Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Defence – Military specialists to get S-400 training in Moscow – As India prepares to receive the first batch of S-400 long-range air defence system by year-end, the first group of Indian military specialists are scheduled to depart for Moscow soon to undergo training courses on the S-400. In October 2018, India signed a $5.43-billion deal with Russia for five S-400 Triumf regiments despite objections from the U.S. and the threat of sanctions under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). In the farewell address early this month (January 2021), outgoing U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Juster declined to comment on whether the U.S. would proceed with CAATSA sanctions against India over the S-400 purchase, but said India should consider the impact of such purchases that constrain “technology transfers” and other defence cooperation between India and the US.
2. World – Biden sworn in, delivers message of unity, hope – While the transfer of power was not peaceful in the world’s oldest constitutional republic, that transfer did occur on January 20 on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, as Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the U.S. Just two weeks earlier, a mob had broken into the Capitol seeking to block the ratification of the election results. Addressing the country for the first time as President, Mr. Biden delivered a message of unity and hope while laying out the enormous challenges faced by the country, from a raging pandemic to deep political divisions and frayed race relations. He referred to the Capitol violence of January 6, and said attempts to overturn the elections will never be successful.
3. Agriculture – In a thaw, Centre offers to put off farm reforms for 18 months – Farm union leaders will consider a proposal from the Union government to suspend the implementation of the three contentious farm reform laws for the next year-and-a-half while a committee is formed to look into their demands. Union leaders said the Centre had also offered to submit an affidavit to the Supreme Court to this effect. They will discuss the proposal internally and return with their response at the next round of discussions on January 22. The proposal was made during the 10th round of talks on January 20, and is the first serious sign of movement in the negotiations since tens of thousands of farmers began their protest on the borders of Delhi almost two months ago. Their major demands have been a repeal of the three laws on agricultural marketing, and a new legal guarantee for minimum support prices.
4. Study/Report – Karnataka tops in innovation, shows index – Karnataka retained its leadership position in the major States category in the second edition of India Innovation Index released by NITI Aayog on January 20. It was followed by Maharashtra, which moved past Tamil Nadu to occupy the second place. Other States in the top 10 are Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Barring Maharashtra, all other States in the top five are in the south. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar scored the lowest on the index, which put them at the bottom in the “major States” category.
5. Economy – States’ FY21 fiscal deficit to hit peak of ₹8.7 lakh crore: Crisil – The States are headed for a fourfold expansion in their revenue deficit this fiscal over the last year (2020) due to far lesser tax collections. Collections had been impacted on account of the lockdowns and the consequent slump in economic activity. Tax collections may slowly recover with improving economic outlook. However, higher interest burden because of high debt funding of this year’s GFD, coupled with sticky revenue expenditures, may keep revenue deficits high for States and GFD composition skewed over the next 2-3 years. In this fiscal, revenue deficit of States would contribute 70% of GFD, sharply higher than the average 15% seen over the past five fiscals. That is because of the 15% on-year decline in revenue this fiscal.
6. Covid-19 – 1.1 lakh vaccinations, 82 adverse events on Day 5 – On January 20, 1,12,007 people were inoculated against COVID-19, taking the count of beneficiaries to 7,86,000. There have been four deaths among those vaccinated — three due to cardiac arrest and not linked to the vaccination and one was still being analysed. All in all, the States have reported 82 adverse events following immunisation. While 10 of them have merited hospitalisation, seven have been discharged and none grave enough to be recorded as a “serious/severe AEFI”. The deaths were reported from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Bellary and Shivamogga in Karnataka and Nirmal in Telangana. On the fifth day since the vaccination has begun, 20 States organised sessions. Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest number at 22,548 whereas Himachal Pradesh pooled only 45. Kerala that has recorded some of the highest infections in the country recorded only 262.
