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.

TO PURCHASE OUR COMPLETE CA BUNDLE 2020 – CLICK HERE

January 08 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

OBITUARY

1. Author Neil Sheehan passed away. He won which award?
A) Pulitzer Prize
B) Valley of Words Book Awards
C) Sahitya Akademi
D) The Hindu Literary Prize
E) FICCI Publishing Awards
Answer: A) Pulitzer Prize

• Neil Sheehan, a reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning author who broke the story of the Pentagon Papers for The New York Times and who chronicled the deception at the heart of the Vietnam War in his epic book about the conflict, died.
• The 1988 book won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction.

Vietnam:
Capital : Hanoi
Currency : Vietnamese dong
Prime Minister : Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Neil Sheehan – Pentagon Papers reporter, Vietnam author.

RANKING

2. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Who is topped in the list of the Richest People in the world?
A) Larry Ellison
B) Zhong Shanshan
C) Jeff Bezos
D) Warren Buffett
E) Elon R Musk
Answer: E) Elon R Musk

Rank	Name	Net worth	Country	Industry
1	Elon R Musk	$195B	United States	Technology
2	Jeff Bezos	$185B	United States	Technology
3	Bill Gates	$134B	United States	Technology
4	Bernard Arnault	$116B	France	Consumer
5	Mark Zuckerberg	$102B	United States	Technology
13	Mukesh Ambani	$73.4B	India	Energy

 

3. According to Henley Passport Index, what is the rank of India in the most powerful passport in the world?
A) 85
B) 84
C) 83
D) 82
E) 81
Answer: A) 85

• Total Countries: 191 Countries

Rank	Country
1	Japan
2	Singapore
3	South Korea
3	Germany
85	India

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

4. Which Insurance company launches new campaign to revive lapsed policies amid Covid-19?
A) Life Insurance Corporation of India
B) Bharti AXA Life Insurance
C) Shriram Life Insurance
D) Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance
E) SBI Life Insurance
Answer: A) Life Insurance Corporation of India

• To encourage individuals to continue their risk cover amid the coronavirus pandemic, LIC launched a campaign where lapsed policies can be revived.
• The insurance behemoth has launched a Special Revival Campaign starting from January 7 till March 6 for its customers to revive their lapsed individual policies subject to certain conditions.
• LIC had launched a similar campaign from August 10 till October 9, 2020 for its customers to revive their lapsed individual policies.
• Policyholders will get 20 per cent late fee concession or Rs 2,000 for revival while 25 per cent concession for annual premiums between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.

Life Insurance Corporation of India
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman :M R Kumar

LIC – New campaign to revive lapsed policies amid Covid-19.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

5. According to Government Data, the Centre’s fiscal deficit will touch at least how much % of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020-21 (FY21)?
A) 5.1 per cent
B) 6.1 per cent
C) 6.2 per cent
D) 5.2 per cent
E) 4.1 per cent
Answer: B) 6.1 per cent

• The Centre’s fiscal deficit will touch at least 6.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020-21 (FY21). This based on the first set of advance growth estimates released by the government.
• This assumes the gap between Centre’s expenditure and revenue to be at least Rs 12 trillion, based on increased borrowing announced by the government in May to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak.
• However, economists estimate the full-year’s fiscal deficit to range between 7 per cent and 9 per cent of GDP, against 3.5 per cent estimated by the government in the Budget.
• Then, the government had assumed a nominal GDP growth of 10 per cent over the previous fiscal year at Rs 224.8 trillion.
• The National Statistical Office estimated nominal GDP at Rs 194.8 trillion – a 4.2 per cent contraction over the previous fiscal year.
• Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist, CARE Ratings, estimates fiscal deficit to widen to 9 per cent of GDP in FY21.
• Aditi Nayar, principal economist, ICRA Ratings, projects the Centre’s fiscal deficit at Rs 14.5 trillion in FY21, which is 7.5 per of GDP.
• The government had budgeted disinvestment proceeds of Rs 2.1 trillion for FY21, but only 3 per cent of that has been achieved till October.

GDP (Projections for FY 2021 – 22)

Organization	Real GDP Growth	Nominal GDP Growth
EY India	8.0 %	11% – 11.5%
ICRA	9.5% – 10.5%	13.5% – 14.5%
CRISIL	10.0%	14.0%
SBI Research	10.0% – 11.0%	14.0% – 15.0%
QuantEco Research	11.5%	15.5%

 

Government – Fiscal deficit to hit 6.1% of GDP in FY21.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

6. “Preparing: For Death” is authored by whom?
A) Arun Shourie
B) Vijay Kumar Choudhary
C) Sharon Stone
D) Sudha Murthy
E) Chetan Bhagat
Answer: A) Arun Shourie

Preparing: For Death – Arun Shourie (Author)

APPOINTMENTS

7. Aditya Puri is appointed as an advisor of global pharma major Strides Group. He served as MD & CEO of which Bank?
A) ICICI Bank
B) HDFC Bank
C) Bandhan Bank
D) Lakshmi Vilas Bank
E) IndusInd Bank
Answer: B) HDFC Bank

• Former HDFC Bank managing director Aditya Puri has joined global pharma major Strides Group as an advisor and will also serve as a director of its associate company Stelis Biopharma.
• In November 2020, Puri was roped in by US-based global investment firm Carlyle Group as a senior advisor.

