Current Affairs 08th January 2021| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Karnataka CM launches Krishi Sanjeevani vans to test soil, water & suggest remedies for pest control

• On January 07, 2021, Karnataka Chief Minister S. Yediyurappa launched Krishi Sanjeevani vans in Bengaluru.
• This is Mainly for to help farmers in their own backyards.
• As part of this scheme, 40 mobile agro clinics were rolled from outside the Vidhana Soudha.
• The main objective of this project is to reduce the cost of production.
• In addition to that to provide farmers with accurate information on improved agriculture production technologies, supply of quality agricultural tools and adequate use of recommended fertilisers, pest and disease management, and nutrients available in the soil.
• This initiative is part of the National Agricultural Development Scheme 2020-21. These labs will also help the government conduct surveys at all stages of crop production and inform the farmers about the possible pest attacks, disease and weed management practices.
• The state government has rolled out 40 labs, each lab for 31 districts, while some big districts like Mysuru, Bengaluru Rural and Shivamogga will get two labs.

About Karnataka :

• Chief Minister : B. S. Yediyurappa
• Capital : Bangalore
• Governor : Vajubhai Vala

India to chair three-key subsidiary committees of UNSC

• Permanent Representative of India at the United Nations Security Council, TS Tirumurti announced, India will be chairing three-key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• The panels are: Counter-Terrorism Committee (for 2022), Taliban Sanctions Committee, and Libya Sanctions committee. 
• India will chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee of UNSC in 2022. 
• Mr Tirumurti said, chairing of this committee has a special resonance for India which has not only been at the forefront of fighting terrorism especially cross border terrorism but has also been one of its biggest victims.
• He said, Taliban Sanctions Committee has always been a high priority for India keeping in minds its strong interest and commitment to peace, security, development, and progress of Afghanistan.
• Mr Tirumurti said, India will be assuming the chair of the Libya Sanctions Committee at a critical juncture when there is an international focus on Libya and on the peace process.

About UNSC:

• Headquarters:New York, United States
• Secretary General: António Guterres

EAM conclude his three-day visit to Sri Lanka

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has concluded his three-day visit to Sri Lanka.
• The Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka thanked the Foreign Minister of the Island Nation, Dinesh Gunawardena for making the visit a huge success.
• Jaishankar held a productive meeting with Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda.
• The External Affairs Minister said, they reviewed cooperation in fisheries after the recent Joint Working Group session and added that they look forward to working with him closely.
• Jaishankar also met the Tamil National Alliance and the Tamil Progressive Alliance delegations.
• He discussed issues pertaining to development and devolution and the role of Provincial Councils.
• The Minister also interacted with business leaders of Lanka and appreciated their insights and suggestions on economic cooperation.

About Sri Lanka:

• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
• President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa
• Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa

Centre says, over 3 crore new connections grant under Jal Jeevan Mission

• Central govt. has said that over three crore new connections have been provided under Jal Jeevan Mission. 
• On reviewing a Flagship programme of jal jevan mission, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Rattanlal Kataria informed that since Independence till August 2019, a total of 3.23 Crore rural households out of 18.93 crore rural households had tap water connections.
• Jal Jeevan mission has set an ambitious yet achievable target of giving piped water connections to each and every rural household with an approach ensuring – ‘No one is left out’.
• Mr Kataria informed that Goa is the first State to provide 100 per cent piped connection.
• He said, so far 27 Districts, 458 blocks, 33,516 Gram Panchayats, 66,210 villages have been declared to have achieved ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
• Recently, Kurukshetra became the 27th District in India and 3rd in Haryana to have achieved this target.
• Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, and Puducherry are close to achieving 100 per cent coverage.
• He credited the success primarily to the people of these villages, Gram Panchayats, Paani Samitis, public health authorities and other stakeholders, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Mizoram, UT of Andaman and Nicobar.

Education Minister states that NEP-2020 is revolutionary in all aspects

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has emphasized that the National Education Policy, NEP-2020, is revolutionary in all aspects.
• The Education Minister said this while inaugurating the two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ through video conferencing.
• It focuses on multiple aspects of promoting mother language at primary level education, imparting vocational skills training for students at the secondary level and other innovative reforms.
• He further stated that NEP emphasizes on the inter-disciplinary studies and integrated course curriculum in higher education for wider learning opportunities, with an aim to provide value-based holistic education, development of scientific temper and imparting skill training to youngsters.

