Dear Champions, as you all know that a lot of competitive exams have been notified consequently. Candidates have to prepare themselves according to the level of competition and expectation of  the Recruitment board. Regarding that one of the most important topic is Daily Current Affairs. Current Affairs in the form of contemporary events of national & international play a crucial role in almost every competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC, UPSC, TNPSC, Railway etc.

Current affairs are the most dynamic yet scoring among all sections and need to be prepared from the right source. Here, we cafunsta team, providing  Daily GK Updates, Current Affairs Questions, and Monthly  current affairs pdf.

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January 04 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. World Braille Day is observed on which date?
A) January 3
B) January 2
C) January 4
D) January 5
E) January 6
Answer: C) January 4

World Braille Day:

• This date is Observed annually on 4 January.
• The first World Braille Day was celebrated on January 4 in 2019 after it got approval from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via a proclamation in November 2018.
• The date also marks the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who at the age of 15, invented the tactile system for reading and writing for use by people who are blind or visually impaired.

Braille:

• Braille is read by passing one’s fingertips over an arrangement of between one to six embossed dots, which represent letters, numbers as well as musical and mathematical symbols.
• Braille can be written using a Braillewriter, a device similar to a typewriter, or by using a pointed stylus and a Braille Slate to punch dots on paper.
• According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, around 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented, or is yet to be addressed.

January 4 – World Braille Day.

OBITUARY

2. Gerry Marsden passed away. He sang “Ferry Cross the Mersey”. This song is the anthem of which football Club?
A) Barcelona
B) Manchester United
C) West Germany
D) Liverpool
E) Real Madrid
Answer: D) Liverpool

• Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960’s British group Gerry and the Pacemakers that had such hits as “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and the song that became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” has died.

Gerry Marsden – Gerry and the Pacemakers singer. 

3. Vilas Patil Undalkar passed away. He was the minister of which state?
A) Maharashtra
B) Nagaland
C) Mizoram
D) Uttar Pradesh
E) Haryana
Answer: A) Maharashtra

• Former Maharashtra cabinet minister and seven-time Congress MLA Vilas Patil Undalkar died.
• An old Congress hand, Undalkar, popularly known as ‘kaka’, was elected seven times till 2014 from Karad-South Assembly seat, now represented by senior party leader Prithviraj Chavan.
• In the 2014 state Assembly elections, the Congress denied ticket to Undalkar and fielded Chavan.
• Undaklar fought against Chavan independently, but could not retain his seat against the former Chief minister.
• Undalkar served as minister in the law and justice and cooperative departments during the previous Congress-led state governments.
• His last rites will be conducted at his native village Undale village in Karad taluka of Satara district.

Maharashtra:
Capital : Mumbai
CM : Udhav Thackarey
Governor : Bhagat singh koshyari

Vilas Patil Undalkar – Former Maharashtra cabinet minister and seven-time Congress MLA.

BANKING AND FINANCE

4. Tata Motors has signed a memorandum of understanding with which Bank to introduce financing offers for customers?
A) HDFC Bank
B) Karnataka Bank
C) ICICI Bank
D) Bandhan Bank
E) IndusInd Bank
Answer: B) Karnataka Bank

• Tata Motors has signed a memorandum of understanding with Karnataka Bank to introduce financing offers for customers.
• Loans of up to 85 per cent on the on-road pricing of a Tata Motors vehicle are available with an interest rate linked to external benchmark lending rate which will be updated on the bank’s website periodically.
• The tenure of this loan is set at a maximum time-frame of up to seven years.
• The scheme can also be availed by customers who are agriculturists and are owners of farming lands as well as by non-resident Indians.

Tata Motors:
Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman : Natarajan Chandrasekaran

Karnataka Bank:
HQ: Mangaluru, Karnataka
MD and CEO : Mahabaleshwara M.S
Tagline : Your Family Bank across India

Tata Motors + Karnataka Bank = Introduce financing offers for customers.

