome compliances.
About the Portal
 It is the first central online repository portal for all state

and central level compliances.
 The portal will capture and track the following actions:
o The Central ministries, states, union territories and other
departments will examine regulations, laws and rules under their purview.
o They will then implement an action plan to simplify these processes.
o They will mainly remove burdensome compliances, repeal redundant acts and
decriminalise laws. These actions are to be tracked by the portal.
 The portal will also allow stakeholders of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) to
submit compliances and recommendations.
 Training sessions are being conducted by DPIIT for the government officials to get
familiarised with the portal.

Objective of the portal
 To reduce compliance burden

 To simplify interfaces between government and citizens
 To increase manufacturing scale by reducing compliance burden
 To remove obsolete acts
 To make Indian industries competitive
Significance
The portal will increase ease of doing business in India. India ranked 142nd in 2014 in the
World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking. In 2019, India ranked 63rd. Also, the portal
will be instrumental in achieving the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
Other Steps
The GoI has lately taking several measures to boost the industrial sector of the country. In
2015, the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) was begun. In 2019, BRAP with a list of
eighty reforms were implemented. These reforms were related to labour, environment, access
to information and single window system. Industrial Corridors were set up. Invest India was
launched to transform the investment climate in the country by simplifying business
environment for investors.
Gujarat Horticulture Development Mission

January 21, 2021
The Gujarat chief Minister recently announced the

“Horticulture Development Mission”. It is also called
“Bagayat Vikas Mission”. The main objective of the mission
is to double the income of the farmers involved in horticulture
and medicinal farming.
Key Features of Horticultural Development Mission
 Under the mission, the waste land of the State

Government of Gujarat is to be provided on thirty year lease
for farming medicinal and horticulture crops. Currently, the
Gujarat Government holds 50,000 non-cultivated waste lands. A list of waste lands
available for allotment is to be released on I-Khedut portal.
 The mission is to give priority to farmers using sprinkler and drip irrigation.
 The first phase of the mission is to be implemented in Surendranagar, Kutch,
Sabarkantha and Patan districts.
 The tax on land conversion is to be waived off under the mission.
 The mission has fixed the lease amount as Rs 100 to Rs 500 per year per acre.
 The mission allows the lease holders to set up wind mills and solar panels to generate
power. However, they are not allowed to sell the instalments.

 No compensation will be paid to the farmers if the land is returned before the end of
lease period.
 A high-power committee chaired by the Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat is to be
set up. The committee will make final decisions on land allotment.
 The progress made on the land under the mission is to be evaluated in once five years.
 The farmers receiving lands under the mission can only grow fruits and medicinal
plants. They cannot grow cash crops or grains.
I Khedut Portal
The main aim of the portal is to provide information about various schemes related to
farmers. Also, it provides information about weather conditions, market price of the crops
and many more. The farmers can also apply for tractors through the portal. The State
Government will provide assistance to such applications under “The Scheme for Khetiwadi”.
Global Risks Report, 2021

January 22, 2021
The World Economic Forum recently released the sixteenth

edition of the Global Risks Report, 2021. The report was
released based on the Global Risks Perception Survey
undertaken by more than 650 members of World Economic
Forum.
According to the report, the following will be the short-term

(0 to 2 years) risks:

o Infectious diseases
o Extreme Weather Events
o Livelihood Diseases
The medium term (3 to 5 years) risks are:

o
 IT Infrastructure Breakdown
 Asset Bubble Burst
 Price Instability
The long term (5 to 10 years) risks are:

o State Collapse

o Weapons of Mass Destruction

o Biodiversity losses
Top Risks identified by the report
The top three risks by likelihood that are to happen in the next ten years are climate action
failure, extreme weather and human environmental damage. The top three risks by impact are
climate action failures, infectious diseases and weapons of mass destruction. In 2020, the
Global Risks report ranked infectious diseases on tenth position in the list of most critical
threats. Though the carbon emissions have declined due to COVID-19 related lock down,
they are expected to increase when the economic recovery begins.
About the Report
The report was released before the upcoming Davos Agenda Summit of World Economic
Forum. This year, in 2021, the World Economic Forum is to launch the Great Reset Initiative
alongside Davos Agenda Summit. The main aim of the report is to prepare the Government
and other international communities during the times of crisis.
Suggestions
The report makes the following suggestions to the global communities to draw lessons from
the responses to COVID-19:
 To formulate analytical frameworks

 To build trust through clear and consistent communication
 To create new forms of partnerships
World Economic Forum
Earlier in October 2020, the World Economic Forum released The Future of Jobs Report,
2020. According to the report, the COVID-19 will disrupt more than eighty-five million jobs
by 2025.
SAAW: Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon of DRDO

January 22, 2021

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited recently test fired the

SAAW (Smart Anti Airfield Weapon) from Hawk aircraft
successfully. SAAW was developed by Defence Research
Development Organisation (DRDO). SAAW is the first smart
weapon fired from an Indian Hawk.
About SAAW
 SAAW is a long-range precision guided anti-airfield

weapon. The weapon is capable of engaging ground targets
with precision up to a range of hundred kilo metres.
 Basically, SAAW is a bomb. It is designed to destroy targets such as bunkers,
runways, reinforced structures and aircraft hangers.
 The SAAW project was approved by Government of India in 2013.
 So far, eight successful tests of SAW have been conducted.
 In 2020, the Government of India approved SAAW project for Indian Navy and
Indian Air Force.
Hawk aircraft
It is a tandem seat aircraft developed by HAL. The aircraft has an integrated attack system
and radio and inertial navigation system. It is spin resistant.
Indian Defence System
 The Government of India is currently planning to increase indigenous defence

production of the country. Eventually the plan is to reduce the imports and increase
the exports. The GoI has set a target of defence exports of Rs 35,000 crores. This is to
be achieved by 2025. In order to achieve the target, the Union cabinet recently
approved the exports of Akash missile system. The Akash surface to air missile has a
range of twenty-five kilometres. It was inducted in the Indian Air Force in 2014.
Besides Akash, the GoI is also planning to export radars, coastal surveillance system
and air platforms.
 In 2018-19, the defence exports of India was Rs 10,745 crores.
 India’s share in global arms exports in only 0.17%.
Current Scenario
According to SIPRI report published in 2020, India ranked 23rd in the list of major arms
exporters. India ranked fourth in Defence Firepower Index, 2021.

Exercise Kavach: To be held under Andaman and Nicobar Command

January 22, 2021
The Indian Army is to conduct a large scale joint military

exercise Kavach in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. The
exercise is to be held under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar
Command.
About the Exercise
 The Joint Military Exercise Kavach will involve Indian

Navy, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard.
 During the exercise, the joint forces will execute high
density offensive and defence measures in the Andaman sea
and Bay of Bengal. Also, they will carry out amphibious landing operations,
helicopter borne insertion of special forces from sea culminating in tactical follow-on
operations on land.
 The exercise is to fine tune the joint war capabilities of all the three forces of India.
 Kavach Exercise will also involve coordinated air and maritime strikes, synergized
application of maritime surveillance assets, air defence and landing operations.
Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Exercise
Along with Kavach Exercise, the Joint Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR)
Exercise will also be held. The ISR will validate capabilities of intelligence gathering. Also,
it will validate capabilities of information sharing from space, land, air and sea.
Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance of India
 The Heron Unmanned Vehicle of the Indian Air Force has been assigned the task of
intelligence and surveillance. Heron UAV Fleet was bought from Israel. The ground
based ISR capabilities of India includes Daksh. Daksh is a remote ground-based
sensor. The regiment of artillery is using Israeli assisted SATA. SATA is Searcher for
Surveillance and Target Acquisition.
 The Black Hornet UAV is used by the National Security Guards for reconnaissance
purpose.
 India is focusing on helicopters, UAVs and aircrafts to increase its ISR roles.
China’s Surveillance
China has developed ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar).
SAR cover a small area, while ELINT covers al larger area for Intelligence Surveillance
Reconnaissance Exercises.

UVIT of ISRO: Rare UV-Bright Stars spotted

January 22, 2021
The Astronomers have spotted massive hot UV-Bright stars in

Milky Way Galaxy with the help of UVIT. UVIT is Ultra
Violet Imaging Telescope. It is placed in Astrosat satellite.
The Astrosat is the first multi wavelength space satellite of
India.
UV-Bright Star: Recent Observation of UVIT
 The Astronomers have successfully distinguished the

UV-bright star cluster from relatively cooler red giant stars
and other main sequence stars. More than thirty-four UV-
bright stars were discovered using the UVIT.
 From the images, the team also derived properties of the stars such as luminosities,
temperature and radii. The derived properties of the stars were placed in Hertzsprung-
Russel diagram. It is the diagram that shows relationship between stars’ absolute
magnitudes and luminosities versus their effective temperatures (or stellar
classification). The diagram was first created in 1910 by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry
Norris Russell.
What is a UV Bright Star?
A UV-Bright Star is brighter than the horizontal branch and bluer than the red giant branch.
According to the astronomers, the inner core of the stars spotted are almost exposed. This is
making them extremely hot. They were evolved from a solar stage called “Horizontal Branch
Stars”. Such stars do not have an outer envelope. These stars are in their late stages of
evolution just like the sun. Apart from UVIT, the astronomers also used Gaia telescope and
space telescope to identify the stars.
UVIT
 The Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope is a three in one imaging technology. It can
observe in Near Ultraviolet, visible and far-ultraviolet wavelengths.
 The UVIT has two telescopes. One works in visible range, that is, 320 nano metres to
550 nano metres. The other works in Near Ultraviolet wavelength, that is, 200-300
nano metres.
 UVIT is three times better than GALEX of NASA. GALEX is Galaxy Evolution
Explorer. It was an Ultraviolet Space Telescope launched in 2003 and
decommissioned in 2013.
Earlier Observations of UVIT
 So far UVIT has carried out 1166 observations of 800 unique celestial sources.
 It has explored several star clusters and mapped large and small satellite galaxies near
Milky Way Galaxy called Magellanic Clouds.
Astrosat

The Astrosat was launched in 2015. It was the first multi wavelength space observatory of
India. It was launched to observe the universe in ultraviolet, visible and low and high energy
X-rays. The mission has put ISRO in an exclusive club of nations that currently own space-
based observatories. They are US, Japan, European Space Agency and Russia.
Risa in the Culture of Tripura

January 22, 2021
The Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb recently wore “Risa” on Kokborok Day. The
Chief Minister of late has made Risa, his style statement. The Government of Tripura is to
promote Risa at national and international level.
What is Risa?
 Risa is the traditional dress of Tripura. Risa is worn by both men and women of
Tripura.
 The dress for women in the upper half of the body has two parts namely Risa and
Rikutu. Risa covers the chest part and rikutu covers the whole upper part. The dress of
women that covers the lower half of the body is called Rigwani or Rignai.
 Each clan of Tripura has their own “Rignai” pattern and design. The clans of Tripura
are identified based on the Rignai.
 Men of Tripura use Risa for head turban and also for tying the waist over Dhuti.
When men wear Risa, it gives them strength and indicates the status of the person. It
is also used as muffler in winter season.
 Risa is also used in Tripura culture to hold baby.
 “Risa Sormani” is an adolescent ceremony of a Tripuri girl child. On this day, the 12-
14 year old girl is given risa to wear for the first time.
History of Risa
 The history of Tripuri attire originated before Manikya kings’ rule.

 In ancient period, the intelligence of a woman in the community was judged based on
her woven Risa and Rignai designs.
 The Manikya king Maharaj Trilochana had invented 250 Rignai and Risa designs for
his 250 wives. However, most of these designs were lost with passage of time. The
Tripura Government is therefore trying to promote Risa and other traditional attire of
Tripura.
Kokborok Day

Kokborok Day is celebrated in Tripura to celebrated the development of Kokborok language.

Every year, the day is observed on January 19. The Kokborok is the official language of
Tripura. January 19 was chosen to celebrate Kokborok Day as the language was recognized
as an official language on this day in 1979.
What is LongOps Project?

January 22, 2021
The LongOps Project is a collaboration between UK and

Japan. Under the operation, the scientists from Japan and UK
will develop new and safe technologies to dismantle old
nuclear facilities such as the Fukushima that were severely
damaged by tsunamis and earthquakes.
About LongOps Project
 The project is to use long-reach robotic arms and hence

is called “LongOps Project”. The project will reduce the risks
to human health and will speed up decommissioning of
nuclear reactors that are non-operational.
 The LongOps project is to be implemented at a cost of 12 million Euros (Rs 120
crores).
 It will focus on fast decommissioning of nuclear sites.
 Apart from dismantling nuclear fission sites, the project will also focus on automating
parts of nuclear fusion power generation process.
 The project will also help to improve and dismantle nuclear fusion facilities such as
the Joint European Torus. Joint European Torus is a nuclear fusion experiment
located in Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UK. It was the first reactor to run on the
production fuel of 50-50 mix of tritium and deuterium. It was shut down in 2009 to
adopt concepts used in ITER project.
ITER Project
ITER is International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. India is also a part of ITER. The
other countries involved in ITER are China, Russia, Japan, European Union, US and South
Korea.
Digital Twin Technology
Digital Twin Technology is a part of the LongOps Project. It will analyze data from
decommissioning sites and predict operational and maintenance challenges.
Disasters
 In Sellafield more than twenty-one serious incidents of radiological releases occurred

between 1950 and 2000. Sellafield is located in United Kingdom. It is a former

nuclear power generating site. As of August 2020, the activities in the site includes
nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear decommissioning and nuclear waste storage.
 In 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi reactors were severely damaged by an earthquake and
tsunami in 2011. The incident displaced more than 150,000 people. Also, the flora
and fauna in the surrounding areas were severely contaminated.
What is Great Green Wall Initiative?

January 22, 2021
The Great Green Wall for Sahel and Sahara Initiative recently received 14 billion USD funds
at the recent One Planet Summit for Biodiversity. The funding is to be used to restore
degraded land, strengthen resilience, create green jobs and protect biodiversity. Among the
financiers, the World Bank has committed 5 billion USD, African Development Bank
committed 6.5 billion USD and Government of France committed 14 billion USD.
What is Great Green Wall Initiative?
The Great Green Wall initiative aims to transform the lives of 100 million Africans by
growing 8,000 kilo metre long and fifteen kilo metre wide mosaic of trees, vegetation,
grasslands, plants.
The Great Green Wall is an African-led initiative. It was started in 2007 by the African Union
to combat desertification, land degradation, drought. The project aims to restore 100 million
hectares of degraded land by 2030. So far between 2007 and 2019, the Great Green Wall
initiative has restored only four million hectares of land.
Key Objectives of Great Green Wall Initiative
The initiative aims to sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon and create ten million green
jobs. It will support the African communities to grow fertile land and increase economic
opportunities for the youngest population. The project will help to create climate resilience in
the region where temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the earth.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Great Green Wall initiative will contribute fifteen of the seventeen United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals. The main objective of the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification is to reach Land neutrality by 2030. Thus, the Great Green Wall
initiative will help achieve this.

What are the countries that are selected as intervention zones for the Great Green Wall
initiative?
Chad, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Mautitania, Nigeria, Sudan, Senegal,
Djibouti.
What is Root Zone Moisture?

January 22, 2021
NASA recently released the estimates of soil moisture in the

root zone (the top 39 inches of soil) as of January 11, 2021.
Accordingly, the Konya Plains had the lowest “root zone
moisture”. The estimate was done based on the GRACE-FO
satellite data.
Key Findings
 The Konya Plains located in Turkey received 38% less

rainfall in 2020 as compared to 2019. This is the main reason
for the region to become the lowest “root zone moisture” area
in the world.
 The wetness percentile of Root Zone Moisture in western India was between 80% and
98%. In eastern India, the wetness percentile was between 30% and 70%. In Northern
India it was less than 10%
 The Surface Soil Moisture along the coasts of Western Ghats was above 95%. In the
rest of the country, it was less than 30%. In northern India, it was less than 10%.
The Report on Root Zone Moisture
 The decline in Root Zone Moisture in the Mediterranean countries have put
agriculture in the region under threat.
 The South African city Cape Town witnessed severe droughts. The water reservoirs
that supply water to more than 3.7 million people had dipped to below 20%. This has
further contributed to the root zone moisture decline in these regions.
 The water reserves of Istanbul have the lowest volumes of water in fifteen years.
About Root Zone Moisture
The water and moisture in the soil to a depth of 39 inches is called root zone moisture. It
takes a lot of time for the aquifers to recover from droughts in the absence of rain. The
aquifers rely on surface moisture to percolate through soil and rocks. When there are no rains
and surface moisture, the root zone moisture might vanish completely. This eventually will
make the soil unfit for trees and plants.
Root Zone Irrigation

Root Zone Irrigation is the only solution to soils that have decreased root zone moisture. Root
zone irrigation is expensive than the surface drip irrigation. However, root zone irrigation is
more effective than the surface drip irrigation. Currently, root zone irrigation is being used in
cultivation of grapes.
Kraken Mare in Titan is 1000 feet deep

January 23, 2021
The researchers have recently found that the largest sea in

Titan (moon of Saturn) is thousand feet deep in its centre.
Also, it is the size of five great lakes combined together.
About Kraken Mare
 Kraken Mare is huge liquid body located in the north

pole of Titan.
 It is made of ethane and methane.
 The sea covers 154,000 square miles.
 Kraken Mare was discovered by the space probe
Cassini. Cassini was developed under the collaboration of NASA, Italian Space
Agency and European Space Agency. Cassini was the first space probe to orbit Titan.
 The fact that Titan consists of sea of hydrocarbons was discovered through radar
images.
 An island in Kraken Mare has been named “Mayda Insula”. It is the first island to be
named on a planet or moon other than the earth.
 To study about Kraken Mare and its composition, “Titan Saturn System Mission” is to
be launched.
Titan Saturn System Mission
 It is a joint mission of NASA and European Space Agency. The mission is to be

developed at a cost of 2.5 billion USD. It is a four-year mission. It includes two-year
Saturn tour, two months of Titan aero-sampling and twenty-month Titan orbiting
phase.
 The mission consists of an orbiter and two titan exploration probes. The exploration
probes include a hot air balloon and a lander. The hot air balloon will float in Titan
clouds and the lander will splash down on one of the methane seas of Titan.
 A mission to Jupiter called the Europa Jupiter System Mission-Laplace is delaying the
Titan Saturn System Mission.
Europa Jupiter System Mission-Laplace
It is a joint project of European Space Agency and NASA. The project is to focus on the
moons of Jupiter such as Europa and Ganymede and magnetosphere of Jupiter. The
magnetosphere is a region in space where the charged particles are affected by the magnetic
field of an object.

Rapid Assessment System: Feedback on COVID-19 Vaccination

January 23, 2021
The Government of India is to use Rapid Assessment System

for the feedback on COVID-19 vaccination.
About Rapid Assessment System
 The system sends SMS to people vaccinated in a span

of four days. It sends SMS with ID AX-GOVRAS and asks
citizens if social distancing was maintained at vaccination
sites, if information about adverse effects of vaccination was
provided, etc.
 The information such as names and mobiles numbers of
the people vaccinated are received by Rapid Assessment System from Co-WIN
platform.
 If the user does not send feedback through SMS within twenty-four hours, a call is
made for assessment.
 It was developed by a division of Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.
 The SMS are sent in local languages. It is available in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati,
Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Telugu and Tamil.
What is CO-WIN?
It is a digital platform used for COVID-19 Vaccine delivery. The CO-WIN platform records
vaccine data collected through CO-WIN mobile application. The platform is used to record
vaccine data. Apart from this, the app will collect database of health care workers as well. It
uses temperature loggers (of cold chain) for accurate remote temperature monitoring in real
time.
It has five different modules namely administrator module, vaccination module, registration
module, beneficiary acknowledgement module and report module.
The CO-WIN is based on eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network)
Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network
It was an indigenously developed technology that digitises vaccine stocks. It monitors

temperature of cold chain through smartphone applications. It was first launched in twelve
states in 2015. eVIN supports the Universal Immunization Programme of Government of
India.
NEGVAC
NEGVAC is National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration. It is a group of experts

formed by Government of India to guide the strategies of vaccine introduction.

Section 32A of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

January 22, 2021
The Supreme Court recently upheld the validity of Section 32

A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Under its
judgement, the apex court pronounced that the successful
bidders for a corporate debtor will be immune from any
investigations conducted by an investigating agency (like
Enforcement Directorate or other statutory bodies such as
SEBI) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
Supreme Court Judgement
The SC said that it is important for IBC to attract bidders who

will offer a fair value for the corporate debtor. This is essential to ensure timely completion
of corporate insolvency resolution process. The SC also said that these bidders should be
provided protection from misdeeds of the past. The protections should also extend to the
assets of the corporate debtor.
Section 32A of IBC
Under the section the corporate debtor who has committed an offence prior to the
commencement of the insolvency resolution process will not be prosecuted.
The Section 32A provides immunity to the corporate debtor and its property. However, the
protection is provided when there is an approval of resolution plan that leads to change of
management of control.
The petitioner argued in the Supreme Court that this provision is constitutionally incorrect.
This is because it provides an undeserved immunity to the property.
Justification in Simple Words
According to the SC, the Section 32 A is essential to avoid delay in several big-ticket cases.
For instance, take the case of Bhushan Power and Steel. The company became bankrupt and
admitted to insolvency in 2017. It owed more than Rs 47,000 crores to banks and Rs 780
crores to creditors. After hard prolonged battle JSW Steel won the rights to take over
Bhushan Power and Steel. Meanwhile, before JSW Steel could take over, the Enforcement
Directorate came in and alleged Bhushan Power with fraud of Rs 4,000 crores in a bank loan
under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Ethically, the actions of ED are right!
However, the company is facing bankruptcy due to such wrong deeds and cannot be sued
further. Therefore, according to SC during Insolvency Resolution, focus should be on
resolving the issue.