Rs 69,000 crore allocated for SC students

• Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has said that the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated 69,000 crore for the Post Matric scholarship of SC students for the next five years.
• 1 crore 30 lakh SC students will be enrolled for higher education and skill training under this scheme in the next five years.
• He said, Modi government is planning to give overseas scholarships to 100 SC students every year, whose annual family income is below 8 lakh rupees.
• Mr Athvale said that the Modi government is also running various schemes for 2 crore 67 lakh Divyang people including 32 lakh in Gujarat under the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.

Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog announces Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Exam

• Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), the government body set up for cow welfare has announced that it will hold a countrywide online examination on ‘gau vigyan’ (cow science) on February 25.
• There will be no fee for the examination.
• The exam will be held in 12 regional languages apart from Hindi and English.
• The duration will be one hour and there will be 4 categories :

1. Primary level up to 8th standard,
2. Secondary level from class 9th to class 12th,
3. College level after 12th+
4. For the general public.

• RKA comes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• It was set up by the Centre in February 2019, and is aimed at “conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny”.

Sagarmala Seaplane Project Services Commenced

• The Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways has recently started the operations of the seaplane services, on several routes. 
• It is being implemented under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework through prospective airline operators.
• The implementation and execution of the “Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)” would be through the SPV with the Sagarmala Development Company Ltd, SDCL, under the control of the Ministry of Shipping.
• The proposed Origin-Destination pairs under Hub and Spoke model include various islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, the Guwahati Riverfront & Umranso Reservoir in Assam, Yamuna Riverfront/Delhi (as Hub) to Ayodhaya, Tehri, Srinagar (Uttrakhand), Chandigarh and many other tourist places of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
• One such Seaplane Service is already in operation between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Joe Biden Picks Centrist Judge Merrick Garland As US Attorney General

• President-elect Joe Biden confirmed he will nominate Merrick Garland, a centrist judge that Republicans denied a seat on the Supreme Court five years ago  to be US attorney general.

About Garland :

• Garland, a judge on the Washington federal appeals court, has a record as a moderate liberal and is not aligned with either political party.
• Garland, 68, has had a long career as a private sector lawyer and a federal prosecutor.
• In 1993, he was named deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice, handling important national security cases including the Oklahoma City and Atlanta Olympics bombings.
• In 1997, president Bill Clinton named him to the Washington appeals court, and he received broad support from Democratic and Republican senators in his confirmation.
• He became chief judge of that court in 2013 and, in March 2016, was picked by Obama to fill a seat on the Supreme Court after Antonin Scalia died.

About US :

• Capital : Washington, D.C.

Elon Musk world’s wealthiest person: US media

• US media reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk now world’s wealthiest person.
• Elon Musk, the outspoken and envelope-pushing chief executive of Tesla, overtook Amazon boss Jeff Bezos to become the world’s wealthiest person, US media reported.
• Musk is a major shareholder of the electric car company and has benefited from Tesla’s surging share price over the last year.
• CNBC estimated Musk’s wealth at $185 billion.

Face book & YouTube removes videos about TRUMP

• Facebook bans Trump ‘indefinitely’, YouTube removes videos from US President’s channel.
• Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook banned President Donald Trump from the platform “indefinitely” due to the US leader’s efforts to incite the violence in the US capital.
• This is because of Trump’s “use of our platform to incite violent insurrectionagainst a democratically elected government.”
• Meanwhile, YouTube too has removed several videos that US President Donald Trump has posted on his channel and warned that any channel found to be posting three times within 90 days with false claims on US election results will be permanently removed from the Google-owned video platform.

Japan PM release confidence that Olympic Games – despite state of emergency in Tokyo

• Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has exuded confidence that the Olympic Games will be staged this summer despite a state of emergency in Tokyo following the surge in coronavirus cases.
• The Japanese Government said, organizers are sparing no effort to realize Tokyo Olympic Games that are safe and secure so as to prove that humanity has defeated the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Japan: 

• Capital:Tokyo
• Prime minister:Yoshihide Suga
• Currency: Japanese yen

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Home Minister Amit Shah sleet CCEA approval 

• Home Minister Amit Shah has hailed the CCEA approval to the Central Sector Scheme for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Mr Shah said, Prime Minister has started development in Jammu and Kashmir by ridding it of terrorism and separatism.
• The approval of the Rs 28,400 crore central Sector Scheme for the industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir by the Cabinet illustrates the special place that Jammu and Kashmir holds in the heart of the Prime Minister.
• Shah said this scheme will prove to be a boon for cottage industry, handicrafts, micro, small and medium industries of Jammu and Kashmir. 
• It will spur the setting up of new MSME units in the manufacturing and services sector, as well as encourage the expansion of existing units.

