Current Affairs 01st January 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Government Extends Income Tax Returns Filing Date To January 10

• The government extended the deadline to file income tax return (ITR) for individuals by 10 days to January 10, 2021.
• Prior to that the deadline was December 31, 2020
• This is the third time that the government has extended the deadline to file ITR  first from the normal deadline of July 31 to November 30, 2020, and then to December 31, 2020.
• The last date for filing ITR has been extended for those taxpayers whose filings using ITR-1 and ITR-4 forms are not required to be audited.

About Income Tax :

• Founded : 1860
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Responsible Minister : Nirmala Sitharaman

Government extends deadline for FASTag till February 15, 2021

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has extended the deadline for FASTags for all vehicles in India till February 15, 2021.
• Earlier, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had announced to completely do away with cash transactions for paying toll charges from January 1.
• The new deadline for FASTags to be made mandatory to cross a toll plaza has been set on February 15, 2021.
• The compulsory use of FASTags will help vehicles pass through the toll plazas swiftly, preventing long queues.

About FASTag :

• A FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• It was launched in 2016 for all four-wheelers and uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for toll collection.
• It has now become mandatory for M and N class four-wheelers sold before December 1, 2017, under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
• FASTag is a simple to use, reloadable tag which enables automatic deduction of toll charges and lets you pass through the toll plaza without stopping for the cash transaction.
• FASTag is linked to a prepaid account from which the applicable toll amount is deducted.
• The tag employs Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology and is affixed on the vehicle’s windscreen after the tag account is active.

Union Cabinet approves Multi-Modal Logistics Hub & Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida

• The government approved a multi-modal logistics and transport hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• For a view to making India a strong player in the global value chain. The Union Cabinet also approved a proposal to set up industrial corridor nodes at Krishnapatnam and Tumakuru under CBIC.
• The proposals have a total estimated cost of Rs 7,725 crore and an estimated employment generation of more than 2.8 lakh persons
• The Union Cabinet has approved proposals of Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) for construction of of various trunk infrastructure components, which includes:
• Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh (estimated cost of the project of Rs. 2,139.44 crore)
• Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka (estimated cost of Rs. 1,701.81 crore)
• Multi Modal Logistics Hub (MMLH) and Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh (estimated cost of Rs. 3,883.80 crore)

About Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) :

• Founded : 1995
• Comes Under Ministry of Commerce and Industry

About UP :

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Assam assembly passes Bill to abolish all government-run Madrassas

• The Assam Legislative Assembly passed the repeal provincialisation of Madrassa Bill, 2020  to abolish all government-run Madrassas in the state and convert them to general schools.
• The new act will come into effect from April 1, 2021. The Bill was tabled in the assembly by the state government on December 28, 2020.
• Assam, the state government has decided to make ‘education secular’ and 198 high madrasas and 542 other madrasas in the state will operate as any other general educational institute and will not give admission to students for theological studies.

About Assam :

• Capital : Dispur
• Chief Minister : Sarbananda Sonowal

Madhya Pradesh Exhibition Raag-Bhopali being organized to promote Zari-Zardozi crafts of Bhopal

• Madhya Pradesh Government is Organizing an exhibition called Raag-Bhopali is being organized to promote Zari-Zardozi crafts of Bhopal.
• The exhibition is being organised till 30 December in Gauhar Mahal, Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while inaugurating the exhibition on that fading art of Zari-Zardozi will be revived.

Different kinds of zari work

• Zardozi: This is a heavy and more elaborate embroidery work which uses varieties of gold threads, spangles, beads and gota.
• It is used to embellish wedding outfits, heavy coats, cushions, curtains etc.
• Kamdani : This is a lighter needlework which is done on lighter material like scarves, veils, and caps.
• Mina Work: This is thus called owing to its resemblance with enamel work. The embroidery is done in gold.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Navy, DRDO conduct maiden trial of 1st indigenous air-droppable container

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.
• The trial was conducted by the Indian Navy to enhance its operational logistics capabilities and provide critical engineering stores to ships that are deployed more than 2000 kilometers from the coast.
• SAHAYAK-NG is an advanced version of SAHAYAK Mk I.
• The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the capability to carry a payload that weighs up to 50 kilograms and can be dropped from heavy aircraft.
• SAHAYAK-NG container was developed by two DRDO laboratories i.e. NSTL, Visakhapatnam and ADRDE, Agra along with Avantel for GPS integration.

