Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 23-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 23-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Agriculture – No further concessions to offer, govt. tells protesting farmers – The negotiations between Central Ministers and farm unions came to a standstill on January 22 with the government saying it had no further concessions to offer beyond the proposal to suspend the three contentious agricultural reform laws for 12 to 18 months. The unions rejected the proposal and reiterated their demand for the repeal of the laws. No date has been fixed for another meeting. At the end of a four-hour meeting, during which Ministers and union leaders were only in the same room for 20 minutes, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government had already presented its “best proposal”. Urging the unions to reconsider their stand, he said if they responded positively on January 23, talks could resume.
2. Polity & Governance – RBI moots scale-based tighter regulatory framework for NBFCs – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suggested a tougher regulatory framework for the non-banking finance companies’ (NBFC) sector to prevent recurrence of any systemic risk to the country’s financial system. The banking regulator has released a discussion paper on the revised regulatory framework which is formulated on a scale-based approach, and sought comments within a month. The regulatory and supervisory framework of NBFCs will be based on a four-layered structure — the base layer (NBFC-BL), middle layer (NBFC-ML), upper layer (NBFC-UL) and the top layer. If the framework is visualised as a pyramid, the bottom of the pyramid, where least regulatory intervention is warranted, can consist of NBFCs currently classified as non-systemically important NBFCs (NBFC-ND), NBFCP2P lending platforms, NBFCAA, NOFHC and Type I NBFCs.
3. Economy – ‘Pandemic pushes States’ borrowings up by 82.5%’ – States’ borrowings during April-December 2020 were 82.5% higher compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, on account of the pandemic. Till December 11, 2020, the States netted ₹4.6 lakh crore through market borrowings. The figure included ₹36,000 crore borrowed by the Centre and passed on to the States to meet the shortfall in revenue arising on account of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation. A perusal of data available on revenue receipts of 21 states reveals that while the states raised only 37% of the full-year target during April-October 2020, they generated 52% of their annual revenue in the corresponding period of 2019.
4. World – Biden orders aid to combat hunger crisis – President Joe Biden is ordering an expansion of government benefits for hungry Americans, after the coronavirus pandemic ignited the worst hunger crisis the U.S. has seen in modern times. The decree is modest and far short of the actions the President has called for from Congress. Nonetheless, it represents one of Mr. Biden’s first actions since taking office on January 20, aimed at reviving the world’s largest economy, after COVID-19 caused mass layoffs beginning last year that have left many people scrambling to pay the bills. Mr. Biden’s main initiative to turn the economy around is a $1.9 trillion “rescue” package that he outlined last week, followed by a promised proposal aimed at fuelling job creation and spurring hiring.
5. World – Russia begins crackdown on Navalny allies ahead of protests – The Russian authorities on January 22 cracked down on allies of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and jailed his spokeswoman for nine days as the police vowed to suppress protests this weekend. Allies of President Vladimir Putin’s top critics are planning to hold demonstrations on January 23 in dozens of cities in support of the opposition politician, who was arrested and held behind bars on his return to Russia following a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent. The last time major protests took place in Moscow was in the summer of 2019, and the Saturday (January 23) rallies are expected to be a major test of the opposition’s ability to mobilise support despite the increasing Kremlin pressure and the coronavirus pandemic. Police said unsanctioned public events will be “immediately suppressed,” as key opposition activists were detained on the eve of the rallies.
6. World – Trump impeachment article to be sent to Senate– Donald Trump will go on trial in the U.S. Senate soon after a fresh impeachment case against the former President is transmitted on January 25 by the House of Representatives. The House impeached the Republican leader for a historic second time on January 13, just one week before he left office. After days of declining to say when she would send the article of impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, made her announcement on January 22. Ms. Pelosi has appointed nine House members as impeachment managers, who she said “are ready to begin to make their case to 100 Senate jurors through the trial process.” The managers are to formally transmit the article, a step which according to Senate rules swiftly transforms the chamber into a court of impeachment.
7. Polity & Governance – India proposes to expand research, tourism in the Arctic – India has unveiled a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy that, among other things, commits to expanding scientific research, “sustainable tourism” and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region. The draft policy is open to public comments until January 26 and has been prepared after deliberations among several Ministries. India expects the Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research to lead scientific research and act as a nodal body to coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities by expanding “earth sciences, biological sciences, geosciences, climate change and space related programmes, dove-tailed with Arctic imperatives in Indian universities.”
8. People & Personalities – Singer Narendra Chanchal passes away at 80 – Popular bhajan singer Narendra Chanchal passed away on January 22 in New Delhi. Chanchal was known for his religious songs and bhajans. Apart from performing at live events for a large part of his career, Chanchal’s songs like “Chalo Bulava Aaya Hai” from Avtaar and “Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo” from Bobby became immensely popular. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Singer for Bobby.
9. Covid-19 – Myanmar, Mauritius and Seychelles receive Covishield – Large consignments of Covishield vaccine doses were flown in special Indian aircraft to Seychelles, Mauritius and Myanmar on January 22. The shipments of the vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune, is part of the Vaccine Maitri diplomacy that the Ministry of External Affairs said will also cover Africa, which is in need of affordable COVID-19 vaccine doses. In the first round of supplies, special flights have already carried large consignments of Covishield vaccine doses to Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal during January 20-21.
10. Covid-19 – Covaxin’s efficacy against U.K. strain not proven yet – Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin can produce neutralising antibodies — a requirement to study its efficacy — against multiple coronavirus variants, but is yet to demonstrate efficacy against the variant ‘B.1.1.7’ or the ‘U.K. strain’ as the new virulent strain is commonly known. A report in the medical journal Lancet underlines the need for “more extensive phase 2 and phase 3 trials” for “long-term safety assessments” of the vaccine. The study centres around establishing the safety and immune response generated by different doses of the vaccine in 375 volunteers. The authors of the study include scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	SBI	Specialist Cadre Officer	5	B.E/ B.Tech, PG, MBA/ PGDM	12-02-2021	https://www.sbi.co.in/documents/77530/400725/210121-Copy+of+MANAGER+RETAIL+DETAILED+ADVT.pdf/c1cd05e9-f627-1f20-8e3a-6eeb556be5de?t=1611234907547
2	National Board of Examinations	Assistant Director (Medical)	7	PG (Relevant Disciplines)	20-02-2021	https://natboard.edu.in/viewNotice.php?NBE=ZUw1UUFYNHI4U1E2U3I1eWM5WnF1QT09
3	ECIL	Technical Officer	19	Degree (Engg)	31-01-2021	https://careers.ecil.co.in/app/Advt_02_2021.pdf
4	ECIL	Technical Officer, Scientific Asst A, Jr Artisan	28	ITI, Diploma, Degree (Engg)	03-02-2021	https://careers.ecil.co.in/app/Advt.No.%2004_2021.pdf
5	CSIR-NBRI	Sr Project Associate, Project Associate, Technician	23	Any Degree, B.Sc, M.Sc, Ph.D	01 to 03-02-2021	https://nbri.res.in/media/Walk-in-Interview-Ad-02-2021.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 Telangana HC gets first woman Chief Justice

