Daily Current Affairs: January 31 , 2021

Daily Current Affairs (January 31, 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

World Leprosy Day – January 31

• World Leprosy Day is observed internationally every year on the last Sunday of January to increase the public awareness of leprosy or Hansen’s Disease. This date was chosen by French humanitarian Raoul Follereau as a tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi who had compassion for people afflicted with leprosy.
• Theme: “Beat Leprosy, End Stigma and advocate for Mental Wellbeing”

National News

India’s first ‘Gender Park’ to be inaugurated in Kozhikode, Kerala

• The Kerala Government is all set to launch Rs. 300 crore three-tower ‘Gender Park’ in Kozhikode, Kerala. This initiative is first of its kind in the country and also a step towards gender equality in the state.
• This Gender Park will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II). 
• Along with the Gender Park, a Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre, and an Amphitheatre will also be launched at the event.

Kerala

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram

• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

• Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray unveils the first indigenous metro rake at Mumbai’s Charkop Depot

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray unveiled the first indigenous metro racks (train) at Charkop Metro Depot. The rake is for Metro line Metro-2A and 7 (Dahisar E-Andheri E). It was manufactured by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and delivered the first ‘Made in India’ rake from the Bengaluru facility of BEML.
• The ongoing works of Metro in Mumbai will be completed by 2026 and by 2031 and one crore commuters are expected to use the Metro network.

Maharashtra

• Capital: Mumbai.

• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray.

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot launches new phase of Ayushman Bharat Mahatma Gandhi Health Insurance Scheme

• Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot launched the new phase of Ayushman Bharat Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojana (AB-MGRSBY). Under this scheme, 1 crore 10 lakh families of the state will get the benefit of health insurance. The health insurance cover has been increased from 3,30,000 to 5,00,000 annually.
• The State Government had launched the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in Rajasthan on September 1, 2019, by combining the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) of the Center and the State’s Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana (BSBY). 

Rajasthan

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

Lucknow Metro becomes the first to sanitise coaches using ultraviolet rays

• The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) has become the first metro in India to use ultraviolet rays (UV). The UP-Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has taken inspiration from the New York Metro’s experiment to sanitise trains with UV lamp rays.
• DRDO approved the equipment in October last year which reduces the cost by 40 times less than what comes in sanitizing the coach by sodium hypochlorite.

Uttar Pradesh

• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Anandiben Patel

• National Park: Dudhwa National Park (Tiger Reserve)

• Zoological park: Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Prani Udyan (Gorakhpur), Kanpur Zoological Park, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden.

International News

UN World Tourism Organization confirms 2020 as the ‘Worst Year on Record’

• The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) confirmed the Year 2020 as the ‘worst year on record’, after global tourism suffered massively due to international travel bans implemented to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74 percent.
• According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.

Banking and Economy

StashFin partners with SBM Bank India to launch a contactless prepaid card – ‘StashFin SBM Card’ 

• Singapore-based neo banking startup StashFin and SBM Bank India announced the launch of their co-branded contactless prepaid card “StashFin SBM card”. 
• The Visa powered card comes with a contactless EMV chip, offering the cardholders 24×7 access to funds and allowing the customer to take loans up to Rs. 5 lakhs.

RBI cancels the license of Kolhapur’s Shivam Sahakari Bank due to inadequate capital

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Shivam Sahakari Bank Ltd, Maharashtra due to the bank not having adequate capital and earning prospects.
• The bank further did not comply with the provisions of Section 11 (1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act of 1949.

BSE sets up innovation sandbox web portal for fintech firms and individuals

• Leading stock exchange BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) has set up an “Innovation Sandbox” web portal (https://innovation-sandbox.in) where fintech firms and individuals may use the environment for offline testing of their applications in a test environment.
• The portal will help in creating an ecosystem which promotes innovation in the securities market.

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairman: Vikramajit Sen. 
• MD & CEO: Ashishkumar Chauhan

Reserve Bank of India enhances rules for Banks’ Grievance Redress Mechanisms

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new regulatory framework that aims to improve the efficacy of banks’ grievance redress mechanisms. 
• The framework enhances the disclosures on complaints that need to be made by banks, to provide greater insight into the volume and nature of complaints received by the banks as well as the quality and turnaround time of redressal.

GDP growth rate for FY20 revised downwards to 4% – NSO report

• The economy recorded a lower growth of 4 percent in 2019-20, as against 4.2 percent growth estimated earlier states the first revised estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The NSO also revised up the GDP growth rate for 2018-19 to 6.5 percent from 6.1 percent.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow signs an MoU with CRPF to empower Jawans’ families

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow have partnered to create a plan to empower families of CRPF personnel. 
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to undertake a pilot project on domestic empowerment. The MoU was signed by Dr. AP Maheshwari, DG CRPF and Prof. Archana Shukla, Director of IIM Lucknow.

Appointments and Resignations

RS Sharma appointed as the new CEO of the National Health Authority

• The senior bureaucrat and former TRAI chairman, Ram Sewak Sharma was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA), an autonomous body which is responsible for implementing India’s $ 1.43 billion public health insurance scheme Ayushman-Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• He replaces Indu Bhushan, who is serving as the Chief Executive of the Ayushman scheme since its inception in 2018.

Rama Mohan Rao Amara appointed as the MD & CEO of SBI Card for 2 years

• Rama Mohan Rao Amara has taken charge as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card). Amara succeeds Ashwini Kumar Tewari, who was appointed as one of the 4 Managing Directors (MDs) of State Bank of India (SBI).
• He has been appointed for two years and has come into effect from January 30, 2021.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah takes over as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC)

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah was unanimously elected as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). He replaces Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief Najmul Hasan Papon.
• Shah is the youngest person ever to be appointed to the office. Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is headquartered at Colombo, Sri Lanka.

DR Congo PM Sylvestre Ilunga resigns after losing a confidence vote in Parliament

• Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba resigned after the country’s Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against him. 
• Ilunkamba was voted out by lawmakers in a move orchestrated by President Felix Tshisekedi, who has been working to remove all pro-Kabila politicians from key government posts. 

Rankings

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

• According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report ‘Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index’, India ranked 10th out of 11 Asia-Pacific countries.
• The index measures the readiness of 11 health systems across the regions — Australia, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and New Zealand.
• The Index was topped by Singapore. It is followed by Taiwan (2nd), Japan (3rd) and Australia (4th). Indonesia was the last ranked country at 11th in the index.

Singapore:

• Capital: Singapore City
• Currency: Singapore Dollar
• President: Halimah Yacob
• Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong
• Deputy Prime Minister: Heng Swee Keat.

Reliance Jio emerges as the fifth-strongest company in Brand Finance Global 500 – 2021 report

• Mukesh Ambani’s telecom giant Jio has emerged as the world’s fifth-strongest brand with a brand strength index (BSI) score of 91.7 out of 100 and AAA-plus rating. 
• The list was topped by Chinese mobile app WeChat (95.4) followed by Ferrari (93.9), Sber (92.0) and Coca-Cola (91.7).

Obituary News

Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, who warned of the ozone hole, passed away at 87

• Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Paul J. Crutzen has passed away at the age of 87.
• He won the Nobel Prize 1995 for Chemistry for his work of understanding the ozone hole and is credited with coining the term Anthropocene to describe the geological era shaped by mankind.

Sports News

BCCI has cancelled Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 years

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first-class domestic competition, won’t be played for the first time in 87 years. 
• The BCCI will also host the U-19 National One Day tournament for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and the Women’s national 50-over tournament.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• President Sourav Ganguly
• Secretary- Jay Shah.
• CEO(Interim): Hemang Amin.

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Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January 31, 2021