7. Polity & Governance – Assam Assembly polls before CBSE board exams, says CEC – Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has said the Assam Assembly polls will be held keeping in mind the Rongali Bihu festival and the process will be finished before the CBSE Board exams beginning on May four. The political parties during interaction with the full bench of the poll panel had made a plea to keep in view the Bihu festival while deciding the poll schedule to encourage more voter turnout and also to ensure that the monsoon, which usually arrives early in the State, is avoided. Rongali Bihu, also known as Bohag Bihu, is celebrated by the people of Assam to mark the Assamese New Year. It is usually observed in the second week of April with the onset of spring.
8. Economy – ‘Weak reform push, financial sector woes may damp growth’ – Fitch Ratings on January 20 said India’s medium-term growth potential is at about 6.5% but weak implementation of reforms, combined with continued financial sector problems, could lower its potential. It said the revival of the reform agenda is among the Indian government’s policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic shock. Recently, the ratings agency last week said India’s gross GDP would expand by 11% in the financial year 2021-22, after witnessing a 9.4% contraction in the current fiscal period ending in March 2021.
9. World – Trump pardons former aide Bannon, 72 others – U.S. President Trump on January 20 pardoned 73 people, including his former aide Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne, just hours before he was due to leave office. The list of those pardoned — as well as 70 people whose sentences were commuted — was likely to draw allegations of cronyism, at the end of a term during which the President promised to “drain the swamp” of Washington politics. Neither Trump nor his relatives were listed, amid speculation he could use the legally dubious tactic of a pre-emptive pardon to fend off future charges.
10. World – Biden to reverse Trump policies on Day 1 – U.S. President Joe Biden plans to kick off his new administration on January 20 with orders to restore the U.S. to the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization. Mr. Biden will sign 15 orders and actions just hours after being sworn in as the U.S. leader to break from the policies of departing President Donald Trump and set new paths on immigration, the environment, fighting COVID-19 and the economy. In first-day moves, he will end Mr. Trump’s much-assailed ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority countries and halt construction of the wall that Mr. Trump ordered on the U.S.-Mexico border to stem illegal immigration. He will also set a mask mandate on federal properties to stem the spread of COVID-19; restore protections of valuable nature reserves removed by Mr. Trump; and seek freezes on evictions and protection for millions behind on their mortgages due to the pandemic.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	AMDER	Laboratory Assistant, Project Associate-I	35	B.Sc, M.Sc, M.Tech	23-01-2021	https://amd.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/file/amd/DetailedAdvertisementEnglish_final(2).pdf
2	IIT, Delhi	Sr, Jr Project Asst & Project Asst (Tech)	7	Degree	01-02-2021	https://ird.iitd.ac.in/sites/default/files/jobs/project/IITD-IRD-010-2021.PDF
3	IIT, Madras	Chief Technology Officer, Sr Project Officer, Project Associate & JRF	10	B.Tech/ B.E/ PG (Relevnat Discipline) with GATE, Ph.D	29-01-2021	https://icandsr.iitm.ac.in/recruitment/admin/uploads/announce/Announcement%20in%20the%20dept%20of%20Electrical%20Engineering.pdf
4	Cochin Shipyard Limited	Jr Technical Asst, Jr Commercial Asst & Storekeeper	13	Diploma, Any Degree, PG Diplom	09-02-2021	https://cochinshipyard.com/uploads/career/c7d67fca2b8f2616e82ac262d39eb81b.pdf
5	MSME Technology Centre, Sitarganj	Manager, Sr Engineer, Engineer, Store Officer, Sr Technician	9	Diploma (Engg), Degree	30 Days	http://estcindia.com/MSME%20Technology%20Centre,%20Sitarganj%20-%20Recruitment%20Advertisement.pdf