What is Sudden Stratospheric Warming?

January 22, 2021
The Southern India received excessively heavy rainfall (ten

times the normal) between January 1, 2021 and January 17,
2021. This winter rain, according to the scientists, is due to
sudden stratospheric warming that occurred in Arctic region.
Sudden Stratospheric Warming
 The Sudden Stratospheric Warming is an event where

the polar stratospheric temperature increases up to fifty
degrees Celsius. It is preceded by a situation where the polar
jet stream of westerly winds in the northern hemisphere is
disturbed by natural weather patterns. This is usually addressed as polar vortex.
 The polar vortex is a whirling cone of low pressure over the poles. The polar vortex is
the strongest in winter. It spins in the stratosphere.
 During winter, the polar vortex is the strongest due to the difference in temperature
between polar and mid latitude regions.
 When the polar vortex is the strongest, it forms a wall protecting the mid-latitudes
from cold Arctic air. When Polar Vortex weakens, the stratosphere begins to warm
and the event is called Sudden Stratospheric Warming.
2021 Sudden Stratospheric Warming
The Sudden Stratospheric Warming occurred on January 5, 2021 according to weather

forecast models. The Stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere at a height of ten to fifty kilo
metres above the earth surface. During Sudden Stratospheric Warming, the polar
stratospheric temperature might increase up to fifty degree Celsius. Around forty Sudden
Stratospheric Warming events have occurred in the last sixty years.
2019 Sudden Stratospheric Warming
Very rarely the SSW also occurs in South Pole. The last SSW in south pole occurred in 2019.
During the 2019 SSW, the north pole vortex split into three smaller vortices. This released
cold winds into the southern regions below it. Lake Michigan was frozen in Chicago due to
this weather condition.
2018 Sudden Stratospheric Warming: Beast from the East
The 2018 Sudden Stratospheric Warming was referred to “Beast from the East” as it brought
in unusually cold weather conditions in UK and also in several other parts of the world.
Usually, the Beast from the East term is used to describe cold conditions in the UK. The
condition occurs due to the Easterly winds that flows from Siberia towards the UK.

UN resolution on safeguarding religious sites

January 23, 2021
The United Nations General Assembly recently adopted a

resolution on safeguarding religious sites across the world.
The resolution was titled “Promoting a culture of peace and
tolerance to safeguard religious sites”. India supports the
resolution.
Key Features of the Resolution
 The resolution condemns offences against religious sites

and symbols.
 It rejects the use of violence to express a point of view
(related to protecting religious practices).
 The resolution also condemns forcible conversions of religions.
 It condemns acts of violence that destructs religious sites all over the world.
 United Nations Plan of Action to safeguard religious sites has been adopted.
United Nations Plan of Action to safeguard Religious Sites
 In order to remind the universality of religious sites, mapping of religious sites all
over the world is to be developed.
 The following principles have been adopted under the plan
o Respect for the people all over the world irrespective of their faith, history and
culture.
o Responsibility to build cooperation among member countries.
o Dialogues for better communication among member countries. The World
Forum on Intercultural Dialogue organised biennially is one of the main global
platforms for promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue. It is
organised by Azerbaijan in cooperation with Islamic education, scientific and
cultural organisation, Council of Europe. The dialogue is organised biennially.
o Standing together and Staying Together as one to ensure unity.
 Promotion of education programmes on protecting the religious sites. Education is to
be used as a tool to address hate speech issues. The United Nations Strategy and Plan
of Action on Hate Speech has been launched to reduce hate speech and violence
related to hate speech in the world.
India-Pakistan irritants over the resolution
Pakistan was one of the co-sponsors of the resolution along with Saudi Arabia and other
twenty countries. According to India, the co-sponsoring of Pakistan was a great irony. This is
because, Hindu temples were attacked in Karak, Pakistan. In December 2020, the supporters
of Jamiat Ulema e Islam party attacked and burned a temple in Karak district.

Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

January 23, 2021
The Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted

on July 7, 2017. The treaty entered into force on January 22,
2021. The treaty is the first legally binding international
agreement that aim to eliminate nuclear weapons completely.
Signatories
The treaty was approved by the United Nations General

Assembly in 2017. However, only 120 members have signed
the treaty. The major nuclear powers of the world including
India have not supported the treaty. The other major nuclear
powers that did not support the treaty were China, US, France, Japan, North Korea, Russia,
Pakistan and Israel.
Key Features
 The treaty prohibits the use of nuclear weapons on national territories.

 The signatories should provide adequate assistance to individuals affected by the
testing of nuclear weapons. They should also take required environmental remediation
in areas under its jurisdiction that was contaminated as result of nuclear weapon
testing.
 A state party joining the treaty should declare if it has eliminated its previous nuclear
weapon programme. The party should also disclose if it holds nuclear weapons of
other countries in its territories. In case if the party holds other countries’ nuclear
weapons it must remove them before signing the treaty.
 The non-nuclear weapon states should have a minimum safeguards agreement with
the International Atomic Energy Agency.
India’s Stand
India does not support the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. India is committed to
the policy of “No First Use” against nuclear weapon states and non-use against non-nuclear
weapon states. India is also committed to negotiations regarding the Fissile Material Cut-Off
Treaty. FMCT is a proposed international agreement. The agreement prohibits production of
enriched Uranium and Plutonium.
India has also not signed Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty.
Nuclear Warheads
According to 2020 estimates, the estimated global nuclear warhead inventories are 13,500. Of
this, more than 90% belongs to Russia and the US. India holds 150 nuclear warheads. Russia
holds 6,375 nuclear war heads and US holds 5,800 nuclear warheads. China holds 320.

WASP-107b: Giant Exoplanet has low core mass

January 23, 2021
The researchers studying about the WASP-107b have recently

found that the core mass of the giant exoplanet is much lower
than what was previously assumed.
Recent Study on WASP-107b
WASP-107b is an exoplanet and was discovered in 2017.

Earlier, the scientists believed that the planet was huge in size
due to its huge gas envelope that surrounded the planet. Also,
the scientists believed that such huge gas envelopes are
possible only with massive and dense cores. However, the
recent study says that the cores of WASP-107b are not as dense as thought earlier.
About WASP-107b
 WASP-107b is a super-Neptune exoplanet. A super-Neptune exoplanet is a planet that

is more massive than Neptune. Sometimes, a planet falling in this range is also called
“sub-Saturn”. They are five to seven times as large as the earth.
 It orbits the star WASP-107.
 It is 200 light years away from the earth.
 It is located in the constellation Virgo.
 The unique feature of WASP-107b is that the planet migrated inward from its birth
orbit. This, according to the scientists might have occurred due to the interaction with
a heavier planet.
 The atmosphere of WASP-107b is made of Helium. Discovery of helium in WASP-
107b in 2018, was the first-time helium was discovered in an exoplanet.
 Though the planet is huge (of the size of Jupiter), its mass is less than one-tenth of
Jupiter. This makes it one of the lowest density exoplanets.
Comet like tail in WASP-107b
WASP-107b has a comet-like tail. This is because, the helium absorption occurring in the
atmosphere of the planet has increased the temperature to five hundred degrees Celsius. This
makes it one of the hottest known exoplanets. Such huge temperatures are boiling off its
surfaces. This leaves a comet like tail as WASP-107b is revolving around its star.

What is Hum of the Universe?

January 23, 2021
The Hum of the Universe was recently detected by the North

American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves
(NANOGrav). According to the researchers, the hum was
produced by gravitational waves.
About the Hum of the Universe
 The Hum of the Universe comes from a type of dead

star called a “Pulsar”. These stars are basically neutron stars.
They are oriented in such a manner that they flash beams of
radio waves from their poles as they rotate.
 This is the first time the humming sound has been heard from a pulsar collision.
Earlier scientists have observed such humming sound. However, they were from
black hole mergers. The humming sound from blackhole mergers were detected by
LIGO observatories. LIGO is LASER Inferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.
 The discovery of humming sound from pulsars is to be a great step for the members of
Pulsar Timing Array.
Blackhole Hum
Similar humming sounds are produced when black holes collide. Such sounds are called
Black Hole hums. On an average more than hundred thousand mergers of black holes occur
in the universe in a year.
NANOGrav
NANOGrav is North American Nano hertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. The main
objective of NANOGrav is to detect gravitational waves. The project is implemented by
Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, International Pulsar Timing Array and European Pulsar Timing
Array.
Pulsar Timing Array
It is a programme of regular, timing observation of widely distributed array of millisecond

pulsars. A millisecond pulsar is a pulsar with rotational period smaller than about ten milli
seconds. A millisecond pulsar is a pulsar with rotational speed smaller than ten milli seconds.
Indian Pulsar Timing Array
It is a project of National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental

Research. It aims to detect nano-hertz gravitational waves by precision timing.

Europe’s Largest Solar Power Plant: Francisco Pizzaro

January 23, 2021
Spain and France have recently signed an agreement to build

590 MW of solar power plant. This will be the largest solar
power plant in Europe. The agreement was signed between
Iberdola of Spain and Donone of France.
About the Power Plant
 The solar power plant is to be built at a cost of 364

million USD.
 The solar power plant is to be located in the western
province of Caceres located in Spain.
 The solar power plant will avoid emission of 245,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.
 It is to supply power to 375,000 people per year.
 The project is to begin supplying power in 2022.
Spain
Spain is currently the busiest subsidy free photo-voltaic market of Europe. In 2020, Spain
commissioned 2.9 GW of solar power. In 2019, Spain added 729 MW of solar power. Hence,
the 2020 addition is four times that of the 2019 addition.
France
France has set a target of installing 18 to 20 GW of solar power by 2023. In 2016, France
along with India laid the foundation of International Solar Alliance. Though France is not a
country located in the tropics, it has joined hands with India in International Solar Alliance.
This is mainly because the International Solar Alliance was framed and announced at the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015 (the Paris agreement
conference) hosted by France.
The International Solar Alliance mainly aims to bring about major decrease in cost of solar
energy. This is to be achieved by involving countries rich in solar energy, that is, those
countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
Solar Energy in India
India has been increasing its solar power capacity. As of November 2020, the installed solar
power of India was 36.9 GW. India has established 42 solar parks to make land available to
the promoters of solar plants. India has set a target of achieving 100 GW of solar power by
2022.

MeerKAT Radio Telescope: Two Giant Radio Galaxies discovered

January 23, 2021
The MeerKAT Radio Telescope recently discovered two giant

radio galaxies. The galaxies were discovered under the
MIGHTEE survey. The discovered galaxies are bigger than
93% of any other giants discovered before. They were 62
times the size of Milky Way. Light takes 6.5 million light
years to travel from one end to the other.
MeerKAT Radio Telescope
 The MeerKAT Radio Telescope is located in Northern

Cape of South Africa. It is a radio telescope with sixty-four
antennas.
 The array configuration of MeerKAT Radio Telescope has 61% of antennas located
within one kilo metre diameter circle and the remaining 39% is distributed to a radius
of four kilo metres.
 MeerKAT is a follow up to Karoo Array Telescope (KAT 7). In simple words, KAT 7
is a precursor to MeerKAT. KAT 7 has seven dishes of Prime Focus Reflecting
Telescope.
 It is built in the semi-desert Karoo region of Northern Cape.
 It will address key questions of astrophysics such as how did the galaxies evolve, how
are the galaxies formed, etc.
 MeerKAT is one of the four precursors to the final Square Kilometre Array. The SKA
is an intergovernmental radio telescope project built in South Africa and Australia.
Square Kilometre Array
The receiving stations of SKA are to extend out to a distance of 3,000 kilometres. The SKA
is being built in Australia and South Africa. The four precursor facilities of the project are as
follows:
 MeerKAT
 Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array in South Africa
 Murchison Widefield Array in Western Australia
 Australian SKA Pathfinder
The SKA is an international effort to build the world largest radio telescope. The Karoo
region in South Africa and the Murchison Shire region in Australia were chosen for technical
and scientific reasons. The atmospheric above the deserts are favourable with clear sky and
provide maximum radio quietness.
Operation Sard Hawa

January 23, 2021
The Operation Sard Hawa was launched by the Border

Security Force in the western border of Rajasthan. The main
purpose of the operation is to check the instances of
infiltration due to dense fog in the region. The Operation has
also been launched to enhance the security ahead of Republic
Day. The operation is to run till January 27, 2021.
About Operation Sard Hawa
 The operation was launched to keep a hawk’s eye in the

international border.
 Under the operation, the jawans will patrol with advanced weapons in the police
station areas near to the border.
 The number of jawans deployed in the border has been increased under the operation.
 The intelligence wing of Border Security Force is also to be in active mode during
Operation Sard Hawa.
Importance of Operation Sard Hawa
Due to dense fog in desert areas in winter, there are possibilities of infiltration in the region.
There have been attempts to infiltrate from across the border taking advantage of this haze.
During such situations, the border security forces increase patrolling under special operations
like that of Operation Sard Hawa. They also monitor the borders through vehicles along with
trekking. The jawans also conduct foot point trekking. During foot point trekking, the camels,
vehicles and pedestrian intrusions used by intruders are detected.
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force of India is also called the “First Wall of Defence of Indian
Territories”. It was set up in the wake of 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. The main function of the
Border Security Force is to ensure the security of borders of India. It is headed by an officer
from Indian Police Service. The BSF also undertakes defensive actions during wartime to
free up Indian Army troops for offensive operations. The BSF also assists Central Reserve
Police Force and the Indian Army in counter-insurgency operations.
The BSF has marine wing, air wing, commando units and artillery regiment. Currently, the
BSF is the world largest border guarding force.
New START Treaty

January 23, 2021

The US President Joe Biden recently proposed to extend New

START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) Treaty by five
years. Russia has welcomed the proposal.
Key Features of New START Treaty
 The New START Treaty was signed between United

States and Russia in 2010 in Prague (capital of Czech
Republic). It entered into force in 2011.
 The formal name of New START Treaty is “Measures
for the further reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive
Arms”.
 The treaty was signed to reduce nuclear arms production and utilisation by US and
Russia.
 Under the treaty, the countries will reduce their strategic nuclear missile launchers by
half.
 The treaty established an inspection and verification regime replacing SORT.
 It reduced the number deployable strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550. This was 10%
lower than the strategic warhead limit set by Moscow treaty signed by the countries in
2002.
 It reduced the number of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, inter-continental
ballistic missile launchers, heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments to 800.
 It reduced the number of heavy bombers equipped nuclear armaments to 700.
 The treaty replaced Treaty of Moscow, also called SORT (Strategic Offensive
Reduction Treaty). The term Strategic offensive arms means nuclear warheads
deployed by Strategic Nuclear Delivery Vehicles.
 It is the successor of START I framework signed between the counties in 1991 that
limited the warheads of the countries to 6,000 and strategic delivery vehicles to 1,600.
The START II treaty never entered into force and the negotiations of START III
treaty never concluded.
 The New START Treaty is to lapse in February 2021.
Time Line set by New START Treaty
The above obligations of reducing the nuclear warheads were to be achieved within a time
frame of seven years from the date, the treaty entered into operation. The treaty will last for
ten years. The countries may renew it till five years upon agreement by both the parties.
Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The INF Treaty was signed between US and Russia during the cold war period. It was signed
in 1987. Under the treaty, the countries agreed to eliminate their stocks of short range and
intermediate range missiles. The US withdrew from the treaty in 2019.
Satellite images for Elephant Survey

January 25, 2021

Recently, the researchers from the University of Oxford

Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and Machine Learning
Research Group have detected the elephants in South Africa
using the Artificial Intelligence from space. This survey is
being claimed as more accurate as compared to the detection
by Human. For the purpose of survey, researchers used the
highest resolution satellite imagery called Worldview3.
Background
Earlier, the elephants were traced by manned aircrafts

methodology. It was the most common method of survey to keep eyes on elephant
populations in savannah environments. Under it, aerial counts were undertaken from manned
aircraft.
What was the need for new methodology?
The manned aircrafts methodology was not delivering the accurate results. This is because,
under the methodology, observers on aircraft are prone to get exhausted. Because of this, the
survey was getting delayed and sometimes getting hindered by poor visibility. Inaccurate
survey was also leading to the misallocation of resources and misunderstanding of the
population trend. Further, the aerial surveys are costly and logistically challenging.
About the new methodology
Under the new methodology, the satellite images are appeared as grey blobs depicting as
elephants wandering through the trees. These elephant counting is done through machine
learning which is a computer algorithm that has been trained to identify elephants.
Significance of AI based methodology
The new methodology us accurate. Thus, it will help in and improve the Conservation of the
elephant. It will also help in counting and monitoring the movement of the elephants which in
turn would help in anti-poaching work.
Elephant count in South Africa
There are some 24,000 elephants in South Africa. The population of elephant has risen from
the 1920s. In 1920s there were less than 150 elephants there. In one of the famous parks of
South Africa, Kruger Park, there are about 17,000 elephants against its planned limit of about
7,500.
ZSI: Sunderbans is home to 428 species of birds

January 25, 2021

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) recently published the “Birds of the Sundarban
Biosphere Reserve” in which ZSI highlighted that the Indian Sunderbans is home to 428
species of birds.
About Indian Sunderbans
 It is a mangrove area in the Delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and
Meghna in the Bay of Bengal.
 It covers the area from the Hooghly River in West Bengal to the Baleswar River in
Bangladesh over an area of about 10,000 km2.
 It comprises of closed and open mangrove forests.
 The land of the Sundarbans is used for agricultural purpose, mudflats and barren land.
Protected Areas in Sundarbans
The Four protected areas in the Sundarbans have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage
Sites. They are Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans South Sundarbans West and
Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Threat
Indian Sundarbans were tagged as endangered under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
framework in 2020.
Flora and Fauna
The Sundri Tree and gewa tree are the most abundant tree species. The mangroves forests
provide habitat to several faunal wildlife. It includes 428 species of birds, 120 fish, 42
mammal, 35 reptile and 8 amphibian species.
The Sundarbans National Park
It is a national park, tiger reserve, and biosphere reserve situated in the state of West Bengal.
It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta. It is situated adjacent to the Sundarban
Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. It is covered by mangrove forests. It is considered as one of
the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. The national park was declared as the core area of
Sundarban Tiger Reserve in the 1973. It was also declared as a wildlife sanctuary in the year
1977. While in the year 1984, it was declared a national park. The park is also a designated
UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar site since 2019.
What is “Blue Jet Lightning”?

January 25, 2021

The Scientists from the International Space Station (ISS) have

observed a bright-blue lightning bolt that is shooting upward
from the thunderclouds. Such blue jets are hard to observe
from the ground because the electrical discharges emerge
from the tops of thunderclouds. But from space, one can easily
observe the phenomenon.
Highlights
 The instrument at the space station had captured a blue

jet shooting from the thunderstorm cell near a small island in
the central Pacific Ocean on February 26, 2019.
 Scientists had observed the five intense flashes of blue light.
 Each of the lighting lasting about 10 to 20 milliseconds.
 After that, the blue jet moved out from the cloud towards a narrow cone shape
stretching into the stratosphere.
What are blue jets?
 Blue jets are initiated as “normal” lightning discharges.

 It emerges between the upper positive charge region in a thundercloud and a negative
screening layer above the charge region.
 The positive end network fills the negative charge region and after that the negative
end fills the positive charge region.
 After that, the positive end exits the cloud and starts propagating upward.
 Earlier, it was believed that blue jets are directly related to lightning flashes but it is
the result of the hails.
 The blue jets are brighter than sprites and are blue in colour.
 The blue colour of the jets is the result of blue and near-ultraviolet emission lines
from neutral and ionized molecular nitrogen.
 The blue jets were recorded on October 21, 1989 for the first time.
Thunderstorm
It is also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm. It is characterized by the presence

of lightning and the acoustic effect on the Earth’s atmosphere that is thunder. This
phenomenon is usually taking place in the cumulonimbus cloud, the thunderstorm is also
accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain. It could also lead to snow, sleet, or hail.
Cumulonimbus Cloud
It is a dense and towering vertical cloud. This cloud is formed by the water vapor which is
carried by the powerful upward air currents.
Election Commission to Launch Digital Voter-ID Cards

January 25, 2021

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is all set to launch

the Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (e-EPIC)
programme on the occasion of National Voter’s Day. The
new digital card is being launched by keeping in view the
upcoming polls in five states namely, Kerala, Puducherry,
Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
What is e-EPIC?
 This is the electronic version of the Electoral Photo

Identity Card (EPIC).
 It is a secure portable document format (PDF) version as is non-editable.
 The e-EPIC comprises of a secured QR code along with the image and demographics
including the serial number and part number.
 This portable version can be downloaded on a mobile or a computer.
 This portable ID will be launched in addition to the physical or the conventional IDs
which can be digitally stored.
How this initiative will be rolled out?
 The e-EPIC initiative will be launched in two phases.

