National Headlines
GoI decides to celebrate January 23 as Parakram Diwas
The birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, on January 23, as “Parakram Diwas” every year, the Ministry of Culture announced.
The day is celebrated to honour and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Culture held a high-level committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit West Bengal on January 23 to attend Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary celebrations at the Victorial Memorial in Kolkata. The PM is also likely to visit National Library located in Belvedere Estate, Alipore.
Nitin Gadkari inaugurates National Road Safety Month 2021
This is the first time that National Road Safety Month was introduced by Union Minister for Defence Shri Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME Nitin Gadkari.
It is the inaugural version of the National Road Safety Month and is being held in place of National Road Safety Week, which was being observed since the past few years.
The purpose of the month-long programme is to build experience in road safety and reduce road accidents in India. It will be held till 17 February 2021.
During this period, nation-wide activities would be conducted throughout the country in association with State Govt./Union Territory administrations, NHAI, NHIDCL, OEMs and NGOs.
The centre is also taking several measures to reduce road accidents by Restructuring and Strengthening 4E’s of Road safety, which are: Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency care Services.
Maharashtra renames Gorewada international zoo after Bal Thackeray
The Maharashtra government has renamed Gorewada International Zoo in Nagpur as “Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park”. The zoological park will come up on nearly 2,000 hectares forest land.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate the Indian safari at the zoo on January 26. Three special 40-seat capacity vehicles and an online ticket booking facility will be made available to the people as soon after the Indian safari is inaugurated.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Nitish Kumar inaugurates state’s first Bird Festival “Kalrav”
The Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar has inaugurated the first-ever bird festival of the state, “Kalrav”, at Nagi-Nakti bird sanctuary, located in Jamui district.
The festival was organized by the state environment, forest and climate change department to create awareness among people about birds, especially the migratory birds. He will also launch the logo of the bird festival and also release a coffee table book on the birds available at the sanctuaries.
The Nagi- Nakti Bird Sanctuaries have been the home of a wide variety of indigenous species of birds and of migratory birds that turn up during the winters from places like Eurasia, Central Asia, the Arctic Circle, Russia and Northern China. Over 136 species of birds have been spotted at these sanctuaries.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan.
India’s 1st Labour Movement Museum to be set up in Kerala
The first-of-its-kind Labour Movement Museum, in India, would be launched in Alappuzha in Kerala, to showcase the history of the world labour movement.
The museum will portray the growth of the world labour movement and the history of Kerala’s labour movement, through pictures, documents and other exhibits. Alappuzha is famous as the global houseboat tourism hub.
The New Model Cooperative Society Limited, previously run by the Bombay Company, has been converted into the Labour Movement Museum.
It will portray, through pictures, documents and other exhibits, the growth of the world labour movement and the history of Keralas labour movement.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan.
- Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
Bhawana Kanth to become 1st woman fighter pilot at R-Day parade
Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the 1st woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade.
She will be a part of the Indian Air Force’s tableau in the 2021 Republic Day Parade that will showcase mock-ups of the light combat helicopter, light combat aircraft, and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.
At present, Bhawana is posted in Rajasthan and flies the MiG-21 Bison fighter plane. Bhawana is also one of the first women fighter pilots to be inducted into the Indian Air Force in the year 2016.
She was inducted into IAF in 2016 along with Mohana Singh and Avani Chaturvedi. Since then 10 women have been commissioned as fighter pilots in IAF.
M Thakur launches HP’s first online youth radio station
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has launched Himachal Pradesh’s first online youth radio station ”Radio Hills-Youngistan Ka Dil”.
The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of young entrepreneurs. The developer of the online radio Karan, and Radio Jockeys Palak, Rahul and Nidhi were also present on the occasion.
The online radio would go a long way in promoting the culture and traditions of the state, besides providing an opportunity to the youth to exhibit their talents. The founders of the online radio, Deepika and Saurabh.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of HP: Jairam Thakur; Governor of HP: Bandaru Dattatraya.
Gujarat to Rename Dragon Fruit as “Kamalam”
The Gujarat state government has renamed dragon fruit as ‘Kamalam’. The move has kept the internet in splits and many criticized it using the hashtag #SanskariFruitSabzi.
As per Gujarat Chief Minister, the dragon fruit has been renamed Kamalam because of the shape of the fruit.
The state government has applied for the patent of the fruit named Kamalam. This was announced at the launch of the Chief Minister Horticulture Development Mission.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani.
- Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat.
Howrah-Kalka Mail Renamed as “Netaji Express”
The Howrah-Kalka Mail has been renamed as the “Netaji Express”. Indian Railways have renamed the train just a few days before the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on January 23.
Howrah-Kalka Mail was started in the 19th Century as one of the early commercial passenger train services in India. The Kalka mail has always been popular for connecting Howrah with Kalka and has enjoyed steady patronage. It is believed that Netaji took this train from Bihar’s Gomoh after escaping from his house in Kolkata in the year 1941.
International Headlines
Joe Biden takes oath as 46th US President
Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States. He swore the oath of office moments after Kamala Harris, who became America’s first woman vice president, turning the page on Donald Trump’s tumultuous four years.
At 78, Biden is the oldest president in US history and only the second Roman Catholic president. Biden, who was vice president under Barack Obama and first ran for president in 1987, plans to kick off his tenure with a flurry of 17 orders.
Netherlands PM Mark Rutte and his entire cabinet quits
The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte and his entire Cabinet has resigned recently over the childcare subsidies scandal, in which thousands of families were wrongly accused of child welfare fraud.
However, the Rutte government will stay on in a caretaker role until parliamentary elections in March 2021.
The resignation brings to an end a decade in office for Rutte, although his party is expected to win the election, putting him first in line to begin talks to form the next government. If he succeeds in forming a new coalition, Rutte would most likely again become prime minister.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam; Currency: Euro
Yoweri Museveni wins the sixth term as Uganda’s President
Uganda’s incumbent President Yoweri Museveni has been declared as the winner of the country’s presidential election for 2021.
Museveni secured 58.64 per cent of the total votes cast, to win the sixth term as the President. The 76-year-old leader is serving as the President of the Republic of Uganda since 1986 and is one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Uganda Capital: Kampala; Currency: Ugandan shilling.
Defence News
Indo-French Exercise Desert Knight-21 begins
Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force are conducting a bilateral Air exercise, Ex Desert Knight-21 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The exercise marks an important milestone in the series of engagements between the two Air forces. It is unique as it includes fielding of Rafale aircraft by both sides and is indicative of the growing interaction between the two premiers Air Forces.
The French side will participate with Rafale, Airbus A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, A-400M Tactical Transport aircraft and approximately 175 personnel.
The Indian Air Force aircraft participating in the exercise will include Rafale, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi-30 MKI among other aircraft.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- France President: Emmanuel Macron.
- France Capital: Paris.
- France Currency: Euro.
DRDO hands over Motor Bike Ambulance Rakshita to CRPF
Defence Research and Development Organisation has handed over Motor Bike Ambulance Rakshita to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces and emergency health care providers.
The bike ambulances will provide life-saving aid for the evacuation of injured patients from low-intensity conflict areas.
Rakshita is fitted with a customized reclining Casualty Evacuation Seat (CES), which can be fitted in and taken out as per requirement.
Other major features are the head immobilizer, safety harness jacket, hand and foot straps for safety, adjustable footrest, physiological parameter measuring equipment with wireless monitoring capability and auto warning system for the driver.
The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces and emergency health care providers. The bike ambulances will provide life-saving aid for the evacuation of injured patients from low-intensity conflict areas.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Director-General of CRPF: Dr A P Maheshwari.
- Secretary Department of Defence Research and Development & Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
- DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.
- DRDO Established: 1958.
India to procure 21 MiG-29 and 12 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft from Russia
The Government of India is set to procure 21 MiG-29 and 12 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft from Russia. Apart from this, the Centre will also purchase the upgrades of the existing fleets of aircraft from Russian state-run defence export arm Rosoboronexport.
The new set of 21 MiG-29 will add to existing 59 such jets already with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the 12 Sukhoi-30MKIs, on the other hand, will add to the existing fleet of 272 such fighter aircraft.
Appointments News
Govt appoints Siddhartha Mohanty as managing director of LIC
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Siddhartha Mohanty as the managing director of India’s largest insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) from February 1 onwards.
He is currently CEO of LIC Housing Finance Limited. He will serve as the MD of LIC till his superannuation on June 30, 2023. He will be replacing TC Suseel Kumar, who is set to retire on January 31, 2021.