5. Which Bank has launched a Video KYC Account Opening (VAO) facility to open Savings Bank Accounts?
A) IndusInd Bank
B) Bandhan Bank
C) CSB Bank
D) IDBI Bank
E) Dhanalakshmi Bank
Answer: D) IDBI Bank

IDBI Bank:
HQ : Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO : Rakesh Sharma
Tagline : Banking for All; “Aao SocheinBada”

IDBI Bank – Video KYC Account Opening facility to open Savings Bank Account.

6. SEBI fined how much amount on Reliance Industries for manipulating shares of Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) in November 2007?
A) Rs.55 crore
B) Rs.45 crore
C) Rs.35 crore
D) Rs.25 crore
E) Rs.15 crore
Answer: D) Rs.25 crore

• The Securities Exchange Board of India on Friday imposed a fine of Rs.25 crore on Reliance Industries and Rs.15 crore on its chairman, Mukesh Ambani, for manipulating shares of Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) in November 2007.
• The issue relates to manipulation during the sale and purchase of Reliance Petroleum Limited shares in the cash and the futures segments in November 2007.
• This followed RIL’s decision in March 2007 to sell 4.1 per cent stake in RPL, a listed subsidiary that was later merged with RIL in 2009.

SEBI:
Abbreviation: The Securities and Exchange Board of India
Act: SEBI Act, 1992
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman: Ajay Tyagi

Reliance Industries Limited:
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman & MD: Mukesh Ambani

SEBI – Rs.40 Crore Fine On Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani For Manipulative Trades In RPL.

7. The Asian Development Bank will provide how much amount loan to modernize and upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city?
A) USD 200 million
B) USD 300 million
C) USD 400 million
D) USD 500 million
E) USD 100 million
Answer: E) USD 100 million

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a USD 100 million (around Rs.730 crore) loan to modernize and upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city in the state of Karnataka.
• Beside the USD 100 million sovereign loan, ADB will provide a USD 90 million loan without sovereign guarantee for the project to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM), one of the five state-owned distribution utilities in Karnataka.

Karnataka:
Capital: Bengaluru
CM: B. S. Yeddyurappa
Governor: Vajubhai Vala

Asian Development Bank:
Member Countries: 68
Founded Year: 1966
Headquarters: Manila, Philippines
Head: Masatsugu Asakawa

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

8. L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering has bagged an over to ₹7,000 crore project to set up dual feed cracker unit in which state?
A) Rajasthan
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Sikkim
D) Bihar
E) Telangana
Answer: A) Rajasthan

• L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE) has bagged an over to ₹7,000 crore order from HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd (HRRL), a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Government of Rajasthan, for setting up a dual feed cracker unit.

Larsen & Toubro:
Headquarters: Mumbai,Maharashtra
CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan

Rajasthan:
Capital : Jaipur
Chief Minister : Ashok Gehlot
Governor : Kalraj Mishra

L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering – Bag over ₹7,000 cr order from HPCL Rajasthan Refinery.

APPOINTMENTS

9. Justice S Muralidhar is appointed as Chief Justice of which State/UT High Court?
A) Odisha
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Nagaland
D) Madras
E) Delhi
Answer: A) Odisha

• Justice S Muralidhar took oath as the 32nd Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
• Justice Muralidhar succeeds Justice Mohammad Rafiq as the new chief justice of the Orissa High Court.

Justice S Muralidhar:

• Muralidhar was born on August 8, 1961.
• He enrolled as an advocate on September 12, 1984 and practiced in civil courts in Chennai, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India.
• Muralidhar was appointed as an Additional Judge of Delhi High Court on May 29, 2006 and as Permanent Judge on August 29, 2007.
• Later, he was transferred to Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 6, 2020.

Odisha:

Capital: Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
Governor: Ganeshi Lal

Justice S Muralidhar – 32nd Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.- Replace Justice Mohammad Rafiq.

