current affairs capsule (january 2021)

Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T.I.M.E.) HO: 95B, 2nd Floor, Siddamsetty Complex, Secunderabad – 500 003. Tel : 040–40088400 Fax : 040–27847334 email : [email protected] website : www.time4education.com 1

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CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE (JANUARY 2021) Syria war killed 6,800 in 2020 in lowest annual toll The Syrian conflict claimed the lives of at least 6,800 people in 2020, the lowest annual death toll since it began nearly a decade ago. More U.S. tariffs on French, German goods The United States announced that it will impose additional tariffs on French and German products as part of a long-running dispute over subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. India begins its two-year tenure as a Non-Permanent Member of the UNS India is beginning its two-year tenure as a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council, UNSC from January 1. India will be UNSC President in August 2021 and will preside over the council again for a month in 2022. WHO clears Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use The World Health Organization says it has cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. This means poorer countries may soon get access to the shot already available in Europe and North America. India urges China to help stranded sailors India had urged China to provide “urgent” assistance to 39 crew members of the stranded cargo vessels m.v. Jag Anand and m.v. Anastasia. Both the ships have been stuck for months near the Jingtang and Caofeidian ports. India sends relief materials to cyclone-affected people of Fiji The first consignment of relief materials from India for the cyclone-affected people reached Fiji. Fiji was hit by a Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasa last month which caused extensive damage and destruction of critical infrastructure. Niger’s ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum to face former President Mahamane Ousmane in Presidential election Niger’s ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum will face former President Mahamane Ousmane in a presidential election runoff in February. Britain: PM Boris Johnson announces new lockdown to contain new variant of coronavirus British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new national COVID-19 lockdown in England, instructing people to stay at home to contain a more contagious variant of the coronavirus. Gulf states sign ‘solidarity and stability’ deal at GCC summit Gulf leaders have signed a “solidarity and stability” agreement towards ending the diplomatic rift with Qatar at a summit in Saudi Arabia. Leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council signed the Al-Ula declaration, named after the Saudi city where the summit is being held, and a final communique.

Germany extends coronavirus lockdown until Jan 31 In Germany, the federal and state governments have agreed to extend coronavirus lockdown in the country. The current lockdown regulations, including the closure of schools, will now be in place until at least January 31. US Congress certifies Joe Biden as the next President and Kamala Harris as Vice President The US Congress has certified Joe Biden as the next President and Kamala Harris as Vice President of the country. Of the 538 electoral college votes cast, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 306 and Donald Trump and Mike Pence received 232. US: Four people die after President Donald Trump supporters storm Capitol building At least four people have been reported dead, as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed US Capitol, overpowered security personnel to reach deep inside the building, forced lawmakers to shelter in place under desks and in rooms. Japan Commits ₹2,113 cr Loan Pact to India to Support COVID-19 Relief Efforts A loan agreement was signed between India and Japan for JPY (Japanese yen) 30 billion (₹2,113 crore) to support India’s efforts at providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable households severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Brazil seeks two million doses of Covishield vaccine from India on priority basis Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has requested India for 2 million doses of Covishield vaccine produced indigenously by the Serum Institute of India, Pune. WHO team to arrive in China on January 14 to investigate origins of COVID-19 An international group of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) will arrive in China on 14th January, to probe the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, ending the uncertainty and delay which drew sharp criticism from the world health body. Malaysia declares state of emergency over virus surge Malaysia’s king declared a nationwide state of emergency for the first time in more than half a century, suspending parliament in a move that allows embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to avoid facing an election until the pandemic is over. U.S. rebrands Cuba as state sponsor of terrorism President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration has returned Cuba to the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, erecting a last-minute roadlock to expected efforts by President-elect Joe Biden to ease tensions. US House of Representatives votes to impeach President Donald Trump Donald Trump has become the first US president to be impeached twice. The House of Representatives voted to charge him with inciting last week's mob attack on the US Congress. Trump was impeached by 232 - 197 vote by the US House on a single charge of incitement of insurrection.


US President elect Joe Biden unveils 1.9 trillion dollar Coronavirus relief package US President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a 1.9 trillion dollar Coronavirus emergency relief package. The stimulus plan underscores Biden's intent to aggressively shore up a deteriorating economy and address the devastation wrought by the pandemic. India and Japan sign MoU to enhance cooperation in Information and Communications Technologies field India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation in the field of Information and Communications Technologies. United States maintains terrorist designation of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba The United States has reviewed and maintained the terrorist designations of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ), along with ISIL Sinai Peninsula (ISIL-SP) and several other organisations. Biden ropes in 20 Indian-Americans, 17 in key White House positions U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated at least 20 Indian-Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his incoming administration, a record for the small ethnic community that constitutes one per cent of America’s population. Britain invites PM Modi to attend G7 Summit to be held in June this year United Kingdom has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit as a guest. The G7 Summit is to be held in June this year. North Korea unveils new submarine-launched ballistic missile North Korea has unveiled a new submarine-launched ballistic missile described by state media as the world’s most powerful weapon. It unveiled the missile during a military parade. Tunisia arrests over 600, deploys army after violent protests Tunisian authorities had arrested more than 600 people and deployed troops after a third consecutive night of riots, mostly by young people in working class districts of several cities. Stranded ship MV Jag Anand with 23 Indian crew members from China reaches Japan MV Jag Anand, the Indian ship which was stranded at Chinese port of Jingtang has reached Japan on 18th January for crew change. Joe Biden takes over as President, Kamala Harris as

Vice President of US

Joe Biden took oath as the 46th President of the United

States of America at a scaled-back ceremony in the US

Capitol building in Washington. 78-year-old Biden has

become the oldest US President in history.

India sends 1 million doses of COVID vaccine to Nepal as gift under 'Vaccine Maitri' Initiative India had sent 1 million doses of a COVID vaccine to Nepal as a gift under the 'Vaccine Maitri' Initiative. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed on Twitter that Nepal received Indian vaccines.

India, EU hold their first maritime security dialogue in virtual format India and the EU have held their first maritime security dialogue in a virtual format. The consultations involved exchanges on developments in maritime security environment, regional cooperation activities, developments of mutual interest and opportunities for cooperation between India and the EU. Myanmar, Mauritius, Morocco & Seychelles receive India made COVISHIELD vaccine India continues to forge ahead with its Neighbourhood First policy as it extends a steady shoulder of a friend in need to its partner countries. Myanmar, Mauritius, Morocco and Seychelles received India made COVISHIELD vaccine. First-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons enters into force ‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly came into force from January 22, 2021. It is the First ever International agreement which prohibits Nuclear Weapons. UK variant of coronavirus may be more deadly: British PM Johnson British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly. China empowers its coastguards to fire on foreign ships to prevent threats China passed its coastguard legislation that for the first time explicitly allows it to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could stoke tensions with its neighbours in contested waters. U.S. announces restoration of relations with Palestinians U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration announced that it was restoring relations with the Palestinians and renewing aid to Palestinian refugees, a reversal of the Donald Trump administration’s cutoff and a key element of its new support for a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict agreed to by Israelis and Palestinians. UK becomes first European nation to surpass over

one lakh Covid-19 deaths

In United Kingdom, more than one lakh people have died

with COVID-19. A total of 100,162 deaths have been

recorded in the UK, the first European nation to pass the

landmark. The UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000

deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico. Global Coronavirus cases surpass 100 million mark Global Coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million, as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls. Almost 1.3% of the world’s population has now been infected with COVID-19, and more than 2.1 million people have died. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launches COVID-19 vaccination programme in Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Bangladesh through video conferencing.