 

 

• Justice Hima Kohli was sworn in as Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad on January 7, 2021. She is the first woman Chief Justice of Telangana High Court.

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

2.1 Additional financial resources to Madhya Pradesh

   

Highlights –

• Madhya Pradesh has been permitted to raise additional Rs 1,423 crore through market borrowing after the state implemented power sector reforms.
• As per reports, Madhya Pradesh has started Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of electricity subsidy to farmers in one district of the state with effect from December 2020. Thus, it has successfully implemented one of the three stipulated reforms in the power sector.
• Successful implementation of the reform has made the state eligible to mobilise additional financial resources equivalent to 0.15 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
• The Centre had in May 2020 enhanced the borrowing limit of the states by 2 per cent of their GSDP. Half of this special dispensation was linked to undertaking citizen-centric reforms by the states.
• The states get permission to raise additional funds equivalent to 0.25 per cent of GSDP on completion of reforms in each sector.
• The four citizen-centric areas identified for reforms were (a) Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System, (b) Ease of doing business reform, (c) Urban Local body/ utility reforms and (d) Power Sector reforms.
• Till now, 14 states have carried out at least one of the four stipulated reforms and have been granted reform linked borrowing permissions.

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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 Egypt resumed ties with Qatar

 

Background -

• Egypt was part of an Arab quartet (other members were Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain) which had accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and being too close to Iran due to which they had imposed a land, air and naval blockade on Qatar in 2017.

Reasons for reassumption of ties -

• Recently, Gulf states signed a ‘solidarity and stability’ deal at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council – GCC (Members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE) summit. Under this deal all the sanctions over Qatar and reopened their land, sea and air borders to Qatar. Egypt too resumed its ties with Qatar in solidarity with the Arab quartet (whose three members are in GCC).
• Egypt conciliated with Qatar to strengthen the Gulf region against the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme which has always been opposed by the USA and GCC members.
• Qatar is one of the world’s largest natural gas producers and among the countries with the highest per-capita income, and is also host of the 2022 Football World Cup.
• Under the Government of Mohamad Morsi (2012-13), Qatar was the highest investor in Egypt.