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Not Available Today  

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 Government launches hackathon for toys

 

  

Key points – 

• The Centre on January 5, 2021 launched a hackathon for students, teachers and start-ups to design and develop toys and games “based on Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.”
• The goal of the “toycathon” is to promote India as a global toy manufacturing hub. According to Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal (Nishank), though the toy market in India is worth $1 billion, 80% toys are imported. In August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat address spoke about developing India as a toy hub.
• The Toycathon has nine themes, including fitness and sport and rediscovering traditional Indian toys.
• Participants can submit their proposals at https://toycathon.mic.gov.in. between January 5 and 20.
• The hackathon is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and All India Council for Technical Education.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 Not Available Today

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 Several nations lose right to vote in UNGA over unpaid dues

 

  

Key points –

• Iran and six other nations lost their right to vote in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) because they have not paid their dues.
• The other countries losing their UNGA voting rights are Niger, Libya, the Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.
• Three more countries - Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia - will be allowed to continue to vote despite missing dues payments, because they sufficiently demonstrated that they are incapable of paying.
• Under the article, a member-state in arrears in the payment of its dues in an amount that equals or exceeds the contributions of two preceding years can lose its vote in the General Assembly.
• Iran owes USD 16.2 million, more than any other country. Meanwhile, Iran has blamed US sanctions for blocking the Islamic Republic from paying its required contribution to the UN.

4.2 Govt clears India-Japan pact to institutionalize mobility of skilled workers

 

 

Key points –

• The government has approved the signing of an agreement to institutionalise a mechanism for cooperation between India and Japan in sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the skill and Japanese language test. The memorandum of cooperation on a basic framework for partnership pertaining to “Specified Skilled Worker” between India and Japan was cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• It will enhance people-to-people contacts, foster mobility of workers and skilled professionals.
• These Indian workers would be granted a new status of residence of ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ by the Government of Japan.
• A joint working group will be set up under the memorandum of cooperation to follow up its implementation.
• Skilled Indian workers from fourteen sectors — including nursing care; building cleaning; material processing industry; industrial machinery manufacturing industry; electric and electronic information related industry; construction; shipbuilding and ship-related industry; automobile maintenance and aviation — would have enhanced job opportunities to work in Japan.

4.3 News Round-up – India and the World 

 