Strides Pharma Science Limited:
Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
MD & CEO : Dr. R Ananthanarayanan

Aditya Puri – An advisor of global pharma major Strides Group – Former HDFC Bank managing director.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

8. Which IIT partners with Punjab National Bank and FIRST to set up Fintech Innovation Centre that would act as a vehicle to explore solutions in digital lending, payments and cyber security?
A) IIT Kanpur
B) IIT Madras
C) IIT Hyderabad
D) IIT Mandi
E) IIT Bombay
Answer: A) IIT Kanpur

• Punjab National Bank has announced an alliance with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and the Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology (FIRST) to set up Fintech Innovation Centre that would act as a vehicle to explore solutions in digital lending, payments and cyber security.
• The partnership will facilitate research and develop technological solutions to address challenges and explore opportunities in the BFSI space

Punjab National Bank:
Headquarters: New Delhi
MD & CEO : S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao
Tagline: The Name You Can Bank upon

Punjab National Bank + IIT-Kanpur + FIRST = Set up Fintech Innovation Centre.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

9. Japan was providing how much amount to mitigate socio-economic impact of Covid-19 in India?
A) 10 billion yen
B) 50 billion yen
C) 20 billion yen
D) 30 billion yen
E) 40 billion yen
Answer: D) 30 billion yen

Japan was providing 30 billion yen (₹2129 crore, $ 288 million) to mitigate socio-economic impact of covid-19 in India.

Japan:
Capital : Tokyo
Currency : Japanese Yen
Prime Minister: Yoshihide Suga

Japan – Provide ₹2,129 crore to India to mitigate socio-economic impact of
Covid-19.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

10. Which state launches scheme for free sanitary pads to high school girls in the state?
A) Punjab
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Arunachal Pradesh
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Assam
Answer: A) Punjab

• Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced a slew of welfare schemes, including free sanitary pads for girls studying in high school and colleges in the state.

Slew of welfare scheme:

• He also launched a programme to give property rights to slum dwellers and rolled out an over Rs 75-crore smart metering project

e-Daakhil portal:

• The new e-Daakhil portal will help consumers safeguard their rights.
• It will provide them with an effective mechanism to protect them from exploitation at the hands of traders and will help them in approaching consumer courts with ease

Sports kits:

• Launching a scheme for the distribution of 2500 sports kits among the youth, through community participation especially of the Ludhiana industry

Punjab:
Capital : Chandigarh
CM : Captain Amarinder Singh
Governor : V P Singh Badnore

Punjab – Scheme for free sanitary pads to high school girls.

11. Which Minister launches portal for online sale of certain items through CSD canteens?
A) Defence Minister
B) Home Minister
C) Finance Minister
D) Women & Child Development Minister
E) External Affairs Minister
Answer: A) Defence Minister

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a portal for the online sale of expensive items, including washing machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators, air-conditioners, television sets and laptops, through the CSD canteens.
• The portal will enable about 45 Lakh CSD (Canteen Stores Department) beneficiaries to purchase AFD-I items from the comfort of their home.

Ministry of Defence
Minister : Rajnath Singh
Constituency : Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Rajnath Singh – Launch portal for online sale of certain items through CSD canteens.

12. The Delhi cabinet approved the setting up of a Konkani academy in the national capital. Konkani Language is Official language in which state?
A) Goa
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) West Bengal
E) Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: A) Goa

• The Delhi cabinet approved the setting up of a Konkani academy in the national capital.

Konkani:

• Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language that is spoken by the Konkani people living primarily in the country’s western coastal region.
• It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the Constitution’s 8th schedule and the official language of Goa.

Delhi:
Capital: New Delhi
CM: Arvind Kejriwal
Governor: Anil Baijal

Delhi cabinet – Give nod to set up Konkani academy in city.

13. Centre has approved new National Highway projects worth Rs 5,801 crore rupees for which state?
A) Tamil Nadu
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Nagaland
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Maharashtra
Answer: E) Maharashtra

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gandkari said that the Centre has approved new National Highway projects worth Rs 5,801 crore rupees for Maharashtra under the Annual Plan.
• In addition, Rs 1,800 crore projects under the Central Road Fund scheme has also been sanctioned.
• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has built 3,771 km of concrete roads in Maharashtra.
• The target for construction during 2020-21 is 2,500 km out of which 1,394 km have so far been completed.

Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises:
Minister: Nitin Gadkari
Constituency: Nagpur. Maharashtra

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

Centre – Approve new National Highway projects worth Rs 5,801 cr for Maharashtra.

14. Tamil Nadu unveiled a bridge on the Tiruchengode-Ariyanur Road constructed at a cost of how much amount?
A) ₹15 crore
B) ₹25 crore
C) ₹35 crore
D) ₹45 crore
E) ₹55 crore
Answer: D) ₹45 crore

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday unveiled new bridges, the foundation stone for various irrigation projects and also launched the distribution of Pongal gift hampers for members of the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board under the Labour Department.
• During a series of video conference events at the Secretariat here, the CM unveiled a bridge on the Tiruchengode-Ariyanur Road constructed at a cost of ₹45 crore.
• He also unveiled six new bridges constructed in Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Pudukkottai, Theni, Coimbatore and Salem districts at a total cost of ₹40.73 crore.
• The CM also released a handbook titled ‘Ready Reckoner for Highway Engineers’ for the benefit of engineers.
• Mr. Palaniswami unveiled the foundation stone for projects to construct a regulator in Mayiladuthurai district at ₹9.76 crore, a reservoir in Virudhunagar district at ₹10.10 crore and two checks dams in Madurai district at a total cost of ₹4.92 crore.

Tamil Nadu:
Capital: Chennai
CM: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Tamil Nadu – Unveil new infrastructure, lays foundation stones for new projects.

DOWNLOAD TODAY’S CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF – CLICK HERE

You Must Also Read Daily Current Affairs January 7