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India provided medical supplies to more than 150

counties during COVID-19 pandemic: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India

provided medical supplies and equipment to more than

150 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr

Jaishankar said, this is expected to cover other partner

countries in the coming days. Myanmar launches COVID 19 vaccination programme Myanmar has started COVID 19 vaccination programme with health workers from hospitals and employees of the Department of Health receiving the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. Putin signs off on extension of New START treaty Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed off on legislation extending a key nuclear pact between Russia and the U.S. by five years until February 5, 2026.

UN chief says India's vaccine production capacity is

the best asset for today's world

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has

called upon India to play a major role in the global

Corona vaccination campaign. UN Chief termed the

vaccine production capacity of India as the best asset

the world has today. Sri Lanka begins vaccine roll-out Sri Lanka commenced its COVID-19 vaccination drive, a day after receiving a consignment of 5,00,000 doses of Covishield vaccine gifted by India. Law and Justice Ministry notifies elevation of four judges Law and Justice Ministry has notified the elevation of four judges as Chief Justices of Odisha, Telangana, Madras and Jammu and Kashmir High Courts. President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar as Chief Justice of Odisha High Court and Kumari Justice Hima Kohli as Chief Justice of Telangana. Justice Pankaj Mithal will be Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court and Justice Sanjib Banerjee, Chief Justice of Madras. ISRO Chairman K Sivan gets one year extension as Space Secretary The appointments committee of the Union cabinet has approved giving an extension of one year to ISRO chairman K Sivan, who was due superannuation on January 14, 2021. Ayurvedic institute, CCMB ink agreement

CSIR and CCMB Hyderabad, has entered into an

agreement with Kerala-based Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS),

Kottakkal, to check the efficacy of Ayurvedic formulations

in the fight against coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Kerala international film fest in 4 phases at 4 venues

Forced by the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Kerala

State Chalachitra Academy has decided to organise the

25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala

(IFFK) in four phases in four regions of the State.

Centre extends Disability Compensation to all serving employees, if they get disabled in line of duty Centre has decided to extend Disability Compensation to all serving employees, if they get disabled in the line of duty while performing their service and are retained in service in spite of such disablement. Indian Army & Goa Shipyard signs to produce 12 patrol boats for Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh Indian Army has signed an agreement with Goa Shipyard Ltd to procure the 12 high-performance patrol boats to boost its surveillance of major water bodies like Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh and its surroundings including those in high altitude areas. India approves two COVID-19 vaccines India has formally approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines as it prepares for one of the world's biggest inoculation drives. The drugs regulatory authority gave the green light to the jabs developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University and by local firm Bharat Biotech. Prime Minister Modi rated most popular leader in the world Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been rated as the most popular head of state by an American research firm, Morning Consult. Over 75 per cent people approved Mr Modi, while 20 per cent disapproved, putting his net approval rating at 55 per cent. FSSAI slashes limit for transfat levels in foods The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations. Argentine filmmaker Pablo Cesar to head 51st IFFI''s International Jury The International Jury for 51st edition of International Film Festival of India has been announced with eminent filmmakers from across the world. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry said that the Jury will comprise Pablo Cesar of Argentina as Chairman. U.K. PM Boris Johnson calls off India visit UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned India visit for the last week of January when he was to be the Chief Guest of the Republic Day festivities.

SC clears Centre’s plan for a bigger Parliament

The Supreme Court, in a majority judgment gave its

go-ahead to the multi-crore Central Vista redevelopment

project, which proposes to build a new Parliament three

times bigger than the existing 93-year-old heritage building.

Government launches hackathon for toys Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ jointly launched the Toycathon 2021. Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan releases India report on LASI Wave-1 on virtual platform Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has released India report on Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI)


Wave-1 on the virtual platform. LASI is a full-scale national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and social determinants and consequences of population ageing in India.

16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention organized

on 9th January in virtual format

The 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was

organized on 9th January in virtual format in the backdrop

of COVID pandemic. The theme of the Convention this

year is "Contributing to Atma Nirbhar Bharat". Law Ministry notifies new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court The Union Law Ministry has notified the appointment of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court.

Union MoE Ramesh Pokhriyal Inaugurated Virtual

International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON-2020’

The two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference

‘EDUCON 2020’ was inaugurated by Union Minister

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Ministry of Education (MoE).

This 31-hour long marathon International Conference was

the first of its kind conference in India. Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicates coastal research vessel to Nation at Chennai Port Trust Union Minister for Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan launched Coastal Research Vehicle (CRV) ‘Sagar Anveshika’ at the Chennai Port. The vehicle will be used to carry out environment indexing and bathymetric (mapping underwater features) in both coastal and offshore waters.

Over ₹1,200 cr to be spent for safe movement of

wildlife on National Highway

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that

over 1,200 crore rupees will be spent by the Road

Transport and Highways Ministry to create infrastructure

for safe movement of wildlife on the National Highway.

Indian Railways achieves a train speed of 130 kilometer

per hour on Golden Quadrilateral - Golden Diagonal

route

Indian Railways has started the New Year by achieving a

landmark to enhance the maximum speed to 130 kilometres

per hour for 1,280 km length out of 1,612 Km in Golden

Quadrilateral - Golden Diagonal route.

ISRO to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs across

country to promote education

Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO will adopt

one hundred Atal Tinkering Labs across the country to

promote education in the field of Space Education

and Space Technology related innovations for school

students.

Nitin Gadkari to launch eco-friendly, non-toxic paint

developed by KVIC

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will

be launching an innovative new paint developed by

Khadi and Village Industries Commission. The eco-

friendly, non-toxic paint, called “Khadi Prakritik Paint” is

a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal and anti-

bacterial properties.

PM Modi urges youngsters to join Startup India international summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon youngsters to attend ‘Prarambh’, the Startup India international summit on January 15 and 16, saying it seeks to bring together top minds from industry, academia, investment, banking and finance besides the young startup leaders. The summit will be held on January 15-16. Prakash Javadekar releases MEE of 146 National Park & Wildlife Sanctuaries Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in the country. At present, India has a network of 903 Protected Areas in the country covering about five per cent of the total geographic area of the country. SC stays rollout of three controversial farm laws The Supreme Court of India stayed the implementation of the three controversial farm laws against which farmers, particularly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at Delhi’s borders since November 2020. The court also ordered the formation of a four-member committee to hear all the parties and stakeholders and report to the court about the same. Cabinet clears purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets for Indian Air Force Government has approved procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft, LCA, Tejas worth about 48 thousand crore rupees from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for Indian Air Force. Cabinet approves MoU between India, UAE for scientific and technical cooperation The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the Memorandum of Understanding on scientific and technical cooperation between National Centre of Meteorology of the United Arab Emirates and Ministry of Earth Sciences. Kerala becomes 8th state to successfully undertake Ease of Doing Business reform Kerala has become the 8th state in the country to successfully undertake Ease of Doing Business reform stipulated by the Finance Ministry. With this, the state has now become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of two thousand 373 crore rupees through Open Market Borrowings. Manipur becomes 4th state to successfully undertake ULB reforms Manipur has become the 4th state in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies, ULB reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Manipur has now joined the three other States Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, who have completed this reform. Coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ concludes Exercise Sea Vigil, the two-day coastal defence exercise was concluded. The conceptual and geographical expanse of Sea Vigil included the entire coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ of the country and contingencies from Peace to War-time were exercised


Govt. says, due to global COVID-19 situation, there won't be foreign Head of State as chief guest at Republic Day ceremony The Union government has said that due to the global COVID-19 situation, it has been decided that this year there will not be a foreign Head of State or Head of Govt as the chief guest at the republic day ceremony.

