Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has recently approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU0 between India and Bhutan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
The MoU was signed on November 19 by representatives of both the countries sides at Bangalore as well as Thimpu and exchanged. This will enable cooperation in fields like remote sensing, satellite communication and satellite- based navigation, use of spacecraft and space systems among others.

Notes:
The United States’ space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that it has given approval to two Sun exploration heliophysics missions.
Under these missions, researchers study the Sun and relate them to the events taking place in the solar system. The missions include NASA-led Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission and Japan-led Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission (EUVST) mission.

Notes:
In the Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, 50 crows had died of Avian influenza (Bird flu) recently. In response, a curfew was imposed surrounding the area.
While, death of crows has also been reported from the city of Jodhpur. The administration ordered to sanitise the affected area and send the samples to the National High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NHSADL), Bhopal.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed the Digital Payments Index (DPI), to record the expansion of digitisation of payments across the country.
The index has been constructed with March 2018 as the base period. As per the RBI, the DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 stand at 153.47 and 207.84 respectively. The index includes 5 parameters with the highest weightage for Payment Performance.

Notes:
The 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa from 16th to 24th of January, 2021.
Recently, the registrations have commenced for media delegates, who desire to attend the event, which will be held in a hybrid mode, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. The registration will be open till January 10, 2021.

Notes:
The National Metrology Conclave 2021 has been organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi.
This research organization has entered its 75th year of inception. The theme of the function was ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’. The inaugural function was attended by the Prime Minster of India via video conferencing.

Notes:
According to a recent report published in South Asia Journal, Chennai has the maximum CCTV coverage per square kilometre and per 1,000 population.
The report records the prevalence of CCTV cameras in 130 of the most populous cities in the world. The report also highlights that China and India have the highest densities of CCTV surveillance cameras in urban areas.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘National Atomic Timescale’, during the inauguration of the National Metrology Conclave.
With this move, the Indian Standard Time is aligned with the International Standard Time, only by less than 3 nano seconds. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the ‘National Environmental Standards Laboratory’.

Notes:
World Braille Day is observed annually on 4 January, after it was established by the UN General Assembly in December 2018.
The date also marks the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who invented the system for reading and writing, used by people who are visually impaired. This year, the UN highlights the importance of the universal touch-based communication system.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath launched Kisan Kalyan Mission, to promote the income of farmers.
The scheme aims to double the income of the farmers in Uttar Pradesh by 2022. The Chief Minister also ensured that the development schemes for farmers will be launched in 825 localities across the state.