 The first phase will be from January 25 to 31. In this phase, new voters will get the
voter-ID simply by downloading the e-EPIC after authenticating their mobile number.
 Second phase will be rolled out from February 1 in which general voters will get the
voter-ID.
Significance of the digitalisation of Voter-ID
 The electronic card will help the EC to save the printing and distributing cost of the
hard copies.
 This would do away the need of carrying or producing the voter’s slip on the day of
voting.
Election Commission of India (ECI)
 It is an autonomous constitutional authority that administers the election processes in

India at national as well as the state level.
 It also organises the elections to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, state Legislative
Assemblies and state legislative Councils.
 Elections to offices of President and Vice President is also organised by the ECI.
 The body was established on 25th January 1950 under the authority of Constitution as
per Article 324.
National Voters’ Day
The national voter’s day is observed on January 25 to mark the foundation day of Election
commission of India. The day is being observed since 2011. This year, the election
commission will observe the 11th voter’s day. Theme of the day for the year 2021 is
“Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed”. The day is observed to
encourage, facilitate and maximize the enrolment of the new voters.

4-tier structure for Tighter Regulation of NBFCs

January 25, 2021
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently proposed for a

four-tier structure for tighter regulatory framework of the
Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
About Regulatory and Supervisory Framework
 The responsibility of regulation and supervision has

been entrusted with the Department of Non-Banking
Supervision (DNBS) of RBI under the regulatory – provisions
of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
 The framework will provide for the registration and
prudential regulation of NBFC. It will also issue the directions on acceptance and
surveillance of the sector.
About 4-Tier Structure
The proposed 4-tier are understated:
1. NBFC-Base Layer– under this layer, least regulatory intervention is warranted for
the NBFCs. RBI has proposed the classification of Non-Performing assets (NPAs) of
this layer NBFCs from 180 days to 90 days.
2. NBFC-Middle Layer– this layer has a stricter regulation as compared to the base
layer. Under it, the banks can be addressed for NBFCs falling so as to reduce the
systemic risk spill-overs.
3. NBFC Upper Layer– It comprises of the NBFCs which have large potential of
systemic risks and those impacting the financial stability. The regulatory framework
under this layer will be bank-like.
4. NBFC Top Layer– This layer is supposed to be empty unless supervisors take a view
on specific NBFCs.
Aim of the proposed framework
The RBI has proposed the new framework with the aim of protecting the financial stability. It
will further ensure that smaller NBFCs continue to enjoy light regulations.
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)
It is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956. It is engaged in the business of
loans and advances. NBFC cannot accept the demand deposits. They are not the part of the
payment and settlement system. Further, they cannot issue cheques drawn on itself. The
depositors of the NBFCs are not provided with the deposit insurance facility of Deposit
Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.

Draft policy on “Udyog Sahayak Enterprises Network”

January 25, 2021
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and

Industry (FICCI), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and
Azim Premji University have put forward the Udyog Sahayak
Enterprises Network (USENET) framework draft policy.
USENET Framework draft policy
 The Udyog Sahayak Enterprises Network (USENET)

framework approach has been set on the basis of the belief
that India should focus on helping the existing MSEs to grow
rather than creating more nano-entrepreneurs.
 This framkework has been created with the aim of providing a growth-driven services
to over 62 million nano and micro-enterprises. Such nano and micro-enterprises
currently employ over 100 million people in India.
 The draft framework further aims to create a countrywide entrepreneurial network.
Purpose of the framework
The framework has been prepared with the purpose of providing information on policies,
government schemes, credit options and visibility to lenders and customers to the nano and
micro-enterprises who are facing growth challenges. It will also create a support system that
will help the enterprises to adopt new technologies and increase the productivity.
Significance of the framework
The draft policy will provide a major stimulus to the nano and micro-enterprises that are
facing the challenge of growth in informal sector of the economy. The framework could help
in creating an additional 10.3 million jobs in the five years by enabling the scale-up of nano
and micro enterprises. Thus, the framework has the potential to grow and create a large
number of jobs. Further, it could boost the value-added per worker potential. This in turn
could bring in a 12% nominal growth in gross asset value (GVA).
Gross Asset Value (GAV)
It is the sum of value of property that a company owns. It is a common key performance
indicator for property funds that measures the success of the fund manager.
India’s take on “Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”

January 25, 2021

India recently made an announcement that it does not support

the “Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” and it is not
bound by any of the obligations of the treaty.
Highlights
 The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had

approved the “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”
in the year 2017.
 However, the nine countries that possess the nuclear
weapons did not support it.
 The treaty was not supported by the NATO alliance as well.
 Despite that, the treaty came into force on January 22, 2021.
India’s stand
 India maintains that, it will continue to provide the high priority and remain
committed to the universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.
 The Ministry of external affairs further said, since India did not participate in
negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, it will not become
a party to the Treaty.
 However, India showed its support to the commencement of negotiations on a
“comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention in the Conference on Disarmament”. It
is the only multilateral disarmament negotiating forum that works on the basis of
consensus.
Why India does not support the treaty?
India does not support the treaty because, India believes, the treaty does not constitute or
contribute to the development of customary international law. Further, the treaty does not
provide for any new standards or norms.
Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The treaty is also called as the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty. It is the first legally binding
international agreement. It prohibits the nuclear weapons and aims for the total elimination of
such weapons. The treaty was adopted on July 7, 2017. For the member nations, the treaty
prohibits development, testing, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of nuclear weapons.
The recognized “Nuclear weapon States” are United States, Russia, United Kingdom, China
and France. The states that have declared possessing the nuclear weapons include India,
Pakistan and North Korea while, Israel is the state that indicated for possessing the nuclear
weapons.
Paperless Budget: Mobile app launched ahead of Budget 2021

January 25, 2021

The Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, has

launched the “Union Budget Mobile App” ahead of the
presentation of the Union Budget on February 1, 2021. The
mobile app was launched for hassle-free access of Budget-
related documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the
public. The budget will completely be paperless for the first
time after. This decision was taken in the light of ongoing
coronavirus pandemic.
About Union Budget Mobile App
 The mobile app will provide access to 14 Union Budget documents that includes the
Annual Financial Statement or the Budget, Demand for Grants (DG) and the Finance
Bill.
 The interface of the app has been designed in a user-friendly manner.
 It comprises of the features like downloading, printing, search, zoom in and out, table
of contents and external links.
 It is a bilingual app (English and Hindi).
 National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed the app under the guidance of the
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).
Key Facts about Union Budget
 The term Union Budget has not been mentioned in the constitution. But the
“Annual Financial Statement” is commonly known as Budget.
 This annual financial statement is prepared in accordance with Article 112 of the
Constitution of India.
 Union Budget was announced at 5:00 pm until 1999 on last working day February.
Since the Budget 1999, the change in timing to 11 am was made.
 In 2016, Narendra Modi shifted the date of Budget presentation to February, 1.
 In 2016, the Rail Budget was also merged with union budget.
 The printing of budget documents starts with the customary Halwa ceremony in
which the Halwa is served by the Finance Minister.
 The tradition of carrying budget in a leather briefcase was also changed in July 2019
when the finance minister carried the budget in a Bahi-Khata.
National Informatics Centre (NIC)
NIC works under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It
provides infrastructure that support the delivery of IT services by the government and the
delivery of initiatives under the Digital India Mission.
Maharashtra to begin ‘Jail Tourism’

January 25, 2021

The government of Maharashtra has decided to start a ‘jail

tourism’ from the Yerawada prison of Pune. It will start on
January 26, 2021. This initiative is being launched in the state
with the aim of facilitating the people to visit and see the
historical prisons in the state. This is being done as memories
of many freedom fighters who were once imprisoned in the
jail have been preserved. Some of the freedom fighter who
were imprisoned in Yerawada jail under the British rule
include Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Lokmanya Tilak,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose.
Yerwada Central Jail
It is a noted high-security jail in Yerwada, Pune. It is the largest jail in the state of
Maharashtra. The jail is also the largest prisons in South Asia. It can house 5,000 prisoners.
The jail was built in the year 1871 by the British. It is protected by protected by four high
walls and has been divided into various security zones and barracks. It also comprises of egg-
shaped cells for high-security prisoners. However, the jail is highly criticized for its
overcrowding and poor living conditions.
Mahatama Gandhi In Yerwada Jail
Mahatma Gandhi had spent several years in Yerwada Jail during India’s freedom struggle in
1932. When he was imprisoned in the year 1932, he sat on an indefinite fast to protest against
the Communal Award for depressed classes. He opened his fast after signing an agreement
called the Poona Pact. Gandhi was released in May 1933. He was again imprisoned in the
year 1942 during the Quit India movement.
Quit India Movement
The Quit India movement is also known as the August Movement or the Leave India
movement. The movement was launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress
Committee in 1942 by Mahatma Gandhi. It was launched during World War II with the aim
of ending the British rule in India.
Nepal’s Political Dilemma: PM Oli got expelled from Party

January 25, 2021

The Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, has been

expelled from the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). He
was expelled from the party following his decision to dissolve
the Parliament. He was expelled from his party by a Central
Committee at a meeting of the party’s splinter group.
Highlights
 The splinter group of the party was led by former Prime

Ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar.
 Both the members had earlier asked PM Oli to
explanation for his unconstitutional decisions. They sent letter to seek clarification.
But the PM Oli failed to do so.
Background
 The Prime Minister Oli has recommended for the resolution of the Parliament on
December 20, 2020. He took this decision after a tussle with former PM Pushpa
Kamal Dahal Prachanda for power.
 Following this the President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, had accepted the
recommendations of the Prime Minister. And thus, the Parliament was dissolved.
 The elections to the Parliament are now scheduled for April 30 and May 10, 2021.
Nepal Communist Party
It is the ruling political party in Nepal. The party is considered as the largest communist party
in South Asia while the third largest in Asia. The party was founded on May 17, 2018. It was
formed after the unification of two leftist parties namely the Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified Marxist–Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). This party is the
largest political party in House of Representatives and National Assembly. It is also the
largest among all provincial assemblies except No. 2. Former Prime Minister of Nepal
Pushpa Kamal Dahal is currently serving as the chairmen of the party alone after PM Oli has
been expelled. Following the removal of PM Oli, the NCP has split into two divisions.
Oxfam Report: The Inequality Virus

January 25, 2021

The Oxfam has recently published its report titled “The

Inequality Virus”. In its report, the Oxfam finds that the
COVID-19 pandemic has deepen the existing inequalities in
India and across the world.
 As per the report, the pandemic has stalled the economy

that in turn has forced millions of poor Indians out of job.
 However, the richest billionaires in India have increased
their wealth by 35 percent during the lockdown. Thus, India
has been ranked at sixth in the world following the US, China, Germany, Russia and
France.
 The report calculates that, India’s top 100 billionaires have increased their fortunes by
Rs 12.97 trillion. Such amount is enough to give around 95000 Rupees for each one
of the 138 million poorest Indians.
 Report further highlights that, 170,000 people lost their jobs every hour in the April
2020.
 India’s large informal workforce accounts for 75 per cent of the 122 million jobs that
were lost. Informal workers had lesser opportunities to work from home.
Impact on Education
As education made a shift to online platforms, India witnessed the digital divide that
worsened the inequalities. As per the report, 3 per cent of the poorest 20 per cent of Indian
households had access to a computer while 9 per cent had access to the internet.
Impact on Education
The report finds that, India does not report case data desegregated by socio-economic or
social categories. Thus, distribution of disease among the communities is difficult to find. But
India has become the world’s second-largest country with respect to the number of COVID-
19 positive cases.
Impact on Poor communities
Covid-19 disease also impacted the poor communities who were living in crammed areas.
This is because of poor sanitation. As per the report, only 6 per cent of the poorest 20 per cent
households had access to non-shared sources of improved sanitation as opposed to 93 per
cent of the top 20 per cent households in India.
Impact on gender disparity
As per the report, unemployment rate among women have risen to 18 percent from 15 per
cent before COVID-19. This could result in a loss to India’s GDP by 8 per cent or $218
billion.
UN: China overtakes US for Foreign Direct Investment

January 25, 2021

Recent figures by the United Nations Conference on Trade

and Development highlights that, China has surpassed the
United States as the world’s top destination for the foreign
direct investment (FDI) in the year 2020.
Highlights
 The eastward shift of the destination was the result of

Covid-19 pandemic from which the United States is still
recovering.
 The New investments by overseas businesses into the
US fell by 49 percent in the year 2020.
 China has attracted the new investments in 2020 while, US maintained the higher
position with respect to the total stock of foreign investment.
 The higher stock shows that the US has been most attractive location for foreign
businesses since decades.
FDI scenario in US
The Foreign investment in the U.S. started picking up in the year 2016. Till 2016, the
investments stood at $472 billion in contrast to total foreign investment of $134 billion in
China. However, since 2017 the investments in China continued to rise while in U.S.
continued to fall.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
The investment in the form of controlling ownership of a business in one country by an entity
which is based in another country is called as the foreign direct investment. Thus, it is
distinguished from a foreign portfolio investment with respect to the direct control. The
origin of the investment does not impact the definition of the FDI.
Foreign portfolio investment
It is a grouping of assets like stocks, bonds and cash equivalents. Such investments are held
directly by an investor or it is managed by the financial professionals. In the economics, such
investments mean entry of funds into a country where foreigners deposit their money in a
country’s bank or when they make purchases in the country’s stock and bond markets.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021

January 25, 2021

Thirty-two children have been awarded with the Pradhan

Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in the year 2021. The award
has been given to these children for their tremendous and
outstanding accomplishments and exceptional abilities in
fields including the innovation, scholastics, sports, social
service, arts, culture and bravery.
Highlights
 As per the statement of The Ministry of Women and

Child Development these awardees have been selected from
the 32 districts of 21 states and Union territories.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacted with the awardees because of
COVID-19 pandemic.
 The award will help to motivate the children so as to push for excellence and get
inspired to perform better.
 Seven awards were given in the field of art and culture, nine in the field of innovation
and five in the field of scholastic achievements while Seven children have won the
award in sports category. Three more children have been awarded for bravery and one
child for her efforts in the social service.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
 The award is formerly known as the National Child Award for Exceptional
Achievement.
 This is Highest Civilian Honour in India that is given to the exceptional achievers
under the age of 18.
 A child must be an Indian Citizen and reside in India in order to get the award.
 The Ministry of Women and Child Development has instituted the purashkar in the
1996.
 This purashkar recognizes the children with exceptional abilities and outstanding
status in fields including the arts, culture, academics, research, social service, design,
innovation and sports.
 The President of India confreres the award in the week preceding the Republic Day.
 The awardees also participate in the Republic Day Parade.
 It is presented in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
 The individual award comprises of a medal, cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000, citation and a
certificate.
Who finalize the names of awardees?
The names of the awardees for the award is finalized by a National Selection Committee
which is headed by the Minister of Ministry of Women and Child Development.
January 24: National Girl Child day

January 26, 2021

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi said that the

central government has taken many initiatives that focus on
empowering the girl child. He highlighted that, the initiatives
also provide a better access to education, better healthcare and
improves the gender sensitivity. This statement was made by
him on the occasion of National Girl Child Day.
National Girl Child Day
 The National Girl Child Day is observed on January 24

every year.
 It is an initiative was started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in
2008.
 The day is observed with the objective of providing all support and opportunities to
the girls in India.
 It further aims to promote the awareness about the rights of the girl child and to
increase awareness on the importance of education, and health and nutrition of the
girl.
National Girl Child day 2021
 This year the day was celebrated with the objective to awareness on the issue of
declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
 The day also marked the anniversary of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme
This scheme was launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The scheme has been implemented through a national campaign and focussed multi sectoral
action in selected 100 districts which have low CSR. The scheme covers all States and Union
Territories (UTs). The scheme mainly targets the states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab and Bihar.
Why this scheme was needed?
The scheme was launched in the view of declining sex ratio because of sex-selective
abortions or female foeticide, pre-birth and post-birth discrimination against girls. As per the
census 2011, there was a decline in CSR from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 and further to 918
in 2011.
Objectives of BBBP scheme
The scheme was launched with the objective to prevent the gender biased sex selective
elimination, to ensure the survival & protection of the girl child and to ensure the education
and participation of the girl child.

DRDO successfully test fires Akash-NG missile

January 26, 2021
The Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) has successfully test-fired the surface-to-air Akash-
NG (New Generation) Missile off the Odisha coast. The
missile can intercept the aerial threats. The missile has been
launched in order to boost the Indian Air Force (IAF) defence
system.
Akash-NG
 Akash-NG is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air

missile defense system.
 It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO).
 The missile has been produced jointly by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) that
developed the Missile Systems and the Bharat Electronics (BEL), Tata Power
Strategic Engineering Division & Larsen & Toubro that developed the radars, control
centers, launcher systems.
 The missile has the capability of targeting the aircraft up to 50-60 km away at
altitudes of 18,000 m.
 The missile can neutralize the aerial targets such as the fighter jets, cruise missiles and
air-to-surface missiles.
 Missile is in operation with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
 It utilizes an integrated ramjet-rocket propulsion system. This propulsion system
provides sustained thrust for the missile after initial rocket motor burnout until its
interception.
 In December 2020, the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi cleared the exports of Akash Missile defence system. Following that,
the countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus, UAE and
Vietnam have shown their interest in Akash missile system.
Characteristic of Akash-NG
The Akash battery comprises of a single Rajendra 3D passive electronically scanned array
radar or Simple the Rajendra Radar and four launchers with three missiles each. Each battery
can track up to 64 targets and attack up to 12. It comprises of a 60 Kg high-explosive, pre-
fragmented warhead. The missile is capable of protecting the moving convoy of vehicles. It
provides air defence missile coverage for the area of 2,000 km².
Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA)
It is also called as the passive phased array. PESA is an antenna in which beam of radio
waves can be electronically directed to point in different directions in which all the antenna
elements are connected with the single transmitter. PESA is highly used in radars.

Padma Awards 2021

January 26, 2021
On the evening of 72nd Republic Day, India has honored 119

people from diverse field with the Padma Awards.
Highlights
 These awards are conferred by the President of India at

ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
 In the year 2021, the President has approved conferment
of 119 Padma Awards.
 In the list, there are 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma
Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards.
 Women awardees counts at 29.
 It also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners or NRI or PIO or OCI,16
Posthumous awardees and 1 transgender awardee.
 Shri Ram Vilas Paswan was conferred the award (Posthumous) in Public Affairs
Bihar category.
Padma Awards
 It is one of the highest civilian Awards of the country.