3rd phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana launched in 600 districts across the country The Third Phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana was launched in 600 districts across the country. Skill India Mission-PMKVY 3.0 envisages training of eight lakh candidates over a scheme period of 2020-2021 with an outlay of ₹949 crore.

DRDO, Army develops India's first indigenously 9mm machine pistol India’s first indigenous 9mm Machine Pistol has been jointly developed by DRDO and Indian Army.

PM announces ₹1,000-crore startup India seed fund Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Start-up India seed fund worth ₹1,000 crore to enable startups to raise initial funding. “This will help to start and grow new start-ups,” Modi said at the Prarambh Start-up India International summit.

Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry launches SAKSHAM campaign to spread awareness about green energy The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launched month-long mass awareness campaign 'SAKSHAM' to spread awareness about green and clean energy.

51st International Film Festival of India begins in Goa The 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was inaugurated in Goa. Italian cinematographer Mr Vittorio Storaro will be honoured with lifetime achievement award. For this year Bangladesh will be the country of focus.

Nation's first COVID-19 vaccination drive held successfully, over 1.91 lakh people inoculated on day one India successfully rolled out the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing. More than 1.91 lakh people across the country were inoculated on the first day.

Connectivity through 8 new special trains to Kevadiya will give a boost to tourism, job opportunities: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off through video conferencing eight trains connecting different regions of the country to Kevadiya in Gujarat. These trains will facilitate seamless connectivity to the Statue of Unity.

PM Modi unanimously chosen as next Chairman of Shree Somnath Trust Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unanimously chosen as the next Chairman of Shree Somnath Trust. The trust manages the world famous Somnath Temple at Prabhas Patan town in Gir-Somnath district of Gujarat.

Indian Air Force, French Air and Space Force to conduct bilateral air exercise at Jodhpur Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force will conduct a bilateral Air exercise, Ex Desert Knight-21 at Air Force Station Jodhpur.

MoRTH notifies Inter Country Transport Vehicles

Rules 2021

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified

Inter Country Transport Vehicles Rules, 2021 which

would facilitate and regulate the movement of passenger

and goods vehicles between India and neighbouring

countries. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju assigned additional charge of Ministry of AYUSH Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has been assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of AYUSH. Due to the hospitalization and treatment of AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik following a road accident, his portfolio related to the Ministry of AYUSH has been temporarily assigned to Rijiju.

Govt. says, Avian Influenza is confirmed in 5 States

for poultry birds and in 10 States for Crow, Migratory

and Wild birds

The Union government said that Avian Influenza has

been confirmed in five States for poultry birds and in ten

States for Crow, Migratory and Wild birds. Karnataka tops in innovation, shows NITI Aayog index Karnataka retained its leadership position in the major States category in the second edition of India Innovation Index released by NITI Aayog. It was followed by Maharashtra, which moved past Tamil Nadu to occupy the second place. Delhi topped among Union Territories, and Himachal Pradesh among North-Eastern and Hill States. Govt proposes to suspend new farms laws for one and a half years The Centre had proposed to suspend the three contentious farm laws for one and a half years, and set up a committee to look into the future course of action over the legislations. SC rejects petition seeking re-examination of its 2018 verdict declaring Aadhaar act valid & constitutional The Supreme Court has rejected petitions seeking re-examination of its 2018 verdict which declared Aadhaar Act valid and constitutional. A five-judge bench of the apex court dismissed the petitions by majority of 4 : 1. Union Cabinet approves MoU between India, Uzbekistan for cooperation in field of Solar Energy The Union Cabinet was apprised of signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Uzbekistan for cooperation in the field of Solar Energy. Cabinet approves ₹5,282 cr investment for Ratle

Hydro Power Project in J&K

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the

investment of over 5200 crore rupees for 850 MW Ratle

Hydro Electric (HE) Project located on river Chenab, in

Kishtwar in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

India, Singapore sign pact on Navy support

India and Singapore have signed the implementing

agreement on submarine rescue support and

cooperation between the two Navies.


PM Modi releases over ₹2,500 crore to more than 6 lakh beneficiaries in UP under PMAY-G Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released financial assistance of around ₹2,691 crore to over six lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G), through video conferencing. Large scale Joint Military exercise – ‘Exercise Kavach’ to be conducted in coming week A large scale Joint Military exercise - Exercise Kavach involving assets of Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard will be conducted in the coming week under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates 1st small-scale LNG supply infrastructure of Shell Energy India at Hazira, Gujarat Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the first small-scale LNG supply infrastructure of Shell Energy India at its LNG terminal at Hazira in Gujarat. This will now augment Shell’s natural gas supply offerings in India to include supply of LNG via trucks.

Centre invested ₹27,000 cr for schemes relating to blue economy: Giriraj Singh Union Minister for Fisheries Dr. Giriraj Singh has said that the Centre has invested 27 thousand crore rupees for schemes relating to blue economy. Govt. uses Rapid Assessment System, RAS for taking feedback from people vaccinated for COVID-19 The Union Government is using Rapid Assessment System, RAS for taking feedback from those who get vaccinated for COVID-19. This initiative is aimed at improving the vaccination experience for citizens, while ensuring that all norms are being followed during the vaccination process at all Vaccination Centers.

DRDO successfully conducts captive and release trial of SAAW DRDO successfully conducted captive and release trial of indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon SAAW from Hawk-I of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) off the Odisha coast. This was the ninth successful mission of SAAW conducted by DRDO till now.

Justice Gita Mittal appointed Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council Former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) High Court, Justice Gita Mittal has been appointed Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).

Ministry of Tribal Affairs Virtually Launches “Shramshakti” Digital Data Solution for Migrant Workers The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda virtually through Video Conference launched “ShramShakti”, a National Migration Support Portal that would effectively help in the smooth formulation of state and national level programs for migrant workers.

122 Bangladesh Armed Forces personnel to participate in India’s Republic Day parade For the first time ever, a 122 member strong contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces will participate in the Republic Day parade.

Sunderbans is home to 428 species of birds, says ZSI The Indian Sunderbans, which is part of the largest mangrove forest in the world, is home to 428 species of birds, a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) state. Kaliash Chandra, Director ZSI said that India has over 1,300 species of birds of which 428 species of birds are from Sunderbans.

DRDO conducts maiden launch of Akash-NG missile from Integrated Test Range off coast of Odisha Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted the successful maiden launch of Akash-NG (New Generation) Missile from Integrated Test Range off the coast of Odisha.

