Daily Current Affairs: January 28 & 29 , 2021

Daily Current Affairs (January 28 & 29, 2021) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK, and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness, and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs 35th PRAGATI interaction

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting of the 35th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State Governments.
• Nine projects worth Rs. 54,675 crores concerning 15 states and  PM Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana were reviewed at the meeting.

Cargill collaborates with UNWFP to launch nutrition program in Rajasthan

• Cargill in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), have launched a programme to improve nutrition status in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• It will improve the nutritional quality of Take-Home Ration (THR) served to children, pregnant and lactating mothers through collaboration with Anganwadi centers (AWCs).

Rajasthan

• Capital: Jaipur
• Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra.

India’s first boat library launched in Kolkata along River Hooghly

• For the first time in India, the West Bengal Transport Corporation has introduced a boat library on the Hoogly river in association with a heritage bookstore. 
• The 3-hour trip will start at Millenium Park, and the boat will travel to Belur Math jetty & return. Children will be able to choose from a selection of 500 titles in English and Bengali on the Young Readers’ Boat Library.

West Bengal

• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• National Park (NP): Buxa NP, Gorumara NP, Neora Valley NP, Jaldapara NP, Singalila NP, Sundarbans NP.

International News

India announces a pledge of $ 150,000 to UN peace-building

• India has announced a pledge of $ 150,000 to activities of the Peacebuilding Fund this year and stated that 2021 provides the international community with an opportunity to look at peace-building in a more focused manner, especially in the context of the COVID pandemic.
• The Peacebuilding Fund has put forth its five-year strategy, which requires 1.5 billion dollars for 2020-2024.

17th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) virually held in Turkey

• Turkey virtually hosted the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) under the theme of “The New Normal and Safe and Healthy Tourism.”
• Indian delegate Ms. Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs attended the event.

India and Denmark launch unique Green Strategic Partnership

• India and its northern European partner Denmark have begun a new era in the form of a “far-reaching Green Strategic Partnership” that will enable Denmark in delivering sustainable solutions to India.
• It is a mutually beneficial arrangement to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations & green growth, create jobs, and strengthen cooperation on addressing global challenges and opportunities with a focus on implementing Paris Agreement & the UN SDG.

Denmark:

• Capital: Copenhagen
• Currency: Danish krone.

Banking and Economy

United Nations forecasts the Indian economy to recover by 7.3% post-Covid-19 impact

• The United Nations projects the Indian economy recovering by 7.3 percent this calendar year 2021 after a coronavirus-driven fall of 9.6 percent last year. 
• The global economy is estimated to shrink by 4.3 percent in 2020. The UN has estimated the global GDP to recover to 4.7 percent in 2021.

Bharti AXA General Insurance launches ‘Krishi Sakha’ app to meet the specific needs of farmers

• Bharti AXA General Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups, and AXA launched its new app ‘Krishi Sakha’ to cater to the specific needs of the farmers in the country and guide them in adopting best farming practices and enhancing productivity.
• Bharti AXA ‘Krishi Sakha’ aims at helping Indian farmers make informed decisions through customized information related to their farming requirements. It shares relevant information about the scientific way of farming, crop cultivation, sowing, or harvesting of a major crop.

FICCI projects India’s GDP to contract 8% in the fiscal year 2020-21

• According to the latest round of FICCI’s Economic Outlook Survey, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to contract by 8 percent in 2020-21. 
• FICCI expects the economy to perform much better and have projected a median GDP growth rate of 9.6 percent for the financial year 2021-22.

Acquisitions and Mergers

International Energy Agency ink strategic partnership agreement with India to boost the energy sector

• India and the International Energy Agency (IEA) signed a framework for a strategic partnership to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation and to enhance global energy security, stability, and sustainability.
• This partnership will lead to an extensive exchange of knowledge and would be a stepping stone towards India becoming a full member of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

HDFC Bank partners with CSC to launch EMI collection service for business correspondents

• HDFC Bank and CSC e-Governance Services announced the launch of EMI Collection Services for CSC-HDFC Bank’s business correspondents across the country. With the launch of the EMI Collection facility through CSC, customers need not visit bank branches and can instead deposit the EMI through CSC.

