Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to introduce the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system for the payment transactions of value of Rs 50 crore and above.
The transactions undertaken by the entities using the Centralised Payment Systems run by the RBI including the NEFT and RTGS. The change is to be introduced with effect from April 1. LEI is a 20-digit number, which is used globally to identify entities doing financial transactions.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated Rewari-Madar section, which is a part of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.
The Rewari-Madar section is situated in Haryana and Rajasthan. It consists of nine newly-built Dedicated Freight Corridor stations. With this launch, several industries in the region will enjoy seamless connectivity.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh announces several welfare schemes for the state.
He also dedicated the January month to girl child through ‘Dheeiyan Di Lohri’ programme. He also announced to provide free sanitary pads for girl students of high schools and colleges. ‘BASERA’ scheme was also announced for slum dwellers.

Notes:
Pakistan has successfully conducted the test-flight of an indigenously developed Guided Multi Launch Rocket System.
Named as ‘Fatah-1’, the system is capable of hitting targets up to a range of 140 km. The Guided Multi Launch Rocket System can deliver conventional warheads with utmost precision, as per the Army sources of the country.

Notes:
The entire state of Punjab has been declared a ‘controlled area’ amidst the outbreak of the Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in neighbouring states.
It has also imposed a complete ban on the import of live birds and unprocessed poultry meat into the state. Bird Flu has been reported from as many as six states including Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat.

Notes:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a portal for the online sale of items falling under AFD-I category, through the Canteen Stores Department (CSD).
Against Firm Demand (AFD-I) category has expensive items including washing machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators, air-conditioners, mobile phones among others. Through this portal, lakhs of armed forces personnel and ex-servicemen can purchase the items from home.

Notes:
The Lieutenant General of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha launched a mobile application named ‘Satark Nagrik’.
The application aims to enable citizens submit their grievances related to corruption and communicate the information about corruption faster. He also launched the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVO) Portal.

Notes:
A new species of fruit fly which was discovered from Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu has been named after Siruvani.
Siruvani is considered as an ecological hotspot in the Western Ghats. The fruit fly ‘Euphranta siruvani’, which is the new addition to the list of 104 known species across the world and 14 species across India. The new fruit fly has a unique ‘V’ shaped black band on the wing.

Notes:
After a six-year study conducted by ‘The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS)’, the Siruvani hills in the state of Tamil Nadu has been identified as a butterfly super-hotspot.
240 out of the total 325 species found in Tamil Nadu, are from the hills between 2015 and 2020. As per TNBS, if 25% of the state checklist species are found in a single area, it can be identified as a hotspot. Here around 74 per cent of the total species is found in the hills, from six families.

Notes:
Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) jointly announced that ISRO will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs across the country.
This step aims to provide mentorship, promote education in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Space Education among the young students of the country.