Home Current Affairs January 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

January 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

January 19, 2021

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January 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

Table of Contents

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. 16th NDRF Raising Day is observed on which date?
A) January 16
B) January 17
C) January 18
D) January 19
E) January 15
Answer: D) January 19

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is celebrated on January 19 to mark its formation.
This year, the NDRF observed its 16th NDRF Raising Day.
The NDRF came into existence on January 19, 2006.
The specialized task force has been constituted for “special response to a threatening disaster situation or a disaster.”
National Disaster Management Authority is the parent body of the NDRF. Located at 12 different locations in the country, there are 12 NDRF battalions.
There are as many as 13,000 NDRF personnel who work to build a safer country.
During incidents of floods, drowning, cyclones and other disasters, the actions of the NDRF have been appreciated by the people.
Their personnel are trained in rope rescue, flood rescue, collapsed structure search and rescue, and many other activities that help save lives during calamities.
NDRF battalions have 18 self-contained specialist search and rescue teams. The director general of NDRF is an IPS officer.
Currently, IPS officer SN Pradhan is the DG of the NDRF.

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

SPORTS

2. Rishabh Pant is related to which sports?
A) Football
B) Cricket
C) Volleyball
D) Badminton
E) Tennis
Answer: B) Cricket

Rishabh Pant surpassed the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become the fastest Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to reach the 1000-run mark in Test cricket.
Pant achieved the feat in only 27 innings, scoring at an average of 40.04. Dhoni had taken 32 innings to reach the milestone.
Besides Pant and Dhoni, there are five other Indian stumpers – Farokh Engineer
(36 innings), Wriddhiman Saha (37 innings), Nayan Mongia (39 innings), Syed Kirmani (45 innings) and Kiran More (50 innings) – who touched the 1000-run milestone in Test cricket.
South Africa’s Quinton de Kock holds the record for being the fastest wicketkeeper batsman to reach 1000 runs in Test matches. He did in 21 innings.
In 2019, Pant became the fastest Indian glovesman to account for 50 dismissals in Test cricket against the West Indies.

Rishabh Pant – Surpass Dhoni to become fastest India stumper to hit 1,000 test runs.

OBITUARY

3. Dr V Shanta passed away. She won Padma Shri in which year?
A) 1987
B) 1986
C) 1982
D) 1983
E) 1984
Answer: B) 1986

Senior oncologist and chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V Shanta passed away.
Dr. Shanta was the recipient of Padma Shri in 1986, Padma Bhushan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in 2016. She was conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 2005.
On December 28, 2020, she participated in the launch of Tamil Nadu Cancer Registry Project Report 2020, a collaborative study by Cancer Institute and Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu.

Dr V Shanta – Senior oncologist and chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute.

BANKING AND FINANCE

4. IIFL Home Finance and which Bank entered into a co-lending arrangement for extending credit to MSME loans?
A) Standard Chartered Bank
B) DBS Bank
C) SBM Bank
D) Bank of China
E) HSBC
Answer: A) Standard Chartered Bank

Fairfax-backed IIFL Finance’s home loan subsidiary IIFL Home Finance and Standard Chartered Bank entered into a co-lending arrangement for extending credit to MSME loans (loan against property).

IIFL Home Finance:
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
MD & CEO : CA Gopal Bansal

Standard Chartered Bank:
Headquarters : London, United Kingdom
CEO: Bill Winters

IFL Home Finance + Standard Chartered Bank – co-lending for extending credit to MSME loans.

5. Yes Bank has rolled out YES MSME aim to strengthen MSMEs with speedy and easy access to funds. What is the headquarters of Yes Bank?
A) Bangalore, Karnataka
B) Mumbai, Maharashtra
C) Chennai, Tamil Nadu
D) New Delhi, Delhi
E) Kolkata, West Bengal
Answer: B) Mumbai, Maharashtra

YES BANK has rolled out YES MSME, a proposition with the aim to strengthen the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with speedy and easy access to funds.
This will be facilitated by curated offerings to address both business and individual needs of MSMEs and of new-age entrepreneurs.
The five key differentiating elements of the proposition are:

Borrow: Easy borrowing channels with customised funding – government schemes, trade and finance SME initial public offering (IPO), investment banking (IB) , a dedicated MSME Cell, parameterised product solutions for ease along with quick fetching of GST/ITR details, enabling faster access.
Save: Current account to savings account/fixed deposit sweep; focused programmes – YES Premia, YES First Business and assets-focused loyalty rewards programme.
Simplify: Startup lending up to Rs 5 crore under YES SPARK; digital applications – YES MSME, YES Transact; fintech partnerships and digital payroll solutions.
Partner: YES BizConnect – collaborative solutions to build strong market linkages involving over 700 industry associations; tech-based partner solutions; knowledge sharing via advisories, MSME newsletters and discussion forums.
Protect: Business insurance products; individual – life, health, general; wealth solutions and investments.

Yes Bank:
Hq: Mumbai,Maharashtra
MD and CEO : Prashant Kumar
Tagline: Experience our Expertise

YES BANK – YES MSME initiative to enable access to funding.

6. Which Bank has a launched a credit card named “Aura” dedicated towards various health and wellness benefits?
A) Axis Bank
B) ICICI Bank
C) HDFC Bank
D) CSB Bank
E) Karur Vyasa Bank
Answer: A) Axis Bank

Axis Bank, India’s third-largest private sector bank, announced the launch of ‘AURA’, a credit exclusively loaded with several health and wellness benefits for its users.
Aimed at health-conscious individuals, these features will be powered by Poshvine and other specialists such as Decathlon, Practo, Fitternity, IndushealthPlus, 1MG etc., to offer a complete and unique health & wellness solution.
Benefits and offers
- Welcome benefit voucher – Rs 700.
- Free online video doctor consultants – Up to four per month.
- Free online interactive workout session – Up to four per month.
- Access to recorded fitness sessions by Celebrity Fitness Trainers – Up to sixteen per month.
- Discount on annual health checkup – Up to Rs 500.

Axis Bank:
Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO : Mr Amitabh Chaudhary
Tagline : Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

Axis Bank – Credit card named AURA’ loaded with health, wellness benefits.

7. Which Payments Bank has partnered with Mobile ware Technologies to offer TransXT, a Neo Banking ready platform for enhancing its digital payments capability?
A) Airtel Payments Bank
B) India Post Payments Bank
C) Fino Payments Bank
D) Paytm Payments Bank
E) NSDL Payments Bank
Answer: E) NSDL Payments Bank

NSDL Payments Bank a subsidiary of National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), one of the largest Depositories in the World has partnered with Mobileware Technologies to offer TransXT, a Neo Banking ready platform for enhancing its digital payments capability.
NSDL ‘Jiffy app’ is the face of NSDL Payments Bank that gives customers a seamless banking experience and enables quick, smooth, and secure transactions.

NSDL Payments Bank:
Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO : Mr. Ashutosh Singh

NSDL Payments Bank + Mobileware Technologies – TransXT – To Boost Digital Payments Capability.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

8. Which e-commerce platform has partnered with Startup India, Sequoia Capital India and Fireside Ventures to launch an accelerator programme to help early-stage startups take their brands to global audiences?
A) Amazon
B) Flipkart
C) Snapdeal
D) Myntra
E) Shopclues
Answer: A) Amazon

Amazon has partnered with Startup India, Sequoia Capital India and Fireside Ventures to launch an accelerator programme to help early-stage startups take their brands to global audiences.
The Amazon Global Selling Propel (AGSP) programme has been designed to support early stage startups (raised funding in post seed to pre-series A stage, if fundeD) in the consumer products space to launch in international markets and create global brands from India through Amazon’s Global Selling programme.

Amazon:
Headquarters : Seattle, Washington, United States
CEO: Jeff Bezos

Amazon + Startup India + Sequoia Capital India + Fireside Ventures – To boost e-commerce exports.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

9. The Tyranny of Big Tech is authored by Sen. Josh Hawley published by ________?
A) Simon and Schuster.
B) Harper Collins
C) Regnery
D) Penguin/Random House.
E) Hachette Book Group
Answer: C) Regnery

The Tyranny of Big Tech – Authored by Sen. Josh Hawley – Published by Regnery.

