January 1st Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) commissioned a Monpa handmade paper making unit in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.The 1000-year-old heritage art, which disappeared in recent years, has been recovered by the efforts of KVIC. The fine-textured handmade paper is called Mon Shugu in the local dialect, and is made from the bark of a local tree called Shugu Sheng.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to virtually inaugurate 351- km-long New Khurja-New Bhaupur section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC). An Operation Control Centre (OCC), which will act as the command centre for the entire DFC will also be inaugurated at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. This section is built at a project cost of Rs 5,750 crore and is funded by the World Bank.

‘Five Eyes’ is an intelligence network of five nations namely Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US. The collaborative network was formed to respond to the threats posed by North Korea and China. As per media reports, Japan had provided intelligence to the US and the UK on China’s forceful detainment of Muslim Uyghurs, last year.

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan has recently reached the Sihanoukville Port in Cambodia to deliver 15 tonnes of disaster relief items for the flood-affected people. Due to the floods occurred in November, over 8 lakh people are affected and over 40 people have died in Cambodia. This operation of INS Kiltan is a part of Mission Sagar-III under which humanitarian assistance and relief is provided to India’s friendly countries.

The Ministry of Tourism implements the “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” project, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Archaeological Survey of India and State/ UTs. It aims to develop tourism amenities at heritage sites located across India to make them tourist friendly. Under the project, 27 MoUs have been signed with several companies and NGOs, also called “Monument Mitras”, to develop the sites under CSR.

India’s first pollinator park has been established in the city of Nainital, Uttarakhand. It has been developed by research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. The four-acre-park has over 40 species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and insects. The park aims to create awareness among people about the conservation of these species. It also aims to promote research on threats to habitat and impact of pollution on these species.

State-owned Electric power distribution company NTPC has announced that its Dulanga coal mine is commercially operational from October 1, 2020. The mine has an annual capacity of 7 Million Tonnes Per Annum, at its peak. Out of the ten blocks allotted to NTPC by the Government, three mines are in operation. The PSU also incorporated NTPC mining Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary, for its coal mining business.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently updated its mobile application “My FASTag” with a new feature to check balance status. In 2017, NHAI launched two mobile applications namely MyFASTag and FASTag Partner. While the former is for FASTag uses the latter is to be used by the merchants like CSCs, banking partners and vehicle dealers.

The Tourism Ministry of Uttarakhand has requested the state government of Madhya Pradesh, to bring in white Tiger. Uttarakhand has made this request to bring white tigers to Nainital’s Sitabani Wildlife Reserve for a Tiger safari project. White tiger cubs are present in the Maharaja Martand Singh Judeo White Tiger Safari and Zoo in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

Estonia is a country in Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. Recently the Union Cabinet of India approved the proposal of the Ministry of External Affairs to open three new missions. In 2021, three new missions of India would be opened in Estonia (Europe), Paraguay (South America) and the Dominican Republic (North America). This move would strengthen political relations and promote growth of bilateral trade and investment.

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently approved to the sale of Akash surface–to–air missile systems to friendly foreign countries. A high–powered panel for quicker approval to export of the military equipment was also set up, with Defence minister, External affairs minister and the National security adviser.
• Indian Government has earlier set a target of achieving defence exports worth USD 5 billion by 2024.

• The Union Cabinet has recently approved a modified scheme to enhance ethanol distillation capacity in the country, to produce 1st Generation (1G) ethanol.
• 1G Ethanol is produced from edible seeds, molasses, sugarcane, sugar beet, sorghum among others. While 2G biofuels use non–edible oilseeds, used cooking oil, agriculture residue, the 3G biofuels use industrial waste, municipal solid waste.
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• The External Affairs Ministry has recently launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and application to connect with the Indian diaspora across the world.
• The application and portal aim to create a three–way communication between the External Affairs Ministry, Indian missions and the diaspora, who are around 3.12–crore. While the app will be used by the diaspora, the portal will be used by the missions.

• The Kolar Leaf–Nosed Bat, which is usually found in only two caves in the Hanumanahalli village in Kolar district of Karnataka.
• Recently, the bat became extinct in one of the two caves. In response, the Karnataka Forest Department, along with the Bat Conservation India Trust (BCIT), are undertaking measures to save the remaining bats.
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• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has announced that subscribers can now use online mode also to exit from the National Pension System.
• The National Pension System (NPS) was implemented with effect from the 1st January, 2004. It was extended to all citizens of the country from 2009 on a voluntary basis. PFRDA regulates the National pension system (NPS) as well as the pension sector.