 This award is given in three categories namely, the Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri.
 It is given in various disciplines and fields of activities including the art, public
affairs, social work, Trade and industry, science and engineering, medicine, literature,
education, sports and civil service.
Padma Vibhushan
 It is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

 The award was Instituted on January 2, 1954.
 This award is given for the “exceptional and distinguished service”.
 It does not differentiate between race, occupation, position, or sex.
 The award is given for the exceptional and distinguished service.
 Satyendra Nath Bose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Nand Lal Bose
were among the first recipient of the award in 1954.
 In the year 2021, this award was given to:
1. Shri Shinzo Abe – Public Affairs – Japan

2. Shri S P Balasubramaniam (Posthumous) – Art – Tamil Nadu
3. Shri Sudarshan Sahoo – Art – Odisha
4. Belle Monappa Hegde – Medicine – Karnataka
5. Shri B. B. Lal Others – Archaeology – Delhi
6. Shri Narinder Singh Kapany (Posthumous) – Science and Engineering – United States
of America
7. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan – Others – Spiritualism – Delhi

Padma Bhushan
It is the third-highest civilian award in India. The award is preceded by the Bharat Ratna &
Padma Vibhushan while followed by the Padma Shri. The award was Instituted on January 2,
1954.
Padma Shri
It is the fourth-highest civilian award of India after Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and
Padma Bhushan. It is awarded by the Government of India every year on the occasion of
republic day since 1954.
AMPHEX 21: A Tri-Services Exercise

January 26, 2021
The Indian Armed forces conducted a large-scale tri-service

joint amphibious exercise AMPHEX – 21 in Andaman and
Nicobar group of islands in between 21 to 25 January 2021.
Highlights
 In this exercise, the Naval ships, amphibious troops of

the Army and different types of aircraft from the Air force
participated.
 The exercise was conducted with the aim of validating
India’s capabilities to safeguard the territorial integrity of the
island territories.
 The exercise was also aimed at enhancing the operational synergy and joint
warfighting capabilities between the three Services.
 In the exercise there were a series of engagements ranging from the multi-faceted
maritime operations by synergised employment of amphibious assault ships,
execution of maritime airstrikes, surveillance platforms and complex manoeuvres at
sea.
 The exercise also involved the Airborne insertion of Marine Commandos of Navy and
Special Forces of the Army, naval gunfire support, the amphibious landing of forces
and follow-on operations.
 Exercise KAVACH for the defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands was also the part
of AMPHEX – 21.
Exercise KAVACH
It is also a tri service Military exercise. The exercise was conducted along with the AMHEX-
21 in January 2021. The exercise was conducted under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar
Command (ANC) which happens to be the only Joint Forces Command of India. The
exercise was participated by the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air force and the Indian
Coast Guard. It involves the synergised application of maritime surveillance assets, air and

maritime strikes besides the air defence, submarine and landing operations. This exercise was
conducted with the aim of set up the joint war-fighting capabilities and the Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) so as to boost the operational synergy between all the services.
Significance of such exercises
Such exercises help in keeping the check on the preparedness of all the agencies to deal with
any threat and enhance the coastal security. These exercises become more significant in the
light of 1993 Bombay Bombings and the 2008 Mumbai Attacks that took place because of
unsecure maritime border.
SpaceX Launched 143 Satellites on Single Rocket

January 26, 2021
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has created a new world record. It has

launched 143 satellites on a single rocket called Falcon 9
rocket. With the new record, SpaceX has broken the record of
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) that has deployed
104 satellites on a single launch in February 2017. For the
purpose of delivering these satellites to a polar sun-
synchronous orbit, Space X charges a price of 15,000 dollars
per kilogram for each satellite.
Which satellites were launched?
 The 143 satellites that were launched include the commercial and government
satellites namely the CubeSats, microsats and 10 Starlink satellites.
 A spacecraft of Nasa was also launched.
Aim of the launch
SpaceX has launched these satellites with the aim of providing the near-global broadband
internet coverage all across the world by the end of 2021.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)
It is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company. It has

been headquartered in Hawthorne, California. The agency was founded in the year 2002 by
Elon Musk. The agency was established with the goal to reduce the space transportation costs
in order to enable the colonization of Mars. It is the first privately funded liquid-propellant
rocket of the world that has reached to the orbit by the launch of Falcon 1 in 2008.
Falcon 9 rocket
This rocket is a partially reusable two-stage-to-orbit medium-lift launch vehicle. It has been
designed and manufactured by SpaceX. The launcher uses cryogenic liquid oxygen and

rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants. The name has been derived from the fictional
Star Wars spacecraft, the Millennium Falcon.
Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO)
It is also called as the heliosynchronous orbit. This is a polar orbit around a planet. In the
orbit, satellite passes over any given point of the planet’s surface at the same local mean solar
time.
Bharat Parv 2021

January 26, 2021
The annual event Bharat Parv that celebrates the spirit of India
is being organised virtually from January 26, 2021 till January
31, 2021. Bharat Parv is being organised with the overall
theme focusing on the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Ek Bharat
Shrestha Bharat.
Highlights
 Under the virtual event, themed pavilions of States and

Union Territories will showcase their tourism destinations,
handicrafts, cuisine and other features.
 It was inaugurated by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
About Bharat Parv
 The Bharat Parv is organized by the Ministry of Tourism every year.

 It was started in the year 2016.
 The event is organised in front of the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of
Republic Day Celebrations.
 The events are organised with the aim of generating patriotic fervour. It also
showcases the rich and varied cultural of India.
 The handicrafts, music, dance, handlooms, paintings, literary material and other
features from across the country are showcased by Central Ministries and other
organizations such as Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Ayush, media units of I&B
Ministry, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Archaeological Survey
of India, Lalit Kala Academy, National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Arts,
Khadi & Village Industries Commission.
About Bharat Parv-2021
In the virtual event of Bharat Parv, glimpses of Republic Day Parade and recorded
performances of Armed forces music bands will also be available. In the event, Central
Institutes of Hotel Management and the Indian Culinary Institute will also display their

culinary delight and recipe through videos. The online event will also showcase the videos,
films, images, brochures and other information.
Contribution from the ministry
Prasar Bharati has set up its virtual stall that will showcase its efforts in promoting the Ek
Bharat-Shrestha Bharat. While, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Bureau of
Outreach and Communication will focus on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
It will exhibit the photos, videos, animation related to Swachch Bharat, Sashakt Bharat, Bapu
Ke Sapno Ka Bharat’. The Publications Division of Prasar Bharti will participate in the first
Virtual event on the theme of विरासत शब्दों की, भाि भारतीयता का.
National Mission for Edible Oil (NMEO)

January 26, 2021
The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed for the National Mission for Edible Oil in order to
increase the domestic availability and reduce the import dependency. The mission has been
proposed for next five years in the span of 2020-21 to 2024-25.
About National Mission for Edible Oil (NMEO)
The NMEO comprises of the three Sub-Missions into it with the objective of increasing the
production of oilseeds and edible oils from the three sources:
1. Primary Sources- it includes the Annual Crops, Plantation Crops and Edible TBOs
2. Secondary Sources- it includes the Rice bran oil and Cotton seed oil.
3. Consumer Awareness to maintain the edible oil consumption constant at 19.00 kg per
person per annum.
Aim of the Mission
The mission has been proposed with the aim of increasing the production from 30.88 to 47.80
million tonnes of oilseeds. It seeks to produce 7.00 to 11.00 million tonnes of edible oils from
Primary Sources by 2024-25. Also, the edible oils from secondary sources will be doubled
from existing 3.50 to 7.00 million tonnes.
Challenges of oilseed production
In India, the major challenges associated with the oilseed production are:

1. Rain-fed conditions in 70% area.

2. High seed cost for Groundnut and Soybean.
3. Small holding capacity with limited resources.
4. Low seed replacement rate and
5. Low productivity.
Oil consumption in India
In India, there is a requirement of 25 million tonnes of edible oils so as to meet the

requirement of current consumption level of 19 kg per person annually. Out of these, 10.50
million tonnes are produced domestically from primary sources like Soybean, Groundnut,
Rapeseed & Mustard, Niger, Sunflower, & Safflower and the secondary sources like
Coconut, Oil palm, Rice Bran, Cotton seeds & Tree Borne Oilseeds. The 60%, of the
requirement is met by the import. Though, the production of oilseeds is increasing rapidly but
there exists a gap between the demand and supply of oilseeds. This is increased the
dependency on imports.
Climate Adaptation Summit 2021

January 26, 2021
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his addressed to the

Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 said that by the year 2030,
India will target 450 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity.
He also said that India is promoting the LED lights and is also
saving 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
He also highlighted that, by 2030 India will restore 26 million
hectares of degraded land.
About Climate Adaptation Summit 2021
 The climate adaptation summit was hosted by the

Netherlands government on January 25, 2021. The summit was held online and it is
being called “CAS Online”.
 The summit was built on the advances of the UN Climate Action Summit.
 The summit also showcased the pioneering solutions of the climate emergency and
sustaining momentum through UNFCCC’s COP26.
 CAS will help in delivering the action and inspire the change to help the societies
build back better.
 The organizers of the summit also called for major new funding for agricultural
research.
 They also expanded the access to farmer advisory services, risk management and
financial services.
Aim of CAS

 The summit was organized with the aim of realizing the transitions which is required
for a climate-resilient world.
 The summit focuses on securing the new investments in order to ensure that millions
of smallholder farmers could adapt to the impact of climate on food production.
India’s Commitment
India has committed to provide the clean cooking fuel to 80 million rural households during
the summit. It also committed to connect the 64 million households with the piped water
supply.
COP 26
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference is also known as COP26. It is the 26th
United Nations Climate Change conference. It will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from
November 1 to 12, 2021. The United Kingdom will chair the summit. The conference will
incorporate the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), third meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA3)
and the 16th meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP16).
Rajasthan’s New M-sand Policy-2020

January 26, 2021
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, has released

the new M-Sand Policy of Rajasthan in light with the
government’s commitment to meet the quantity of sand which
is needed for construction work.
M-Sand Policy
 The M-sand policy has been launched with the aim of

reducing the dependency on the traditional sand from rivers.
 Through this policy, the use and production
of manufactured sand or M-sand in the state will be
encouraged.
 With this policy, problem of waste generated from the mines in the mining areas of
Rajasthan will also be solved.
 This will also create huge employment opportunities at the local level.
 The policy designated the M-sand units the status of an industry.
What was the need of this policy?
In the state of Rajasthan, the availability of sand is not as per the requirement of construction
works. There is a demand of around 70 million tonnes of river sand for various construction
work. But, only 20 M-sand units are operating in the state. These 20 units produces 20,000

tonnes of M-sand every day. Now, this new M-sand policy will be promoting it as a long-
term alternative to gravel and help in setting up of new mining units.
What is M-Sand?
The policy defines the M-Sand as the manufactured sand produced by crushing the minerals.
The M-sand meet the standards of ISO code 383: 2016. The sand is derived from the minerals
which are locally available such as granite, silica, basalt, sandstone and quartile. The sand is
produced by crushing the minerals into stones of size 150 microns. The crushed material is
then segregated and used in differently based on the size. In order to reduce the impurities,
the sand is washed after crushing it to make it more durable and suitable for construction
process.
What is Green Tax?

January 26, 2021
The Ministry of road transport has decided to impose the

additional taxes on old vehicles that are no more fit on road.
This additional tax is being called as the “Green Tax”. Th
decision was taken to curb pollution. It will also motivate
people to switch to environment-friendly alternatives to the
vehicles.
Highlights
 The Green tax will reduce the pollution level.

 It will also make the polluter to pay for creating
pollution.
 Revenue collected from the green tax will be kept in a separate account. The amount
will be used for tackling the problem of pollution.
 The states have been asked to set up state-of-art facilities to monitor the emission.
How the vehicles will be taxed?
 Under the Green Tax norms, the transport vehicles older than eight years will be
charged with the green tax at the time of renewal of fitness certificate. They will be
charged at the rate of 10 to 25% of road tax.
 While, the Public transport vehicles like city buses will be paying lower Green Tax.
 However, the vehicles used in farming like tractor and harvestor will be exempted
from the tax.
What is Green tax?
Green tax is also called as the pollution tax or environmental tax. The tax is an excise duty on
goods that results into the environmental pollutants. An economic theory says, that if taxes
will be charged on emissions causing pollution will lower the environmental impairment in a

cost-effective manner. The tax will encourage the behavioural changes in households and
firms that are required to reduce the pollution. The tax mainly aims to ensure that polluters
are duly punished for their pollution creating activities.
Green Tax in India
This tax in India is relatively new trend. However, the RFID tags are being given and CCTV
cameras have been deployed at border entry points. With this, the commercial vehicles that
enter the city are monitored for emissions. In the cities like Delhi, Environmental
Compensation Charge (EEC) is imposed on pollutants depending upon the vehicle’s size.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Punjab Defeats Karnataka

January 27, 2021
Punjab has defeated champions Karnataka by nine wickets in

the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy recently. The defeat, at the
Motera Stadium, was the result of Siddharth Kaul’s three-
wicket haul and Prabhsimran Singh’s unbeaten 49-run knock.
Following the win, Punjab has reached to the semi-finals on
the other hand, Karnataka has been knocked out. Now, Punjab
will face the winner of the Baroda-Haryana match in the
second semi-final.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
This trophy is a Twenty20 cricket domestic championship which is organized by Board of

Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The matches are organised among the teams from Ranji
Trophy. The trophy was started in 2009-10 season. It has been named Indian cricketer, Syed
Mushtaq Ali.
Ranji Trophy
It is a domestic first-class cricket championship. It is played between multiple teams

representing the regional and state cricket associations. Currently, 38 teams take part in the
trophy. It has been named after the first Indian cricketer who played international cricket,
Ranjitsinhji (‘Ranji’).
Syed Mushtaq Ali
He was a right-handed batsman. He was the first Indian player who scored the first overseas
Test century. He had scored 112 against England at Old Trafford in the year 1936. He was
also a left arm orthodox spin bowler.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

It is the governing body for cricket in India. It was established in December 1928 as a
society. It is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. The headquarters of
the body is in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Grant Govan was the first president of the body
while Anthony De Mello the first secretary. Currently, Sourav Ganguly is its President.
Twenty20 cricket or Twenty-20
This is the shorter form of cricket which was first introduced by England and Wales Cricket
Board (ECB) in the year 2003. Under it, the match is restricted to 20 overs. It is recognised
by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as being at the highest international or domestic
level
Global Climate Risk Index 2021

January 26, 2021
The Global Climate Risk Index was recently released by

Germanwatch-a NGO based in Bonn, Germany. In the index,
India has been ranked at seventh position among the countries
that are most effected by climate change in 2019.
 As per the report, monsoon continued for a month

longer than normal in India in the year 2019.
 In the period of June to September 2019, 110% of the
long-period average was recorded.
 Heavy rain caused the severe flooding in India that resulted into death of 1,800
across14 states. The flood also caused the displacement of 1.8 million people.
 As per the report, eight tropical cyclones cam in India. Six of them intensified to be
very severe.
 Report further highlights that, ‘Extremely severe’ cyclone Fani affected 28 million
people and killed 90 people in India and Bangladesh.
 Around 4,75,000 people have lost their lives as a direct result of more than 11,000
extreme weather events globally in between the 2000 to 2019.
 For the period of 2000 to 2014, the economic losses in terms of purchasing power
parity accounts to around US $2.56 trillion because of extreme weather conditions.
 The report also highlights that, around 11.8 million people were affected by intense
monsoon globally that in turn resulted into economic damage of US $10 billion.
The Global Climate Risk Index (CRI)
The Global Climate Risk Index is annually published by the Germanwatch. The index
analyses the impact of extreme climate events on the country and the economy. It analyses
how countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events. The index is
prepared on the basis of data from Munich Re’s NatCatSERVICE.

Germanwatch
It is a non-profit non-governmental organization that was founded in 1991. The NGO is

based in Bonn, Germany. It was established with the objective of influencing the public
policy on trade and environment.
India-UK: Cooperation against Cross-Border Terrorism

January 26, 2021
India and the United Kingdom recently held the 14th meeting
of the India-United Kingdom Joint Working Group on
Counter-Terrorism. The meeting was held virtually on January
21-22, 2021.
Highlights
 Under the meeting, both the nations strongly

condemned the terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
 Both the countries emphasized on the demand of
strengthening the international cooperation so that they could
combat the global problem of terrorism completely besides combating the cross-
border terrorism in South Asia.
 The countries reviewed the threats by the United Nations prescribed terrorist entities
and terrorist.
 Both of the countries also exchanged their views on the assessment of the terrorist
entities and individuals as a tool to counter the terrorism.
 They also exchanged the ideas in order to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation
to combat the counter-terrorism, extremism & radicalization, financing of terrorism,
preventing the internet exploitation for terrorism, information sharing, cooperation
between law enforcement, capacity building and maritime & aviation security.
 Further, the challenges faced to counter the terrorism in the COVID-19 pandemic
situation were also discussed.
 Both the countries concluded by asking the other nations to take an immediate step in
order to ensure that no territory under their control has been used for terrorist
activities. They also asked the nations that, if any attack executes from a particular
territory, the respective nation must take actions against it.
India-UK counter terrorism cooperation
Both the nations have showed and shared a strong interest in preventing terror attacks on their
mainland. They have suffered such attacks such as a terrorist attack on British soil in London
on July 7 2005 and Mumbai attack on 26-28 November in 2008. In the line, the Prime
Minister Modi during visit to the UK in November 2015, he explicitly named Lashkar-e-
Taiba for the Mumbai attack. In the 13th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group on
Counter-Terrorism in London on 25-26 November 2019, both the countries had committed to
work together to counter the terrorism in all its forms.

UN report: World Economy Expected to regain 2020 losses

January 26, 2021
The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects

report has said that, the world economy is expected to recover
slightly by 4.7 percent in the year 2021. The economy had
declined by 4.3 percent in 2020 because of COVID-19
pandemic. The report highlights that, this loss in 2020 was
more than double the impact of the global financial crisis in
2009.
Findings of the report
 The report highlights that the developed economies

were shrank by 5.6 percent in 2020. But in 2021, they are projected to recover by 4
percent.
 It further highlights that, the developing countries were contracted by 2.5 percent and
it will grow by 5.7 percent in 2021.
 As per the report, 131 million more people were pushed into poverty in the year 2020.
World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report
The report is released jointly by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), five United Nations Regional Economic Commissions and United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
The UNCTAD was established in the year 1964 by the United Nations General Assembly as
a permanent intergovernmental body. It has been headquartered in Geneva. The body is the
part of the United Nations Secretariat that deals with trade, investment, and other
development issues. UNCTAD works with the objective of maximizing the trade, investment
and development opportunities of developing countries. It also seeks to assist them in their
efforts to integrate into the world economy equally. The organisation submits its reports to
the UN General Assembly and United Nations Economic and Social Council. UNCTAD
works with the objective of formulating the policies related to all aspects of development
such as aid, trade, finance, transport, and technology. The organisation held its meeting once
in four years.
Bangladesh Forces takes part in Republic Day Event

January 27, 2021

India celebrated its 72nd Republic Day. The Republic Day

Parade this year was though muted amid the COVID-19
pandemic and no chief guest was invited. But this year,
Bangladesh Army contingent marched down the Rajpath.
Why Bangladesh Forces marched?
The Bangladesh Army Contingent participated in the parade

to mark the completion of 50 years of the liberation of
Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. The victory was one
of the finest military victories and the world has rarely
witnesses the military campaign like India-Pakistan war of 1971. Thus, to mark the Golden
Jubilee of the war, Bangladesh Forces marched along with the Indian Forces.
Background
The War was fought with the Pakistan in which Indian forces and Bangladesh Forces were
united. 122-personnel strong contingent from Bangladesh fought alongside the Indian Army
in the war. War continued for 14-day and resulted in the largest surrender of an opposing
army.
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini is the Bangladesh Forces. The force was the guerrilla resistance movement that
comprises of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary and civilians in the War of Liberation. It
was earlier called as the Mukti Fauj. Mukti Bahini also comprise of the civilian Gonobahini
meaning the People’s Force). Z Force led by Major Ziaur Rahman, K Force led by Major
Khaled Mosharraf and S Force led by Major K M Shafiullah were some of the prominent
forces during the war.
India-Bangladesh Relation
The relation between India and Bangladesh is defined on the basis of civilisation, cultural,
social and economic. A shared history and common heritage, linguistic and cultural ties,
Literature, passion for music and arts are some of the areas that unites both the countries. For
Instance, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthems of both Bangladesh and India in
1905 and 1911 respectively. The cooperation and coordination between the Indian Army and
Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini dates back to March 1971 or the India-Pakistan war of 1971. Now
that cooperation and coordination is part of folklore and shared history of both the nations.
Rajasthan: “School of Public Health” launched

January 27, 2021

Rajasthan has launched a new School of Public Health. The

school was launched in order to make the policy intervention
to build the public health capacity and skills. It will also help
in bridging the gaps between education and practices in
Rajasthan.
Highlights
 It is expected that the school will play an important role

in the healthcare management after the state is completely
recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The school has been named after the Indian Institute of Health Management Research
(IIHMR).
 D. Gupta has been appointed as the chairman of the school.
 The chairman will provide the technical support to health systems and help the state
government in harnessing the new technologies.
 The digital health technology and evaluation of surveillance mechanisms are the
significance features of the school. These features will help the policy makers to
identify the challenges and to bring the changes. This will help in ensuring “equity
and inclusion” in public health.
First Project
The school of Public Health has taken up a study on non-communicable diseases, climate
change and antimicrobial resistance in the first instance of its project. The project was
undertaken in order to identify priority areas in public healthcare. Study will be conducted if
the data analytics and artificial intelligence are the segments for the public health sector or
not.
Public health
The science and art of preventing disease is called as Public Health. This science helps in
prolonging life and improving the quality of life through the organized efforts and informed
choices of society, different public & private organizations, communities and individuals.
Public Health analyses the determinants of health and the threats faced by the population.
This concept incorporates the physical, psychological, and social well-being. The World
Bank Organization says, the public health is not only the absence of disease or infirmity but a
resource for everyday living.
NASA finds the ‘Lost Galaxy’

January 27, 2021

Recently, the Hubble Space Telescope of NASA captured the

images of the NGC 4535 which is also known as the “Lost
Galaxy”. The image highlights that the young and hot stars
that hang out are the bright blue spots. On the other hand,
older and cooler stars are highlighted by the bright shades
nearer to the center.
Background
An amateur astronomer Leland S. Copeland fixed his

telescope lens on a distant galaxy in the Virgo constellation
first in 1950s. He then withnessed an eerie spiral that was shrouded in dust. He named the
spiral as “The Lost Galaxy”.
About the Lost Galaxy
 It is also known as NGC 4535.