Appointments

Janet Yellen appointed as the first female Treasury Secretary in the U.S. history

• Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was confirmed as the Treasury Secretary of the US, with the Senate voting 84-15 to make her the first woman to lead the department.

Lt Gen. CP Mohanty appointed as next Army vice-chief 

• Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty will take over as the new Vice-Chief of the Army Staff on February 1. He is presently the Southern Army Commander and will be succeeding Lt Gen. SK Saini on his superannuation.
• Lt Gen. Mohanty is a June 1982 batch Infantry Officer from the Rajput Regiment and is presently the Southern Army Commander.

Surgeon Vice-Admiral Naveen Chawla appointed as the New DG Medical Services of Navy

• Surgeon Vice Admiral Naveen Chawla, VSM has been appointed as the  Director-General Medical Services (Navy). Before assuming the present appointment, he held the coveted appointment of Director General Hospital Services (AF) in the office of The Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).

Government appoints Swaminathan Janakiraman & Aswini Kumar Tewari as SBI Managing Directors

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Swaminathan Janakiraman and Ashwini Kumar Tewari as the new Managing Directors of State Bank of India (SBI). Both are currently serving as Deputy Managing Directors (DMD) of the bank. The appointments are for a period of three years.

Awards and Recognitions

Rajendra Kumar Bhandari and SEEDS wins the Subhash Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2021

• The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for this year and Rajendra Kumar Bhandari has been selected in an individual category along with Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) in the institutional category for the invaluable contribution and selfless service in India in the field of Disaster Management.
• The award was given by the Government of India and it is administered by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Uttar Pradesh’s Ram Temple tableau wins first prize at the 72nd Republic Day Parade

• Uttar Pradesh Tableau has been awarded the best Tableau in the Republic Day parade. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is to give away the Best Tableau awards for the Republic Day Parade, 2021 in New Delhi. 
• The Tripura tableau won the second prize for the Republic Day parade which exhibited a glimpse of the ‘Deepotsav’ in Ayodhya.

Rankings

India ranks 86th in the Corruption Perception Index 2020; New Zealand and Denmark tops

• India’s rank has slipped six places to 86th among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in 2020 released by Transparency International (TI). India’s rank has slipped six places compared to 2019 when it was ranked at the 80th spot in 2020.

India ranks 86 out of 98 countries on Covid-19 Response Index; New Zealand tops the list

• According to the performance index compiled by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, India ranked 86th out of 98 countries. New Zealand handled the pandemic more effectively than any other country in the world, while Brazil sits at the bottom of the list.
• New Zealand was closely followed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Cyprus, while the US was the fifth-worst performing country.

TCS is the 3rd most-valued IT services brand globally: Brand Finance

• According to the Brand Finance report, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked the third most-valued IT services brand globally, after Accenture and IBM. 
• Four Indian IT services companies have secured spots in the top-10 globally, namely, TCS (3), Infosys (4), HCL (7), and Wipro (9).

India ranks 10th in the Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index

• India ranked 10th out of 11 Asia Pacific countries in a newly-launched health index to measure the progress towards personalised healthcare. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report ”Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index” measures the readiness of 11 health systems across the region Australia, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand in adopting personalised healthcare, enabling the right care to be tailored to the right person at the right time.

Obituary News

Oscar winning-actor Cloris Leachman passed away at 94

• Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman passed away at the age of 94. She won best supporting actress Oscar for “The Last Picture Show” in 1971. She is also known for her comedic delight as the fearsome Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein and self-absorbed neighbor Phyllis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Sports News

ICC announces the introduction of ‘ICC Player of the Month’ awards

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the introduction of the ‘ICC Player of the Month’ awards which will recognize and celebrate the best performances of both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year. 
• Fans are invited to vote online every month to award their favorite male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket played in that month.

Can you score 20/20 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of  January 26 & 27, 2021, now from the link given below. 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January 28 & 29, 2021