About J&K:

• Capital: Jammu (winter), Srinagar (summer)
• Lieutenant Governor : Manoj Sinha

Manoj Sinha unveils Mobile Application ‘Satark Nagrik’ and Departmental Vigilance Officers Portal

• In Jammu and Kashmir, LG, Manoj Sinha launched Mobile Application ‘Satark Nagrik’ and Departmental Vigilance Officers Portal of J&K Anti Corruption Bureau at Civil Secretariat, Jammu.
• Speaking on the occasion, the LG observed that UT Government is taking comprehensive measures for ensuring transparent, accountable and responsive governance.
• The mobile application has been developed with a purpose to facilitate seamless flow of information about corruption and enable citizens to submit their grievances with ease and mobility. 
• The LG remarked that the most effective antidote to corruption is an active, involved, and empowered citizenry.
• The Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVO) Portal has been designed to enable an online communication channel with the DVOs of various departments and the portal will help in quick disposal of complaints and will help to redress grievances in a systematic manner by enabling monitoring of the status of DVO matters and Citizens Grievances assigned to DVOs at ACB Central Office.

Telangana becomes 3rd State to complete ULB reform

• Telangana has become the 3rd State in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies, ULB reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
• The State has become eligible to mobilize additional financial resources of Rs 2,508 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
• Permission for the same was issued by the Department of Expenditure.
• Telangana has now joined the two other States Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, who have completed this reform.
• On completion of urban local bodies reform, these three States have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs 7,406 crore.

About Telangana:

• Capital:Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief minister:  Chandrashekar Rao

J&K LG declare Rs 28,400 cr mega Industrial Development Package 

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced the Government of India’s approval for a mega Industrial Development Package worth 28,400 crore.
• While addressing a press conference in Jammu, the LG Sinha said that the Union Cabinet sanctioned the huge Industrial Development Package-2021 for J&K’s industrial sector that has been craving for the strong support from the Centre.
• The LG said that the package aims at providing a huge boost to the existing industrial sector, setting up new units, creating 5 lakh jobs and at least investments of Rs.20,000 crore. 
• The package will remain in force for 17 years i.e. till 2037.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & ECONOMY

RBI sets up College of Supervisors under former deputy governor to strengthen supervision

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced in January, it is now fully operationalizing a College of Supervisors (CoS) to further strengthen supervision over regulated entities.
• The Cos will be headed by former deputy governor N S Viswanathan and will have five other members.

Other Members are :

1. Arijit Basu, State Bank of India Managing Director
2. Paresh Sukhankar, former HDFC Bank Deputy Managing Director
3. S Raghunath of Banglore IIM
4. Tadhagatha Bandyophyay of Ahemadabad IIM and
5. Subrata Sarkar of IGIDR, Mumbai

• The CoS will have a full-time Director supported by an Academic Advisory Council (AAC).
• The AAC will identify areas where skill building/up-skilling are required, plan and develop curricula of all programmes, benchmark the programmes with international standards/best practices, develop appropriate teaching methods, etc.

About RBI :

• Headquarters : Mumbai
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Founder : British Raj
• Bank Rate : 4.00%

NSO Estimates India’s GDP may contract 7.7% in FY21

• The GDP of India is expected to contract by 7.7 percent in 2020-21, the first advance estimate of GDP released by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) on January 07, 2021.
• The first advance estimates of GDP of a financial year are released before the Union Budget. This data helps in the budget-making process.

About MOSPI :

• Founded : 15 October, 1999
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Minister : D.V. Sadananda Gowda

PNB Collaborates with IIT Kanpur to set up Fintech Innovation Centre

• Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country’s second largest public sector bank, has announced an alliance with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and FIRST (Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology), to jointly establish the Punjab National Bank – IIT Kanpur Innovation Centre at the IIT campus.
• An MoU for this purpose was signed at the PNB HeadQuarters, Dwarka, New Delhi, in the presence of CH S S Mallikarjunarao, MD & CEO of PNB and top officials from the Bank, IIT Kanpur & FIRST.
• Under this partnership, PNB and IIT-Kanpur will set up a “Fintech Innovation Centre (FIC)” as a vehicle to research and develop technological solutions to explore opportunities in the BFSI space.