LIC has four MDs and one chairman. Currently, MR Kumar is serving as the chairman of the corporation and TC Suseel Kumar, Vipin Anand, Mukesh Kumar Gupta, and Raj Kumar are serving as the MDs of LIC.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Life Insurance Corporation Founded: 1 September 1956.
- Life Insurance Corporation Headquarters: Mumbai.
ACC appoints Sanjeev Kumar as new CMD of TCIL
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Sanjeev Kumar as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).
According to an order from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Kumar has been appointed to the post for a period of five years from the date of assumption of the charge of the post, or till the age of superannuation, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He is currently serving as Director (Technical) in Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is a Miniratna PSU under the administrative control of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications. TCIL, a premier telecommunication consultancy and engineering company is making available its vast and varied telecom expertise to friendly developing countries.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Telecommunications Consultants India Limited Founded: 1978.
- Telecommunications Consultants India Limited Headquarters: New Delhi.
Sundaram Finance names Rajiv Lochan as MD
The board of Sundaram Finance has named Rajiv Lochan (director Strategy) as managing director with effect from April 1. Sundaram Finance Ltd has made top-level changes as the current managing director T.T. Srinivasaraghavan will be retiring on March 31, 2020.
While the current deputy managing director Harsha Viji will assume the office of executive vice-chairman, and take responsibility for the overall strategy and direction of Sundaram Finance Ltd., and other group companies in financial services.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Sundaram Finance Ltd Founded: 1954.
- Sundaram Finance Ltd Founder: T.S.Santhanam.
- Sundaram Finance Ltd Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Kiren Rijiju gets additional charge of Ayush Ministry
Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs, Kiren Rijiju has been given the additional charge of the Ayush Ministry. He will hold the fort till Shripad Yesso Naik recovers from an accident.
The President has directed that this arrangement may continue till Shri Shripad Yesso Naik resumes his work related to Ministry of AYUSH.”
Vishwavir Ahuja re-appointed as RBL Bank chief
The board of directors of RBL Bank has approved the re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director and CEO of the bank for three years.
The re-appointment is with effect from June 30, 2021, to June 29, 2024, and the same is being recommended to the Reserve Bank of India and shall be subject to their approval, the bank said in a regulatory filing. He has been MD & CEO of RBL Bank since June 30, 2010.
Prior to joining RBL Bank, he was the MD & CEO of Bank of America, India, from 2001 to 2009. As per the regulatory filing, under Ahuja’s leadership, the deposits of the bank have grown almost 40 times, while advances have grown more than 45 times since 2011.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- RBL Bank Ltd Incorporated: 1943, under the Indian Companies Act, 1913
- RBL Bank Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- RBL Bank Ltd Tagline: Apno Ka Bank.
Agreements News
India and Japan inks MoC to promote movement of skilled workers
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), to promote the movement of skilled workers from India to Japan.
The MoC was signed between Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Ambassador of Japan to India Suzuki Satoshi.
The MoC covers 14 categories of specified skills. The skilled workers from India who meet these skills requirement and Japanese language tests would be eligible for employment in Japan on a contractual basis.
These workers would be granted the status of Specified Skilled Worker by Japan.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Japan Capital: Tokyo.
- Japan Currency: Japanese yen.
- Japan Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga.
Summits and Conferences News
India, Singapore sign pact on submarine rescue support
The 5th edition of the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue (DMD) between India and Singapore was successfully held on 20 January 2021 through a video conference, in an effort to deepen military cooperation.
During the meeting, the ‘Implementing Agreement on Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation’ was signed between the two Navies. The agreement was signed between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Singaporean counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Singapore Currency: Singapore dollar.
- Capital of Singapore: Singapore.
- PM of Singapore: Lee Hsien Loong.
Harsh Vardhan chairs 148th session of WHO Executive Board
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare digitally chaired the 148th session of WHO Executive Board, through Video Conference. The 148th session of the Executive Board has been organised from 18-26 January 2021.
The meeting provides a platform to bring together all member states to set the directions and agenda and continue striving for the objective of Health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Also, the WHO has declared the Year 2021 as the Year of Global Solidarity and Survival.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland.
- Director-general of WHO: Tedros Adhanom.
5th India Digital Summit 2021 begins
The India Digital Summit, the flagship event of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is one of the biggest conferences for the digital industry.
Honourable Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is the chief guest, will deliver the inaugural address at the Summit.