Reasons for earlier discord -

• Post Arab spring Qatar supported Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt but the Muslim brotherhood were outpowered by the current regime. Gulf states monarchs and dictators are against the Islamist movements under Muslim Brotherhood because it aims for political reforms that might threaten their regime.
• Qatar has long been dominated by Saudi Arabia. Since 1995, Qatar initiated an independent foreign policy approach and established friendly relations not only with other countries such as the USA, Europe, Israel and Iran but also with the Palestinian, Hamas and the Islamist parties as well.
• Assumption of such high-profile roles in regional mediation and cooperation did not go well with the GCC members and Egypt.
• Qatar shares a huge gas field with Iran, which is an incentive for it to retain good relations with the Iraninan regime.

Importance for India -

• The Gulf region is one of the biggest markets for Indian goods and is the most important supplier of hydrocarbons to its economy. Peaceful relationships between these gas and oil reserve rich states are favourable to catering to the energy needs of India.
• The Gulf countries host more than millions of Indian migrants. They are mostly the workers who carry out development activities and they are the prime sources of remittances to India.

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

5.1 Not Available Today

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 D-SIBs 

 

Highlights – 

• The RBI has said state-owned SBI, along with private sector lenders ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank continue to be Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) or institutions which are ‘too big to fail’.
• SIBs are subjected to higher levels of supervision so as to prevent disruption in financial services in the event of any failure.
• The RBI had issued the framework for dealing with D-SIBs in July 2014.
• The D-SIB framework requires the central to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs starting from 2015 and place these lenders in appropriate buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs).
• The additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) requirement for D-SIBs was phased-in from April 1, 2016 and became fully effective from April 1, 2019. The additional CET1 requirement will be in addition to the capital conservation buffer.
• The additional CET1 requirement as a percentage of Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) in case of the State Bank of India (SBI) is 0.6 per cent, while for the other two banks it is 0.2 per cent.
• Based on the bucket in which a D-SIB is placed, an additional common equity requirement has to be applied to it.
• In case a foreign bank having branch presence in India is a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB), it has to maintain additional CET1 capital surcharge in the country as applicable, proportionate to its RWAs.
• SIBs are seen as ‘too big to fail (TBTF)’, creating expectation of government support for them in times of financial distress. These banks also enjoy certain advantages in funding markets.

6.2 Kalaripayattu academy to be establishment in Kerala capital

• Kalaripayattu, considered the oldest surviving martial art of the country, with a legacy of more than 3,000 years, is set to see establishment of an academy in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram. It will be set up at Kerala Tourism’s Vellar Crafts Village en route to Kovalam. The academy is scheduled to be completed in two months. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release the syllabus of the Kalaripayattu Academy on January 16 during the inauguration of the renovated Crafts Village.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 News Round-up – Polity