20-year-old Shrishti Goswami is Uttarakhand CM for a day Shristi Goswami, a twenty-year-old Haridwar-based student, become the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for one day on National Girl Child Day.

Indian Railways' longest freight train 'Vasuki' sets a new record The South-East Central Railways (SECR) zone in Chhattisgarh breaks its own previous record by successfully operating the longest ever freight train by amalgamating five rakes of goods trains as one unit of around 3.5 km. Named as ‘Vasuki’, it covered the distance of 224 km between the railway stations of Bhilai and Korba and took about seven hours.

Bharat Parv begins on virtual platform showcasing glory of nation Bharat Parv 2021, a festival to celebrate the spirit of India has begun. The festival is being organised on a virtual platform www.bharatparv2021.com this year from January 26th to till 31st of January. The mega event envisages generating patriotic fervour and showcases the rich and varied cultural diversity of the country.

India signs framework for Strategic Partnership with International Energy Agency members to enhance global energy security India and International Energy Agency members have signed the framework for Strategic Partnership to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation and enhance global energy security, stability and sustainability. The contents of the Strategic partnership will be jointly decided by IEA members and India.

Finance Ministry releases over ₹12,000 crore to 18 States for providing grants to Rural Local Bodies The Department of Expenditure of Ministry of Finance has released an amount of over ₹12,351 crore to 18 States for providing grants to the Rural Local Bodies.

Textiles Committee of Ministry of Textiles signs MoU with Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan The Textiles Committee of the Ministry of Textiles has signed a Memorandum of Understanding- MoU with Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre, Japan to boost export of Textile and Apparel to Japanese market.

Three more Rafale fighter jets join Indian Air Force Country’s Rafale squadron added third batch of three fighter jets which arrived last night after flying non-stop from France. This is the third set of deliveries of the aircraft to the IAF. With the new jets, the number of Rafales in the IAF’s inventory has increased to 11.


BANKING & ECONOMY

NATIONAL

Bharat Biotech to make malaria vaccine

Global pharma major GSK, non-profit health organisation

PATH and Bharat Biotech have signed a product transfer

agreement pertaining to malaria vaccine RTS,S/AS01. COVID-19 curve flattened, says Minister India has flattened its COVID-19 graph and 146 districts recorded no new cases in the last seven days, 18 districts in 14 days, six districts in 21 days and 21 districts in 28 days, said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. Boeing gets U.S. govt. approval to offer F-15EX fighter jet to IAF The U.S. government has given licence to aircraft manufacturer Boeing to market its F-15EX fighter jet to the IAF’s tender for 114 jets. 1 lakh NCC cadets to be trained by Army, Navy and Air Force One lakh National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, which are being trained by the Army, Navy and Air Force, will serve in coastal and border areas, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the NCC Rally at Cariappa Ground in Delhi. India fastest country to reach one million vaccination in first six days: Government The union Government has said that India is the fastest country to reach one million vaccinations in the first six days. United States achieved this feat in 10 days, Spain in 12 days, Israel in 14 days, UK in 18 days, Italy in 19 days and Germany in 20 days. India, World Bank sign 500-million-dollar Programme to improve quality of school education in India The Government of India and the World Bank signed a 500-million US dollar Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Programme (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states. These include Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Govt. tightens oversight on funds received by NGOs The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has laid down a charter for banks which says that donations received in

Indian rupees by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and associations from any foreign source even if that source is located in India at the time of such

donation should be treated as “foreign contribution”. Government to take necessary steps to establish virtual universities: Education Minister Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the government will soon take necessary steps to establish virtual universities in the country. Navy''s fast attack craft T-81 decommissioned Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 of the Super Dvora MK II class, was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai after having served the nation successfully for more than 20 years

India proposes to expand research, tourism in the Arctic India has unveiled a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy that, among other things, commits to expanding scientific research, sustainable tourism and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

India and Japan sign MoC to promote movement of skilled workers from India to Japan India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, MoC a Basic Framework for Partnership for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to Specified Skilled Worker (SSW). The MoC covers 14 categories of specified skills under which skilled workers from India who meet the skills requirement and Japanese language tests would be eligible for employment in Japan on a contractual basis. India starts export of Moringa powder keeping in

mind its rising global demand

India has started export of Moringa powder keeping in

mind its rising global demand. Two tonnes of organic

certified Moringa powder were sent to the United States

through air consignment on 29th of this month. Govt extends benefit of RoDTEP scheme to all export goods to boost export from January 1 The Union government has decided to extend the benefit of the scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) to all export goods with effect from January 1st to boost export. Fiscal deficit shoots up to 135% of target

India’s fiscal deficit shot up to 135.1% of the Budget target

of nearly ₹8 lakh crore for 2020-21, in the 8 months from

April to November 2020, as per data released by the

Controller General of Accounts. FDI inflow rises 21% to $35.3 bn in April-Oct.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows into India

grew 21% to $35.33 billion in the April-October period

of the current financial year, as per the data of the

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

(DPIIT). IDBI Bank sells ₹507-cr. stake in insurance JV LIC-controlled IDBI Bank said it had sold 23% stake in its life insurance venture to foreign partner Ageas Insurance International for ₹507 crore. With this transaction, the stake of the Belgian partner in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd (IFLI) has risen to 49 per cent. Govt selects Milliman Advisors to ascertain LIC''s

embedded value ahead of IPO

The Union government has selected actuarial firm

Milliman Advisors for ascertaining the embedded value

of Life Insurance Corporation of India, ahead of its initial

public offer. RBI’s digital payments index unveiled The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constructed a composite Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country. IFSCA Becomes an Associate Member of International

Organisation of Securities Commissions

India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority

(IFSCA) became an associate member of the International

Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), an

international organisation which sets the global standards

for securities markets regulation.


Soma Mondal takes charge as new SAIL Chairman Soma Mondal has taken over as the new Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) with effect. She is the first-ever women-head of the body.

India sees a sharp drop in number of start-ups founded in 2020 In 2020, a pandemic stricken year, India witnessed a sharp 44.4 per cent drop in the total number of tech start-ups being founded at 3,061, compared to 5,509 in 2019.

FPIs invest record ₹62,016 crore in equities in December 2020 Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained net buyers for the third month in a row by investing ₹68,558 crore in Indian markets as global investors continued betting on emerging markets.

Global, India output set to expand in FY22: World Bank Global economic output is projected to grow by 4% in 2021 assuming widespread roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine throughout the year, as per the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report. India is expected to grow at 5.4% in fiscal year 2021/22 and 5.2% in fiscal 2022/23 after an expected contraction of 9.6% in fiscal 2020/21.

₹8,000 crore estimated to have been circulated through loan apps Investigation into unearthing the money trail in app-based loan companies has revealed that ₹8,000 crore was circulated through these apps.