• A wildfire has recently started in the Dzukou Valley, a popular trekking destination located on the Manipur–Nagaland border. It is said to have started three days ago from the Nagaland.
• The Indian Air Force has deployed an Mi–17V5 helicopter to put off the massive wildfire in Dzukou Valley.

• In the Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, 50 crows had died of Avian influenza (Bird flu) recently. In response, a curfew was imposed surrounding the area. While, death of crows has also been reported from the city of Jodhpur.
• The administration ordered to sanitise the affected area and send the samples to the National High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NHSADL), Bhopal.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed the Digital Payments Index (DPI), to record the expansion of digitisation of payments across the country. The index has been constructed with March 2018 as the base period.
• As per the RBI, the DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 stand at 153.47 and 207.84 respectively. The index includes 5 parameters.

• British Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton has been knighted in the traditional New Year Honours list of the United Kingdom. The list recognises outstanding achievements in various fields including business, sport and politics among others.

• Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has recently inaugurated the country’s highest meteorological centre in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The centre located above 3500 metres, would provide localised weather forecasts and early warning for Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory as well as various tourist places.

Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Virtual Agri India hackathon 2020 in New Delhi.
It is the largest virtual gathering to organise dialogues and promote innovations in agriculture. This year, the event organized by Pusa Krishi, ICAR – IARI, ICAR & Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare. 24 best innovations will be awarded 1 lakh cash award and incubation support.

As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Interconnect usage charges (IUC) has been made zero from January 1, 2021. IUC is the charge paid by a telecom company, for every call made from its network to different service providers. Prior to this move, the telecom company has been paying 6 paise per minute as the IUC.

As per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Zhong Shanshan’s net worth rose to USD 70.9 billion making him the richest man in Asia above both Mukesh Ambani and China’s Jack Ma. Zhong Shanshan is the founder of ‘Nongfu Spring’, the largest beverage company in China. He is also the owner of the Chinese pharmaceutical giant ‘Wantai’.

Former General Manager of the Eastern Railway, Suneet Sharma has been appointed as the new Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board (Ministry of Railways). He will also serve as the ex–officio Principal Secretary to Government of India.
After the completion of the term of incumbent chief V K Yadav, the appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved Suneet Sharma as the new Chairman & CEO.

As per media reports, China has recently completed the track–laying work for a railway line which links the cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi in Tibet. The cities are close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh. This Sichuan–Tibet Railway is the second railway into Tibet, which starts from the capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu and enters Tibet.

Prime Minister released a certification course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing).
He also laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)– at six sites across six states.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced the annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY–U) Mission.
In the best performing states category, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first place, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In the North East region and Hilly states, Tripura bagged the first place. Vishakhapatnam was named the best performing Municipal Corporation.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
As per the recent quarterly PLFS, the unemployment rate in urban areas increased to 9.1 per cent in January–March 2020 from 7.9 per cent in October–December 2019. Labour force participation rate increased to over a five–quarter high of 37.5 per cent.

The 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa from 16th to 24th of January, 2021.
Recently, the registrations have commenced for media delegates, who desire to attend the event, which will be held in a hybrid mode, on account of the Covid–19 pandemic. The registration will be open till January 10, 2021.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the inaugural issue of the National Police K–9 Journal in New Delhi.
It is the India’s first such publication on the subject of Police Service K9s, which is the name given for Police Dogs. A special Police K9 Cell was set up in November 2020. The biannual journal will be released in April and October, with sections in Hindi and English.

The Indian Army has created a new human rights cell for the first time in the history. Its aims is to provide more transparency and probity in its functioning in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast.
Major General Gautam Chauhan has taken charge as the first additional Director General (human rights) and will report directly to the Army vice–chief.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the permanent campus in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur in Odisha. The institute has been functioning in a makeshift campus for more than five years, since it was launched as a third–generation IIM, in the year 2015–16.

The annual waterbird census is to be conducted in the state of Andhra Pradesh, by the state forest department.
The regions included are the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, areas near Godavari estuary, Kolleru Lake, Atapaka Bird Sanctuary and Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Krishna estuary. Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wetland International will provide technical support.