 The galaxy is one of the largest of some 2,000 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.
 The galaxy is located about 50 million light-years from Earth.
 It is a barred spiral galaxy that means a vast swirl of stars having a distinct bar
structure at its center.
 The galaxy gives the yellowish glow at its central bulge. The yellowish glow suggests
the way to the oldest and coldest retinue of stars in the Lost Galaxy.
 The Galaxy was discovered in 1785 by William Herschel who found the planet
Uranus.
 The galaxy was termed as the Lost Galaxy by Copeland because then he had a
glimpse of NGC 4535 using his small yard lenses.
Spiral galaxy
The concept of the Spiral Galaxy was first described by Edwin Hubble in 1936 The Spiral
galaxy is the most common type of galaxy in universe. It has a spiral shape because of long
arm full of stars. The galaxy extends from the center into the galactic disc. The galaxy
comprises of a flat, rotating disk containing the stars, gas and dust, and a central
concentration of stars called as bulge. It is surrounded by a much fainter halo of stars.
World Economic Outlook, 2021

January 27, 2021

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released

the “World Economic Outlook, 2021” report.
Key Findings of report
 The report highlights that, India will witness the

strongest growth among the main economies.
 India’s economy will expand by 11.5 percent in 2021 as
opposed to the 8.8 percent growth that was predicted in
October 2020.
 However, for the year 2022, the growth has been
predicted to be 6.8 percent.
 The report further highlights that the global growth for 2021 will be 5.5 percent as
compared to 5.2 percent October 2020.
 The economic growth of the world is projected at 4.2 percent in 2022.
 It further estimated that there will be 3.5 percent contraction in global growth in 2020.
 As per the report, U.S. will experience the growth to 5.1 percent in 2021 from 3.1
percent in 2020.
 Report projects that, there will be slight variation in China’s growth in 2021. The
growth will lower down to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent.
Concerns raised by report
The report however highlighted that access to medical interventions, exposure to cross-
country effectiveness of policy support, exposure to cross-country spill overs, and structural
characteristics are entering into crisis. This might result into the variations in the strength of
the recovery across countries.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
IMF is an international financial institution. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The

institution comprises of 190 countries that works together to boost the global monetary
cooperation, facilitate international trade, secure financial stability, promote high
employment and sustainable economic growth. It depends on the World Bank for its
resources. It was established in the year 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference. However, it
formally came into existence in 1945 when there were 29 member countries.
World Economic Outlook (WEO)
This report is prepared by the International Monetary Fund. It analyses key parts of the IMF’s
surveillance of economic developments and policies. The report is usually prepared twice a
year.
U.S. President signs “Buy American” Executive Order

January 27, 2021

The President of U.S., Joe Biden, signed the executive order

in a bid to tighten the “Buy American” requirements in the
federal government procurement. This move by the President
is the first step toward fulfilling his campaign promise.
Highlights
 In 2019, federal government spent $586 billion on

contracts for goods and services
 The President vowed to invest hundreds of billions of
dollars to buy American products and materials to modernize
our infrastructure.
 This in turn, will help in increasing the competitive strength in the competitive world.
 They also promised to invest heavily in strategic sectors like the artificial intelligence
in order to increase American competitiveness.
 This move was also targeted to counter the “Made in China 2025” campaign by
Chinese government.
Aim of the Executive Order
 The executive order was signed with the objective of Strengthening the manufacturing
sector in the country.
 Further, the government wants to make it harder for government agencies to purchase
foreign products.
 It also aims to raise the percentage of local content (U.S. Made).
 The order will also include job creation in the definition of U.S.-made.
 Lastly, it seeks to extend the provisions to information technology which is currently
exempt.
Buy American Act
This act was passed in 1933 by Congress and signed by President Hoover on his last full day
in. The act ensures that the United States government is preferring the U.S.-made products in
its purchases. This act is different than the “Buy America Act”. Under the act, exceptions
could be given in certain cases if the domestic product is 25% or more expensive than a
similar foreign-sourced product or if it is being done in the public’s interest. This act can be
waived by the President.
Section 165 or the “Buy America” Act
The act applies to mass-transit-related procurements. The act was established to give
preference to the use the domestically produced materials on any procurements funded by the
federal funds.
UN Global Climate Survey- Key Findings

January 27, 2021

The United Nations has released its biggest ever opinion poll
on climate change that is “UN Global Climate Survey”. The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted
the “Peoples’ Climate Vote” for 1.2 million people from 50
countries to prepare the report.
Key Findings of the survey
 In the survey, the UN finds that two-thirds of people

think it is a “global emergency”.
 The survey highlights that the people across the world
support the climate action. They also give politicians a clear mandate to take the
major action so as to find solutions.
 As per the survey, young people showed the greatest concern. 69% of people aged 14-
18 said there is a climate emergency while 58% of those above 60 agreed with it.
Thus, there is no generational divide on the climate concerns.
 People strongly supported the renewable energy in the countries where fossil fuels are
a major source of emissions. For Instance, US 65% in favour of renewable energy in
US, 76% in Australia and 51% in Russia.
 People also supported the conservation of trees in the countries where the destruction
of forests is a big cause of emissions. This gets 60% support in Brazil while 57%
in Indonesia.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP is the global development network of United Nations (UN) headquartered in New
York City. The organisation promotes the technical and investment cooperation among
nations. It is engaged in giving the expert advice, training and grants support to the
developing countries. It works with nations on their own solutions to meet the global and
national development challenges. UNDP help the nations only if different nations request for
the help. The UNDP is funded by voluntary contributions from UN member states,
completely. UNDP is operational in 177 countries. It also helps the countries to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also focuses on poverty reduction, Social
development, democratic governance, HIV/AIDS, energy & environment and crisis
prevention & recovery.
India-UN: India pledges $150,000 for UN Peacebuilding

January 27, 2021

The permanent representative of India to the United Nations,

TS Tirumurti, announced the pledge of USD 150,000 to fund
for the activities of the UN peacebuilding as a token for the
engagement of both the countries.
Highlights
 India highlighted that; it has extended the support to the

activities of the peacebuilding fund.
 India is conscious to prioritize the building of
governance structure so as to strengthen the democracy and
the rule of law.
 India also recognized the critical role played by women and youth in activities related
to the peacebuilding activities.
 Further, India also focused on the security structures and civilian structure engaged in
the good governance.
United Nations Peacebuilding
The United Nations Peacekeeping operations are policing and peacebuilding actions. It is
carried out by the United Nations to bring order and stability in the nations affected by the
war. The UN Peacekeepers are known as ‘Blue Helmets’ or ‘Blue Berets’. They are the
personnel comprising of the soldiers, military officers, police officers and civilian personnel
from other countries. The Department of the Peace Operation is headed by the “Jean-Pierre”.
Functions of United Nations Peacekeepers
The United Nations Peacekeepers works to ensure peace agreements or the peace accords are
successfully implemented in war prone zones. They also help in confidence-building
measures, electoral support, improving law and order and boosting the social development in
the region to bring peace.
How the peacekeepers get power?
The United Nations Security Council empowers the United Nations Charter to take measures
to maintain the international peace and security. Thus, the UN Security Council is engaged in
deploying the peacekeepers to ensure stability and security in war prone regions.
India’s role in UN Peacebuilding
India actively takes part in the UN peacebuilding operations. So far, India has taken part in 49
Peacekeeping missions. Around 180,000 Indians troops are engaged in the mission. The most
recent cooperation was in the South Sudan Conflict in the year 2014.
What is Economic Survey?

January 27, 2021

The economic survey for 2020-2021 will be tabled in the

parliament on January 29, 2021 days before the presentation
of Union Budget on February 1, 2021.
Key Facts
 The Economic survey will be released with the focus on

the impact of lockdown and COVID -19 on the economy.
 It is expected that, the survey will provide an overview
of how much did the COVID 19 pandemic affect the
economy.
 It will also provide a road map to revive the Indian economy.
 The road map for the 5 trillion economy is also expected to be laid down.
What is economic survey?
 The Economic Survey is a flagship annual document that reviews the development in
the Indian economy.
 The survey reviews the development of economy over the past fiscal year and
presents a holistic preview of the Budget.
 It is released by the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance.
 The survey is prepared by the country’s Chief Economic Advisor and tabled in both
houses of Parliament one day before the budget presentation.
 The document is also discussed by the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) and his team
during a press conference.
 Presently, Krishnamurthy Subramanian is the CEA of India.
Significance of the Economic Survey?
The document helps in reviewing the development of the Indian economy over the past year.
It also summarises the performance on major development programs besides highlighting the
policy initiatives of the central government. The economic survey also projects the India’s
GDP growth for the next fiscal and suggests measures to boost the growth. For the year 2020,
the Economic Survey had projected growth of Indian economy by 6 to 6.5 per cent and had
suggested new ideas for boosting the manufacturing like ‘assemble in India for the world’
which in turn created jobs. However, the growth was disrupted because of Covid-19
outbreak.
What is Alpha Global Union?

January 27, 2021

Recently, the Google workers from all around the globe have
formed an international union called the “Alpha Global”. The
new union has been named after Google’s parent company
Alphabet. The union was formed in coordination with UNI
Global Union.
About Alpha Global
 The Alpha Global union comprises of 13 different

unions.
 These 13 unions represent the workers in 10 countries
like United States, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
 The grouping has been formed with the aim to “build a more ethical and accountable
company.
 It also aims to bring together the direct Alphabet employees besides the temporary,
vendor, and contract workers.
 For now, Alpha Global will not have a legally binding agreement with the company.
What is the need of Global Union?
The problems created by Alphabet are not limited to any one country. It is problematic to all
of them. These problems can easily be addressed on a global level. Formation of such global
Unions will help in finding solutions.
Alphabet Workers Union (AMU)
The alphabet workers union was launched by the United States and Canada. It is a minority
union. It initially had over 200 workers affiliated with the Communications Workers of
America. Within a week, AWU grew to over 700 members.
UNI Global Union
It was earlier known as the Union Network International (UNI). It is a global union federation
for skills and services. It helps in gathering the national and regional trade unions. It is based
in Nyon, Switzerland. This union federation represents more than 20 million workers from
over 150 different countries in the skills and services sectors. The union represents the
Cleaning & Security, Graphical & Packaging, Hair & Beauty, Information, Communication,
Technology and Services Industry (ICTS). It also includes the Media, post and logistics,
Entertainment and Arts, Private Care and Social Insurance, Women and Youth.
India’s New Central Bank Digital Currency

January 27, 2021

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is in process of examining if India needs a new central bank
digital currency (CBDC) and is exploring ways to operationalise the digital currency.
Highlights
 The statement from the RBI has come in the light of gaining popularity of the private
digital currencies, virtual currencies and cryptocurrencies.
 These currencies are not operational in India because regulators and governments
have always been sceptical about the risks associated with these currencies.
 Thus, RBI is exploring the possibility if there is a need for a digital version of fiat
currency.
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
It is a legal tender and a central bank liability in digital form. The digital currency is
denominated in a sovereign currency. It also appears on the balance sheet of the central bank.
This is an electronic version of currency which can be converted or exchanged with the
similar denominated cash and the traditional central bank deposits.
Background
The Reserve Bank of India in the RBI bulletin of the February cited that central banks have
conducted the survey by the Bank for International Settlements. During the survey, it was
found that around 80 percent of the 66 responding central banks have started projects to
explore the use of CBDC.
Why India did not use cryptocurrencies?
India has always been skeptical of the privately owned cryptocurrencies. The RBI Governor
Shaktikanta Das himself did not support the cryptocurrencies. He cited that; the sovereign can
be the only issuer of currency in India. Later in December 2019, said that it is early to talk
about a central bank-issued digital currency because of the technological handicaps. Further,
the central government has also been against the privately issued cryptocurrencies. The
government has also introduced the bill in Parliament that seeks to ban the privately held
digital currencies completely. However, the bill is lying dormant.
Supreme Court’s stand
Recently, In March 2020, Supreme Court of India also upturned the RBI’s ban on banks
dealing with crypto exchanges. Thus, the decision has allowed crypto exchanges to restart
their operations India.
Cryptocurrency

It is a digital asset that work as a medium of exchange. In the system, individual coin
ownership records are stored in a ledger in the form of computerized database. To secure the
transaction, strong cryptography is used. The currency does not exist in the physical form or
paper money form. Bitcoin is the first decentralized cryptocurrency that was released in 2009.
MoSPI report on Cost Overruns of Infrastructure Projects

January 28, 2021
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

(MoSPI) recently released its report on Cost Overruns of the
Infrastructure Projects. The ministry monitored the
infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore.
Key Findings of report
 As per the report, around 450 infrastructure projects

have been hit by the cost overruns. Each of the project is
worth Rs 150 crore or more.
 The cost overrun amount stands at Rs 4.28 lakh crore.
 The figure says, out of 1,687 projects, 450 reported cost overrun while 558 were
delayed.
 Further, the expenditure on these projects till December 2020 was Rs 12,17,692.37
crore. This amounts to 47.33 per cent of the anticipated cost of the projects.
 The report however highlights that the number of delayed projects decreased to 408 in
case the delay is calculated on the basis of latest schedule of completion.
 The year of commissioning or the tentative gestation period has not been reported for
923 projects.
Why there are cost overruns?
The project implementing agencies cited several reasons for time overruns. The reasons
include- delay in land acquisition, delay in obtaining forest and environment clearances and
lack of infrastructure support and linkages. Further, the report highlights that these projects
were delayed because of state-wise lockdown due to COVID-19.
However, the report cited that the Project agencies are not reporting their revised cost
estimates and commissioning schedules for many projects. So, time and cost overrun figures
are under-reported.
What is Cost Overrun?
Cost overrun is also called as cost increase or budget overrun. It simply means the
unexpected incurred costs. Such costs exceed the budgeted amounts because of
underestimation of the actual cost during budgeting. The Cost overrun is different from the
cost escalation. Cost escalation is an anticipated growth in a budgeted cost because of factors
like inflation.

What are Off-Budget Borrowings?

January 28, 2021
The Government of India is all set to present the Union

Budget 2021 on February 1, 2021. This year, the focus of the
budget will be on off-budget borrowings so as to reduce the
Fiscal Deficit.
What are off-budget borrowings?
 The loans that are taken by any public institution and

not by the Centre directly are called as the “Off-Budget
Borrowings”. The public institution borrows on the directions
of the central government.
 These borrowings are used to fulfil the expenditure needs of the government.
 Under such borrowing norms, Centre use to finance its expenditures while keeping
the debt off the books. Thus, the debt is not counted while calculating the fiscal
deficit.
 The liability of the loan is not formally on the Centre and is not included in the
national fiscal deficit. Thus, it helps in keeping the fiscal deficit of the country within
acceptable limits.
How the borrowings are raised?
 Government can raise the borrowings by asking the implementing agency to raise the
required funds from the market by loans or by issuing bonds.
 The borrowings can also be raised through the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) where the
PSBs can be asked to fund off-budget expenses. For example, loans from PSBs were
utilized for meeting the shortfall in releasing the fertilizer subsidy.
What is the importance of off-budget borrowings?
The fiscal deficit in the Union Budget is the most wanted details. Fiscal deficit is the gap
between what the central government spends and what it earns. It helps in understanding the
financial health of the government. This figure is highly watched by the rating agencies
across the world. As a result, the government always wants to restrict the fiscal deficit at
certain number. This can be restricted by “off-budget borrowings”.
Implications
There are various sources of the off-budget borrowings. Thus. It becomes difficult to
calculate the true debt.
Govt approves hike in MSP for Copra

January 27, 2021
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired

by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for milling copra and ball
copra.
Key Facts
 The government has increased the MSP of copra

by ₹375 from 2020.
 Thus, the Copra would cost ₹10,335 per quintal and
contributes in boosting the farmers’ income.
 This hike in MSP for copra will be impacting the farmers of 12 coastal states.
 MSP of both milling and ball copra have been increased.
 Cost of production for both the variants of copra is Rs. 6,800. The government will be
giving 52% and 55% more than the cost of production.
 The increase in the MSP was in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan.
Minimum support price (MSP)
MSP is an agricultural product price which is set by the Government of India. On this price,
the government purchases the commodities directly from the farmer. The MSP is not
enforceable by law. MSP seeks to safeguard the farmer interest by providing them a
minimum profit for their harvest in case the open market has lesser price than the actual cost
incurred. The price of the 23 commodities is set by the government twice a year. The MSP is
fixed based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(CACP). CACP sets the price since 2009 on the basis of cost of production, demand &
supply, price fluctuations, market price trends, international market prices and agricultural
wage rate.
List of Commodities for which MSP is set
A total of 23 commodities are covered by the MSP. They are:
Among Cereals– Paddy, Maize, Wheat, Barley, Sorghum, Pearl millet and Ragi.
Among Pulses-Chickpea or Gram, Moong, Tur, Urad and Lentil.
Among Oilseeds– Peanut, Rapeseed, Sesame, Soyabean, Sunflower Safflower, Niger seed
and
Among Commercial crops– Copra, Cotton, Sugarcane and Raw jute.
Kolkata’s First Young Readers’ Boat Library

January 27, 2021

The West Bengal Transport Corporation has launched the

First Young Readers’ Boat Library. The library has been
launched in collaboration with a heritage book store. It has
been launched on a boat making it first of its kind initiative.
Why this library has been launched?
The boat library was launched with the motive that one can
read books while appreciating the beauty of Kolkata.
About the Boat Library
 The boat library will cruise on the Hooghly river.

 The library will provide the options for Children to choose from a selection of 500
titles in English and Bengali.
 The boat library will provide people a three-hour-long trip.
 The library trip will start at Millenium Park.
 It will travel to Belur Math jetty and return.
 The boat will be providing three trips on all weekdays.
 It has the facility of a free wifi facility as well.
 The ride will cost Rs 100 for adults and Rs 50 for children.
 It will also host activities like storytelling, poetry sessions, dramatised readings,
poetry sessions, music and book launches.
Millennium Park
It a private park in Kolkata which is situated along the Strand Road on eastern shore of
Hooghly River. It stretches for 2.5 km near Fairlie Ghat. The park comprises of the
landscaped gardens and children’s amusement rides. The park was inaugurated on December
1999 along the riverside to provide a green area for the polluted waterway in Kolkata.
The Hooghly River
It is also called as the Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Ganga and Kati-Ganga. The river runs
approximately for 260-kilometre as a distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal. It is
divided into Padma and Hooghly near Giria, Murshidabad. Another man-made bifurcation of
the river upstream is situated at Farakka. The Padma river flows eastward into Bangladesh
while the Hooghly flows south through West Bengal.
India- IEA MoU for Global Energy Security

January 28, 2021

India has signed a Framework for strategic partnership

agreement with the International Energy Agency (IEA),
recently.
Highlights
 The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) seeks to

strengthen the cooperation in global energy security, stability
and sustainability.
 It will also help in extensive exchange of knowledge
between the two.
 The MoU is also a stepping stone towards India’s full membership to IEA.
 The MoU will also strengthen the mutual trust & cooperation and enhance the global
energy security, stability and sustainability.
 The agreement was signed between Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai and IEA
Executive Director Fatih Birol.
 The IEA Secretariat will implement the cooperative activities in India.
 IEA will also facilitate the discussion between the IEA members and India in order to
develop the strategic partnership.
International Energy Agency (IEA)
IEA is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation that was established in the

year 1974 in the aftermath of 1973 oil crisis. It was established in the framework of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Functions of IEA
 The IEA was established with the objective of responding to physical disruptions in
the supply of oil apart from serving as information source on statistics of the
international oil market.
 It now also acts as a policy adviser to its member states.
 IEA also works with non-member states like China, India, and Russia.
 The agency focusses on the “3Es” of effectual energy policy namely the energy
security, economic development, and environmental protection.
 It also promotes alternate energy sources such as in renewable energy, multinational
energy technology co-operation and rational energy policies.
Why IEA is criticized?
IEA is criticized for providing a highly inaccurate forecasts of both fossil fuel and renewable
energy. It is also criticized for failing to comply and create the 1.5°C scenario. All the
members of IEA have signed the Paris Agreement that seeks to limit warming to 1.5°C but,
IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario projects for net-zero emissions in 2070 two
decades later the 2050 target set by the Paris Agreement.
Mt Merapi: Indonesia’s most Active Volcano

January 28, 2021
The most active volcano of Indonesia, Mt Merapi, recently

erupted with a river of lava and searing gas clouds. The lave
and clouds flown for 1,600 meters down its slopes.
Highlights
 This was the biggest lava flow of the Mount Merapi.

 Sound of eruption was heard 30 kilometers away.
 The last major eruption of the Merapi was in 2010 that
had killed 347 people.
Mount Merapi
 The Mount Merapi is the Fire Mountain in Indonesia and Java.