About Indian Navy:

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Comes under Ministry of Defence
• Commander in Chief : Ram Nath Kovind
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff : Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar
• Chief of the Naval Staff : Admiral Karambir Singh
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff : Vice Admiral M.S.Pawar

About DRDO:

• Founded : 1958
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Chairman : Dr.G.Satheesh Reddy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

DBS Bank India introduces one-stop integrated travel marketplace Travel Now

• DBS Bank India introduced a one-stop travel marketplace within the digibank app.
• Named as Travel Now, the platform enables customers to browse and book flights, bus tickets and hotels across hundreds of destinations both within and outside of India.
• With the help of this new platform customers will now be able opt for travel insurance, offered by Bharti AXA General Insurance, with an automated claims process for flight cancellation, and flight departure and arrival delays of more than 60 minutes.

About DBS Bank:

• CEO : Piyush Gupta
• Headquarters : Singapore

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India’s First Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems launched at IIT Hyderabad : TiHAN

• Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually laid the foundation stone of ‘TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad, India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial) at IIT Hyderabad.
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has sanctioned Rs. 135 crores to IIT Hyderabad under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to set up a Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems.
• The Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles at IIT Hyderabad, known as ‘TiHAN Foundation’ has been incorporated as a Section-8 company by the institute in June 2020.

About IIT:

• Director : Budaraju Srinivasa Murty

BARC-developed plaque therapy successfully used on eye cancer patients in AIIMS

• The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai has developed an eye cancer therapy in the form of the first indigenous Ruthenium 106 Plaque for the treatment of ocular tumours.
• The handling of plaque is very convenient for surgeons and it has been acknowledged to be at par with international standards.

About Ocular Tumours:

• Ocular tumors are tumors inside the eye.
• They are collections of cells that grow and multiply abnormally and form masses.
• They can be benign or malignant. In adults the most common type is metastatic, from another part of the body (lung, breast, prostate, etc).

About Ruthenium-106:

• Ruthenium-106 is a radioactive form of the rare heavy metal ruthenium, which is a “platinum group” metal similar to platinum.
• Radioactive isotopes or forms of elements naturally decay into other elements, giving off radiation in the process.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT NEWS

ISRO chairman K Sivan gets one-year extension up to January 14, 2022 as Department of Space secretary

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of tenure of K Sivan, secretary, Department of Space and chairman, Space Commission, for a period of one-year beyond January 14, 2021, that is up to January 14, 2022.
• Sivan is also Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Sivan joined Isro in 1982 and was inducted into the PSLV Project.
• He took over as Isro chairman in January 2018.
• Under his chairmanship, the space agency launched various important projects, including Chandrayaan 2, the second mission to the moon, on July 22 last year and currently working on the human spaceflight mission.
• He was the chief architect of 6D trajectory simulation software, SITARA, which is the backbone of the real-time and non-real-time trajectory simulations of all Isro launch vehicles.

About ISRO:

• Founder : Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded : 15 August 1969
• Director : Kailasavadivoo Sivan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS 

Shri V.K.Yadav Chairman of Railway board conferred with Eminent Engineer Award 

• Shri V.K. Yadav, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways has been conferred with the prestigious Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2020
• The award is given  by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for his outstanding contribution towards modernization and reforms over Indian Railways.
• Every year the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Delhi Local Network celebrates Engineers’ Day on the 15th of September to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya.
• On this occasion, besides technical activities, the Institution also presents the Eminent Engineer’s Award to distinguished Engineering personalities for their outstanding services in the field of Engineering and technology.

About the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET):-

• The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution formally known as The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), established in 1871.
• It is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168,000 members in 150 countries. The Institution is celebrating its glorious 150 years of existence.
• IET is registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No. 211014) and Scotland (No. SC038698).
• IET Delhi Local Network is one of nine such networks in South Asia, which constitutes the Indian arm of the IET.