Union Budget set to be presented on Feb. 1 The Union Budget 2021-2022 will be presented on February 1 and President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on January 29. BSE-listed firms’ market cap rises to ₹193 lakh cr. Total market capitalisation of all listed companies on BSE zoomed to a record high of ₹192.87 lakh crore, helped by a continuous rally in equity markets. Spectrum bidding from March 1: DOT Bidding for the sixth round of spectrum auction for radio waves worth ₹3.92 lakh crore will start from March 1, according to a notice issued by the Department of Telecom on Wednesday. GDP likely to contract by 7.7% this fiscal: govt. India’s real GDP is estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020-21, compared to a growth rate of 4.2% in 2019-20, with GVA (Gross Valued added) shrinking by 7.2%, advance estimates released by the National Statistical Office. U.S. Nov. trade deficit jumps to $68.1 billion The U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller rise in exports. The November gap between what America buys from and sells abroad rose by 8% from the October deficit of $63.1 billion.

SBI raises $600 mn via bonds State Bank of India (SBI) has raised $600 million through bonds issued to international investors at a coupon of 1.8%, which is the lowest pricing for such an issue.

₹28,400 crore industrial deal for J&K Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha announced a ₹28,400 crore “Industrial Development Package-2021”, aimed at creating 4.5 lakh jobs and attracting ₹20,000 crore investments in the Union Territory (UT).

Union Bank sells bonds to raise ₹1,000 cr. State-owned Union Bank of India said it had raised ₹1,000 crore by issuing Basel III-compliant bonds on a private placement basis. The coupon rate on the bonds is 8.64% per annum, payable annually.

Flipkart signs MoU with LSC to set up Centre of Excellence in Logistics Skill Flipkart has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Logistics Skill Sector Council (LSC). It is LSC’s first-of-its-kind industry partnership with Flipkart to set up the industry-first Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

PNB Collaborates with IIT Kanpur &FIRST to Set up Fintech Innovation Centre at IIT Kanpur Campus Punjab National Bank (PNB) partnered with IIT Kanpur and Foundation for Innovation &Research in Science &Technology (FIRST) to jointly set up ‘Fintech Innovation Centre (FIC)’ at the IIT Kanpur campus.

CCI Approves Acquisition of 100% Shareholding of Columbia Asia Hospitals by Manipal Health Enterprises The Competition Commission of India (CCI) gave approval to the acquisition of 100% shareholding of Columbia Asia Hospitals Private Limited (CAHPL) by Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited (MHEPL).

Q3 private investment in manufacturing jumps 102% A continued rise in private investments in the third quarter (Q3) of 2020-21, led by a 102% surge in manufacturing investments, helped India register a healthy 10.3% increase in fresh project spending in Q3 over the previous quarter.

RBI approves re-appointment of Vishakha Mulye as ICICI Bank ED The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Vishakha Mulye as an Executive Director of the ICICI Bank for a three-year period.

NCDEX’s ₹500-cr IPO to open soon The ₹500-crore IPO of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) is likely to open in the next few weeks and the plan is to get the exchange listed before the end of this fiscal. NCDEX will become the second commodity bourse exchange in India to be listed.

FinMin releases ₹6,000 cr to states, UTs to meet GST compensation shortfall The Finance Ministry released the 11th instalment of ₹6,000 crore to states and UTs to meet the GST compensation shortfall, taking the total amount provided so far under this window to ₹66,000 crore.

CBDT launches e-portal for filing complaints regarding tax evasion, benami properties The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has launched an automated dedicated e-portal on the e-filing website of the Department to receive and process complaints of tax evasion, foreign undisclosed assets as well as complaints regarding benami properties.


Inflation slows to 4.59% as food prices ease According to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, India’s retail inflation decelerated appreciably to 4.59% in December, from 6.93% in November.

Bharat Biotech to supply Covaxin to Brazil Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech has signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos, a firm in Brazil, to supply the COVID-19 vaccine candidate to the Latin American country.

Tesla Makes India Entry, BS Yediyurappa Welcomes Elon Musk To Karnataka US electric car giant Tesla finally made its entry in India and registered as a company in Karnataka's Bengaluru prompting Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to welcome CEO Elon Musk to the country and to his state. The carmaker has set up an R&D unit in Bengaluru.

Govt to sell up to 10% in SAIL via OFS, may fetch ₹2,600 crore The government will sell up to 10 per cent of stake held in Steel Authority of India through an offer for sale, in a move that’s expected to fetch ₹2,600 crore to the exchequer in divestment receipts.

Income-Tax department brings out 'faceless penalty scheme' In another step to eliminate physical interface between taxpayers and tax authority, the income-tax department has come out with a ‘faceless penalty scheme’.It is aimed to complement the faceless assessment scheme by handling penalty recommendations.

RBI constitutes working group to develop and regulate digital lending The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted a working group to develop and regulate digital lending, including lending through online platforms and mobile applications (apps). The working group will study all aspects of digital lending activities in the regulated financial sector as well as by unregulated players.

Intel taps VMware's Pat Gelsinger as CEO, to replace Bob Swan Chipmaker Intel Corp said it would replace Chief Executive Officer Bob Swan with VMware Inc CEO Pat Gelsinger beginning Feb. 15.

Hurun Global 500 list: 11 Indian companies in top-500 globally by value, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance leads among local enterprises Total 11 private Indian firms have made it to the list of 500 most valuable companies across the world, and the country is ranked 10th on the chart, according to Hurun Global 500 report. The total value of these 11 companies grew 14 per cent and has been pegged at $805 billion or nearly a third of the Indian GDP. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries leads among the local enterprises with a 20.5 per cent jump in valuation to $168.8 billion as of December 1 and is ranked 54th globally. Wholesale inflation down to 1.22% in December Wholesale inflation in India fell to 1.22% in December driven by lower food inflation, data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed. The inflation based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was 1.55% in November 2020.

India Exim Bank, SBI list foreign currency bonds on INX Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) and State Bank of India listed their foreign currency bonds aggregating $1 billion and $600 million, respectively, on the India International Exchange (India INX). Warburg ups stake in IPO-bound mortgage lender Home First Finance to 30.62% Private equity major Warburg Pincus has increased its stake in IPO-bound mortgage lender Home First Finance Company by 5 per cent to 30.62 per cent. India's December trade deficit reaches 25-month high of $15.4 billion Imports moved into positive territory for the first time since March, sending the trade deficit to a 25-month high of $15.44 billion in December against $9.87 billion in the previous month. Imports grew 7.56 per cent to $42.59 billion in December, against $39.59 billion a year ago. FSS and India Post Payments Bank join hands to promote financial inclusion Financial Software and Systems (FSS has partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to promote financial inclusion among underserved and unbanked segments. India's m-cap to GDP ratio crosses 100% for first time in over a decade The combined market capitalisation of all listed companies in India has crossed the country’s GDP for the first time in more than 10 years. This happened last in September 2010, when the market capitalisation to GDP ratio was 100.7 per cent. The m-cap on the BSE reached ~197.7 trillion, against India’s nominal GDP at current prices of around ~190 trillion during the year ended December 2020. Aurobindo Realty to buy 41.12 per cent stake in Kakinada Seaports Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Realty and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd will acquire a 41.12% stake in Kakinada Seaports Ltd. China’s economy grows 2.3%, slowest pace in 44 years China’s economy expanded in 2020 by 2.3% , the slowest pace of growth since the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in 1976. China’s economy contracted 6.8% in the first quarter. Total to buy 20% stake in Adani Green Global energy major Total will pick up a 20 per cent stake in Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), the renewable power company of the Adani group, by way of acquiring shares held by the promoter group. GST shortfall: Govt. releases 12th tranche The Finance Ministry released the twelfth instalment of ₹6,000 crore to States to meet the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation shortfall, taking the total amount released so far under this window to ₹72,000 crore. Sundaram Finance names Lochan as MD Sundaram Finance Ltd. has named Rajiv Lochan as its next Managing Director, after the current incumbent T. T. Srinivasaraghavan retires on March 31. Mr. Lochan, who is director-strategy, will assume office on April 1.


