Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
India’s first pollinator park has been established in the city of Nainital, Uttarakhand. It has been developed by research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department.
The four-acre-park has over 40 species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and insects. The park aims to create awareness among people about the conservation of these species. It also aims to promote research on threats to habitat and impact of pollution on these species.

Notes:
The famous French designer Pierre Cardin, who created an iconic brand in his name, recently passed away at the age of 98.
He licensed thousands of products in his name and they were sold across over several outlets worldwide. Beyond his designer clothes, he also licensed products like Perfumes, Makeup, Porcelain, Chocolates among others.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India constituted a High-Level Committee on Deepening of Digital Payments under the Chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani in January 2019.
This committee recommended various measures to strengthen digital payment including the idea of National Common Mobility Card. Recently, the Prime Minister launched the NCMC service for the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line.

Notes:
The first three sets of a 10-metre short-span bridge, designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were inducted to the Indian Army.
The bridges are manufactured at the Larsen & Toubro facility at Talegaon in Pune. The bridges were developed by the Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), DRDO in Pune. The DRDO has also developed five metre and 15 metre types of the bridge.

Notes:
As per the Russian media, a well-preserved Ice Age woolly rhino, with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered.
The carcass has been recovered from permafrost in Russia’s north region near Siberia. It’s among the best-preserved specimens of the Ice Age animal found till date. Scientists date the carcass to be 20,000- to 50,000-years-old.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced the annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Mission.
In the best performing states category, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first place, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In the North East region and Hilly states, Tripura bagged the first place. Vishakhapatnam was named the best performing Municipal Corporation.

Notes:
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) considered the condition of the sailors as a suo-motto step and asked the Ministry of External Affairs to take care of the crew members.
In response, the Ministry has asked China to provide urgent assistance to as many as 39 cre members of the stranded cargo vessels, which have been stuck for months near the Chinese ports of Jingtang and Caofeidian.

Notes:
The Supreme Court’s three-judge bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar delivered its verdict on Central Vista Project Case.
The bench approved the re-development project by a 2:1 majority and upheld the exercise of power by the Centre as just and valid. It also confirmed the modifications in the change in land use and the recommendations of the environmental committee.

Notes:
The Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has recently approved the advisory for management of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) in the country.
The Committee also approved the inclusion of Caracal, a wild cat found in some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, in the list of critically endangered species. At present, there are 22 wildlife species under recovery programme for critically endangered species.

Notes:
Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate at a men’s Test match, when she served as the fourth umpire during the test match between India and Australia in Sydney.
Australia’s new edition of the National anthem was also sung during the match. She was also the first woman to officiate on-field in a men’s one-day international and the first woman umpire to stand in an Australian men’s domestic fixture.