 It is an active stratovolcano that is located on the border between the Central Java and
Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia.
 It is considered as the most active volcano in Indonesia and is erupted regularly since
1548.
 It is the youngest group of volcanoes in southern Java that is situated at a subduction
zone of the Indo-Australian Plate and Sunda Plate.
 At this subduction zone, the Indo-Australian Plate subducts under the Sunda Plate.
About Indonesia
Indonesia, the archipelago of 270 million people, is situated in the Southeast Asia and
Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It comprises of more than seventeen
thousand islands, including Java, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, parts of Borneo (Kalimantan) and
New Guinea (Papua). It is considered as the world’s largest island country and the 14th-
largest country with respect to area. The country is also the 4th-most populous country in the
world. It is also the most populous Muslim-majority country. The most populous island of
Indonesia is Java which is also the most populous island in the world. The country is prone to
earthquakes and volcanic activity as it sits along the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
Pacific Ring of Fire
The region sits around rim of the Pacific Ocean which is prone to volcanic eruptions and
earthquakes. It is a horseshoe-shaped belt which is about 40,000 km in length. It includes the
Pacific coasts of South America, North America and Kamchatka apart from the western
Pacific Ocean areas.
UN report on Ageing Dams

January 28, 2021

United Nations have released its report titled ‘Ageing water

infrastructure: An emerging global risk’ on the ageing of the
dams in India. The report was compiled by compiled by
United Nations University’s Canadian-based Institute for
Water, Environment and Health. The analysis was done on the
dam decommissioning or ageing from the USA, Canada,
France, Japan, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Findings of the report
 The report highlights that, some thousand large dams in

India will be around 50 years old in 2025.
 It warns that such aging structures across the world pose a growing threat.
 The report also notes that, by 2050 most people on Earth will live downstream of the
thousands of dams that were built in the 20th century.
 As per the report, 58700 large dams worldwide were constructed in between 1930 and
1970. Those dams have the design life of 50 to 100 years.
 Report also highlights that, the world will witness another large dam-building
revolution like it was in mid-20th century. But these dams will then be showing their
age.
 It highlights, 32,716 large dams which accounts for 55 percent of the world’s total are
found in four Asian countries namely China, India, Japan, and South Korea.
 Approximately 3.5 million people are at risk if India’s Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala
will fail. The dam was built over 100 years ago. It is constructed with concrete
‘surkhi’ which is a combination of limestone and burnt brick powder.
What are the ageing signs?
Some of the signs of ageing include:
1. Increase in the cases of dam failures,

2. Increasing costs of dam repair and maintenance,
3. Increase in the reservoir sedimentation, and
4. Loss of functionality and effectiveness of the dams “strongly interconnected”
manifestations.
Mullaperiyaru Dam
It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in Kerala. It is located 881 m above mean
sea level. It stands on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Idukki District of Kerala.
The dam was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick. The Periyar National
Park is alsp located around the dam’s reservoir. It is built at the confluence of Mullayar and
Periyar rivers. The dam is located on the river Periyar in Kerala but is operated and
maintained by Tamil Nadu.
National Non-Communicable Disease Monitoring Survey (NNMS)

January 28, 2021
The National Non-Communicable Disease Monitoring Survey

(NNMS) was recently released in India by the Ministry of
health. The survey was conducted for the period of 2017-18.
This is the first of its kind of a comprehensive survey on
NCDs. It covers the age groups of 15-69 years, males and
females from the urban and rural areas.
Findings of the NNMS report
 The report highlights that, two in five adults have three

or more risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) in
India.
 Further, the status of health system to respond to the disease burden is underscored.
 It also states that more than one in every four adults and 6.2% adolescents were
overweight or obese.
 Three out of ten adults had raised blood pressure.
 3% had raised blood glucose.
 It also shows that more than two in five adults and one in four adolescents were doing
insufficient physical activity. The average daily intake of salt was 8 gms for these
children.
 One in every three adults and more than one-fourth proportion of men were involved
in tobacco consumption and consumed alcohol in past 12 months.
About NNMS
It is the largest comprehensive national Survey on risk factors and health systems
preparedness of non-communicable disease (NCD). It also provides framework on the use of
telemedicine for cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, and stroke. The survey was conducted with
the purpose of collecting the reliable baseline data on key indicators such as select NCDs,
risk factors and health systems response related to the National NCD monitoring framework
and its Action Plan. The survey also highlights the need of improving the comprehensive
multi-sectoral approaches that focussed on both prevention and management of NCDs.
World Health Organisation (WHO) survey on NCDs
The WHO survey found that 45% of NCDs are caused due to physical inactivity.
Government Measures to tackle NCDs
The government launched the Fit India Movement that gained momentum to raise awareness.
More gyms and exercise centers will also help inn reducing the need for hospital
infrastructure. A Framework for Telemedicine use in Management of Cancer, Diabetes,
Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in India was also released. Telemedicine comprising of
the tele-consultation, tele-monitoring and tele-triage will help in building the continuum of
care model for major NCDs.

Finance Ministry releases grants to Rural Local Bodies

January 28, 2021
The Department of Expenditure of Ministry of Finance has

recently released Rs 12,351 crore to 18 States in order to
provide grants to the Rural Local Bodies.
Highlights
 The amount is the 2nd instalment of basic grants

released in the current financial year.
 The grant has been released after the states provided the
Utilisation Certificate for the first instalment.
 The States will now transfer the grants to the Rural
Local Bodies within 10 working days of receipt from the Central Government.
 Till date, Grant of Rs 45,738 crore has been released to Rural Local bodies in 2020-
21.
Why this grant has been released?
 The grant was released on the recommendation of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and
in accordance with the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission.
 It will be used to create the community assets and improve the financial viability of
the Rural Local Bodies.
 It will further enable the pooling of resources across blocks and villages in the states.
Local bodies (LBs)
LBs are institutions of the local self-governance. It looks after the administration of an area or
small community like villages, towns, or cities. The Local bodies in India are classified into
two categories:
1. Rural Local bodies (RLBs)- RLBs are constituted for local planning, development
and administration in the rural areas. These are called Panchayats.
2. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)- ULBs are constituted for local planning, development
and administration in the urban areas. These are also called as Municipalities.
Grants to Rural Local Bodies
As per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, there are two types of grants
for the Rural Local Bodies:
1. Basic Grants– Such grants can be used by the Rural local bodies for the location-
specific needs. However, such grants cannot be used for the salary or any other
establishment expenditure.
2. Tied Grants– Such grants are used by the Rural Local Bodies to maintain the Open
Defecation Free Status and sanitation, supply of clean drinking water, rainwater
harvesting and water cycling.

Reliance Jio- Fifth Strongest Brand Globally

January 28, 2021
The Reliance Jio venture of billionaire Mukesh Ambani has

become the fifth strongest brand globally. It now stands
behind the brands like Ferrari and Coca-Cola. This venture
has achieved this milestone in just four-odd-years.
Key Facts
 This ranking has been provided by the “Brand Finance

Global 500 ranking 2021” of the strongest brands.
 This ranking determines the relative strength of brands.
 As per the annual report on most valuable and strongest
global brands has been is topped by WeChat.
 The Reliance Jio was founded in 2016 and has become the largest mobile network
operator in India. It has also become the third-largest mobile network operator in the
world. The network operator has almost 400 million subscribers, as of now.
 The brand Ferrari is ranked second, Russian bank Sber is ranked third while Coca-
Cola is ranked fourth.
 Reliance Jio has got the BSI score of 91.7 out of 100 and is given elite AAA+ brand
strength rating.
How this ranking was decided?
The assessment of stakeholder equity was done through the original market research data.
The data was analysed for over 50,000 respondents in 30 countries and across 20 sectors.
Reliance Jio
It is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms. It is

headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company operates a national LTE network and
is covering all the 22 telecom circles. The operator does not provide 2G or 3G service. It only
uses voice over LTE to provide the voice service on its 4G network. It was launched in
December 2015 with a beta for partners and employees. In September 2016 it was launched
for public. Jio also launched a fiber to the home service which offers broadband, television,
and telephone services.
Brand Finance
It is an independent branded business valuation consultancy that advises branded

organizations on how to maximize their value through effective management. It has been
certified with ISO 10668:2010.

UK launched Global Platform to track new COVID-19 variants

January 28, 2021
The United Kingdom has launched a New Global Platform to

track the new COVID-19 variants. The platform will provide
world-leading genomics expertise from the country to identify
the new variants of the virus.
Highlights
 The platform was launched as part of the UK’s

Presidency of the G7.
 In the line, the UK also put forward the vision for a
stronger, more collaborative and effective global health
system to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that the international
community is better prepared for future threats.
 The platform will help to better understand the virus. It will also help to understand
how it spreads.
 The platform is led by the Public Health England (PHE) that also worked with NHS
Test & Trace, academic partners and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) SARS-
CoV-2 Global Laboratory Working Group.
 It will also be led by the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) and will
involve the PHE laboratories and staff.
New Variant of Corona Virus
The Variant of Concern 202012/01 is the new variant of the Corona virus (SARS-CoV-2).
The new variant is also known as lineage B.1.1.7, 20I/501Y.V1 and it is commonly known as
UK coronavirus variant since the virus emerged in the UK. The new variant is 36%–75%
more transmissible than wild-type SARS-CoV-2. The virus was first detected in November
2020 from a sample taken in September 2020. The virus started to spread quickly in mid-
December.
SARS-CoV-2 virus
SARS-CoV-2 is the abbreviation for “Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2”. The
virus caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
It is a contagious disease which is caused by SARS-CoV-2. The first case of the disease was
identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The disease spread across the world from
which the world is still recovering. Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable which begin one to
fourteen days after exposure to the virus.
Cabinet Clears Policy on PSU Privatization

January 28, 2021
The Union Cabinet has cleared the policy on the privatization

of public sector undertakings (PSUs). The details regarding
the policy will be announced in the upcoming Union Budget
that will be presented on February 1, 2021.
About the Policy
 The policy will present a road map for the presence of

government-owned entities in strategic and non-strategic
sectors.
 This policy was the part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat
package that was announced by the Finance Minister in May 2020.
 It was announced as a coherent policy wherein all the sectors would be opened for
private sector participation.
 The government had also announced to limit the presence of PSUs to one to four in
strategic sectors.
 The government wanted to privatize, merge or bring the remaining companies under a
holding company.
 After this policy will come into force, the government will completely exit from the
companies in non-strategic sectors.
 The timing of the privatization of non-strategic sector companies will be decided on a
case-by-case basis.
Strategic sectors
The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management had classified 18 sectors as
strategic sectors. It includes- fertilisers, telecom, power, banking, defense, and insurance.
These sectors have been categorized as the mining & exploration, manufacturing &
processing and services.
Pubic Sector Undertaking (PSU)
The state-owned enterprise is called a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) or a Public Sector
Enterprise in India. The PSU is owned by the union Government or one of the state or
territorial governments. It can also be owned by both in parts. The majority of the stock of the
company in a PSU owned by the government. PSUs are of two types- central public sector
enterprises (CPSUs, CPSEs) or state level public enterprises (SLPEs). PSUs are administered
by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Number of PSUs in India
Till the year 1951, there were just 5 enterprises in the public sector. Over the time the number
has increased. As of March 2019, the number has increased to 348.
PM to address World Economic Forum’s Davos Dialogue

January 28, 2021
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will address the

Davos Dialogue of World Economic Forum on January 28,
2021 virtually.
Highlights
 The virtual session will be attended by more than 400

top industry leaders from across the world.
 PM Modi will be delivering his speech on the “Fourth
Industrial Revolution- using technology for the good of
humanity”.
 Prime Minister will also be interacting with the CEOs during the Davos Dialogue.
About Davos Dialogue 2021
 This is the 51st annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

 The World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos will bring together the top
leaders of the world. These leaders will help in shaping the regional, global, and
industry agendas for 2021.
 The Davos Dialogue 2021 will also significant in the light of the launch of the “Great
Reset Initiative” by the World Economic Forum in the post-COVID-19 world.
 The theme of the annual meeting was announced as ‘The Great Reset’
Great Reset Initiative
The Great Reset Initiative is the 50th annual meeting of WEF that was organised in June
2020. The initiative had brought together the high profile political and business leaders who
were convened by WEF and Prince of Wales. The meeting was organised under the theme of
Rebuilding the society and economy in a sustainable way for the post-COVID-19 world.
World Economic Forum (WEF)
WEF is an international NGO. It was founded on January 24, 1971. The NGO was
established with the objective of improving the condition of the world. It seeks to improve the
condition by engaging the academic leaders, business leaders, political leaders and other such
leaders of the society. The leaders help in shaping the industry and regional agendas. The
annual meeting of WEF is held in Davos, Switzerland every year at the end of the month
January.
January 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 28, 2021

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed

on January 27 at the Bengaluru International Centre. A small
ceremony was organised and memorial candles were lit by
clergy of various religious communities to mark the
International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The ceremony
was organised in accordance with the UN’s theme: “Facing
the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the
Holocaust”.
About International Holocaust Remembrance Day
 It is an international Memorial Day that is observed to commemorate the victims of

the Holocaust.
 Holocaust refer to the genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany during 1941-
1945.
 January 27 was chosen to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz concentration
camp by the Red Army in 1945.
 The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution on
November 1, 2005 in the wake of 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi
concentration camps.
 The day marked the unwavering commitment of the international communities to
counter the antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that could result into
group-targeted violence.
Background
During 1941-1945, Nazi regime and its collaborators led to the killing of 6 million Jews and
11 million others.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany was a German State in between 1933 and 1945. It was officially known as the
German Reich and also Greater German Reich.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution
The resolution is a declaration that is voted on by all member states of the United Nations in
the General Assembly. The resolution usually requires a simple majority to pass. The General
Assembly resolutions are non-binding towards member states. However, the internal
resolutions may be binding on the operation of the General Assembly.
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It serves as the main
deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN. The body is responsible for
the UN budget. It is also involved in appointing the non-permanent members to the Security
Council. UNGA is the only UN organ where all member states have equal representation.

‘Vaccine Maitri Initiative’ extended to Sri Lanka

January 29, 2021
India has extended its “Vaccine Maitri Initiative” to Sri-Lanka

now. As per the agreement, India dispatched 500000 doses of
Covishield vaccines to Sri Lanka as grant assistance. The
vaccine maitri initiative has delivered nearly five million
doses to seven countries in the neighbourhood, till date.
Background
The delivery of vaccines which has been made by the Serum

Institute of India is in light with the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s commitment to the Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda
Rajapaksa during. PM Modi had committed in September 2020 during a virtual summit to
provide all the possible support in order to minimise the health and economic impacts of the
pandemic in Sri Lanka.
Vaccine Maitri Initiative
 The Vaccine Maitri or the Vaccine Friendship initiative was started on January 20,
2021.
 Under the initiative, India will supply Made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to
its neighbouring. Other key partners of the Neighbourhood First Policy will also be
getting the vaccine.
 Bhutan and Maldives were the first country to get the vaccines.
 Both the countries are followed by Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles.
 Sri Lanka get the vaccine doses after regulatory approval.
 Afghanistan and Mauritius will also get doses after they give necessary regulatory
approvals.
 Pakistan has not been named as a neighbouring country by India to deliver the
vaccine.
 Till date, India has provided 150,000 doses of vaccine to Bhutan, 100,000 doses to
Maldives, 2 million doses to Bangladesh, 1 million doses to Nepal, 1.5 million doses
to Myanmar, 50,000 doses to Seychelles and 100,000 doses to Mauritius.
Commercial supplies of Covishield
India has also supplied the two million doses of Covishield to each of Brazil and Morocco,
and five million doses to Bangladesh. Further, the doses will be supplied to South Africa and
Saudi Arabia.
India’s Vaccine Diplomacy
 The delivery of vaccines as grant assistance is in line with India’s neighbourhood first
policy and SAGAR doctrine.
 India is actively supplying doses to comply with its role as the first responder to the
pandemic in the region.

 India-Sri Lanka: In 2020, India had extended a $400-million currency swap facility
to Sri Lanka in order to ensure financial stability. India also provided aid of 26 tonnes
of essential lifesaving medicines and equipment.
 India also actively supplied Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, Paracetamol tablets,
diagnostic kits, masks, gloves, ventilators and other medical supplies to many
countries during the pandemic.
 India has also provided training to its neighbouring countries so as to enhance their
clinical capabilities under the Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical Trials (PACT)
programme.
PACT programme
The PACT programme was launched to support the COVID-19 vaccine development
activities in partnering countries. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC) and Clinical Development Services Agency (CDSA) under the aegis of the National
Biopharma Mission and Ind-CEPI Mission of DBT are the implementing agencies of the
programme.
Jarosite: Rare Mineral Found in Antarctica

January 29, 2021
A rare maritime mineral, Jarosite, has been found in the

Antarctica ice. It was discovered after drilling deep into
Antarctic ice.
What the discovery signifies?
The recently discovered mineral was examined and it was

found that it was formed in pockets within the ice. This
supports the theory of presence of jarosite on MARS in as
similar manner. It signifies that, the minerals are able to form
in thick deposits on mars because the planet is a lot dustier
than Antarctica.
What is Jarosite?
 Jarosite is a mineral from mars which is scarcely seen on earth.

 It is a sulphate of potassium and iron.
 The mineral can be formed by both water and acidic conditions.
 It was first discovered on Mars in 2004 by a rover named “opportunity”.
 Other Jarosite minerals include silver, sodium, lead and ammonium.
 It can be found are in the mining and ore processing wastes where they act as sinks
for other toxic elements such as lead and arsenic.

 When the jarosite is broken, it releases metals such as iron, potassium besides the
hydrogen ions and sulphate.
 Jarosite is used in hydrometallurgy to control impurities.
 The name Jarosite was derived from a Spanish name of a yellow flower of genus
Cistus.
 The mineral was described in 1852 by August Breithaupt for the first time.
 It is yellow to yellowish-brown in colour. It is brittle, hard and has crystal structure.
The mineral appears translucent and opaque sometimes.
Why Jarosite is found on Mars?
The reason for the presence of the mineral on the Mars (Red Planet) is not yet determined.
The scientists believe that when the planet was covered with ice millennials ago sulphate,
iron, and potassium might get trapped in the form of dust. This believe is not accepted
because dust and ice have never chemically reacted to form minerals. Though ice provided a
suitable environment for the transformation of dust to the mineral.
UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report 2021

January 29, 2021
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has

released its “Global Climate Litigation Report 2021”. The
report was published by the UNEP in cooperation with the
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia
University. The report highlights that the Climate litigation
cases have increased in recent years. The litigations have
made the courtroom increasingly relevant to efforts to address
the climate change across the world.
 As per the report, climate cases have nearly doubled over the last three years.
 Increasing climates cases are increasingly compelling the governments and corporate
actors to implement their climate commitments.
 The cases are also compelling the government to pursue more ambitious climate
change mitigation and adaptation goals.
 As per the data provided by the report, in 2017 884 cases were brought in 24
countries. While as of 2020, cases have increased to 1,550 filed in 38 countries and
the European Union courts.
 Report finds that the climate litigation continues to be concentrated in high-income
countries and the trend might further grow in the global south.

 The report has also identified the trends in climate litigation like Violations of
“climate rights”. That means the cases are increasingly relying on fundamental human
rights such as right to life, food, health and water.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP, which is also called UN Environment, was established by Maurice Strong in

June1972 following the UN conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. The
organisation involves in coordinating the responses to environmental issues within the United
Nations system. It provides the leadership, deliver science and develop the solutions on issues
like climate change, management of marine & terrestrial ecosystems and green economic
development. It also develops the international environmental agreement and helps in
achieving the environmental targets. The primary aim of the UNEP is to help the world to
meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Environmental agreements such as the
Minamata Convention on Mercury, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and
Convention on Migratory Species are organised by UNEP. It also helps in implementing the
Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol and Global Environment
Facility (GEF).
Rajasthan- 5th state to complete Urban Local Bodies Reforms

January 28, 2021
Rajasthan has become the 5th state in the country to

successfully complete the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
reforms. This was specified by the Department of
Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
Benefits
 Rajasthan now become eligible for additional reform

linked borrowing.
 Thus, the State has been granted permission by the
Department of Expenditure an additional financial resource of
2,731 crore rupees.
 The State will get this amount through Open Market Borrowings.
Other States to complete the reforms
Other states that have completed the Urban Local Bodies Reforms include- Manipur, Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. In total, these five states have been granted a total
additional borrowing permission of 10,212 crore rupees after completing the reforms.
Reforms in ULBs

The Reforms in the Urban Local Bodies and urban utilities reforms were done with the aim of
strengthening the finance of the ULBs in the States. It also seeks to enable the states to
provide better public health and sanitation services. Once the ULBs are economically
rejuvenated it will be able to create good civic infrastructure.
What are those reforms?
The reforms that have been put forward by the Department of Expenditure are:
1. State is required to notify floor rates of property tax in ULBs as well as the floor rates
of user charges with respect of the provision of water-supply, drainage and sewerage.
2. State needs to place a system of periodic increase in floor rates of property tax or user
charges with respect to the price increases.
Background
In the light of covid-10 pandemic, the government had identified Four citizen centric areas
for reforms in order to meet the demand of resources. Those areas include- the
Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System, Ease of doing business reform,
Urban Local body or utility reforms and Power Sector reforms. 10 States have implemented
the One Nation One Ration Card System, 7 States have worked on the ease of doing business
reforms while 5 States have implemented the local body reforms; so far.
India- Japan 5th Act East Forum Meet

January 29, 2021
The fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum was
held between India and Japan on January 28, 2021. The
meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan
Shringla and the Ambassador of Japan to India, Suzuki
Satoshi.
Highlights
 At the Act East Forum, India and Japan reviewed the

progress of ongoing projects in the North Eastern Region of
India.
 These projects were launched in the areas ranging from the hydropower, connectivity,
harnessing of water resource, sustainable development, and skill development.
 Both the countries also discussed several ongoing new projects under India-Japan
bilateral cooperation.
 They also exchanged their views on cooperation in new areas including agro-
industries, healthcare and SMEs, Smart city, tourism, bamboo value chain
development, and people-to-people exchanges.
 Both the sides also appreciated the role played by the Act East Forum, ever since it
was established in the year 2017, in streamlining India-Japan bilateral cooperation.
 They highlighted how the forum has helped in the modernization of the North Eastern
Region.