DPIIT unveils compliance portal

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal

Trade has unveiled a regulatory compliance portal that

will act as a bridge for citizens, industries and the

government to minimise burdensome compliances. SBI does deals using SOFR as benchmark State Bank of India (SBI) has executed two inter-bank short term money market deals with pricing linked to SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate). SOFR is a replacement for USD LIBOR that may be phased out end-2021. Future-RIL deal gets nod with riders

Future Retail’s ₹24,713-crore deal to sell its retail assets

to Reliance Industries (RIL) has got approvals from stock

exchanges with certain riders. Markets regulator SEBI

has also given a go-ahead to Future Group’s scheme of

arrangement and sale of assets to Reliance Industries

Ltd (RIL).

RBI withdraws 3 circulars on excess pension

recovery after discovering anomalies

The Reserve Bank of India said rules regarding recovery

of excess or wrong pensions are being flouted, and

withdrew three circulars concerning the same.

Bandhan Bank posts 13% decline in net profit at ₹633 cr Bandhan Bank has registered a 13 per cent decline in net profit at ₹633 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, against ₹731 crore in the same period last year on the back of higher provisioning. South Indian Bank posts loss of ₹91.62 crore in Q3

Private sector lender South Indian Bank posted a loss of

₹91.62 crore for the third quarter ended December 31,

2020, due to an increase in provisioning for bad loans.

The bank had recorded a net profit of ₹90.54 crore in the

corresponding period of the previous financial year. Indian bank Q3 net more than doubles State-owned Indian Bank reported more than doubling of its profit at ₹514.28 crore for the third quarter ended December 2020. The percentage of net NPA was lower at 2.35 per cent as against 3.50 per cent. Yes Bank Q3 net at ₹147 cr.

Yes Bank reported consolidated net profit of ₹147 crore

for the December quarter and a jump in asset quality

stress due to COVID-19. Opening of India Africa Trade Council in India

India Africa Trade Council was inaugurated in Hotel

Crowne Plaza, Chennai for building up business

relations between both the countries of India and African

Region. India Africa Trade council will open 13 Trade

offices in Major Metro cities of India to facilitate Indian

Businessmen wanting to do Trade in African countries. NSE remains world's largest derivatives exchange for 2nd consecutive year The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) remained the world's largest derivatives exchange for the second consecutive year in 2020 in terms of number of contracts traded, according to the Futures Industry Association (FIA).

RBI proposes bank-like norms for big NBFCs The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a tighter regulatory framework for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) by creating a four-tier structure with a progressive increase in intensity of regulation.

HDFC Bank submits action plan to RBI, hopes to fix outage issue in 3 months The country's largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has submitted a detailed plan of action to the RBI to address repeated service disruption issues due to outage and hopes to improve its technology platform in three months.

NIIF makes equity investment of less than ₹5,000 crore in 5 years The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in its five years of existence has made an equity investment of less than ₹5,000 crore in infrastructure projects. NIIF has made an equity investment of ₹4,689 crore.

DCB Bank Q3 profit flat at ₹96.21 crore DCB Bank has registered a flat growth in net profit at ₹96.21 crore during the quarter ended December largely on account of higher provisioning.

Infosys, TCS join global initiative by WEF to end racism at workplace Indian technology services firms Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services joined a global coalition launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to end racism at the workplace.

India witnesses highest growth in FDI in 2020 due to digital investments FDI flows into India rose 13% in 2020, the highest among top recipients of FDI in 2019, due to investments in the digital sector. It was followed by China which saw 4% growth, said the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

Irdai introduces 'Saral Pension', a standard individual annuity product The insurance regulatory and development authority of India (Irdai) has introduced a standard individual immediate annuity product “Saral Pension”, which all life insurers have to start offering to consumers by April 1.

India set to grow 11.5% in 2021: IMF The IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook Update projected an 11.5% growth rate for India in 2021, making the country the only major economy to register double-digit growth this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. China is next with 8.1 per cent growth in 2021 followed by Spain (5.9 per cent) and France (5.5 per cent).

Overseas investment by Indian firms dipped to $1.45 bn in Dec. Overseas investment by domestic firms fell by over 42% to $1.45 billion in December 2020, according to Reserve Bank data. In the year earlier period, companies in India had invested $2.51 billion in their foreign firms (joint ventures / wholly owned units. Axis Bank Q3 profit falls 36% to ₹1,117 crore Private sector lender Axis Bank reported a 36.4% decline in standalone net profit to ₹1,116.60 crore for the third quarter ended December 2020.


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FDI inflows hit $58.37 bn in April-Nov. ’20 India received $58.37 billion foreign direct investment during April-November 2020, the highest so far for the first eight months of a financial year, the commerce and industry ministry said.

India’s gold demand fell to 25-year low in 2020: WGC Gold demand in India hit a 25-year low at 446.4 tonnes in 2020, compared with 690.4 tonnes in 2019 due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown and on account of record high prices, the India office of the World Gold Council said.

Economic Survey 2021 Highlights Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey that details the state of the economy ahead of the government's Budget for fiscal year beginning April 1, 2021.The Economic Survey 2020-21, authored by a team led by Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Venkata Subramanian.

India’s GDP is estimated to contract by 7.7% in FY2020-21.India to become the fastest growing economy in next two years as per IMF.

V-shaped economic recovery due to mega vaccination drive, robust recovery in the services sector and robust growth in consumption and investment.

V-shaped recovery is due to resurgence in high frequency indicators such as power demand, rail freight, E-Way bills, GST collection, steel consumption, Etc

Agriculture to clock 3.4% Growth, while industry and services to contract by 9.6% and 8.8% respectively this year.

Core sector output shrank 1.3% in Dec. Steep declines in the output of steel, fertiliser and cement made an index of India’s infrastructure sectors contract 1.3% in December, contradicting hopes of a recovery in line with other economic indicators. The output of eight key infrastructure sectors contracted for the third month in a row.

Fiscal deficit soars to 146% at ₹11.6 lakh cr. The Union government’s fiscal deficit soared to ₹11.58 lakh crore or 145.5% of the Budget Estimate (BE) at the end of December 2020, mainly on account of lower revenue realisation.

Govt approves closure of Scooters India Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the closure of state-owned Scooters India Limited (SIL). The company is being closed as it has been only accumulating losses. SIL was founded in 1972 and is known for its scooters like Lambretta, Lamby, Vijay, Vikram & Lambro.

GDP growth rate for FY20 revised downwards to 4% The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the First Revised Estimates (FRE) which stated that the growth rate of Indian economy was 4% in FY2019-20.

