Daily Current Affairs: January 18, 19 & 20, 2021

Daily Current Affairs (January 18, 19 & 20, 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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Important Days

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day – January 19

• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrates its Raising Day on January 19 every year. NDRF is an Indian specialised force under the National Disaster Management Authority, constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to carry out a special response in situations of threatening disaster.

National News

Nitish Kumar inaugurates Bihar’s first state bird festival ‘Kalrav’ at Nagi bird sanctuary of Jamui district

• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the first-ever bird festival ‘Kalrav’ by lighting the traditional lamp at Nagi bird sanctuary in Jamui district, about 200 km south-east from the state capital, Patna.
• The three-day bird festival was organised by the state environment, forest, and climate change department to create awareness among people about birds, especially the migratory birds.

Bihar

• Capital: Patna.
• Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar.
• Deputy CM: Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.
• Governor: Fagu Chauhan.

Kerala Governor launches ‘One School One IAS’ scheme for economically backward students

• Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan launched Vedhik Erudite Foundation’s ambitious scheme ‘One School One IAS’ to provide free coaching for civil services and other competitive examinations to 10,000 meritorious but financially weak students across the state.
• This higher education platform will give the children a chance to completely redecorate their future plans and broaden their horizons.

Kerala

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan.

Kerala to open India’s first labour movement museum to show the spirit of workers in Alappuzha

• India’s first Labour Movement Museum is set to be launched in Alappuzha, Kerala to show the spirit of workers. The history of Kerala’s labour movement will be portrayed through pictures, documents, and other exhibits.
• The museum with an outlay of 9. 95 crores, 97 per cent of renovation works in this museum is complete.

Kerala

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan.

1^st Khelo India Zanskar Winter Sports & Youth Festival flagged-off in Ladakh

• The first-ever Khelo India Zanskar Winter Sports and Youth Festival 2021, organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, was flagged off at Nimoo Sangam, Ladakh.
• The 13-day Zanskar Winter Sports 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.

Ladakh

• Capital: Leh and Kargil.
• Lieutenant Governor: Radha Krishna Mathur.

First-ever Ice climbing festival celebrated in Nubra valley of Leh, Ladakh

• First-ever Ice climbing festival was celebrated in Nubra valley of Leh The seven-day event was organised by Nubra Adventure Club. Ice climbing is a popular winter sport abroad.
• The seven-day festival to promote winter tourism in Nubra valley was organised by Nubra Adventure Club, with the help of social activist Nordan Otzer.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism signs pact with Kerala to replicate responsible tourism

• Kerala’s pioneering Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative will be emulated by Madhya Pradesh and the MoU for implementation of the model, which involves local communities and makes tourism a tool for rural development.
• The MoUs were exchanged by Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Usha Thakur.

Madhya Pradesh       

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
• Governor: Anandiben Patel (Additional Charge).

BSE signs an MoU with the Maharashtra Government to encourage SME listings

• Leading stock exchange BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) has joined hands with the Maharashtra Government to create awareness about the benefits of listing among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the state.
• Under this pact, the exchange will provide intellectual and manpower support to create awareness about the benefits of listing among SMEs and will enable capacity building to such enterprises to fulfil listing requirements.

Maharashtra     

• Capital:
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray.
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

L&T bags up to Rs. 5,000 crore order from Rail Vikas Nigam in Uttarakhand

• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) construction arm has bagged an up to 5,000 crore contract from Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) in Uttarakhand for the new broad-gauge line between Rishikesh and Karanprayag. The engineering and construction company did not provide the exact value of the contract, but as per its project classification, “large” orders are those valued between Rs. 2,500 crores and Rs. 5,000 crores.

Uttarakhand

• Capital: Gairsain (summer capital), Dehradun (winter capital).
• Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya.
• National Parks- Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Govind PashuVihar NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP, Valley of Flowers NP.

International News

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan virtually chairs the 148^th session of the Executive Board of WHO

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan chaired the 148^th session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) through video conference. Harsh Vardhan stated that COVID-19 vaccines are being successfully produced across many countries, and digital technologies are being adopted.
• WHO described the Year 2020 as the Year of Science and the Year 2021 as the Year of Global Solidarity and Survival.

India set to procure 21 MiG-29 and 12 Sukhoi-30MKI jet fighters from Russia

• Indian Government is set to procure 21 MiG-29 and 12 Sukhoi-30MKI jet fighters from Russia along with the upgrades of their existing fleets.
• The new set of 21 MiG-29 will add to the 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, along with the 83 new Tejas which will be inducted between January 2024 to December 2028 for around 47,000 crores.

Banking and Economy

Axis Bank launches ‘Aura’ – a credit card exclusively loaded with affordable health and wellness solutions

• Axis Bank, India’s third-largest private sector bank launched ‘AURA’, a credit exclusively loaded with various health and wellness benefits for its users at an affordable price.
• The curated and affordable health and wellness offering from Axis Bank has partners like IndusHealth Plus, a health check-up company and Practo, an online medical consultation company.