10. Ashish Pethe is appointed as Chairman of the All India Gem & Jewelry Domestic Council. What is the headquarters of the All India Gem & Jewelry Domestic Council?
A) Mumbai, Maharashtra
B) New Delhi, Delhi
C) Hyderabad, Telangana
D) Bangalore, Karnataka
E) Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Answer: A) Mumbai, Maharashtra

• The All India Gem & Jewelry Domestic Council (GJC), the national apex body of the gems and jewelry industry has appointed Ashish Pethe as chairman and Saiyam Mehra as its vice chairman for a period of two years.

Ashish Pethe – Chairman – The All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

11. PURE EV has developed Artificial Intelligence-driven hardware that automates identification and repair of defects in Lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles. This is an incubated start-up of which IIT?
A) IIT Hyderabad
B) IIT Delhi
C) IIT Mandi
D) IIT Madras
E) IIT Bombay
Answer: A) IIT Hyderabad

• IIT Hyderabad-incubated start-up PURE EV, has developed Artificial Intelligence-driven hardware that automates identification and repair of defects in Lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles.
• Researchers at PURE EV have designed Artificial Neural Network-based algorithms for the system, called “BaTRics Faraday”, that identify the defects in various series in the battery and also auto heals them to the best of the electro-chemistry potential of the cells.
• In December, IIT Hyderabad-incubated start-up PURE EV is collaborating with CSIR-Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi with its Extension Centre at CSIR Madras Complex, Chennai on indigenizing lithium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles.

PURE EV, IIT Hyderabad – AI system to resolve defects in lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

12. Which country has passed the ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ will expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women to receive higher education under a merit and needs-based Programme?
A) UAE
B) USA
C) Australia
D) New Zealand
E) Iran
Answer: B) USA

• The US Congress has passed the ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ which will expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women to receive higher education under a merit and needs-based Programme.
• Passed by the House of Representatives in March 2020, the bill was passed by the United States Senate by a voice vote on January 1. The bill now heads to the White House for US President Donald Trump to sign into law.
• The bill requires the US Agency for International Development to award at least 50 per cent of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship Programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.

Malala Yousafzai:

• On October 10, 2014, Malala shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”.

United States:

Capital: Washington D.C
Currency:US Dollar

US Congress – pass ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

13. Narendra Modi delivered inaugural address at the National Metrology Conclave 2021. This conclave is organized by which research center?
A) CSIR-CRRI
B) CSIR-CMERI
C) CSIR-NAL
D) CSIR-NPL
E) CSIR-IGIB
Answer: D) CSIR-NPL

• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered inaugural address at the National Metrology Conclave 2021.
• PM Modi will also dedicate ‘National Atomic Timescale’, and ‘Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya’ to the nation, and lay the foundation stone of the ‘National Environmental Standards Laboratory’.
• The Conclave was organized by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, on its 75th year of inception.
• The theme of the conclave is ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.
• Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Principal Scientific Advisor Dr Vijay Raghwan were present on the occasion.

Prime Minister, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and All important policy issues and All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister:
Minister: Narendra Modi
Constituency: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Narendra Modi – deliver inaugural address at National Metrology Conclave.

14. Which country launched the 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica marks four decades of country’s scientific endeavor to the southern white continent?
A) China
B) India
C) Australia
D) New Zealand
E) Singapore
Answer: B) India

• India launched the 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica, which marks four decades of country’s scientific endeavor to the southern white continent.
• The 40th expedition journey will be flagged off from Goa on January 5, with 43 members onboard. The chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin will make this journey and will reach Antarctica in 30 days.
• The vessel would return back to India in April, after leaving behind a team of 40 members.
• On return, it will also bring back the winter team of the preceding trip.

The Indian Antarctic expeditions:

• The Indian Antarctic expeditions began in 1981 and its first trip comprised of a team of 21 scientists, support staff led by Dr SZ Qasim.
• After a humble beginning, the Indian Antarctic Programme has now credited to have built 3 permanent research base stations in Antarctica—named Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and Bharati.
• Currently, India has two operational research stations in the continent of Antarctica named Maitri and Bharati, which are being operated under National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
• Earlier in November 2019, the preceding 39th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica was launched, which mounted 27 scientific projects, focusing on climate process and its linkages with climate change, crustal evolution, environmental processes and conservation, the ecosystem of terrestrial.