V.K. Yadav chairman of railway board conferred with Eminent Engineer Award V.K. Yadav, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways has been conferred with the prestigious

“Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2020” by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for his outstanding contribution towards modernization and reforms over Indian Railways. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda to receive SKOCH Challenger Award Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda will receive SKOCH Challenger Award conferred to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for e-Governance. The award has been given to the Ministry for its IT-led initiatives and other transformational initiatives leading to outcome-based performance improvement. List of Padma awardees — 2021 On the eve of the Republic Day, President Ram Nath Kovind has approved the conferment of 119 Padma awards – seven Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri. Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and late singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam have been honoured with India’s second-highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan this year, while former chief ministers Tarun Gogoi and Keshubhai Patel and former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan have been awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is also among the 10 Padma Bhushan awardees, while no one has been named for the Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award. Liberation War fighter Lt. Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir and Musicologist Sanjida Khatun from Bangladesh awarded Padma Shree Bangladesh Liberation War fighter Lt. Col. (Retd.) Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir and well known musicologist, Rabindra Sangeet exponent and academic Sanjida Khatun from Bangladesh have been awarded the Padma Shri for the year 2021. President approves conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards to 40 persons The President Ram Nath Kovind has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards - 2020 on 40 persons. The awards include Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to one person, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to eight persons and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 31 persons. One award is posthumous. Muhammed Muhsin of Kerala has been awarded with Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak posthumously. Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the

life of a person. Govt announces 455 Gallantry Awards and Defence Decorations President has approved awards of 455 Gallantry and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others. These include one Mahavir Chakra, 5 Kirti Chakras, 5 Vir Chakras, 7 Shaurya Chakras, 4 Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 130 Sena Medal (Gallantry), one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), 4 Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medal, 4 Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 51 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal among others


PERSONS IN NEWS

(National and International)

Galwan valley hero Col Santosh Babu gets Maha Vir Chakra posthumously Colonel B.Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar Regiment, who lost his life during the Galwan Valley clash last year, will be posthumously awarded with Maha Vir Chakra. IFFK lifetime award for Jean-Luc Godard French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, the pioneer of the French New Wave film movement, will receive the lifetime achievement award of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

Uttar Pradesh wins best tableau award Uttar Pradesh was adjudged the best tableau among the 32 tableaux, 17 from States and Union Territories (UTs), nine from various Ministries, departments and paramilitary forces and six from Defence Ministry, that participated in the Republic Day parade. Tableau of Tripura and Uttrakhand were adjudged the second and third best respectively. Buta Singh Former Union Minister Buta Singh passed away. He was 86. He served as Union Home Minister, Minister for Agriculture, Parliamentary Affairs, Civil Supplies, Housing, Shipping, Transport and Sports. He also served as the Governor of Bihar and Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

Anil Panachooran Malayalam Poet and lyricist Anil Panachooran passed away recently at a private hospital following health complications. He was 55.

Raj Iyer Indian-American Raj Iyer has taken over as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the U.S. Army after the Pentagon created the position in July 2020.

Elon Musk Elon Musk has overtaken Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person, driven by a meteoric rise in the value of Tesla Inc., the electric-car maker he runs. Mr. Musk’s net worth totaled around $195 billion, up from roughly $30 billion a year ago and topping Mr. Bezos’s wealth by about $10 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Satya Paul Fashion designer Satya Paul, who reinvented the saree for contemporary women through his brand, passed away in Coimbatore. He was 79.

Madhavsinh Solanki Madhavsinh Solanki, a former Chief Minister (CM) of Gujarat who served for 3 terms passed away at the age of 94 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Neil Sheehan Cornelius Mahoney ‘Neil’ Sheehan, an American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author passed away at the age of 84 in Washington D.C., United States (US) due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

D Prakash Rao

Noted social activist D Prakash Rao died at the SCB

Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. He was 63. Mr Rao

was awarded Padma Shri in 2019 by the government of

India for his contribution towards boosting the value of

education among slum children and orphans. B. S. Gnanadesikan Former Member of Parliament B. S. Gnanadesikan passed away. He served as Rajya Sabha Member from the Congress Party twice from 2001 to 2013. Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan

Legendary Indian classical musician and Padma

Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan died in

Mumbai. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991,

followed by Padma Bhusan in 2006 and Padma

Vibhushan in 2018. In 2003 he was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi award. V. J. Thomas Former India hockey player V. J. Thomas passed away due to age-related ailments. He was 71. Thomas was part of the National team that toured New Zealand in 1975. Dr V Shanta Dr. V. Shanta, the world-renowned oncologist passed away due to brief illness in Chennai. She was 94. Dr. Shanta's contribution to the field of oncology, had earned her the Magsaysay, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. Unnikrishnan Namboothiri

Veteran actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passed away at

a private hospital in Kannur. He was 98. Unnikrishnan

made his acting debut with Desadanam 1996. He

became a household name among the Malayalam film

audience for his performance as a witty grandfather in

Kalyanaraman (2002). V. Narayanan

V. Narayanan, who served as the chairman and

managing director of Pond’s India Ltd., which became

part of Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), and who served on

the board of HLL, passed away.

Khurelsukh Ukhnaa Mongolia’s Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa submitted his resignation to parliament after protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jayant Khobragade

Jayant N Khobragade, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

officer of the 1995 batch, has been appointed as India’s

next Ambassador to ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. KP Sharma Oli Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party over his decision to dissolve the Parliament. Giuseppe Conte

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stepped down

following disputes within the governing alliance over the

post-pandemic economic recovery package.


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Michael Kindo Michael Kindo, a member of India’s 1975 hockey World Cup winning and the 1972 Olympics bronze winning teams, passed away due to age-related ailments. He was 73. Kindo was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 1972.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousawas Portugal’s centre-right president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousawas has been re-elected by a comfortable majority to a second five-year term after a campaign fought during one of the world’s worst outbreaks of coronavirus.

Prasanta Dora Former India goalkeeper Prasanta Dora, who also played for the big three clubs of Kolkata football, passed away. Prasanta made his national debut in 1999 against Thailand in the Olympic qualifiers.

Ved Mehta Celebrated Indian-American novelist Ved Mehta, who overcame blindness and became widely known as the 20th century writer most responsible for introducing American readers to India, has died at the age of 86.

K.D. Sethi Krishan Dev Sethi, who was the last surviving member of the Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly, passed away. Mr. Sethi was an elected member of the first Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir formulated in 1951.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of a militant named Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh convicted of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl. Ami Bera Veteran Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera has been re-elected as chairman of the House Foreign Subcommittee on Asia, Pacific, Central Asia and Non-proliferation.

Sylvestre Ilunga Democratic Republic of Congo's Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba resigned after the country's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against him.

Paul Crutzen Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen passed away. Crutzen discovered in 1970 that nitrogen pollution was capable of destroying ozone in the atmosphere, a critical layer of that protects living things from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Test Rankings: Williamson goes to the top New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has overtaken Australia’s Steve Smith and India captain Virat Kohli to be the No. 1 Test batsman in the world in the latest ICC rankings. Leon Mendonca is India’s 67th GM Leon Mendonca became India’s 67th chess Grandmaster by winning his third and final norm in a tournament in Italy.

Ronaldo goes past Pele

Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed Brazilian legend Pele to

become the second-highest goal scorer. The Portuguese

forward's brace took him to 758 career goals, edging

ahead of Pele's total by one.