About the agreement :

• PNB intends to create new products / solutions with technological innovations by creating a Fintech Innovation Centre at IITK involving IITK’s experienced faculty members with the help of FIRST.
• The collaboration of technical prowess from IIT Kanpur and financial expertise of PNB make it an apt “Fin-Tech” partnership that will help build innovations and entrepreneurial excellence. The centre will be supported by a holistic ecosystem of financial institutions, academia, VC funds, technology companies and key government organisations.

About Punjab National Bank :

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Founded : 19 May, 1894, Lahore, Pakistan
• Founders : Lala Lajpat Rai, Dyal Singh Majithia
• CEO : S.S.Mallikarjuna Rao

IDFC Mutual Fund unveils new campaign

• IDFC Mutual Fund announced the launch of its latest pan-India investor awareness campaign #PaisonKoRokoMat, nudging savers to become investors.
• A new campaign, IDFC Mutual Fund aims to shift the conversation regarding wealth creation from the traditional to the contemporary.

About The Campaign :

• This new campaign of IDFC Mutual Fund urges savers to become investors and explore the smart and modern mutual fund vehicle for their investments.
• The 360-degree campaign focuses on looking beyond the traditional ways of growing your money and using your goals to allocate your money across asset classes and investment solutions.
• The campaign has been conceptualised and created by TBWAIndia.

About IDFC First Bank :

• CEO : V. Vaidyanathan
• Headquarters : Mumbai
• Founded : October 2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS

Senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale takes additional charge as Maharashtra DGP

• Hemant Nagrale, director general (legal and technical), has been given additional chargeof the director general of police (DGP) of Maharashtra after the incumbent Subodh Kumar Jaiswal was appointed as the head of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
• “Hemant Nagrale has been appointed with additional charge to the post fallen vacant after Jaiswal’s new appointment”.

MTNL Board of Directors re-appoints PK Purwar as its CMD

• The Board of Directors of state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) has re-appointed PK Purwar as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of the telecom PSU.
• Purwar is currently CMD of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).
• He assumed additional charge as CMD of MTNL in April 2020.
• MTNL was merged with BSNL and turned into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company as part of the revival plan announced by the government for BSNL.
• This is the fourth time Purwar has been given charge of the post of MTNL’s CMD in the last six years.
• The decision was taken in the board meeting held on December 31, 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

President honors National Florence Nightingale Award 2020 

• In Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Shailla Cannie, Principal, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Nursing, has been selected for the prestigious National Florence Nightingale Award 2020, to be conferred by President of India. 
• Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has congratulated Dr. Shailla for being selected for the prestigious award. Pertinently, the National Florence Nightingale Award is given to outstanding nursing personnel employed in Central, State/UTs, Private, Missionary and Voluntary Organizations.
• It is the highest national distinction awarded to nurses or nursing aides, which consists of a cash amount of Rs 50,000, a certificate and a medal.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU 

Agriculture department of LAHDC Kargil signs MoU with Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency

• In Ladakh, Executive Councillor LAHDC Kargil for Agriculture Mohammad Ali Chandan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for organic farming and its certification with Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency.
• The MOU was signed during a meeting organized by the Mission Director, Union Territory of  Ladakh for interaction, deliberation and confirmation of the Agriculture Sector in Kargil under Organic Certification.

IAF signs MoU with IDSR 

• Indian Air Force and Institute of Defence Studies and Research – IDSR- an autonomous Institution of Gujarat University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
• This will enable the Officers of IAF to undertake Doctoral Research, Post-Graduate Programme and Post Graduate Diploma. 
• These courses will cover various areas of interest that include Defence studies, Defence Management, National Security, Aerospace & Aviation Science and other areas of Defence Technology.

Samagra Shiksha MOU with HUL distributes 1.5 lakh soaps to different schools in J&K

• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Samagra Shiksha in partnership with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), has distributed 5 lakh soaps to different schools of the Union Territory to support the government’s response to COVID-19.
• The soaps were distributed in 22,000 schools across J&K, aiming to reach over 1 million children as part of its safe school reopening measures in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
• Arun Manhas, Project Director Samagra Shiksha said that the department has been on the forefront for the fight against COVID-19 and ensured that soaps are distributed to all schools across all districts for use by children.
• Samagra Shiksha has launched a comprehensive school safety pilot programme in 50 schools of districts of Kupwara, Baramulla, Jammu and Doda under the ‘WASH in Schools’