APPOINTMENTS

10. How many non-official members nominated to National Startup Advisory Council by Government?
A) 22
B) 25
C) 27
D) 28
E) 30
Answer: D) 28

Members:
1. Shri Byju Raveendran, Byju’s
2. Ms. Shradha Sharma, YourStory
3. Ms. Lizzie Chapman, ZestMoney
4. Shri Abhiraj Singh, Urban Company
5. Shri Kunal Bahl, Snapdeal
6. Shri Deepak Garg, Rivigo Service
7. Shri Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola Cab
8. Shri Krishna Kumar, Cropln
9. Shri Sanjeev Bhikchandani, Info Edge India
10. Shri Sridhar Vembu, Zoho Corp
11. Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Axilor Ventures
12. Shri Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri, Anath Technologies
13. Shri Mohandas Pai, Aarin Capital Partners
14. Shri Gopal Srinivasan, TVS Capital Funds Limited
15. Shri Ramesh Byrapaneni, Endiya Partners
16. Shri Prashant Prakash, Accel
17. Ms. Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital
18. Shri Manoj Kohli, Softbank India
19. Shri Rajan Anandan, Sequoia Capital India
20. Shri Amitabha Bandyopadhyay SIIC, IIT Kanpur
21. Shri Kunal Upadhayaya, CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad
22. Ms. Renuka Ramnath, Indian Private Equity & VentureCapital Association
23. Shri Venkatesh Shukla,The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE)
24. Shri Sharad Sharma, Indian Software Product Industry RoundTable (iSpirit).
25. Ms. Debjani Ghosh, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM)
26. Shri Uday Kotak, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
27. Shri Vineet Agarwal, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM
28. Shri Uday Shankar, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

The term of the Non-official members of the Startup Advisory Council shall be for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

National Startup Advisory Council:

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the ‘National Startup Advisory Council’ vide Notification No.5(24)/2019-Startup India dated 21st January 2020 to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
The council shall, inter alia, suggest measures to:
i. Foster a culture of innovation amongst citizens and students in particular;
ii. Promote innovation in all sectors of economy across the country, including semi-urban and rural areas;
iii. Support creative and innovative ideas through incubation and research and development to transform them into valuable products, processes or solutions to improve productivity and efficiency;
iv. Create an environment of absorption of innovation in industry;
v. Facilitate public organizations to assimilate innovation with a view to improving public service delivery;
vi. Promote creation, protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights;
vii. Make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses by reducing regulatory compliances and costs;
viii. Promote ease of access to capital for startups;
ix. Incentivize domestic capital for investments into startups;
x. Mobilize global capital for investments in Indian startups;
xi. Keep control of startups with original promoters.
xii. Provide access to global markets for Indian startups

28 non-official members – National Startup Advisory Council.

11. Who is appointed as President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI)?
A) Naren D Rao
B) Nagendra D Rao
C) Siva D Rao
D) Nagaraj D Rao
E) Satish D Rao
Answer: B) Nagendra D Rao

Devendra V Deshpande was elected as the vice-president of the institute.

Nagendra D Rao – President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

AWARDS

12. Azim Premji has been chosen for ‘Press Club Person of the Year’. He is Chairman of which Company?
A) Wipro
B) IBM
C) Accenture
D) PhonePe
E) BharaPe
Answer: A) Wipro

This award is given by the Press Club of Bangalore.

Wipro Limited:
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chairman: Azim Premji

Azim Premji – ‘Press Club Person of the Year’.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

13. S S Innovations has come up with South Asia’s first medical robotics surgery system. It is incubated at which state Medtech Zone?
A) Andhra Pradesh
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Nagaland
D) Maharashtra
E) Mizoram
Answer: A) Andhra Pradesh

S S Innovations, incubated at the Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ) in Visakhapatanam, has come up with South Asia’s first medical robotics surgery system, which would cost less than a third of what imported systems cost.
Called SSI Mantra (Multi-Arm Novel Tele Robotic AssistancE) , the system, tested on 18 procedures in clinical trials at New Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, is capable of carrying out surgeries in all major surgical specialities including urology, general surgery, gynaecology, thoracic, cardiac and head and neck surgeries.

SS Innovations – Robotic surgery system – SSI Mantra (Multi-Arm Novel Tele Robotic Assistance).

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

14. The government of Tamil Nadu has proposed to set up a bulk drug park in Tiruvallur district at the cost of how much amount?
A) Rs 5,153 crore
B) Rs 4,153 crore
C) Rs 3,153 crore
D) Rs 2,153 crore
E) Rs 1,153 crore
Answer: D) Rs 2,153 crore

The government of Tamil Nadu has proposed to set up a bulk drug park and a medical devices park near Chennai.

The Bulk drug park:

The bulk drug park is will be located in Tiruvallur district in an artea of 2,000 acres. The proposed cost for developing this project is Rs 2,153 crore.

The Medical devices park:

The medical devices park will be located near Oragadam in Kancheepuram district in an area of 350 acres, according to the memorandum presented to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The proposed cost for developing this project is Rs 430 crore.

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

Tamil Nadu – Set up bulk drug, medical devices parks near Chennai.

15. Which Minister has inaugurated the LNG truck-loading unit of Shell India at Hazira, Gujarat?
A) Finance Minister
B) Home Minister
C) Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister
D) Women & Child Development Minister
E) External Affairs Minister
Answer: C) Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the LNG truck-loading unit of Shell India at Hazira, Gujarat.

Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel:
Minister : Dharmendra Pradhan
Constituency : Rajya Sabha MP, Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat:
Capital : Gandhinagar
CM : Vijay Rupani
Governor : Acharya Dev Vrat

Dharmendra Pradhan – LNG truck-loading unit of Shell India in Gujarat.

16. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified Inter Country Transport Vehicles Rules, 2021 under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act in which year?
A) 1987
B) 1988
C) 1986
D) 1985
E) 1984
Answer: B) 1988

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified Inter Country Transport Vehicles Rules, 2021 which would facilitate and regulate the movement of passenger and goods vehicles between India and neighboring countries.
As per the rules, the State Transport Authority has been given the power to grant the Inter Country Transport Permit after thoroughly examining the application.
The permit will remain valid for a period of one year from the date of its issue and it will be renewable for a period of five years on yearly basis.
The decision has been taken considering the requests made by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to notify rules under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 to facilitate movement of vehicles carrying goods and passengers between India and neighboring countries.

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

MoRTH – Notify Inter Country Transport Vehicles Rules 2021.

17. KVIC to sign how many MOUs with Ministry of Tribal Affairs aimed at creating local employment, strengthen Khadi artisans and the tribal population?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
Answer: B) 2

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs sign two MoUs.
While one MOU is regarding the purchase of Khadi fabric for tribal students, the other MOU is on partnering of Tribal Affairs Ministry with KVIC as an implementing agency for Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP).
The MoUs will be signed in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari and Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda.
They are aligned with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” as they aim at creating local employment by strengthening the Khadi artisans and a large chunk of tribal population across the country.

First MoU:

As part of the first MoU, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs will procure over 6 lakh meters of Khadi fabric worth Rs 14.77 crore in 2020-21, for the students in Eklavya Residential Schools being run by the ministry.
As the government increases the number of Eklavya Schools every year; the quantum of purchase of Khadi fabric shall also increase proportionally.

Second MoU:

Under the second MoU, National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation (NSTFDC) , an agency of the Tribal Affairs Ministry responsible for economic development of tribals in India, will be roped in as a partner to implement PMEGP Scheme.
NSTFDC provides concessional loan schemes for funding entrepreneurial ventures of aspiring scheduled tribes in all sectors of economy.
The MoU will thus benefit the tribals by engaging them in various production activities and creating self-employment opportunities.
The alliance of NSTFDC and KVIC will increase the coverage of PMEGP Scheme among the STs.

KVIC:
Abbreviation: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Act: ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956
Founded Year: 1956
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman: Vinai Kumar Saxena

Tribal Affairs:
Minister : Arjun munda
Constituency : Khunti, Jharkhand

KVIC + Ministry of Tribal Affairs – Two MOUs – Aimed at creating local employment, strengthen Khadi artisans and the tribal population.