Mother Teresa Memorial Awards For Social Justice 2020 Announced

• On December 27, 2020, Harmony Foundation hosted the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice.
• The Awards in its 16th year is the only award endorsed by Sister Prema, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, the organization started by Mother Teresa.
• The theme for this year’s awards was, Celebrating Compassion In Times Of Covid 
• Dr Anthony Fauci (USA) is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA. He and his task force were among the first ones to realize the seriousness of this pandemic.
• Fr Fabio Stevenazzi (Milan, Italy) decision to return to medical practice in order to help those infected with COVID 19 has thrust him to be the modern day example of St Charles Borromeo who in 1576 during the Great Plague that hit the city of Milan and cut the population by half, stayed behind to nurse the sick and renovate hospitals.
• Dr Pradeep Kumar (Chennai) took it upon himself to give a befitting burial to his colleague with the help of two ward boys, at a cemetery in the city in the middle of the night.
• Cristian Fracassi and Alessandro Romaioli (Italy) CEO and Founder of ISINNOVA along with his teammate and engineer Alessandro Romaioli built prototypes on Isinnova’s 3D printers, to create the parts of the use-and-throw valves for ventilators which were desperately needed in Italy and provided it to them for free helped many patients survive the terrors of this pandemic.
• Sanjay Pandey, IPS (DG Home Guards, Maharashtra) went beyond the call of duty as a police officer to open the first relief camp in the Mumbai city suburbs for migrant workers whose livelihood were disrupted by the lockdown to contain the pandemic.
• Vikas Khanna (Manhattan, USA) heart still moves to serve the lonely and underprivileged here in India.
• KK Shailaja (Minister of Health, Kerala) Her extraordinary efforts and proactiveness in dealing with the pandemic by following experts and scientific advice helped countless Keralites survive the terrors of this pandemic, serving as an example for governments of other states & countries to follow.

About Harmony Foundation:

• Harmony Foundation is an international NGO that works in the realm of Social Justice.
• It was founded in October of 2005, with its raison d’etre, being the establishment, and strengthening, of social cohesion among various communities, and to work towards the benefit of all, without discriminating against any religion, creed, sex, or their origins.

Gwalior hosts much-awaited Tansen Music Festival

• In Madhya Pradesh, the much-awaited Tansen Music Festival began in Gwalior with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. In the inaugural ceremony renowned santoor player Pt Satish Vyas was conferred upon the prestigious Tansen Samman.
• Bhopal-based institution Abhinav Kala Parishad was honoured with Raja Mansingh Tomar award.
• The inaugural day events started with cross-cultural offerings of Harikatha, Milad and shehnai vadan at Tansen’s samadhi sthal in Hazira.
• The festival will conclude on December 30 at Behat village, the birthplace of the music maestro Tansen.

About MP :

• Capital : Bhopal
• Chief Minister : Shivraj Singh Chouhan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Dr. Harsh Vardhan digitally inaugurates the 7th NHM National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices through a video conference

• Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare digitally inaugurated the 7th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices through a video conference.
• Vardhan also launched New Health Management Information System (HMIS) along with the Operational Guidelines for TB services at AB-HWCs and the Operational Guidelines 2020 on Active Case Detection and Regular Surveillance for Leprosy.
• Main Objective :  to recognize, showcase and document various best practices and innovations in public healthcare system
• While the first one was held in 2013 at Srinagar .

About HMIS:

• Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a Government to Government (G2G) web-based Monitoring Information System that has been put in place by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India to monitor the National Health Mission and other Health programmes and provide key inputs for policy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Veteran broadcaster Indira Joseph Venniyor passes away

• Indira Joseph Venniyor, Renowned broadcaster, All India Radio Veterean, and the first English news announcer of Travancore Radio, passed away. She was 94.
• She was the wife of well-known literary scholar and art critic the late E.M.J. Venniyoor.
• She is a lover of music and performing arts, she encouraged budding professionals in the fields.