• India on January 8, 2021 urged the members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to work on finding a  permanent solution to the issue of public stock holding for food security purposes.  Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has again brought to the fore the importance of food and livelihood security. Under WTO norms, a country’s food subsidy bill should not breach the limit of 10% of the value of production based on the reference price of 1986-88. Apprehending that the full implementation of food security programme may result in breach of WTO cap, India has been seeking amendments in the formula to calculate food subsidy cap.
• India began its eighth two-year term as a non-permanent member of the 15-country U.N. Security Council. It was elected to the body last June with 184 of 192 votes cast, alongside Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico. India’s permanent representative to the U.N., T.S. Trimurti, said the country would focus on counter-terrorism, speak for the developing world, and promote multilateralism.
• Nepal wants “equality-based friendship” with India, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli said on January 10, 2021. Addressing an extraordinary session of the Upper House of Parliament, Oli said Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali would visit India on January 14 to discuss the dispute related to the border and several other issues. He maintained that dissolution of the Lower House, Pratinidhi Sabha, was necessary and that the government under his leadership would seek a fresh political mandate to ensure stability. The dispute erupted after India published a new political map in November 2019 which prompted Nepal to introduce a map which claimed the Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura region of Pithoragarh.
• India to chair 3 key subsidiary bodies of UN Security Council - Permanent Representative of India at United Nations Security Council, TS Tirumurti on January 8, 2021 informed that India will chair 3 key subsidiary bodies of UN Security Council. The three committees are Taliban Sanctions Committee, Counter-Terrorism Committee (for 2022) and Libya Sanctions Committee.
• Vietnam buys Indian rice for first time in decades - Vietnam, the world’s third-biggest exporter of rice, has started buying the grain from rival India for the first time in decades after local prices jumped to their highest in nine years amid limited domestic supplies. The purchases underscore tightening supplies in Asia, which could lift rice prices in 2021 and even force traditional buyers of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to switch to India — the world’s biggest exporter of the grain.
• Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ held- Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on January 7, 2021 inaugurated the two-day Virtual International Akhand Conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ through video conferencing. This conference is being organized by Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) in collaboration with the Global Educational Research Association (GERA). The focal theme of EDUCON-2020 is ‘Envisioning Education for Transforming Youth to Restore Global Peace’.
• All women crew operates San Francisco-Bengaluru non-stop flight - An all women cockpit crew operated Air India’s longest non-stop commercial flight from San Francisco in US to Bengaluru. The direct distance between the two cities is 13,993 km. The flight AI 176 departed from San Francisco in the U.S. at 8.30 p.m. (local time) on January 9 and is scheduled to landed in Bengaluru at 3.45 a.m. (local time) in Bengaluru on January 11.
• Diplomatic Adviser to the President of France Emmanuel Bonne on January 8, 2021 called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi discussed wide-ranging bilateral and global issues.
• PM Modi holds video-teleconference with Germany’s Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. The two leaders discussed key issues of mutual importance including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral ties, regional and global issues, particularly India-EU relations.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended a joint press conference with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in Colombo on January 6, 2021. Jaishankar earlier called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as part of his three-day visit that began on January 5.
• As many as 371,504 babies were born worldwide on New Year’s Day and India is estimated to have recorded the highest number of births at 59,995, according to the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF.
• The Embassy of Israel in India has appointed Joyshree Das Verma as Honorary Consul in the North East with jurisdiction over the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim. She will be based in Assam. The appointment was announced by Ambassador of Israel in India Ron Malka.
• Mumbai attack (26 November 2008) mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Lahore in a terror financing case on January 8.
• Indian-American Dr Raj Iyer has taken over as the first Chief Information Officer of the US Army, after the Pentagon created the position in July 2020.
• Alexander Ellis has been appointed as the new British High Commissioner to India in succession to Sir Philip Barton.
• Boris Johnson cancels Republic Day visit to India - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned India visit for the last week of January when he was to be the Chief Guest of the Republic Day festivities. The decision to cancel the visit was taken in view of the pandemic which has escalated in the United Kingdom because of the new variant of the coronavirus.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Uttarakhand increases number of working days under MGNREGA

 

Highlights – 

• In a move to encourage employment opportunities, Uttarakhand Government has announced that the number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will be increased from 100 to 150.
• Uttarakhand is expected to conduct Assembly polls in 2022.
• As per reports, till date 12.19 lakh job cards had given out in the state. Out of these, 2.66 lakh job cards were given in 2020.
• The Chief Minister has also launched the 'Uttarakhand Aajeevika App' with the aim to provide help to the unemployed people in the state who are in search of employment opportunities.
• NREGA was first proposed in 1991 by former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. Passed in Parliament in 2008, it aims to provide 100 days of wage employment to enhance livelihood security in rural areas.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Parakram Diwas

 

 

Key point – 

• The Centre’s announcement on January 19 that legendary freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary on January 23 will be celebrated as Parakram Diwas (day of valour) has triggered a political row. 

Important details –

• West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Forward Bloc, which was formed by Bose in 1939, have alleged that they were not consulted in the decision-making process for Parakram Diwas.
• The TMC wants the day to be celebrated as Desh Nayak Diwas (the national hero’s day).
• The Forward Bloc, and a section of Bose’s family want January 23 to be observed as Desh Prem Diwas (day of patriotism).
• TMC has accused the Centre’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of performing a “stunt” ahead of the assembly elections in Bengal, where Bose is an icon.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been demanding that January 23 be declared as a national holiday.
• The state is expected to go to the polls in the first half of this year with the BJP hoping to wrest power from the TMC after emerging as the second-biggest party in the state in 2019 national polls.
• Chandra Kumar Bose, a BJP leader and Bose’s grandnephew, has backed the demand for celebrating the day as Desh Prem Divas.
• The Centre appointed a panel headed by home minister Amit Shah to celebrate Bose’s 125th birth anniversary. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and BJP’s Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh, among others, are part of the panel.
• The objections came hours after Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel announced plans to celebrate Bose’s 125th birth anniversary in 2022. The year-long celebrations will begin on January 23, 2021.
• Patel said PM Modi will participate in the first Parakram Diwas event in Kolkata and inaugurate an exhibition on the grounds of the National Library to mark the occasion.