Deepor Beel is the only Ramsar site of the state of Assam. It is located in the south–western edge of Guwahati. The site, which houses of a variety of aquatic life forms along with 219 species of birds, was designated a Ramsar site in the year 2002. The District officials has banned Community fishing at the site.

The first hill–top Buddhist monastery of the Gangetic Valley has been found at Lal Pahari in Lakhisarai district of Bihar.
This is the first monastery located at the top of a hill. This is discovered during a joint collaboration of Bihar Heritage Development Society and the Visva–Bharati University, West Bengal. It was a Vihara, named as Srimaddharmaviharik aryabhiksusanghasya.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is set to commence Seaplane services on select routes. It is called the Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS).
It is to be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named the Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which will function under the administrative control of the Shipping Ministry. The SPV will also include airline operators.

According to a recent report published in South Asia Journal, Chennai has the maximum CCTV coverage per square kilometre and per 1,000 population. The report records the prevalence of CCTV cameras in 130 of the most populous cities in the world.
The report also highlights that China and India have the highest densities of CCTV surveillance cameras in urban areas.

India’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the quantum of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021. The cap is further reduced to 2% for 2022.
Trans fat are found to increase the risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease. The WHO has called all its members to eliminate trans–fat by 2023.

Prayaas is the new community helping initiative adopted by Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). Under this scheme, employees of IOCL Delhi Office would visit the night shelters located near IOCL’s fuel stations for distribution of blankets and essentials.
These night shelters are being run by the Government of Delhi and some NGOs to help the weaker section of the society.

Britain became the latest nation that has eliminated taxation on women’s sanitary products. These taxes were called “tampon tax” has been completely abolished in the country.
This decision was earlier announced in the country’s annual budget by its Treasury chief, but has been implemented only now, when Britain has left the European Union

The Supreme Court’s three–judge bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar delivered its verdict on Central Vista Project Case.
The bench approved the re–development project by a 2:1 majority and upheld the exercise of power by the Centre as just and valid. It also confirmed the modifications in the change in land use and the recommendations of the environmental committee.

According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), over 371,500 babies were born on New Year’s Day across the world. It also revealed that India has recorded the highest number of births at around 60,000.
India is followed by China, Nigeria and Pakistan. It also estimated that 140 million children are estimated to be born in 2021 with average life expectancy of 84 years.

Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal has recently launched the Freight Business Development Portal.
The portal aims to reduce the costs for logistics providers, provide online tracking facility for suppliers and to simplify the process of goods transportation. The portal, which aims to improve ease of doing business, can be accessed via the Indian Railways website.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is organizing ‘Udyog Manthan’, in association with Quality Council of India, National Productivity Council, and major Industry bodies. It is a series of sector–specific webinars to promote the quality and productivity in Indian Industries.
The webinar marathon focussing on both manufacturing and services is being held from January 4, 2021 to March 2, 2021.

The Climate Research and Services (CRS) of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released a Statement on Climate of India during 2020. As per the statement, the annual mean land surface air temperature over India was above normal during the year 2020. The year 2020 was also named the eighth warmest year on record.

The US Congress has recently passed the “Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Bill”.
The bill makes it mandatory for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to award 50% of scholarships to Pakistani Women under a Pakistan–based higher education scholarship programme. The scholarships are to be awarded from 2020 to 2022.

The world’s largest floating solar energy project is set to be constructed at Omkareshwar dam on Narmada river, Madhya Pradesh. The 3,000–crore project, which will construct a 600 MW plant, will begin power generation by 2022–23.
World Bank’s IFC and Power Grid will provide the financial assistance to this project, which includes installing solar panels in the dam.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–National Physical Laboratory (CSIR–NPL) has adopted an international practice for production of Indian Certified Reference Material (CRMs).
The CRM, which is branded as ‘Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya’, supports the testing and calibration of laboratories, for assuring quality at par with international standards.

Several ducks in Kottayam city of Kerala state have been found to be infected with Avian influenza – H5N8.
The state and district administration have initiated war–footing steps to prevent further spread of the disease. It has been stated that the virus killed 1,700 ducklings in the city which are around 70 days old.

Researchers of National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) are on a voyage to Antarctica, which marks the 40th Indian Scientific Expedition.
Fuel for the expedition is provided by the Indian Oil. The expedition is flagged off from Mormugao Port, Goa with 43 members on board the expedition vessel. Jet A1 fuel, lubes and Marine Gas Oil (MGO) have been offered by Indian Oil.