The summit, in its 15th year, will bring thought leadership on various digital initiatives that will cover Policies, Business, Investment, Advertising, Digital Commerce, Start-ups Ecosystem, Emerging Tech, and other Digital Trends.
The theme for this year’s summit, which is being held virtually is ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat – Start of New Decade’ in line with the government’s ‘Make for the World’ Initiatives.
The staggering increase in the total number of internet users in rural India recently presents us with the unique opportunity to establish India as a global powerhouse of Digital Growth.
Sports News
Khelo India Zanskar Winter Sport & Youth festival 2021 begins
In Ladakh, the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Zanskar Winter Sport & Youth Festival 2021 kicked off on 18th January 2021.
The 13- Day Zanskar Winter Sports Festival aims to open a new arena in Ladakh for adventure and Nature loving tourists and a boost for local Youth to hone up their skills in winter sports to represent India.
A series of snow-based activities will be held for the next 13 days to promote tourism and economic activities in the Snowbound, picturesque Zanskar.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh: Radha Krishna Mathur.
Carolina Marin wins Yonex Thailand Open badminton tournament 2021
Reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin bolstered her chances of defending her title in Tokyo later this year after claiming the Thailand Open in Bangkok over top seed Tai Tzu-Ying.
The Yonex Thailand Open Super 1000 badminton tournament was held from 12 January 2021 to 17 January 2021. It was the first badminton tournament of 2021 by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Winners of Singles Title:
- Men’s Category: Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) defeated Angus Long (Hong Kong) to clinch the Men’s Singles Title.
- Women’s Category: Carolina Marin (Spain) defeated Tai Tzu-Ying (Taiwan) to bag the Women’s Singles Title.
Winners of Doubles Title:
- In the Men’s Doubles, Taiwan’s Lee Yang & Wang Chi-Lin beat Malaysia’s Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong to bag the Doubles Title.
- In the Women’s Doubles, Indonesia’s Greysia Polii & Apriyani Rahayu defeated Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul & Rawinda Prajongjai to clinch the Doubles Title.
Winners of Mixed Doubles:
- Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai defeated Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan & Melati Daeva Oktavianti to clinch the mixed doubles title.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Badminton World Federation President: Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen.
- Badminton World Federation Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Science and Technology
Infosys receives Google Cloud Partner Status
Infosys has recently announced that it has been accredited with the Google Cloud Partner Specialization in the data and analytics space. Infosys is among the top global system integrators which have been accredited with this specialization.
Infosys has received this recognition as the company has successfully demonstrating end-to-end capabilities on Google Cloud including warehousing on the cloud and data ingestion.
Infosys has showcased robust methodology, strong industry expertise, technical proficiency, success in specialized data and analytics solutions, and service areas. These data and analytics offerings are a part of Infosys Cobalt.
Along with AI capabilities, these data and analytics offerings help in optimizing costs paving the way for AI and cloud-native digital transformation for enterprises, migrating workloads to Google Cloud, and modernize data landscapes.
Useful notes for all competitive exams:
- Infosys Founded: 7 July 1981.
- Infosys CEO: Salil Parekh.
- Infosys Headquarters: Bengaluru.
Obituary
Former Union Minister and Industrialist Kamal Morarka passes away
Former Union minister and noted industrialist Kamal Morarka has passed away. He served as the Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office under Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar from 1990 to 1991.
The 74-year-old leader, a businessman who was also a former BCCI vice president. He was incumbent president of Samajwadi Janata Party (Chandra Shekhar). He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1988.
Padma Award winning Renowned Oncologist Dr V Shanta passes away
Padma Award winning renowned oncologist Dr V Shanta has passed away. She was the chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai, which she joined in 1954. The institute is known for providing state-of-the-art healthcare to all patients.
Dr V Shanta was a recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri (1986) and Padma Bhushan (2006) for her efforts for making quality and affordable cancer treatment accessible to everyone. She was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay awards.
- Daily Current Affairs in English 11 Sep 2022 – Useful for all Competitive Exams
- Hindu Editorial with Vocabulary: Sep Month – Day 10
- 11 Sep 2022 Daily Current Affairs in Hindi – सभी प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं के लिए महत्वपूर्ण
- 10 Sep 2022 Daily Current Affairs in Hindi – सभी प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं के लिए महत्वपूर्ण
- Hindu Editorial with Vocabulary: Sep Month – Day 9
- Daily Current Affairs in English 10 Sep 2022 – Useful for all Competitive Exams