6.2 News Round-up – Defence

 

• Indigenously developed landing gear systems for UAVs developed by CVRDE - Retractable landing gear systems for TAPAS unmanned aerial vehicles, indigenously built by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment in Avadi, Chennai, a unit of the DRDO, were handed over to the Indian Navy on January 10. CVRDE has also designed and developed One Ton Retractable Landing Gear System for another class of UAV known as SWiFT.
• First all-woman team of NDRF personnel deployed - An all-woman team of freshly trained National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel was recently deployed for contingency duties on the banks of the Ganga river in Garh Mukteshwar town of Uttar Pradesh.
• Subodh Kumar Jaiswal takes charge as new DG of CISF - The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) got a new chief in Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, who took over as the new Director General of the force on January 8, 2021. Prior to CISF, Jaiswal was serving as Director General of Police of Maharashtra.
• DRDO develops products to help army battle extreme cold - With over 50,000 Indian troops are deployed in Eastern Ladakh to fight against China, DRDO’s Defence Institute for Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) has developed multiple products such as Him-Taapak heating devices, Solar Snow Melters and Alocal cream to prevent frostbites.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 PM Modi appointed chairman of Somnath temple trust

 

 

 

Highlights –

• PM Modi has been appointed the new chairman of the trust which manages the world famous Somnath Temple at Prabhas Patan town in Gujarat's Gir-Somnath district.
• The post of the Somnath Trust's chairman fell vacant after the death of the incumbent, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, in October 2020. Patel had served as the trust chairman for several years.
• Other trustees include BJP leader LK Advani, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar and businessman Harshvardhan Neotia.
• The decision to appoint the PM as the chairman of the trust was taken unanimously by all trustees during the online meet.

History –  

• The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.
• Reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by several invaders and rulers, the present temple was reconstructed in the Chaulukya style of Hindu temple architecture and completed in May 1951.
• The reconstruction was started under the orders of the Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel and completed after his death.
• The first Shiva temple at Somnath is believed to have been built at some unknown time in the past.
• The second temple is said to have been built at the same site by the "Yadava kings" of Vallabhi around 649 CE.
• In 725 CE, Al-Junayd, the Arab governor of Sindh is said to have destroyed the second temple as part of his invasions of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II is said to have constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a large structure of red sandstone.
• The temple at the time of Mahmud's attack appears to have been a wooden structure, which is said to have decayed in time (kalajirnam).
• Kumarapala (r. 1143–72) rebuilt it in "excellent stone and studded it with jewels," according to an inscription in 1169.
• By 1665, the temple, one of many, was ordered to be destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 Not Available Today

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 Science City at Tepesia

 

 

Highlights –

•  Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has laid foundation stone of Science City at Tepesia in the outskirts of Guwahati for popularising science and technology at the grassroots.
• The Science City would be built for a total expenditure of Rs. 184 crore covering an area of 250 bighas of land and roads, drainage system etc. have already been completed there by the government.
• The main building of the Science City would cost an amount of Rs. 110 crore. And it is being built jointly by National Council of Science Museum under the Cultural Affairs department of the Central Government and Science and Technology Department of the state government.
• Both the centre and the state governments would share the total cost of the construction of the science city in 90:10 ratio.

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

 

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• BJP Rajya sabha MP Subramanian Swamy is the author of the book ‘Himalayan Challenge: India, China and the Quest for Peace’ released recently.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami in Dec 2020 inaugurated the newly-formed Mayiladuthurai district which is the 38th in the state.
• Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about its plans to enrich uranium at its Fordow site.
• Central Bank of India celebrated its Foundation Day on Dec 21.
• UN’s International Day of Neutrality was observed on Dec 12.

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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