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

A book on India’s tours Down Under

• On Jan 07, 2021, a book titled ‘India’s 71-Year Test: The Journey to Triumph in Australia’ and one which reflects on India’s previous 12 tours Down Under, was launched.
• The book, a Bradman Museum initiative, is authored by senior cricket scribe Kaushik, and it chronicles a rivalry that has given a fillip to Test cricket.
• Introducing the tome from the Sydney Cricket Ground, India’s coach and former all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that the next two Tests of the current series will be fiercely competitive.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Claire Polosak set to become first female match official in men’s Test match

• Australia’s Claire Polosak is set to become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test between India and Australia.
• The 32-year-old from New South Wales has already earned the distinction of being the first woman on-field umpire in a men’s ODI match in ICC’s Division 2 league between Namibia and Oman played at the Windhoek in 2019.

About ICC :

• Chairman : Greg Barclay
• CEO : Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters : Dubai, UAE

Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament begins in Chiktan, Kargil

• In Kargil Ladakh, Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament is being organised at Chiktan by Zonal Physical Education Officer Chiktan.
• For the first time the women team of Chiktan also participated in the Khelo India Games in Kargil district. There are 13 teams from different villages of Chiktan participating in the tournament, which include 11 men’s teams and 2 women’s teams.
• The tournament was inaugurated by SDM Shakar Chiktan and the Chief Guest of the event Kacho Asgar Ali khan in the presence of ZPEO Chiktan Ghulam Rasool along incharge police post Chiktan.

About Ladakh :

• Capital : Leh
• Lieutenant Governor : Radha Krishna Mathur

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES 

Oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess passes away at 100

• On Jan 07, 2021, The world’s oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess passed away at the age of 100, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced.
• A right-hand batsman and slow left-arm bowler, Alan appeared in 11 first-class matches for Canterbury from 1940/41 to 1951/52 and also for New Zealand Services in England in 1945. He took 6-52 on debut against Otago at Lancaster Park in a match that began on Christmas Day 1940.
• Alan Burgess was a tank driver for New Zealand’s forces in England during the Second World War.
• Following his death, India’s Raghunath Chandorkar is now the oldest first class cricketer alive.

Daily CA on Jan 07th    

• The World Day of War Orphans is observed on January 6 every year. The day was initiated by France based SOS Enfants En Detresse (SOSEED), a sponsorship program for orphans.
• The Centre has decided to form a committee to protect the language, culture and land of Ladakh and ensure citizen’s participation in the Union Territory’s development.
• The Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife (SC-NBWL) in its 60th meeting has approved the advisory for management of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) in the country.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 306-km New Rewari-New Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video-teleconference with his German counterpart Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel.
• Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan released India report on Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 on the virtual platform. 
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the progress of National Infrastructure Pipeline, NIP implementation in New Delhi. 
• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the National Metrology Conclave 2021 organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)   -National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi on its 75th year of inception.
• The project execution and implementation would be through Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which is under the administrative control of the ministry.
• The first ever wooden satellite could be launched from Japan in 2023. The Japanese firm Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University have joined forces in the aim of developing a wooden satellite that would burn up more readily as its lifespan ends, without leaving debris or waste behind.
• The year 2020 was the eighth warmest year on record since nation-wide records commenced in 1901, the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• India has called for introspection within the UN Security Council over the lack of representation of African countries among its permanent members.
• India and France are scheduled to hold their annual Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi. 
• A new approach for surveying African elephants using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) could help in solving some of the present challenges in the conservation of the species.
• The World Bank has projected an economic growth rate of 1.6 percent for Bangladesh for the FY 2020-21.
• Government signed two loan agreements of USD 646 million with New Development Bank for upgrading State Highway Network and District Road Network in Andhra Pradesh.
• Justice Hima Kohli has become the first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court  following her swearing-in.
• The two-day Asian Water bird Census-2020 commenced in Andhra Pradesh under the aegis of experts from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), covering at least two dozen sites, including Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolleru Lake and Krishna Sanctuary.
• In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered to increase the stipend amount with immediate effect as a new year gift to students who are doing internships after completion of MBBS and BDS course.
• Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have become the first group of states to complete three out of the four citizen-centric reforms stipulated by the Ministry of Finance.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to introduce the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system for all payment transactions of value ₹50 crore and above undertaken by entities (non-individuals) via RTGS and NEFT.
• Google Cloud announced the elevation of Karan Bajwa as its new leader for the Asia Pacific. Presently, Bajwa leads Google Cloud in India.
• Global Economy to Expand by 4% in 2021;
• The World Bank estimates India’s growth to recover to 5.4% in FY22, as the rebound from a low base is offset by muted private investment growth given financial sector weaknesses.
• Alex Ellis, a British strategic expert, will take charge as the new UK High Commissioner to India, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced.
• Arup Kumar Goswami who was previously the Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court, sworn in as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court.
• Lt Gen Shantanu Dayal has been named the new DCOAS. Lt Gen Dayal is the Corps Commander of the Tejpur based 4 Corps.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission signed MoU with Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP for supply of 1,72,000 cotton durries every year.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Government of India and Government of Japan, on a Basic Framework for Partnership for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to “Specified Skilled Worker”.
• India and Israel successfully tested a Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) defence system.
• Tata Power announced its partnership with SIDBI to provide a finance scheme to the MSME players in the rooftop solar segment.
• Bob Brett, a tennis coach whose players included Grand Slam champions Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic, has died. He was 67.