 The Act East Forum also provides a platform for India-Japan collaboration in the
North Eastern Region in accordance with the India’s Act East Policy and Japan’s
vision for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
Act East Forum
The act east forum was established in the year 2017. The agreement to established the forum
was signed in September 2017 during the visit of Prime Minister Abe to India. This platform
works in line with the Japan’s vision for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and India-Japan
collaboration in the North Eastern Region under India’s “Act East Policy”.
Act East Policy
The act east policy was launched in November 2014 at the East Asia Summit in Myanmar.
The policy was launched with the focus on the economic and security integration. The policy
mainly focusses on the area like South East Asia and the East Asia. This policy is said to be
the modification of the Look East Policy.
Look East Policy
The look east policy of India was launched by the former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha
Rao in the year 1991. This policy was launched then with the aim of shifting the India’s
trading focus from the west and neighbours to the South East Asian countries. This policy
was discontinued in 2014 with the enactment of Act east policy.
What are Neglected Tropical Diseases?

January 29, 2021
Recently, India joined the world and Light Up Qutub Minar as

a sign of unity to combat the Neglected Tropical Diseases
(NDT).
Highlights
 This was done to mark the second annual World NTD

Day that will be observed on January 30th.
 The World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day highlights
the global community’s commitment to end the diseases.
 The NDT diseases cause immeasurable suffering among
the most marginalized communities of the world.
 On the occasion of World NTD day, 50 landmarks representing the 25 nations of the
world will be lit up. They will celebrate how far the world have come together in
beating the NTD.
What are Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)?

 The NTDs are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and
subtropical conditions.
 These diseases affect more than one billion people every year. In combating the
disease, the countries invest billions of dollars every year.
 The Populations who are living in poverty, where there is no adequate sanitation,
those who are in close contact with infectious vectors, domestic animals & livestock
are highly affected by such diseases.
 As per the WHO major NTDs are: Buruli Ulcers, Chagas Disease, Dengue,
Chikungunya, Sleeping Sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis), Hansen’s
Disease (Leprosy), Trachoma Mycetoma, chromo-blastomycosis, deep mycoses etc.
NTD cases in India
 As per the data, one in five people across the world are affected by NTD.
 India is home to the world’s largest absolute burden of 11 of the major neglected
tropical diseases.
World NTD Day
It is an awareness day that addresses the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). World NTD
Day was celebrated on January 20, 2020 for the first time. The date, January 30, marks the
anniversary of the 2012 London Declaration on NTDs. The London declaration had unified
the partners across sectors, countries and disease communities for a greater cooperation,
investment and action on NTDs.
Indo-French Ecological Partnership

January 29, 2021
India and France will launch the Year of Environment. It will

be launched by the Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar
and his French counterpart Ms. Barbara Pompili in a bid to
strengthen the ecological partnership.
Highlights
 Indo-French partnership on Environment, Biodiversity,

Climate Change and other allied areas will be an example for
the world.
 India and France have already undertaken several
environment projects in Assam, Rajasthan.
 Another project will start in Jharkhand.
 Indian side said that the year 2021 will also enhance the cooperation in sustainable
development and increasing the effectiveness of actions for the global environment
protection.
Agenda of the meeting

 Both sides will work towards deepening the Indo-French cooperation on sustainable
development in the field of renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, plastic waste
management and smart cities.
 The Indo-French initiative also aim to boost the cooperation between the two
countries on climate issues and jointly boost the global momentum throughout 2021.
The year 2021 is a key year to fight against climate change and the erosion of
biodiversity.
 Both sides will hold talks on joint efforts in order to promote the renewable energy
and smart grids.
 They will also discuss to strengthen and universalise the International Solar Alliance.
an international organisation initiated by France and India.
 They will enhance the bilateral technical cooperation on high-efficiency solar panels.
 Further, new investments will be made from French companies in solar power
projects and smart grids in India.
India’s achievement in climate change action
India has made significant efforts in the climate change action. India achieved 26 per cent of
reduction of emission intensity so far. The renewable capacity in India stands at 90 Giga Watt
as of 2020. It also includes 36 Giga Watt of solar energy and 38 Giga Watt of wind energy.
National Marine Turtle Action Plan Launched

January 29, 2021
The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released ‘Marine
Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines’ and ‘National Marine Turtle Action Plan’ recently to
create a conservation paradigm for the marine mega fauna and marine turtles.
Highlights
 The documents were released containing the ways and means to promote the inter-
sectoral action for conservation.
 The documents also suggest for improving the coordination amongst the government,
civil society and all relevant stakeholders so as to response to the cases of stranding,
injury or mortality of marine mammals.
 It also suggests coordinated efforts for the conservation of marine turtles.
 The documents contain the actions that are required to handle the stranded animals on
shore.
 It will also look after the stranded or entangled animals in the sea or on a boat.
 It comprises of the management actions for improved coordination, rehabilitation of
degraded habitats, reducing threats to marine species habitats, advance scientific

research, enhancing people’s participation and exchange of information on marine

mammals & marine turtles.
What was the need of action plan?
 India has a rich marine biodiversity along its coastline of over 7,500 km. It comprises
of sharks, whale sharks, colorful fish, dolphins, turtles, big mammals such as whales
and dugongs.
 The bright corals marine habitats harbor the diverse species and provide various
resources essential for human wellbeing.
 Millions of people depend on these resources. The resources range from the maritime
trade & transport, mineral resource, food, cultural traditions, spiritual values &
inspiration. All these resources also attract tourists from across the world.
 Thus, India needs to conserve the marine resources to meet the demands and
increasing people’s participation.
Challenges faced by Marine Resources
The marine resources and habitats have immense economic, ecological and cultural values in
India. But, the marine mega fauna species and marine turtles face a wide variety of
challenges. The challenges include stranding and entanglement.
Kerala’s Gender Park- Key Facts to know

January 29, 2021
The Gender Park in Kozhikode, Kerala will open from next

month. The park will become functional on the occasion of
the second edition of the International Conference on Gender
Equality (ICGE-II).
Highlights
 The park will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister of

Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, in between February 11-13 that will
also mark the inauguration of second edition of ICGE-II.
 On this occasion, foundation of the International
Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) will also be laid down.
 The IWTRC will be established with the objective of providing a secure and sustained
ecosystem for women entrepreneurs. It will also provide women a space to market
products.
International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II)
The ICGE is an initiative by the Gender Park. The second edition of the conference will be
inaugurated with the objective of exploring the measures to boost the economic potential of
women and transgender persons. It will help them to be equipped as sustainable

entrepreneurs. The conference will be organised under the theme: “Gender in Sustainable
Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment”. This event
will be organised in collaboration with the UN Women.
The Gender Park
The gender park was established by the government of Kerala in 2013. It is an initiative that
work towards gender equality and empowerment in Kerala. The headquartered for the
initiative is in the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. However, the main campus is at
Silver Hills, Kozhikode. The campus has an area of 24-acre. The park has been set with its
main focus on gender justice. The platform will provide an environment for policy analysis,
research, capacity development, advocacy, economic and social initiative. The park will be
operational under the Department of Social Justice. This space is first of its kind across the
world.
Aim of Gender Park
The gender park was established with the aim of creating relevant interventions so as to
address a range of gender-based issues. It includes both off-campus and on-campus activities
and other projects that work to empower the individuals and communities.
India to Launch ‘Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme’

January 29, 2021
The government has announced for the launch of Start-up

India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) on January 29, 2021.
Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)
 The scheme will be launched with a corpus of Rs 945

crore.
 The scheme was launched with the aim of providing the
financial assistance to start-ups for the product trials, market-
entry, proof of concept, prototype development and
commercialization.
 The funds under the Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme will be disbursed through the
selected incubators across the country.
 The scheme will be in mission mode for the year 2021-25.
 The official notification on the launch of SISFS was released by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
 The overall execution and monitoring of the SISFS will be done by the DPIIT. The
DPIIT will form an Experts Advisory Committee (EAC) to look after the same.
 The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) will evaluate and select the incubators in
order to allot the Seed Funds, take all required measures for efficient utilization of
funds and to monitor the progress.
 The seed support will be provided only once to any start-up.

Which start-ups are eligible under the scheme?
 The funds under SISFS can be availed by a start-up that are incorporated not before
the 2 years ago at the time of application.
 The Start-ups will be recognized by the DPIIT.
 The start-up seeking funds under the scheme must have a suitable commercially
viable business idea and it should use technology in its core product or service.
 The notification highlights that, preference will be given to start-ups that create
innovative solutions in sectors such as waste management, social impact, healthcare,
textiles, agriculture, water management, defence, food processing, education, energy,
railways, financial inclusion, mobility, space, oil, gas and biotechnology.
 Start-ups should not have received monetary support of more than Rs 10 lakh under
any other central or state government scheme.
 It should have at least 51% shareholding by Indian promoters at the time of
application to the incubators in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI
(ICDR) Regulations, 2018.
Conditions for Incubators
As per the eligibility conditions, the incubators must be legal entities. It must be operational
for at least 2 years on the date of application to the scheme. Further, it should have at least
five start-ups undergoing incubation physically and should have the seating capacity for at
least 25 individuals. They should have a full-time CEO and a capable team.
Economic Survey 2021- Key Highlights

January 29, 2021
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the

Economic Survey 2020-21 in the Lok Sabha on January 29,
2021.
Highlights
 The Economic Survey 2021 presented an estimation of

the progress that the Indian economy has made in the last 12
months.
 The survey highlights that the real growth rate for
Financial Year 2021 was taken as -7.7% as per MoSPI while
the real growth rate for Financial Year 2022 is assumed was taken as 11.5 % on the
basis of estimates provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
 It further highlights that, the gross domestic product (GDP) was contracted by a
record 23.9 per cent in April-June 2020 while it contracted by 7.5 percent in the
second quarter.
 For the full fiscal, the survey projected a contraction of 7.7 per cent while a V-shaped
recovery in the next. GDP growth will be expanding by 11 per cent in the 2021-22
fiscal.

 As per the survey, there was de-growth for the first time.
 It highlights that the Indian economy is technically in a recession as it has witnessed a
contraction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the last two consecutive
quarters.
 The Survey also provided a detailed analysis of India’s V-shaped economic recovery
after it was affected due to corona pandemic. It highlights that mega vaccination drive
supports the V-shaped recovery.
 As per the survey, Agriculture sector has remained the silver lining in the growth
trajectory even during the pandemic however, contact-based services such as
manufacturing and construction faced sharp decline due to the corona pandemic.
 It highlights that how Healthcare sector has taken centre stage in the economy where
the government took part actively in shaping and structuring the healthcare market in
the country.
The Economic Survey of India
It is the flagship annual document released by the Ministry of Finance. The document is
presented in the parliament just before the Union Budget by the Department of Economic
Affairs, Ministry of Finance. The document is prepared under the guidance of the Chief
Economic Adviser of India. During the budget session, this document is presented to both the
houses of the parliament. The document is non-binding in nature.
Background
The first ever Economic Survey of India was presented in 1950-51. It was presented as a part
of the Union Budget. The survey got separated from the Union Budget after the year 1964.
CSIR-Ladakh inks MoU for S&T Development

January 29, 2021
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the

union territory of Ladakh recently signed an agreement for the
development of the Union Territory through Science and
Technology (S&T) interventions.
About the MoU
 The agreement was signed by CSIR-IIIM Director D.

Srinivas Reddy and Rigzin Samplel who is the Commissioner
Secretary Agriculture and Horticulture, Ladakh UT.
 The MoU was signed with the aim of establishing a
knowledge partnership between CSIR and the Ladakh UT.
 It seeks to develop the areas like exploration of natural resources, introduction of cash
crops in the region and bioresource utilization which is endemic to Ladakh.

 Various CSIR Institutes will now start research and development, extension and
societal projects in accordance with the agreement. The projects will be based on their
core competencies in the region.
 In the first phase institutes like CSIR-IIIM, CSIR-CMERI, CSIR-NBRI, CSIR-IHBT,
CSIR-CLRI and CSIR-NGRI will provide extensive knowledge and technological
support in the Union territory. For this purpose, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu will be the nodal
institution.
 Major areas of interest include the aromatic and nutraceutical plants or crops,
Geophysical mapping, eco-friendly leather processing, bioprospection of endemic
microbial, industrial agriculture with a focus on commercialization of endemic &
other high-value medicinal, plants diversity, and microbiological & biotechnological
interventions.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
CSIR was established by the Government of India in September 1942. It was established as
an autonomous body which now is the largest research and development organisation in
India. The body is mainly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is functional
as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The body is involved into
various research and development activities such as structural engineering aerospace
engineering, ocean sciences, metallurgy, chemicals, food, life sciences, petroleum, leather,
and environmental science.
What is STARS Project?

January 29, 2021
The Department of School Education and Literacy under the

Ministry of Education, and the World Bank have signed the
Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States
Program (STARS) project on January 28, 2021. The project is
a financial support agreement.
STARS Project
 STARS project is a centrally sponsored scheme that

seeks to strengthen the school education system.
 The agreement has been signed with an aim of
improving the quality and governance of school education in six states of India.
 The 6 Indian states include- Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha.
 The STARS project will be benefitting approximately 250 million students in the age
group of 6 to 17 years coming from the 1.5 million schools.
 Apart from the students, the project will also benefit 10 million teachers across the six
states.
 The project was launched with the aim of strengthening the public-school education.
 It also supports India’s aim of “Education for All”.

 The STARS Project carry forward the vision of the National Education Policy 2020
that envisages the equitable education for all.
Funding to the Project
 The total cost of the STARS project is Rs 5718 crore.

 The world bank has provided financial support worth $500 million which stands
around Rs. 3700 crores.
 This loan has been provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) which is the lending arm of the World Bank.
 The world bank has provided the final maturity of 17.5 years for the $500 million
along with a grace period of 5 years.
Background
The STARS project was approved by the Union Cabinet under NEP 2020 in October 2020.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
It is an international financial institution. It was established in the year 1944. The IBRD is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. IBRD is the lending arm of World Bank
Group. It offers loans to the middle-income developing countries.
India’s Rank on Covid-19 Response Index

January 29, 2021
The Covid-19 Response Index was provided by Sydney-based

Lowy Institute, recently. The study was based on the number
of key indicators such as confirmed cases, cases per million
people, deaths and deaths per million people.
Key findings of the index
 India was ranked 86th in a coronavirus performance

index among the 98 countries.
 Report highlights that, New Zealand handled the
pandemic more effectively than any other country across the
world.
 Brazil was ranked at the bottom of the list.
 In the index, New Zealand was followed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Cyprus.
 US was ranked as the fifth-worst performing country.
 Sri Lanka was placed at 10th position in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
 The report further reveals that, the smaller populations, cohesive societies and capable
institutions were big factors to successfully deal with the pandemic.
 China was not included in the study since its testing rates are not publicly available.

 India has so far reported 1.07 crore infections and 1,53,847 deaths – one of the
world’s lowest fatality rates from the disease, attributed partly to its younger
population.
About the Index
The indicators used for ranking the countries point out that how well or poorly countries have
managed the pandemic. An average of the rankings was given across the six indicators. Then
it was normalised for each country so as to produce a score between 0 for the worst
performing and 100 for best performing. The study was conducted for 36 weeks.
The Lowy Institute
It is an independent think tank that was founded in April 2003. It was founded by Frank
Lowy. The think tank is involved in conducting the original, policy-relevant research about
the international political, strategic and economic issues. The institute is based in Sydney,
Australia. The institute is funded by donations from the investment management firm,
Manikay Partners.
NSO released Revised Estimates of Economic Growth

January 30, 2021
The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the revised

estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data on January
29, 2020. The data was revised for the for the fiscal years
2017-18 to 2019-20.
Highlights
 The first revised estimates figured the GDP growth at 4

percent for the fiscal year 2019-20. This was 20 basis point
lower than the provisional estimates of 4.2% growth that was
released in 2020.
 This highlights that, the projected contraction of GDP at 7.7% in 2020-21 will
increase to 7.8%.
 The second revised estimate of GPD for 2018-19 is 6.5 percent while the third revised
estimates of GDP growth for 2017-18 is 6.8 percent.
 Earlier, the GDP growth for 2018-19 and 2017-18 was 6.1 percent and 7 percent.
 Further, this revised estimates for 2019-20 have reduced growth in the primary and
secondary sectors. However, it projects a positive growth trajectory for the tertiary
sector.
 The Gross Value Added (GVA) in the secondary sector shows a 1.1% contraction in
2019-20 while the GVA for the Tertiary sector is expected to grow at 7.2 percent in
the revised estimate.
National Statistical Office (NSO)

The National Statistical Office (NSO) was formed through the merger of the National Sample
Survey Office (NSSO) with the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The NSO is headed by
Secretary of the Statistics and Programme Implementation (S&PI). NSO have three Director
Generals (DG) namely the DG of Statistics, DG of Coordination, Administration and Policy
and DG of National Sample Survey. They all reports to the Secretary (S&PI). The NSSO and
CSO was merged together with the objective of streamlining and strengthening the nodal
functions of the ministry. It also seeks to bring in more synergy by integrating the
administrative functions within the ministry. NSO works under the aegis of Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Gross domestic product (GDP)
It is a monetary measure of the market value for all the final goods and services that are
produced in a specific time period.
Gross value added (GVA)
It is the measure of the value of goods and services that are produced in an area, industry or
sector of the economy. It is the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption.
Chauri Chaura Centenary celebrations to be inaugurated

January 30, 2021
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the Chauri Chaura Centenary
celebrations on February 4, 2021. The celebrations will be inaugurated by PM virtually and it
will be held in Uttar Pradesh.
Highlights
 On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also release a postal stamp that will be
dedicated to the centenary year of the Chauri Chaura incident.
 The celebrations will also be joined by the families of martyrs and freedom fighters.
 The state-wide celebration will also be held and it will begin from 4th February, the
celebration will continue for a year.
Chauri Chaura incident
 The Chauri Chaura incident took place, in British India, on February 4, 1922 at
Chauri Chaura. Chauri Chaura is a place in Gorakhpur district of the modern Uttar
Pradesh.

 In the incident a large group of protesters who were participated in the Non-
cooperation movement clashed with police and the police opened fire on them.
 In return, the protestors attacked and set fire to a police station.
 This incident led to the killing of all of its occupants.
 In the incident, three civilians and 22 policemen were died.
 Those protesters were protesting in the light of “Non-Cooperation Movement” called
by Mahatma Gandhi.
 Following the incident, Mahatma Gandhi halted the non-co-operation movement on
February 12, 1922.
Non-cooperation movement
This movement was launched on September 4, 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi. This movement
was started with the aim of self-governance and obtaining full independence or Purna Swaraj.
This was started in the light of withdrawal of the support by Indian National Congress (INC)
for British reforms following the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Rowlatt Act of March 1919
This act was passed to suspend the rights of political prisoners in sedition trials. This act
motivated Mahatma Gandhi to follow the idea of satyagraha (truth).
Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index

January 30, 2021
Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index was recently released

by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The index measures
the readiness in adopting the personalised healthcare of 11
health systems in the Asia-Pacific region.
Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index
 This is a newly launched index. It measures the progress

of a health system towards personalised healthcare.
 It evaluated the 11 health systems in the Asia-Pacific
region.
 The health systems that were evaluated includes: India, China, Singapore, Australia,
Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and New Zealand.
 It measured the performance across 27 indicators of the personalised health across 4
categories that are called as the ‘Vital Signs’.
 The four vital signs include Policy Context, Health Information, Personalised
Technologies and Health Services.

 Report highlights that Singapore was the best performer among all the 11 health
systems.
 Taiwan bagged the second position while Japan, and Australia stands at the third and
the fourth position of the index respectively.
 India was ranked at 10th position out of 11 health systems.
 Indonesia was ranked last at 11th
India’s rank
Though, India was ranked at 10th position overall. But in the four vital categories India’s rank
is- 10th in the health information indicator, 11th in the health services, 9th in the Personalised
Technologies indicator while 5th in the Policy Context indicator.
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
It is the research and analysis division of Economist Group. It provides the forecasting and
advisory services by doing research and analysis. It provides- five-year country economic
forecasts, monthly country reports, country risk service reports and industry reports. It has
several offices across the world including two offices in China and one in Hong Kong.
Asia-Pacific
It is the part of the world in the Western Pacific Ocean. This part varies in area on the basis of
context, but it generally includes the Oceania, East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
L&T Bags contract for Bullet Train Project

January 30, 2021
The Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has bagged a contract worth Rs

1390 crore for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
This project is India’s first such project. L&T has bagged the
contract for the project from the National High-Speed Rail
Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
Highlights
 The contract for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet

corridor have been given to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) – IHI
Infrastructure Systems Consortium.
 L&T has been given the contract for the procurement and fabrication of 28 steel
bridges for Crossing Over Rivers, roads, railway lines, highways and other structures
for the Mumbai Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
About Bullet Train Project

 The bullet rain project or the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is being
executed by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
 The NHSRCL have stated that, about 70,000 MT of steel will be used for the
fabrication of 28 steel bridges under the project.
 Steel for the fabrication of structures for these steel bridges will be procured from the
steel manufacturers through bid.
Bidding for steel bridges
 Financial bids for the procurement of steel bridges were opened on December 18,
2020.
 In the bidding, a total of eight bidders participated. Out of eight bidders, four were
qualified.
 Qualified bidders include- Tata projects Limited, Larsen & Toubro- IHI Infrastructure
Systems Consortium, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, and NCC Limited.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet Train Project
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train Project is a 508 km long corridor. It will operate at
speed of 320 km/hour. The train corridor will pass through Gujarat, Maharashtra and Dadra
& Nagar Haveli. The train will complete the distance of 508 kms in just 2-3 hours. There will
be 12 stations along the corridor. The bullet train project is also funded by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
It is a governmental agency that engages in delivering the bulk of Official Development

Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It assists in the economic and social growth
of the developing countries.
National Infrastructure Pipeline: Financing Bank to be set up

January 30, 2021
The government is considering to introduce a new bill “National Bank for Financing
Infrastructure and Development Bill, 2021” in the ongoing budget session of the
parliament. This bill will be passed with the objective of setting up a new development
finance institution (DFI) so as to finance the infrastructure projects.
What is Development Finance Institution (DFI)?

