Daily Important Current Affairs – 5th January 2021

National Affairs

PM Narendra Modi launched National Metrology Conclave 2021

Prime Minister inaugurated National Metrology Conclave 2021 virtually through an online mode. The theme of this conclave is ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.

• PM also dedicated the National Atomic Timescale and Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya and laid the foundation stone of the National Environmental Standards Laboratory.
• The National Environmental Standards Laboratory will aid self-reliance in the certification of ambient air and industrial emission monitoring equipment.

Current Affairs January 2021 PDF Download

PM Modi inaugurates Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline to the country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedciated the Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline.

The 450-km-long pipeline has been built by Gail (India) Ltd. It has a transportation capacity of 12 million metric standard cubic metres per day

• The total cost of the project was about Rs 3,000 crore.
• The pipeline will supply environment friendly fuel in the form of PNG to households and CNG to the transportation sector.

Current Affairs December 2020 PDF Download

India to start world’s largest vaccination drive

India will soon start the largest vaccination programme in the world

• This was announced by Prime Minister of India, shri Narendra Modi during the inaugural address of the National Metrology Conclave 2021.
• Recently, The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), has given approval to two made in India COVID-19 vaccines namely Covishield and Covaxin.

Current Affairs November 2020 PDF Download

Home Minister Amit Shah releases National Police K-9 Journal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah releases the National Police Service K9 Journal. The journal comprises different sections in Hindi and English.

• It is the first such publication in the country on the subject of Police Service K9s (PSKs) i.e Police Dogs.
• This is a unique initiative that will further enrich the subjects related to Police Service Dog, K-9, PSK teams in the country.

India approves Covaxin, Covishield vaccines for emergency use

Oxford-Astra Zeneca’s coronavirus vaccine Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech’s COVID vaccine Covaxin have been approved for emergency use authorisation.

• This approval was done by The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
• Bharat Biotech which vaccine candidate was being tested in large phase-3 efficacy trial in India

About DCGI:

Drugs Controller General of India is the head of department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of the Government of India

International Affairs

51st IFFI to begin in Goa from 16 January, Oscar nominee ‘Another Round’ to be opening movie

The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will begin from 16 January 2021. The Festival will start with Denmark Oscar nominee ‘Another Round’ Movie.

• The festival will end on 24th January with the India Premier of the historical drama ‘Wife of a Spy’ by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is reckoned as one of Asia’s oldest and India’s biggest film festival.

About GAIL:

• CEO: Shri Manoj Jain

• Headquarters: New Delhi

Ranking & Index

Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2021 released – Mukesh Ambani secured 12th spot

As per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2021, Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) dropped down to 12th spot with 76.7 billion USD net worth.

The Top 3 Positions:

• Jeff Bezos
• Elon R Musk
• Bill Gates

According to the urun Global Rich List 2020 Mukesh Ambani secured the eighth spot. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos secured the top spot

Banking Affairs

ADB & India sign agreement worth dollar 100 million to enhance power distribution system

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India signed dollar 100 million loan to modernise and upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru.

The main aim of this agreement is to enhance the quality and reliability of electricity supply in the city.

About ADB:

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa
• Founded: 19 December 1966

RuPay collaborated with RBL Bank to launch ‘RuPay PoS’

RuPay has collaborated with RBL Bank to to launch ‘RuPay PoS’ for Indian Mechants.

• The RuPay PoS will transform smartphones into merchant Point of Sale (PoS) terminals for the retailers
• Merchants will now be able to accept contactless payments of up to Rs. 5,000
• RuPay PoS will provide cost effective acceptance infrastructure to retailers at no additional capital cost.

About RBL Bank:

• MD & CEO – Vishwavir Ahuja
• Headquarter – Mumbai, Maharashtra

Appointments

India becomes co-chair of Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP)

India has become the co chair of Asia Protected Areas Partnership which has been designed as a key platform to help government for effective management of protected areas in the Asian region.

• The APAP is chaired by International Union for Conservation of Nature Asia and co-chaired by an APAP nation member on rotational basis.

MoUs & Agreements

J&K and NAFED sign MoU to develop Horticulture Marketing

J&K Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED), which is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in the country.

• Under this MoU, the NAFED will set up three cold storage clusters, one each in North Kashmir, South Kashmir and Kathua at a cost of Rs.500 Crore

Sports Affairs

Leon Mendonca emerged as an India’s 67th Grandmaster

Goa’s 14-year-old Leon Mendonca has become India’s 67th chess Grandmaster by winning the third and final norm at a tournament in Italy.

• Chennai player G. Akash, become the country’s 66th Grandmaster in July. He became the 29th Youngest GM in the world.

About International Chess Federation:

• President: Arkady Dvorkovich.
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Founded: 20 July 1924.

Obituaries

Popular Odia Music Director Shantanu Mohapatra Dies

Noted Odia Music Director Shantanu Mohapatra has passed away. He was 84.

In honour of his lifetime contribution to Odia culture, the Utkal University of Culture had conferred honorary D.Litt on him in 2011.

• He composed music in several films in Sei chuna chuna (surjyamukhi), Mayuri go (Arundhati), Jaa jare bhasi ja (Chilika teeray), Mun khoji bule (Agni Parikhya).

Important Days

World Braille Day 2021 observed on January 4

Every year World Braille Day 2021 is observed on January 4.

• The main aim of this day is to spread awareness about the importance of Braille
• Braille is a tangible representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols in which letters and numbers are represented using six dots.