18. Which Minister in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a Quantum Computing Applications Lab in the country?
A) Electronics and Information Technology Minister
B) Home Minister
C) Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister
D) Women & Child Development Minister
E) External Affairs Minister
Answer: A) Electronics and Information Technology Minister

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in India will establish a Quantum Computing Applications Lab in the country, in collaboration with AWS, to accelerate quantum computing-led research and development and enable new scientific discoveries.
The MeitY Quantum Computing Applications Lab will provide quantum computing as a service togovernment ministries and departments, researchers, scientists, academia, and developers, to enable advances in areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and aerospace engineering. AWS will provide hosting with technical and programmatic support for the Lab.
This MeitY initiative will provide scientific, academic, and developer communities access to a quantum computing development environment aligned with the government’s science and technology priorities.

Quantum computing:

Quantum computing is an emerging field that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to build powerful tools to process information.
It has the potential to solve computational problems that are beyond the reach of classical computers, and lead to new breakthroughs that can transform chemical engineering, material science, drug discovery, financial portfolio optimization, machine learning, and much more.

Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology:
Minister: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Constituency: Patna Sahib, Bihar

MeitY + Amazon Web Services – Set up India’s first quantum computing lab.

19. Who will become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade?
A) Bhawana Kanth
B) Avani Chaturvedi
C) Gunjan Saxena
D) Shivangi
E) Durba Banerjee
Answer: A) Bhawana Kanth

Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade.
Kanth, currently posted at a Rajasthan airbase and commissioned on a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane, will be a part of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) tableau that will showcase mock-ups of the light combat aircraft, light combat helicopter and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.
The 28-year-old was among the first women fighter pilots, along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh, to be inducted into the IAF in 2016.
Hailing from Bihar’s Darbhanga, Kanth was born in Begusarai and completed her schooling from Barauni Refinery DAV Public School and college in Bengaluru, according to a report.
She joined the fighter squadron in November 2017, and turned operational in March 2018.
Total of 38 IAF aircraft and four planes of the Indian Army will participate in the flypast on 26 January.
The flypast will be divided into two blocks – the first is planned along with the parade from 1004 hours to 1020 hours and the second after the parade from 1120 hours to 1145 hours.

Bhawana Kanth – First woman fighter pilot to take part in Republic Day parade.

20. Which state has been permitted to raise additional Rs 1,423 crore through market borrowing after the state implemented power sector reforms?
A) Nagaland
B) Tamil Nadu
C) Andhra Pradesh
D) Maharashtra
E) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: E) Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has taken the lead in undertaking power sector reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
As part of the reforms, the State has started Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of electricity subsidy to farmers in one district of the state with effect from December, 2020.
Thus, the State has successfully implemented one out of the three stipulated reforms in the power sector.
Successful implementation of the reform has made the State eligible to mobilize additional financial resources equivalent to 0.15 percent of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
Accordingly, the Department of Expenditure has granted permission to the State to mobilize additional financial resources of Rs. 1,423 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
Power Sector reforms sitpulated by the Ministry of Finance aim at creating a transparent and hassle free provision of power subsidy to farmers and prevent leakages. They also aim at improving the health of power distribution companies by alleviating their liquidity stress in a sustainable manner.
As per the guidelines issued by the Department of Expenditure, the States undertaking reforms in power sector are granted permission to raise additional financial resources of up to 0.25 percent of the GSDP. This is linked to a set of 3 reforms in the sector:
i. 0.05 % of GSDP for reduction in Aggregate Technical & Commercial losses in the State as per prescribed targets.
ii. Another, 0.05 % of GSDP is allowed for reduction in the gap between Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realisation (ACS-ARR gap) in the State as per prescribed targets.
iii. Finally, 0.15 % of GSDP of the State on introduction of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to all farmers in the State in lieu of free/ subsidised electricity. For this, the State government has to frame a Scheme for transfer of cash and implement the Scheme in at least one district by 31st December, 2020.
14 States have carried out at least one of the four stipulated reforms and have been granted reform linked borrowing permissions.
Out of these, 11 States have implemented the One Nation One Ration Card System, 8 States have done ease of doing business reforms, 4 States have done local body reforms and Madhya Pradesh has implemented power sector reforms.
Total reform linked additional borrowing permission issued so far to the States stands at Rs. 62,762 crore.