Universal Sompo General Insurance partners with NPCI to offer health cover to RuPay cardholders and UPI users

• Universal Sompo General Insurance has collaborated with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in a bid to offer a special health insurance cover to RuPay cardholders & UPI users at affordable premium rates.
• As a part of this alliance, the insurer will offer special coverage for cancer and heart-related ailments along with features such as cashless hospitalisation in over 5,000 hospitals across India and tax benefit as per income tax laws.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Kotak Mahindra AMC signs up with Climate Action 100+ business journal

• Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company (KMAMC) has become a signatory to Climate Action 100+, which drives focus on clean energy transition and helps achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals.
• In April 2018, KMAMC became the first domestic asset management company to sign up with the Principles for Responsible Investment supported by the United Nations.

Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Limited (KMAMC):

• President & Managing Director (MD): Nilesh Shah
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Science and Technology

DRDO lab develops bike-based ambulance ‘Rakshita’ for medical aid in remote areas

• A DRDO laboratory handed over to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a bike-based ambulance that has been developed to provide quicker medical support to those living in congested streets and remote locations.
• The vehicle named ‘Rakshita’ has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a premier laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Appointments

Yoweri Museveni wins the sixth term as the President of Uganda

• President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni has been declared as the winner of the country’s presidential election for 2021. 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.

RBL Bank re-appoints Vishwavir Ahuja as the MD and CEO for 3 years

• RBL Bank’s board have approved the re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank for three years from June 30, 2021 to June 29, 2024.
• Ahuja has 38 years of experience and expertise in Banking, Economics, Finance, Risk Management, HR, and Business Management. Before RBL Bank, Ahuja was the Managing Director & CEO of the Bank of America, India from 2001 to 2009.

Siddhartha Mohanty appointed as the Managing Director of LIC

• Siddhartha Mohanty has been appointed as the Managing Director of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). He has been appointed as the Managing Director of LIC with effect from the date of his assumption of charge on or after February 1 and up to the date of his superannuation on June 30, 2023. He is currently working as the MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

Sanjeev Kumar appointed as the Chairman and MD of TCIL

• Sanjeev Kumar has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) for five years. He is currently the Director (Technical) of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
• TCIL is a Government of India owned engineering and consultancy company under the administrative control of the Department of Telecommunications (DOT). GOI has also appointed RM Bhadang as the Director (Finance), Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.

Books and Authors

A book titled ‘Unscripted: Conversations on Life and Cinema’ authored by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi was published

• A new book titled ‘Unscripted: Conversations on Life and Cinema’ authored by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi is to be published by Penguin Publications.
• The book provides a glimpse into the mind, method & madness of one of contemporary Hindi cinema’s best filmmakers.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant releases the book ‘Manohar Parrikar – Off the Record’

• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant released a book ‘Manohar Parrikar – Off the Record’ at a function organised at the Institute Menezes Braganza hall in the city. The book has been written by senior journalist Waman Subha Prabhu.
• The book ‘Manohar Parrikar – Off the Record’ is a collection of memories of Waman Prabhu who happened to be with late Parrikar during the journey of his life.

Obituary

Legendary classical musician and Padma awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan passed away at 89

• Legendary Indian classical musician and Padma Shri awardee, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan died at the age of 89. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2018. He was bestowed with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003.

Padma Awardee and renowned oncologist Dr. V Shanta passed away at 93

• Renowned oncologist and chairperson of the Cancer Institute V Shanta died. Shanta was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1986) and the 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.

Former Union Minister Kamal Morarka passed away at 74

• Former Union Minister and noted businessman Kamal Morarka died after a brief illness. Morarka was a Union minister in the Chandra Shekhar government in 1990-91 and a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan from Janata Dal (Secular) during 1988-94.

Billionaire and heir to storied banking fortune Benjamin de Rothschild passed away at 57

• Benjamin de Rothschild, an heir to the Edmond de Rothschild banking legacy, died. He was the chairman since 1997 of the banking empire Edmond de Rothschild Group started by his father in 1953. He is a descendent of the Rothschild family, which has a nearly 300-year history running European banks.

Sports News

Carolina Marin and Viktor Axelsen clinch singles titles in the Yonex Thailand Open 2021

• The Yonex Thailand Open badminton tournament was the first badminton tournament of 2021 by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin bolstered claiming the Thailand Open in Bangkok over top seed Tai Tzu-Ying.

Winners List of Thailand Open 2021:

• Men’s Single – Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
• Women’s Single – Carolina Marin (Spain)
• Men’s Double – Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin
• Women’s Double –Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu
• Mixed Double – Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

Can you score 20/20 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of  January 18, 19 & 20, 2021, now from the link given below. 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January 18, 19 & 20, 2021