Current Affairs – January 24, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

Here are Today’s News Headlines by GK Today for January 24, 2021

India

Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar given

Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) has won the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar in ‘institution’ category while Dr. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari has won the Puraskar in ‘individual’ category for their excellent work in Disaster Management. Union Home Ministry announced the award every year on 23^rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The award carries a cash prize of 51 lakh rupees and a certificate in case of an institution and five lakh rupees and a certificate in case of an individual.

Parakram Diwas celebrated on Jan 23

The nation paid homage to the freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary on January 23, 2021 that was celebrated as Parakram Diwas. Netaji was born in Cuttack, Odisha on this day in 1897.

PM distributes land allotment certificates to indigenous people in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Assam on January 23, 2021 and distributed land pattas/allotment certificates to indigenous people in Sivasagar, under the state government programme to one lakh beneficiaries.

Amit Shah launches Ayushman Bharat scheme for personnel of CAPFs

Union Home Minister Amit Shah January 23, 2021 launched the Ayushman CAPF health scheme in Guwahati for about 28 lakh personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and their families in all the states where Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is operational.

Punjab govt. hikes grant for marriage of daughters of construction workers

The Punjab government has hiked the grant for the marriage of daughters of construction workers from Rs 31,000 to Rs 51,000 under its ‘Shagun’ scheme from April 1, according to an official statement issued on January 23, 2021.

Covid-19: Barbados PM requests India for access to vaccine

Amid the rising health and economic woes caused by the pandemic, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has requested India for access to vaccines to provide immunisation coverage for their country, which has been ravaged by COVID-19. Mottley has asked access to 200,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured in India.

WHO chief thanks PM Modi for ‘continued support’ to global COVID-19 response

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 23, 2021 thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued support to the global COVID-19 response, saying acting together, including sharing of knowledge, will help in combating the novel coronavirus.

‘Chintan Baithak’ of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways concludes

The three day ‘Chintan Baithak’ of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and waterways concluded at Dhordo, Kutch, Gujarat on January 23, 2021. Chintan Baithak was an extensive brainstorming session, chaired by Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways with chairpersons of all Major Ports and senior officials of the ministry.

BSF detects underground tunnel along International Border in Jammu

A cross-border tunnel — around 150-metre-long and 30-foot-deep — was unearthed by the Border Security Forces along the International Border in Pansar area of Jammu on January 23, the fourth such tunnel found in the past six months.

India doesn’t support ‘The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons’: MEA

As the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons entered into force, India’s External Affairs Ministry said on January 22, 2021 said that it does not support the treaty and shall not be bound by any of the obligations that may arise from it. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force on January 23. None of the nine countries including India that are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons supported it.

Economy & Corporate

Union Budget Mobile App launched for access of Budget documents

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on January 23, 2021 launched the “Union Budget Mobile App” for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public using the simplest form of digital convenience. In this unprecedented initiative, Union Budget 2021-22 will be delivered in paperless form for the first time.

Companies selling soy and almond milk replace word ‘milk’ with ‘beverage’

Companies selling soy and almond milk have started replacing the word ‘milk’ with ‘beverage’ or ‘drink’ to comply with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s proposed regulation which said that the term ‘milk’ can only be used if the product is derived from cows and buffaloes.

Fire at Serum Institute of India: Production of BCG, Rotavirus vaccines impacted

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on January 22, 2021 said the fire at its Manjari production facility near Pune will impact the production of BCG and Rotavirus vaccines. Five people were killed in the fire that broke out in an under-installation building at the facility on January 21.

Draft policy to help grow nano, micro enterprises formulated by FICCI, TISS

A new policy on the anvil, the Udyog Sahayak Enterprises Network (USENET), may give a major fillip to the growth-stunted nano and micro-enterprises in India’s informal sector. The proposed framework, whose draft was jointly put together by the Azim Premji University, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), is aimed at providing a slew of growth-driven services to over 62 million nano and micro-enterprises that currently employ over 100 million people.

World

Deal with Pfizer to allow poor countries to start vaccinating in Feb: WHO

The World Health Organization said on January 23, 2021 it had reached an agreement with Pfizer for 40 million doses of its vaccine against COVID-19 on non-profit basis, allowing it to begin vaccinating people in poor and lower-middle income countries under its COVAX programme in February.

Palestinian PM, new UN envoy discuss stalled peace process

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye and new UN envoy Tor Wennesland discussed reviving the stalled peace process. In a statement, Ishtaye said that he held a telephone conversation with Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, and expressed the Palestinian side’s openness to any political process sponsored by the Quartet (US, the UN, Russia and the European Union).

US: Larry King, program host who interviewed presidents, dies at 87

Larry King, the broadcast interviewer whose nonconfrontational style attracted celebrities and newsmakers as guests and made him the star of a top-rated U.S. cable talk show, died at the age of 87 on January 23, 2021. King vaulted into nationwide prominence after CNN owner Ted Turner persuaded him to join his fledgling network in 1985. His show, “Larry King Live,” became a popular TV interview program.

US: Senate confirms Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense

The U.S. Senate confirmed retired general Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense on January 23, 2021, the first African-American to lead the Pentagon.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2021