 The finance ministry had started working on the structure of a new DFI in the year
2020.
 DFI will be a specialized institution to provide funds for the infrastructure projects.
The DFI will be backed by government.
 The DFI will help in funding the projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline
(NIP).
 The new DFI will act as a provider, enabler and catalyst for infrastructure financing.
 It is also the principal financial institution and development bank to build and sustain
a supportive ecosystem during the life cycle of the infrastructure projects.
National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)
NIP is a group of social and economic infrastructure projects. The project has been launched
for a period of five years. The project has an initial sanctioned amount of ₹102 lakh crore.
The pipeline project was first announced by the Prime Minister of India during the 2019
Independence Day speech.
The Parliament of India
It is the supreme legislative body of India. Parliament is a bicameral legislature that

comprises of the President of India and the two houses namely the Rajya Sabha and the Lok
Sabha. The President being the head of legislature has powers to summon and prorogue either
house of Parliament. He has also the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha. However, he can
exercise these powers only on the advice of the Prime Minister and his Union Council of
Ministers.
Sessions of the Parliament
The period for which the House of the parliament meets to conduct its business is called a
session. The Constitution of India has given power to the President to summon each House.
The Gap between two sessions of the parliament should not be more than a six-month. Thus,
the Parliament must meet at least twice in a year. The Parliament conducts three sessions
every year in India:
1. Budget session that runs from January or February to May

2. Monsoon session that runs from July to August or September
3. Winter session that runs from November to December.
World Leprosy Day 2021

January 30, 2021

The last Sunday of January is celebrated as the World Leprosy

Day every year. The day is observed all across the world.
Highlights
 The day is celebrated to raise knowledge about the

leprosy.
 It also seeks to propagate the need and importance of
eradicating the disease.
 As per the World Health Organization (WHO), the goal
of the observance of the day in year 2021 is to beat leprosy by
spreading more information regarding the disease.
 The day will be celebrated to spread the knowledge that the disease is curable.
Leprosy cases across the world
As per the report, there were 2,08,619 new leprosy cases globally registered in the year 2018.
This figure has come from 159 countries.
Leprosy day in India
 In India, the day is being observed on January 30 in the year 2021.

 January 30 is selected as a remembrance of the death anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi.
What is leprosy?
 Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease.

 It is an infectious disease which is caused by a bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.
 The disease has been named after Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen who was a
Norwegian physician.
 Hansen proved that leprosy is not a hereditary disease but is caused by a bacterium.
 The disease is a curable disease and treatment at the early stage can prevent any
disability.
 It can cause a progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes
if it is left untreated.
 The incubation period of the disease is 5 years usually. Symptoms of the disease can
be seen within 1 year but it could also take 20 years or even more years to occur.
How it spreads?
The disease spreads through the droplets either from the nose or mouth when the affected
person sneezes or coughs.
125th Anniversary of “Prabuddha Bharat”

January 30, 2021

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will address the 125th

anniversary celebration ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ which is
scheduled to be organized on January 31, 2021. It will be
organized by the Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati
Prabuddha Bharata
 It is a monthly magazine of the Ramakrishna Order.

 This magazine was founded in the year 1896 by P.
Aiyasami, B. R. Rajam Iyer, G. G. Narasimhacharya, and B.
V. Kamesvara Iyer under the guidance of Swami
Vivekananda.
 Prabuddha Bharata magazine was of great significance in spreading the message of
the ancient spiritual wisdom of the country.
 The magazine comprises of the articles and translations by monks, scholars and other
writers on humanities and social sciences.
Background
The publication of the Prabuddha Bharata magazine was started from Madras (Present day
Chennai). The journal was published in Chennai for 2 years. After that, the magazine started
publishing from Almora. From April 1899, the magazine started publishing from Advaita
Ashrama. Since then, Advaita Ashram continuously edit the magazine and it is published and
printed in Kolkata.
Contributors of the magazine
In the history, many great personalities have contributed to the magazine namely, Bal
Gangadhar Tilak, Former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,
Sister Nivedita and Sri Aurobindo. Presently, it is edited by Swami Vireshananda.
Advaita Ashrama
This ashrama was founded in the year 1899. It was a branch of the Ramakrishna Math. The
ashrama is located in Uttarakhand.
Ramakrishna Order
It is the monastic lineage founded by Ramakrishna. It was founded in January 1886 at the
Cossipore House. It is different from the Ramakrishna Math. Ramakrishna Math is a legal
entity that trains the young monks and directs the spiritual duties of the Swamis of the
Ramakrishna Order.
Republic Day Parade 2021 Awards

January 30, 2021

The Union Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju, has presented the Republic Day Awards for 2021
Parade Tableaux.
Key Facts
 In the parade of 72nd Republic Day, 32 tableaux participated.

 Those Tableaux were selected from the 17 States and Union Territories (UTs).
 6 of the Tableaux were from the Defence Ministry while 9 were from other ministries,
departments and paramilitary forces.
Best Tableau Award
 The Uttar Pradesh tableau was given the award for best tableau out of total 32.
 The theme of the UP tableau was “Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh”.
 The tableau of Tripura was chosen as the second-best tableau.
 The Tripura tableau displayed the eco-friendly traditions to achieve the self-reliance
in the socio-economic parameters.
 The third best tableau award was presented to the tableau of Uttarakhand.
 Uttarakhand Tableau was displayed with the theme of the “Dev Bhoomi– The Land of
the Gods”.
Other Awards
 Out of 9 tableaux of the different ministries, departments, and paramilitary forces, the
Department of Biotechnology tableau was chosen for the top award. The department
had presented the Tableau with the theme of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: COVID
vaccine development”.
 Apart from that, a special prize was given to the tableau of the Central Public Works
Department (CPWD). CPWD was given the award for paying the tribute to the heroes
of the Armed Forces. Theme of the CPWD tableau was ‘Amar Jawan’.
 The award for best cultural performance was given to student of Mount Abu Public
School and Vidya Bharti School Rohini, Delhi. In their performance they had
displayed the vision for Self-Reliant India- Atmanirbhar Bharat.
How these Tableaux are selected?
The tableaux are selected by the Ministry of Defence for the Republic day parade. In order to
shortlist the tableaux, an expert committee is set up by the defence ministry comprising of the
distinguished people from various fields of arts. The expert committee consists of prominent
persons from the field of art, painting, culture, music, architecture, sculpture and
choreography. States are given representation on a rotational basis.

Decommissioning of IN FAC T-81

January 30, 2021
The Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft, IN FAC T-81, of the

Super Dvora MK II class was decommissioned on January 28
2020 in Mumbai.
Highlights
 The IN FAC T-81 was decommissioned after providing

service for more than 20 years.
 The event for decommissioning was held at Naval
Dockyard, Mumbai.
 The Chief Guest of the event was Rear Admiral V
Srinivas who is the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area.
About IN FAC T-81
 It is a 25 meters long vessel having 60 tonnes of displacement.

 The craft was built at Goa Shipyard Ltd. in collaborations with M/s Ramta of Israel.
 It was commissioned into the service of Indian Navy on June 5, 1999.
 The commissioning of the craft was done by the then Governor of Goa, Lt Gen JFR
Jacob (Retd).
 It was specially designed for shallow waters.
 It has the capability of day or night surveillance and reconnaissance.
 The craft was also involved in the beach insertion, extraction of Marine Commandoes,
high-speed interception of intruder craft and Search & Rescue.
 The craft could achieve the speeds up to 45 knots.
 It was the 2nd ship of the Extra Fast Attack Craft (XFAC) Super Dvora MK II Class.
Super Dvora Mark II-class patrol boats
It is a high-speed class of patrol boats. He boats are meant for a variety of naval missions
ranging from the typical off-shore coastal patrol mission profiles to a high-speed, high-
manoeuvre littoral warfare. It is built by Israel Aerospace Industries for the Israeli Sea Corps.
It is the successor to the Dvora-class fast patrol boats. He boats have been employed by the
Sri Lanka Navy to counter the LTTE operations at sea.
Fast attack craft (FAC)
FAC is a small, fast, agile and offensive warship that are armed with anti-ship missiles, gun
or torpedoes. They are operated in close proximity to land. They lack seakeeping and all-
round defensive capabilities to survive in blue water. They can reach up to the speeds of 25–
50 knots.
New Industrial Policy of Tamil Nadu

January 30, 2021
The State Cabinet meeting which was chaired by the Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami, cleared the
34 major investment proposals with a total investment of Rs
52,257 crore.
Highlights
 These new Industrial Policy have the potential to create

93,935 jobs.
 These investments will be done in the sectors including
automobiles & auto components, electronics, solar cell
manufacturing and including electric vehicles.
 The Cabinet also cleared the Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy, 2021.
 These incentive packages have been formulated in such a way that it will suit the
requirement of each investor.
 Some of the investment policy that cabinet cleared includes
1. Rs 5,763 crore-worth mobile phone components manufacturing unit by Tata

Electronics in Krishnagiri district. It has the potential to create 18,250 jobs.
2. Rs 4,629 crore-worth investments by SunEdison that produce solar PV models. It has
the potential to create 5,397 jobs.
3. Rs 2,500 crore worth lithium-ion batteries manufacturing plant in Tiruvallur district
by Lucas TVS. It has the potential to create 3,500 jobs.
Industrial Policy of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has always been the forefront of economic growth in India. The Government of
Tamil Nadu has made significant growth in the field of automobiles, textile, engineering,
Information Technology, leather, electric hardware and hi-technology industries over time.
To maintain the pace the Government has formulated Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy which the
aim of providing the necessary infrastructure in order to ensure the sustained industrialisation
in Tamil Nadu.
Objectives of the industrial policy
Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy was formulated with the objective of:
1. Obtaining boost the average growth rate of manufacturing sector.

2. Achieving the sustainable industrial development.
3. Providing employment opportunities in the state.
4. Enhance the growth of high technology (Hi-Technology) industries such as aerospace
and nanotechnology.
Who has been appointed as New Chief Executive of Ayushman

Bharat?

January 30, 2021
Recently, R. S. Sharma has been appointed as the new Chief

Executive Officer of the Ayushman Bharat scheme or the
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana which is an insurance
scheme by the National Health Authority’s (NHA).
Highlights
1. The newly appointed chief executive, RS Sharma, will

replace Indu Bhushan.
2. He was appointed after Indu Bhushan has completed the
3-year tenure as the CEO of Ayushman Bharat.
Who is RS Sharma?
 RS Sharma has worked as the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of

India (TRAI).
 He is also the head of the Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management to
combat the Covid-19 and the Covid-19 vaccine delivery technology platform—Co-
WIN.
 He also works as a member of the National Expert Group on Covid-19 Vaccine
Administration.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a component under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
This scheme by the central government offers free healthcare services to 40% of people of
the country. The PMJAY scheme is in mission mode as a second component of Ayushman
Bharat. The first component of the scheme is the Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)
which provide the primary health care to the people close to their homes. The scheme was
launched on September 23, 2018, in Ranchi, Jharkhand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It
provides a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. The scheme covers the secondary and
tertiary hospitalization in all the private and public hospitals of India. It was launched with
the aim of achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
UNWTO report: 2020 is Worst Year on Record

January 30, 2021

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

has highlighted that the year 2020 the worst year on record.
Key findings of the report
 The UNWTO has made this statement in the light that

global tourism suffered massively because of the international
travel bans that was into force in order to contain the COVID-
19 outbreak.
 As per the report, the international arrivals have
dropped by 74 percent.
 Further, the destinations across the world allowed 1 billion fewer international arrivals
than it was in 2019.
 The report further highlights that, the restrictions in the international travel has
resulted in the loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues.
 This loss in the export revenues is more than 11 times the loss that occurred during
the global economic crisis in 2009.
 As per the report, the COVID-19 crisis has an impact on 100-120 million direct
tourism jobs. Many of them are in the small and medium-sized enterprises.
 Report highlighted that, the nature of pandemic is evolving due to which many
countries are reintroducing the stricter travel restrictions such as changes in the
quarantine rules, mandatory testing and complete closure of borders in some
countries.
UNWTO’s take on Vaccine
The UNWTO report states that the countries are gradually rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine.
The organization expects that this will help in restoring the consumer confidence and will
contribute in easing the travel restrictions. Thus, the travel will slowly normalize in 2021
ahead.
UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
UNWTO is the United Nations specialized agency. The agency is involved in the promotion
of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It is headquartered in Madrid,
Spain. UNWTO is the leading international organization in the field of tourism. It promotes
the tourism as a driver of economic growth. The agency serves as a global forum for tourism
policy issues.
UAE’s new Citizenship Policy

January 30, 2021

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced its new

citizenship policy. The government has planned to offer
citizenship to a select group of foreigners. The UAE has thus
become the first Gulf Arab nation that formalized the process
of giving expatriates a bigger stake in the economy.
Aim of the policy
The new citizenship policy has been announced with the aim
of attracting the talent to the UAE in order to boost the
growth. The country is considering longer residency and
limited citizenship for foreigners because it seeks to attract the investment and diversify from
oil.
Background
UAE earlier used to give citizenship in the UAE to some foreigners in special cases. They
were given citizenship for providing service to the state.
Foreign Residents in UAE
The Foreign residents accounts for more than 80% of the total population od UAE. The
residents are thus the mainstay of UAE’s economy since decades.
Who can be given citizenship?
The government has formulated following conditions to provide citizenship:
1. Investors should own a property in the UAE.

2. They are required to obtain one or more patents approved by the UAE Ministry of
Economy or any other reputable international body.
3. Doctors and specialists should be specialised in a unique scientific discipline or the
scientific principles that are highly required in the UAE.
4. Scientists should be an active researcher in a university or research center. They
should have practical experience of at least 10 years in the same field.
5. Individuals with creative talents like intellectuals and artists should be pioneers in the
culture and art fields. They should be a winner of one or more international award.
Withdrawal of Citizenship
The citizenship of the individual can be withdrawn if there is a breach of the conditions.
Current Affairs – January 31, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

January 31, 2021
Here are Today’s News Headlines by THE HINDU for January 31, 2021.

India
President launches first round of Pulse Polio

Programme 2021
President Ram Nath Kovind on January 30, 2021 launched the
countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2021 by
administering polio drops to children less than five years old
at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Polio National Immunization
Day (NID), also known as the “Polio Ravivar”, will be
observed on January 31.
73rd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi observed Martyrs’ Day

The 73rd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was observed as Martyrs’ Day on January
30, 2021. He was assassinated on this day in 1948.
ISRO Chief inaugurates satellite developed by engineering students

in Coimbatore
ISRO Chief K. Sivan inaugurated a private satellite, developed by a group of 12 students of
Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore at the cost of Rs 2.5
crore. The academic satellite will be launched on February 28 from Sriharikota Range by
PSLV C-15. The satellite will study Internet of Things (IoT) among other subjects.
Economy & Corporate
Nepal awards 679 MW Lower Arun Hydropower Project to India’s

SJVN
A meeting of the Investment Board Nepal (IBN), whose Chair is Prime Minister KP Sharma
Oli, decided to award the 679-Megawatt Lower Arun Hydropower Project to Indian public
sector company Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) under the build, own, operate and transfer
(BOOT) delivery method.
14 new minor forest produce (MFP) items included under MSP

scheme
The government has decided to include 14 new minor forest produce (MFP) items under the
mechanism for marketing of minor forest produce through minimum support price (MSP)
scheme to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces. Newly
included items are Tasar Coccoon, elephant apple dry, bamboo shoot, Malkangani seed and
wild dry mushroom among others.
World

EAM S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken hold talks on

phone
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken have
spoken over phone during which the two leaders discussed issues of mutual concern,
including COVID-19 vaccination efforts, regional developments and next steps in expanding
bilateral ties, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on January 29, 2021.
U.N. urges countries to repatriate children of Islamic State

extremists from Syria
The U.N. counterterrorism chief is urging countries to repatriate the 27,000 children stranded
in a massive camp in northeastern Syria, many of them sons and daughters of Islamic State
extremists who once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Vladimir Voronkov told an
informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on January 29, 2021 that “the horrific
situation of the children in Al Hol (camp) is one of the most pressing issues in the world
today.”
UN Chief receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in New York City

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received his first dose of the COVID-19
vaccine. Guterres, 71, received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a New York City
public school on January 28, 2021.
Bangladesh sends 3rd atch of Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char

Island
The third batch of Rohingya refugees living in camps at Cox’s Bazar district sailed for
relocation at the newly developed facility at the Bhashan Char island in Bangladesh on
January 29, 2021. Rohingya are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh after fleeing the
military crackdown in the Rakhine province of Myanmar in August 2017.
Russia: Vladimir Putin signs bill to extend nuclear treaty with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 29, 2021 signed a bill into law ratifying a five-
year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the US. The
validity period of the New START will be extended by five years to February 5, 2026.
Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen, who warned of ozone hole, dies at 87n
Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen, who warned of ozone hole and was awarded the 1995 Nobel
Chemistry Prize, died at the age of 87 on January 28, 2021. Crutzen’s science clearly drove
political action. A 1987 treaty, known as the Montreal Protocol, led to a worldwide phase-out
of ozone-eating chemicals, including the chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration and other
applications.

Sports
Ladakh: First Zanskar Winter Sports and Youth Festival concludes

In Kargil Ladakh, the first ever Zanskar Winter Sports and Youth Festival, 2021 concluded at
Munskit Chumik Zanskar on January 30, 2021. The Festival featured various cultural and
sports activities like ice hockey, snow skiing, horse riding, yak riding, ice climbing, snow
sculpture, archery matches.

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Current Affairs – January 1, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

AIIMS Rajkot: PM lays foundation stone

Colonel Narinder Kumar dies

Kerala Assembly resolution against Farm Laws

Economy and Corporate

Interest rate on NSC, PPF and other small savings schemes

Eight core industries output contracts

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

Upgraded e-Ticketing website and mobile app

Agriculture Minister inaugurates Virtual agri-Hackathon, 2020

Labour Ministry to notify 8.5% interest on Employment Provident

Suneet Sharma appointed as new Railway Board Chairman and CEO

ADB to provide 231 million USD for 120 MW hydroelectric power

Reliance Jio Makes domestic calls free

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

IDBI sells 23% stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company to

Indian Army Chief to hold talks with South Korean counterpart

China completes Railway line in Tibet

Michael Kondo: Former Hockey player died

Light House Project

Where are the Light House Projects being implemented?

The Light House Projects are to be implemented in Agartala (Tripura),

Which Ministry is to implement the Light House Project?

The Light House Project is to be implemented by Union Urban Ministry.

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

What are the Key Features of Light House Project?

What are the benefits of Light House Project project?

What are the advanced technologies to be used in Light House Project?

What is the cost of the Light House Project?

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

The Ministry of Defence recently signed an agreement with the Bharat

What is LYNX U2 GFCS?

It is a Naval Gun Fire Control System. It has been designed to track

What are the main features of LYNX U2 GFCS?

What is the aim of GoI in regard to the current LYNX U2 GFCS?

What is cost of LYNX U2 GFCS?

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

Kisan Kalyan Mission of Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh Government is to launch Kisan Kalyan mission.

What are the key features of Kisan Kalyan mission?

 The Kisan Kalyan mission aims to double the farmer income

What is the role of Kisan Vigyan Kendras in Kisan Kalyan Mission?

What are the activities undertaken by Kisan Kalyan mission?

What is Kisan Kalyan Abhiyan?

www.xaamadda.com | The Hindu Current Affairs By IAS Toppers

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently announced that

What is the current scenario of prices of LPG in India?

The price of non-subsidised Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders of 14.2

What is the reason behind the recent LPG price rise?

How are LPG prices fixed in India?

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What is Import Parity Price?

SII’s Covishield gets emergency-use nod from DGCI

The Subject Expert committee that is advising the Drug Controller

Who manufactures COVISHIELD?

The COVISHIELD the vaccine is developed by the University of

How does the COVISHIELD vaccine work?

How does COVISHIELD vaccine differ from the others?