• COVID-19 vaccination process started from Jan 16 - The COVID-19 vaccination drive in India began on January 16, with priority being given to an estimated three crore healthcare workers and frontline workers, the Health Ministry said on January 9, 2021. This would be followed by the voluntary vaccination of people above 50 and those below 50 with co-morbidities, numbering around 27 crores. The announcement followed a meeting chaired by PM Modi to review the status of the pandemic in the country along with the preparedness of the States and the Union Territories for the vaccination programme. The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) had granted Emergency Use Authorisation to two vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin.
• PM CARES to provide oxygen generation plants for public health facilities - The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund Trust is allocating Rs. 201.58 crore for installation of additional 162 dedicated PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country.
• Govt. to hold national-level voluntary online exam on ‘cow science’ - The government on January 5, 2021 announced a national-level voluntary online exam on ‘gau vigyan’ (cow science) to be held on February 25, in a bid to generate interest among students and general public about the indigenous cow and its benefits. Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) Chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria said people can take part in the ‘Kamdhenu Gau-Vignyan Prachar-Prasar Examination’ without any fee.
• GoI launches digital calendar and diary for 2021, instead of printing them - The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on January 8, 2021 launched Government of India’s digital calendar and diary for 2021, instead of printing them. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar unveiled the Android and iOS mobile applications of the calendar and diary in an event held at New Delhi. Launched in Hindi and English, the ‘GoI Calendar’ app is free and accessible to all and will be soon made available in 11 other regional languages.
• World Hindi Day observed on Jan 10 - World Hindi Day was observed on January 10, 2021. The day is commemorated every year with the objective to promote use of Hindi language abroad. On this day in 1975, the First World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur. UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay said on the World Hindi Day, we celebrate linguistic diversity to better understand each other.
• Former TRAI Chairman RS Sharma appointed chairperson of Covid-19 vaccine panel - Former TRAI Chairman Ram Sewak Sharma has been appointed as the Chairperson of Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management to combat COVID-19. He is also a member of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of Covid-19 that was formed in August 2020 and is headed by Niti Aayog member, V. K. Paul.
• Trifed signs MoU with NGO for setting up of TRIFOOD Parks in MP - TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has signed MoU with Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, an organization working for the welfare of tribals in MP, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand since 1952, for setting up of TRIFOOD Parks in 5 districts in Madhya Pradesh. The MoU was signed by Pravir Krishna, MD, TRIFED and Yogesh Bapat of Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Ashram.
• Ladakh: Panel headed by MoS for Home to look into issues of culture, language - A committee would be constituted under Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy to find an appropriate solution to the issues related to language, culture and conservation of land in the Union Territory of Ladakh, the Home Ministry said in a statement on January 6, 2021.
• Punjab: Scheme for free sanitary pads to high school, college girls launched - Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on January 7, 2021 announced a slew of welfare schemes, including free sanitary pads for girls studying in high school and colleges in the state. He also launched Basera programme to give property rights to slum dwellers and rolled out an e-Daakhil portal for consumer complaints.
• Foundation stone of Engineering, Management courses buildings laid at J.N.U - Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ laid the foundation stone of the buildings for School of Engineering and Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 4, 2021 through a virtual program.
• 5 states confirm bird flu cases; no case of human transmission - Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Sanjeev Balyan, on January 6, 2021 informed that his ministry has received reports from five states about bird flu. These are: Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, MP and Kerala. Balyan asserted that no case has been reported in India that the bird flu is transmitted into humans. Avian influenza (H5N1) has led to the death of around 2,736 migratory birds in the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary area in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Centre deploys teams to Avian Influenza affected districts in Kerala, Haryana - Centre has deployed multi-disciplinary teams to Avian Influenza affected Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in Kerala, and Panchkula District in Haryana. The two multi-disciplinary teams comprise of experts from National Center for Disease Control, National Institute of Virology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi and Lady Hardinge Medical College. In a bid to stop the spread, as on January 6, 2021 over 69,000 birds, including ducks and chickens, were culled in Alappuzha and Kottayam as per India’s 2015 National Avian Influenza Plan.
• PM inaugurates 450-km Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru LNG pipeline - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5, 2021 inaugurated the 450-km Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru LNG (liquified natural gas) pipeline through video conferencing. He said the plan was to increase the share of natural gas in the energy sector from the present 6% to 15% by 2030.
• Kerala & Centre to share cost of Sabarimala rail project equally - Kerala government has agreed to bear 50% of the cost of Angamaly-Sabarimala rail project with the remaining 50% coming from the centre. The state Cabinet on January 6, 2021 decided to make available funds from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The Railways will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the 116 km Angamaly-Azhutha Sabari rail.
• Tamil Nadu withdraws order permitting 100% occupancy in cinema halls - The Tamil Nadu government has revoked its earlier order permitting 100% occupancy in cinema halls and theatres. Only 50 per cent occupancy will be permitted as per the new order. However, the State allowed additional shows.
• TN college students to get free data card for online classes - The Tamil Nadu government will provide free data card of 2 GB per day capacity to over 9.69 lakh college students to enable them attend online classes till April this year, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on January 10, 2021
• World Bank to provide $105 mn loan for waterways in West Bengal - The Government of India, the Government of West Bengal and the World Bank on January 5, 2021 signed a $105 million project to improve the inland water transport infrastructure in Kolkata, West Bengal. The West Bengal Inland Water Transport, Logistics and Spatial Development Project will facilitate passenger and freight movement across the Hooghly river.
• 26th Kolkata International Film Festival inaugurated - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on January 8, 2021 virtually inaugurated the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) that will conclude on January.
• Arunachal harbours a vanadium source - Arunachal Pradesh is likely to become India’s prime producer of vanadium, a high-value metal used in strengthening steel and titanium. Exploration being carried out by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has placed the eastern Himalayan State on the vanadium map of the country, and geologists are confident of identifying a deposit soon. India is a significant consumer of vanadium, but is not a primary producer of the strategic metal. It is recovered as a by-product from the slag collected from the processing of vanadiferous magnetite ores (iron ore). According to data provided by the GSI, India consumed 4% of about 84,000 tonnes of vanadium produced across the globe in 2017. China, which produces 57% of the world’s vanadium, consumed 44% of the metal.
• Former Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki dies - Congress veteran Madhavsinh Solanki, who was the chief minister of Gujarat in 1976-77, 1980-85 and 1989-90, died in Gandhinagar on January 9, 2021 at the age of 93. The Congress party last won the Assembly election in the State under his leadership in 1985, winning 149 of the 182 seats, which remains a record. He was External Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992, but had to resign following a controversy over his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Switzerland in Davos. He had reportedly delivered a letter to his Swiss counterpart to scuttle the investigation into alleged kickbacks in the Bofors deal.
• Jose K. Mani of Kerala Congress (M) resigns from Rajya Sabha - Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K. Mani has resigned from the Rajya Sabha. His party is a constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.

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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 News Round-up – World of Science

• NIXI offers free domain name in local Indian languages - The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has announced that it will offer a free Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) in any of the preferred 22 official Indian language along with every IN domain booked by the registrant. Applicant will also get a free email in local language. This offer has been created to stimulate the adoption of भारत IDN domain name and proliferation of local language content. This offer is valid for new .in users who register up to 31st of January. This offer is also extended to those existing in users who renew their domain in the month of January 2021.
• SwasthVayu ventilator, developed by CSIR-NAL, receives regulator nod - CSIR-NAL (National Aerospace Laboratories) scientists along with medical professionals from CSIR-IGIB came forward to address the shortages of ventilators in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and indigenously designed and developed ventilator named ‘SwasthVayu’ with additional features to treat Covid-19 patients and make the country self-reliant. The performance of the device has been evaluated by the expert committee constituted by Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.  The expert committee, after careful evaluation, has concluded that SwasthVayu may be used on Covid-19 patients who require oxygen supplementation up to 35%.
• DGCA issues guidelines for safe carriage of COVID-19 vaccines by air - The DGCA on January 8, 2021 issued guidelines for safe carriage of COVID-19 vaccines, allowing airlines to pack them in dry ice in order to maintain temperatures ranging from -7 degree Celsius and -70 degree Celsius. The aviation safety regulator has allowed airlines to carry dry ice as a refrigerant material. The special permission was necessary as dry ice is classified among dangerous goods as it turns into carbon dioxide under low pressure situations. Airlines are not allowed to fly travellers when dry ice is being transported in passenger cabin. In order to ensure the safety of cabin crew, the regulator has mandated that airlines take steps to protect them from carbon dioxide intoxication.
• National Metrology Conclave 2021 organised by CSIR-NPL, New Delhi - The Prime Minister dedicated the National Atomic Timescale and Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya to the nation and laid the foundation stone of the National Environmental Standards Laboratory at the National Metrology Conclave 2021 organised on January 4, 2021. The Conclave was organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi. The theme of the conclave was ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’. The National Atomic Timescale generates Indian Standard Time with an accuracy of 2.8 nanosecond. The Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya is supporting testing and calibration of laboratories for quality assurance, at par with international standards.
• India launches 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica - India on January 4, 2021 launched the 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. The expedition will be flagged off from Goa on January 5 with 43 members onboard. The chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin will make this journey and will reach Antarctica in 30 days.
• Two flight surgeons to train in Russia - Two flight surgeons will soon fly to Russia where they will get a hands-on experience in space medicine from their Russian counterparts for the Gaganyaan mission, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) informed on January 10, 2021. The flight surgeons are doctors from the Indian Air Force (IAF) who have specialised in aerospace medicine. Flight surgeons are responsible for the astronauts’ health before, during and after a flight. The flight surgeons will also get to train with the prospective astronauts, the official said. The four test pilots of the IAF, chosen for India’s first manned mission to space, have been undergoing training at the Yu. A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow since February 2020.

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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 -

• The Govt of India and the World Bank in Jan 2021 signed a $105 million project to improve the inland water transport infrastructure in West Bengal, Kolkata.
• The PM laid the foundation stone of the National Environmental Standards Laboratory at the National Metrology Conclave 2021 organised in Jan 2021.
• India and France will carry out wargames codenamed Exercise SKYROS in Jodhpur in 2021.
• Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted India will become world’s fifth largest economy in 2025.
• ICICI Bank on Dec 2020 launched ‘iMobile Pay’ app which offers payments and banking services to customers of any bank.

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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