Daily CA on Jan 08th    

• On January 07, 2021, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa launched Krishi Sanjeevani vans in Bengaluru. This is Mainly for to help farmers in their own backyards.
• Permanent Representative of India at the United Nations Security Council, TS Tirumurti announced, India will be chairing three-key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has concluded his three-day visit to Sri Lanka.
• Central govt. has said that over three crore new connections have been provided under Jal Jeevan Mission. 
• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has emphasized that the National Education Policy, NEP-2020, is revolutionary in all aspects.
• Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has said that the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated Rs.69,000 crore for the Post Matric scholarship of SC students for the next five years.
• Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), the government body set up for cow welfare has announced that it will hold a countrywide online examination on ‘gau vigyan’ (cow science) on February 25.
• The Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways has recently started the operations of the seaplane services, on several routes. 
• President-elect Joe Biden confirmed he will nominate Merrick Garland, a centrist judge that Republicans denied a seat on the Supreme Court five years ago  to be US attorney general.
• US media reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now world’s wealthiest person.
• Facebook bans Trump ‘indefinitely’, YouTube removes videos from US President’s channel.
• Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has exuded confidence that the Olympic Games will be staged this summer despite a state of emergency in Tokyo following the surge in coronavirus cases.
• Home Minister Amit Shah has hailed the CCEA approval to the Central Sector Scheme for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, LG, Manoj Sinha launched Mobile Application ‘Satark Nagrik’ and Departmental Vigilance Officers Portal of J&K Anti Corruption Bureau at Civil Secretariat, Jammu.
• Telangana has become the 3rd State in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies, ULB reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced the Government of India’s approval for a mega Industrial Development Package worth Rs.28,400 crore.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced in January, it is now fully operationalizing a College of Supervisors (CoS) to further strengthen supervision over regulated entities.
• The GDP of India is expected to contract by 7.7 percent in 2020-21, the first advance estimate of GDP released by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) on January 07, 2021.
• Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country’s second largest public sector bank, has announced an alliance with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and FIRST (Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology), to jointly establish the Punjab National Bank – IIT Kanpur Innovation Centre at the IIT campus.
• IDFC Mutual Fund announced the launch of its latest pan-India investor awareness campaign #PaisonKoRokoMat, nudging savers to become investors.
• Hemant Nagrale, director general (legal and technical), has been given additional charge of the director general of police (DGP) of Maharashtra after the incumbent Subodh Kumar Jaiswal was appointed as the head of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
• The Board of Directors of state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) has re-appointed PK Purwar as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of the telecom PSU.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Shailla Cannie, Principal, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Nursing, has been selected for the prestigious National Florence Nightingale Award 2020, to be conferred by President of India. 
• In Ladakh, Executive Councillor LAHDC Kargil for Agriculture Mohammad Ali Chandan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for organic farming and its certification with Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency.
• Indian Air Force and Institute of Defence Studies and Research – IDSR- an autonomous Institution of Gujarat University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Samagra Shiksha in partnership with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), has distributed 1.5 lakh soaps to different schools of the Union Territory to support the government’s response to COVID-19.
• On Jan 07, 2021, a book titled ‘India’s 71-Year Test: The Journey to Triumph in Australia’ and one which reflects on India’s previous 12 tours Down Under, was launched.
• Australia’s Claire Polosak is set to become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test between India and Australia.
• In Kargil Ladakh, Khelo India Ice Hockey Tournament is being organised at Chiktan by Zonal Physical Education Officer Chiktan.
• On Jan 07, 2021, The world’s oldest living first-class cricketer Alan Burgess passed away at the age of 100, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced.