Daily Current Affairs: January 13 & 14, 2021

Daily Current Affairs (January 13 & 14, 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.

Also, Don’t forget to attend the Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January 13 & 14, 2021, now @ our Bankersdaily Tests.

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Important Days

Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day – 14 January

• Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day is being observed on January 14 every year. This day is celebrated to honour services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa OBE, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces who retired on 14 January 1953. 2021 marks the 5^th Armed Forces Veterans Day.

National News

Indian Navy to hold 2-day pan-India coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil-21’

• The Indian Navy will hold a pan-India coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil-21’. The two-day mega defence exercise will kick start and cover the country’s 7,516 km coastline and exclusive economic zone
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre level exercise TROPEX [Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercise], which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurates India’s first ‘Fire Park’ in Bhubaneswar

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik virtually inaugurated a first of its kind ‘Fire Park’ to educate and bring awareness on basic fire safety measures among the people, particularly the students.
• The ‘Fire Park’ is located inside the premises of the Odisha Fire and Disaster Academy in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The minister also launched an online portal, ‘AgnishamaSeva’ to provide through which 16 fire related services available in Odisha Fire Service.

Odisha                      

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Festivals: Dhanu Yatra, Budi Thakurani Yatra, Magha Saptami, Chhau, Dola Purnima.
• Folk Dances: Chhau, Gotipua, Ghumura, Ranappa, Chaiti Ghoda, Sambalpuri.

International News

India-Vietnam Hold 13th Defence security dialogue to review progress in cooperation

• Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar co-chaired the 13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue with Vietnamese Lt Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh and Deputy Defence Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
• Both the Defence Secretary and Vietnam’s Deputy Defence Minister expressed that they are satisfied with the ongoing defence cooperation between the nations despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam:

• Capital: Hanoi
• Currency: Vietnamese dong.

France hosts 4^th One Planet Summit aimed at protecting global biodiversity with UN and World Bank

• France virtually organised the fourth ‘One Planet Summit’, which aimed at protecting the world’s biodiversity. It was organised in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank. The theme of the Summit was, “Let’s act together for nature!”
• It was inaugurated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and President of the World Bank Group David Malpass.

France:

• Capital: Paris
• Currency: Euro
• President: Emmanuel Macron.
• Prime Minister: Jean Castex.

India becomes the world’s second-largest manufacturer of PPE and Suits

• Union Minister for textile and women and child development Smriti Irani has stated that India has become the second-largest manufacturer of PPE kits and suits in the world in record three months’ time during the coronavirus induced lockdown in March 2020.
• China is the world’s leading producer of PPE body coveralls, crucial to safeguard against the COVID-19 pandemic

Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad Santokhi to be India’s Republic Day Chief Guest, After Boris Johnson Cancels Visit

• Republic of Suriname President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, will be the chief guest of India’s Republic Day parade on January 26. India had initially invited Boris Johnson to be the chief guest, but the British PM had to cancel his visit in view of the grim coronavirus situation back home.

Banking and Economy

RBI cancels the license of Vasantdada Nagari Sahakari Bank, Maharashtra

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Vasantdada Nagari Sahakari Bank Ltd., Osmanabad, Maharashtra to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on January 11.
• The Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS), Maharashtra has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.

Banks GNPA may rise over 22-yr high of 13.5 % by Sep 2021: RBI’s 22nd Financial Stability Report

• Banks’ gross non-performing assets may rise to 5 percent by September 2021, from 7.5 percent in September 2020 under the baseline scenario, according to the Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by the Reserve Bank of India. The bank-level NPA had touched 14.7 percent in 1998-99.
• CRAR of SCBs improved to 8% in Sep 2020 from 14.7% in March 2020; GNPA ratio declined to 7.5% from 8.4%.

Nomura projects India’s GDP to contract 6.7% in FY21

• The Japanese brokerage Nomura revised India’s GDP growth contract to 7 percent for India in 2020-21. Nomura has further projected the GDP of India to rise to 13.5 percent in FY22 (2021-22).

BofA Securities Projects GDP of India to Contract 6.7% in FY21′

• The BofA Securities expects the GDP growth of India for the current financial year 2020-21 to contract by 7 percent. BofA Securities has projected the Indian economy to grow at 9 percent for the fiscal year 2021-22.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Flipkart partnered with Logistics Skill Sector Council and KSDC to set up a Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru

• Walmart-owned Flipkart has signed an agreement with the Logistics Skill Sector Council (LSC) and Karnataka Skill Development Centre (KSDC) to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for building skilled and trained workforce for the e-commerce industry in India.
• The centre aims to bring the spotlight on the importance of skill development for the sector and complement its growth in the coming years.

NSIC Signed MoU with Airtel for Digital Transformation of Indian MSMEs

• Bharti Airtel is stepping up initiatives to accelerate the digital transformation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India by partnering with National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) to promote and support MSME sector by providing integrated support services encompassing Marketing, Technology, Finance and other services.

KVGB Signs MoU with a Fintech platform Jai Kisan for Expanding Financial Service Access in Karnataka

• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with ‘Jai Kisan’ (a rural-focused fintech platform of Greenizon Agritech Consultancy Pvt Ltd) to expand access to financial services to individuals and businesses in Karnataka, including farmer and non-farmer

Appointments

IRDAI sets up a panel headed by Subash Chandra Khuntia to examine the availability of health insurance products

• IRDAI (Insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) has set up a panel of experts called ‘Health Insurance Advisory Committee’ headed by IRDAI Chairperson, Subhash Chandra Khuntia to examine the availability of health insurance products in the country, considering the need of the Indian society and recommend suitable products and processes.

RBI forms a working group headed by Jayant Kumar Dash to regulate digital lending through loan apps

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a working group to regulate digital lending through mobile applications amid growing concerns surrounding the unsupervised growth of loan platforms across the country.
• The six-member working group composes four central bank officials and is chaired by Jayant Kumar Dash, Executive Director. Others from the central bank include Ajay Kumar Choudhary, Chief CGM of Department of Supervision.
• P Vasudevan, CGM of Department of Payment and Settlement Systems, and Manoranjan Mishra, CGM of Department of Regulation. Vikram Mehta, Co-founder, Monexo Fintech (External Member). Rahul Sasi, Cyber Security Expert & Founder of CloudSEK (External Member).

Amit Malik appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Aviva India

• Amit Malik is appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Aviva India. He succeeds Trevor Bull, whose 6-year term ended on Dec 31,2020.
• Amit had 22 years of experience in leadership roles across organizations, such as Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Express, and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, in geographies such as India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

Intel appoints Pat Gelsinger as new Chief Executive Officer

• Intel has appointed 40-year technology industry leader Pat Gelsinger as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective Feb. 15, 2021. Gelsinger will also join the Intel board of directors upon assuming the role. He will succeed Bob Swan, who will remain CEO until Feb. 15.
• Gelsinger is an industry veteran with more than four decades of technology and leadership experience, including 30 years at Intel where he began his career.

Awards and recognitions

Odisha won Best State and Best Civic Agency award in 2^nd edition of the Janaagraha City Governance Awards

• Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Odisha for its project “JAGA Mission” was declared the winner under the Best State Category in the second edition of Janaagraha City Governance Awards.
• Odisha won the Best Civic Agency for Piped Water Supply Scheme for all Urban Households, Public Health Engineering Organisation. Gujarat won Best State Election Kerala won Best State Finance Commission.
• Indore won the Best Municipality award for its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Based Integrated Solid Waste Management.

Books and Authors

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla releases a book titled “Making of a General-A Himalayan Echo” authored by Lt Gen Konsam Himalay Singh

• Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla released a book titled ‘Making of a General – A Himalayan Echo’ written by (Retired) Lt Gen Konsam Himalay Singh, through virtual mode at Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, Imphal.
• Konsam Himalay Singh has conveyed his dreams and views as well as also highlighted Manipur, the “Land of Emeralds”. The book was published by Konark Publishers Pvt Ltd.

Rankings

India ranked 85^th in Henley passports Index 2021; Japan tops list

• According to Henley Passport Index 2021, India ranks 85^th among 110 countries in the most powerful passport report with a visa-free score of 58. India shares the no. 85 rank with Tajikistan. The report was released by Henley & Partners, based on the exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Japan tops the list of being the most powerful passport in the world for the year 2021. Singapore is in second place (190), and South Korea ties with Germany in third place (189).
• Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are the countries with the worst passport, with a passport score of 29, 28, and 26,

Obituary News

Renowned social worker and Padma Shri Awardee D Prakash Rao passed away at 63

• Renowned social activist and Padma Shri winner D Prakash Rao has passed away. He was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2019 for his contribution towards boosting the value of education among slum and orphan kids in Cuttack.

Renowned Tamil writer A Madhavan passes away at 87

• Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award winner and renowned Tamil writer A Madhavan passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He won Sahitya Akademi in 2015 for his collection of short stories, Ilakkiya Chuvadukal, which captured the stories & struggles of people in Thiruvananthapuram’s Chalai market.

Can you score 20/20 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of  January 13 & 14, 2021, now from the link given below. 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January 13 & 14, 2021