Daily CA on Dec 31^st   

• The country’s first pollinator park with over 40 species of butterflies, honey bees, birds and insects has been developed over four acres at Nainital’s Haldwani.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal to export indigenously-developed Akash Missile System.
• Indian Railways successfully completed a speed trial for 180 km per hour of a new design vistadome tourist coach. According to the Railway Ministry, the new vistadome tourist coach has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
• Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and mobile App, to connect with 3.12 crore strong diaspora across the world.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) at six sites across six states on January 1 in video conference.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction. Projects of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs were discussed.
• “To mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, he had gone to Port Blair and had the honour of hoisting the Tricolour,”
• The renewable energy minister was speaking at the Chief Ministers’ Plenary session of the virtual 3rd Global RE-INVEST Summit.
• The Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode.
• The Chief Minister Secretariat, the Disaster Management Department besides the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the state have jointly been chosen as winners in the “pandemic category” Digital India Awards 2020.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that a multi-modal logistics park will be constructed in Silchar in Assam.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the project ‘Deepening and Optimization of Inner Harbour Facilities including Development of Western Dock on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under Public-Private Partnership (PPP)mode to handle cape size vessels at Paradip Port’.
• The entire state of Nagaland has been declared a disturbed area for six more months.
• Jammu and Kashmir Govt conducts Intra State Level programme begins at Teacher’s Bhawan Gandhi Nagar, Jammu
• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Aswatha Narayana has said that new Government Tool Room and Training Centers will be established in different parts of the state to impart training in different skills.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to generate awareness among the common masses about the Fit India campaign, Municipal Council Udhampur organized a cycle rally at Udhampur.
• North East’s first-ever specialised “Ginger” Processing Plant at district Ri-Bhoui in Meghalaya is being revived and is likely to become functional in the beginning of 2021.
• Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year Award’ for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin meant for treatment of leucoderma.
• The private sector lender Yes Bank has appointed Niranjan Banodkar as a new Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working paper has recommended that maintaining the inflation target at 4 percent is appropriate for the country.
• Tamil Nadu-based City Union Bank (CUB) is now available on India’s most popular messaging application—Whatsapp. 
• Karnataka signs three agreements with different firms to impart skill training to youths for jobs abroad.
• Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
• Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) recently signed an MoU with UNDP India to co-create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB).
• On 29th December, 2020 Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare was nominated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) as a member of the GAVI Board.
• On 29 December 2020, The autobiography of late Justice Rajindar Sachar, titled, In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography, was launched posthumously by Sachar’s family on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a milestone in quantum technology by successfully developing a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG).
• Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country’s largest fuel retailer, announced it has launched the country’s first remote monitoring system for oil refineries’ turbines. The project, located in Hyderabad, was inaugurated by oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Former Indian footballer Nikhil Nandy, was a part of the squad in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died on December 29, 2020. He was 88.

Daily CA on Jan 01^st    

• The government extended the deadline to file income tax return (ITR) for individuals by 10 days to January 10, 2021.Prior to that the deadline was December 31, 2020.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has extended the deadline for FASTags for all vehicles in India till February 15, 2021.
• The government approved a multi-modal logistics and transport hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Assam Legislative Assembly passed the repeal provincialisation of Madrassa Bill, 2020 to abolish all government-run Madrassas in the state and convert them to general schools.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.
• DBS Bank India introduced a one-stop travel marketplace within the digibank app. Named as Travel Now, the platform enables customers to browse and book flights, bus tickets and hotels across hundreds of destinations both within and outside of India.
• Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually laid the foundation stone of ‘TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad, India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial) at IIT Hyderabad.
• The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai has developed an eye cancer therapy in the form of the first indigenous Ruthenium 106 Plaque for the treatment of ocular tumours.
• Madhya Pradesh Government is Organizing an exhibition called Raag-Bhopali is being organized to promote Zari-Zardozi crafts of Bhopal.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of tenure of K Sivan, secretary, Department of Space and chairman, Space Commission, for a period of one-year beyond January 14, 2021, that is up to January 14, 2022.
• Shri V.K. Yadav, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways has been conferred with the prestigious Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2020
• On december 27, 2020, Harmony Foundation hosted the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice. The theme for this year’s awards was, Celebrating Compassion In Times Of Covid
• In Madhya Pradesh, the much-awaited Tansen Music Festival began in Gwalior with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. In the inaugural ceremony renowned santoor player Pt Satish Vyas was conferred upon the prestigious Tansen Samman.
• Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare digitally inaugurated the 7th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices through a video conference.
• Indira Joseph Venniyor, Renowned broadcaster, All India Radio Veterean, and the first English news announcer of Travancore Radio, passed away. She was 94.