India – launch 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica.

15. Which Indian Airport signed a MoU with Dubai Airports for building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product called HYDXB-VAXCOR?
A) Varanasi Airport
B) Hyderabad Airport
C) Mumbai Airport
D) Chennai Airport
E) Delhi Airport
Answer: B) Hyderabad Airport

• GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited and GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo have signed a MoU with Dubai Airports for building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product called HYDXB-VAXCOR (Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor).
• The MoU was signed in the backdrop of the city becoming a hub for Covid-19 vaccine and other antidotes with several vaccine manufacturers having their bases.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited + GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo + Dubai Airports – Building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product – HYDXB-VAXCOR

16. Mathikettan Shola National Park is situated in which state?
A) Kerala
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Uttar Pradesh
D) Karnataka
E) Maharashtra
Answer: A) Kerala

• The Centre has notified an area to an extent varying from zero to one km around the boundary of Mathikettan Shola National Park in Kerala’s Idukki district as an
  Eco-sensitive Zone considering the unique nature of the Shola forest and its importance as an elephant strip.
• The National Park is situated in the high ranges of southern Western Ghats and formed together with the part of the forest areas of Cardamom Hill Reserve.
• The National Park is a biodiversity hotspot with its rich treasure of medicinal herbs as well.

Centre – 0-1 km area around boundary of Kerala’s Mathikettan Shola Park as
Eco-sensitive Zone.

17. Who laid the foundation stone of the buildings for School of Engineering and Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship at Jawaharlal Nehru University through Video Conference?
A) Narendra Modi
B) Ramnath Kovind
C) Venkaiah Naidu
D) Nirmala Sitharaman
E) Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Answer: E) Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’

• Union Education Minister of India, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ laid the foundation stone of the buildings for School of Engineering and Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship at Jawaharlal Nehru University today through a virtual program.
• Vice Chancellor, JNU, Prof. M. Jagdish Kumar, Rector I Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, Rector II Prof. Satish Chandra Garkoti, Rector III Prof. Rana Pratap Singh and the deans of the new schools, Prof. Unnat Pandit and Prof. Satyavrat Patnaik were present on the occasion.
• Shri Pokhriyal expressed his delight at the naming the School of Management on the name of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was not only an efficient and visionary Prime Minister of India, but an inspiring author too.

Education:
Ministry: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
Constituency: Hardwar, Uttarakhand

Union Education Minister – the foundation stone of the buildings for School of Engineering + Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship.

18. Which oil company launched a new initiative named Prayaas to address the needs of the local communities near its fuel stations?
A) Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited
B) Engineers India Limited
C) Gas Authority of India Limited
D) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
E) Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Answer: E) Indian Oil Corporation Limited

IOC:
Abbreviation: Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
Chairman: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya

IOC – Prayaas – to address the needs of the local communities near its fuel stations.

19. TRIFED signs MoU with Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram for setting up of TRIFOOD Parks in which state?
A) Maharashtra
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Nagaland
D) Andhra Pradesh
E) Karnataka
Answer: B) Madhya Pradesh

• Continuing its mission to improve the livelihoods of the tribal (both forest dwellers and artisans) and work towards tribal empowerment, TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has decided to explore a convergence and build a partnership with Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, a pioneering organization that has been working for the welfare of tribals in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand since 1952.
• In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between the two organizations on January 3, 2021 to work together for setting up of TRIFOOD Parks in 5 districts in Madhya Pradesh.
• The MoU was signed by Shri Pravir Krishna, MD, TRIFED and Shri Yogesh Bapat, General Secretary, AkhilBhartiyaVanvasi Ashram in the presence of Shri Durga Das Uikey, Member of Parliament from Betul, Madhya Pradesh.

TRIFED:

Abbreviation: Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India
Founded: 1987
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
Chairman – Ramesh Chand Meena

TRIFED + Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram = Setting up of TRIFOOD Parks in Madhya Pradesh.

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