South Africa wins second Test for 2-0 series sweep

over Sri Lanka

South Africa completed a sweep of its two match series

against Sri Lanka as it strolled to a 10-wicket win on

the third day of the second Test. South Africa knocked

off a target of 67 runs without loss.

Jamieson bowls NZ to series sweep

Paceman Kyle Jamieson completed an 11-wicket

match haul as New Zealand thrashed Pakistan in

the second Test to become the world’s top-ranked team.

The win in Christchurch, which completed a 2-0 series

sweep, also confirmed New Zealand had overtaken

Australia to be the world’s number one Test side for

the first time.

ICC probes racist abuse charges

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an

investigation into the Indian team’s allegations of racist

abuse from sections of the crowd in the third Test in

Sydney.

Team India snatches a memorable draw from

Australia in Sydney test

The Third Cricket Test between India and Australia

at Sydney ended in a draw. Chasing an imposing target

of 407 runs set by the hosts the visitors put up 334 runs

for the loss of five wickets on the last day of the match.

Varun Kapur, Samiya Imad Farooqui and 4 other

Indians shuttlers confirm Top-10 spots in latest

world junior rankings of BWF

In badminton, promising Indian shuttlers Varun Kapur

and Samiya Imad Farooqui along with four other Indians

have confirmed Top-10 spots in the latest world junior

rankings of Badminton World Federation (BWF).

Sporting facilities to be named after renowned

athletes: Kiren Rijiju

Sports Ministry has decided to name all upcoming and

upgraded sporting facilities of the Sports Authority of

India, after renowned athletes, who have contributed to

sports in India.

England seals seven-wkt. Win

England won the first Test against Sri Lanka by seven

wickets with Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence

negotiating a tricky finish. Bairstow and Lawrence

steadied the innings and scored the required 36 runs in

less than 10 overs on the final day.

India registers historic win over Australia in

Brisbane test to seal 4-match series 2-1; Retains

Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India made history by defeating Australia by three

wickets in the fourth and final Test at the Gabba in

Brisbane and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India successfully chased the 328-run target to seal the

four-match series 2-1.


MISCELLANEOUS

Malinga retires from franchise cricket

Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga, one of the greatest

Twenty20 bowlers, has decided to retire from franchise

cricket.

Juventus lifts Super Cup

Andrea Pirlo won his first trophy as a coach as Juventus

defeated Napoli 2-0 in the Italian Super Cup.

Thailand Open Super 1000: Carolina Marin and Viktor

Axelsen claim second consecutive singles titles

Spain’s Carolina Marin and Viktor Axelsen from

Denmark have claimed their second Thailand Open

badminton singles titles.

England win second Test by six wickets to complete

series sweep

England completed a 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka

by winning the second Test by six wickets with a day to

spare.

ICC announces Player of the Month awards to

recognise best performances of both male & female

cricketers.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had announced

the introduction of the ICC Player of the Month awards.

The award will recognize and celebrate the best

performances of both male and female cricketers

across all forms of international cricket throughout the

year.

Umpire Oxenford quits international scene

Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford has announced his

retirement from international cricket after officiating in all

three formats of the game for over 15 years.

Women’s Asian Cup in India next year

The 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, to be hosted by India,

will be held from January 20 to February 6, the Asian

Football Confederation announced.

Expo 2020 Dubai to host World chess

Expo 2020 Dubai will host this year’s World chess

championship from November 24 to December 16.

Nauman and Yasir shine in Pakistan’s victory

Debutant Nauman Ali took five wickets and fellow

spinner Yasir Shah grabbed four to give Pakistan a

seven-wicket victory in the first Test against South

Africa.

India launches 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

India launched the 40th Scientific Expedition to

Antarctica. This Indian expedition marks four decades of

the country's scientific endeavour to the southern white

continent.

Twitter permanently suspends US President Donald

Trump's account

US President Donald Trump has been permanently

suspended from social network app Twitter due to the

risk of further incitement of violence.

19th Dhaka International Film Festival pays tribute to Satyajit Ray The 19th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), which inaugurated on 16th January. 227 films from 73 countries have been screened during the 9 day long festival between 16-24 January. The tribute section of the festival was dedicated to the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray to commemorate his birth centenary.

UNICEF, WHO, IFRC and MSF announce the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile Four international health and humanitarian groups namely WHO, UNICEF, IFRC and MSF have established a global Ebola vaccine stockpile in order to secure outbreak response. Pak test-fires nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Pakistan has successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile named Shaheen-III which can strike targets up to 2,750 km.

Fareed Zakaria’s Book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post–Pandemic World” Fareed Zakaria, a CNN host and one of the “top 10 global thinkers of the last decade on Foreign Policy”, authored the book titled “Ten Lessons for a Post–Pandemic World”.

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket With Record 143 Satellites Elon Musk's SpaceX has managed to break the world record of the most number of satellites carried by a single rocket as Falcon 9 carried as many as 143 payloads into space. The launch was part of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program mission.

New Zealand tops COVID-19 performance ranking New Zealand and Vietnam were ranked the best performing countries in their response to the pandemic, according to a COVID-19 “performance index” put together by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank. India ranked 86 out of 98 countries, while the U.S. stood at 94 and Brazil at the bottom of the index.

Bangladesh sends 3rd Batch 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. A total of 1778 refugees left for Bhashan char island in four navy ships from Chattogram port.

Nepal decides to award hydropower project to India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Nepal has decided to award the contract for construction of 679 megawatt Lower Arun Hydropower Project to India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN).

World Braille Day is observed on January 4 World Braille Day is observed every year on January 4th

to raise awareness about how Braille plays a significant role in the complete realization of human rights in the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

Nation celebrates birth anniversary of Swami

Vivekananda on January 12

The Nation is celebrated the birth anniversary of Swami

Vivekananda on January 12. Swami Vivekananda’s


birth anniversary is also celebrated as National Youth

Day in the country. Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day: January 14

Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated on 14th

of January every year to honour services rendered by

veterans of the Army.

Army Day: January 15

The Army Day is being celebrated on January 15 to mark

the taking over as commander-in-chief of the Indian Army

by the then Lt Gen K M Carriappa in 1949 from General

Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief

of India.

Statehood Day Of Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya

observed on January 21

Meghalaya, Manipur & Tripura celebrate their statehood

day on January 2. On January 21, 1972, the three states

of Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya became full-fledged

states under the North Eastern Region (Reorganisation)

Act of 1971.

Parakram Diwas celebrations mark 125th birth anniversary year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose The Government has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Netaji as 'Parakram Diwas' on 23rd January every year.

National Girl Child Day: 24th January The National Girl Child Day is celebrated in India every year on January 24. National Girl Child day 2021 is being celebrated across the country with the objective of raising awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).

National Voters' Day: January 25th The National Voters’ Day (NVD) is celebrated on the 25th of January every year since 2011, to mark the foundation day of Election Commission of India (ECI).

Martyrs’ Day: 30th January The Martyrs’ Day which is also known as “Shaheed Diwas” is annually observed across India on 30th January to pay respect to the martyrs who lost their lives during India’s freedom struggle.

current affairs capsule (january 2021)

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