Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ project was launched in September 2017 by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India. In September 2023, ‘Adopt A Heritage 2.0’ was launched by the Ministry of Culture. The scheme involves partnership with public and private entities to improve amenities at heritage sites.

Notes:
Indian Railways has successfully completed the 180kmph trial run of the new Vistadome tourist coaches.
The luxurious coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The Vistadome coaches have see-through glass rooftops and wide windows offering panoramic view. At present, there are 13 Vistadome coaches that are operational.

Notes:
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has launched a web-based application for ocean data management.
Named ‘Digital Ocean’, the platform aims to share information on marine data and forecast services. The platform provides data for several sectors like research institutions, academic community, maritime industry and the public.

Notes:
As per the recent notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the entire state of Nagaland was declared a “disturbed area” for six more months.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been in force in Nagaland for several decades. With this move, the act would be continued in the state, for six months with effect from 30th December 2020.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) is to select an agency that will do an impact assessment of the UMANG application.
UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app was launched in 2017. It aimed to provide over 2000 government services on a single platform. The Government wants to analyse why some citizens are not using the application.

Notes:
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is an association of organizations, which regulate the world’s securities and futures markets.
International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), established by the Government of India in 2019, has become an associate member of the IOSCO. With this, IFSCA can exchange information at the global level, learn from the best practices of the other regulators.

Notes:
Deepor Beel is the only Ramsar site of the state of Assam. It is located in the south-western edge of Guwahati.
The site, which houses of a variety of aquatic life forms along with 219 species of birds, was designated a Ramsar site in the year 2002. The District officials has banned Community fishing at the site.

Notes:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is set to commence Seaplane services on select routes. It is called the Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS).
It is to be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named the Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which will function under the administrative control of the Shipping Ministry. The SPV will also include airline operators.

Notes:
Leading public sector of India, the Bank of Baroda announced the launch of banking services on WhatsApp.
The services offered by the bank include balance inquiry, mini statement, cheque status enquiry, cheque book request, blocking of debit card among others. It also enables the customers to apply for new digital service.

Notes:
The US Congress has recently passed the “Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Bill”.
The bill makes it mandatory for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to award 50% of scholarships to Pakistani Women under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme. The scholarships are to be awarded from 2020 to 2022.