Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Union Power Ministry in partnership with Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), has recently organised the 30th “National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA)” function. The event was organised at Vigyan Bhawan – New Delhi and telecasted as a virtual event.
BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power that has a mandate to implement policy and programs in energy efficiency and conservation.

Notes:
Pope Francis has changed the Church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass. However, he reaffirmed that they cannot be priests.
The Pope amended the law to formalise the common practice in various parts of the world allowing women to read the Gospel and serve on the altar as Eucharistic ministers. Earlier, these roles were reserved only to men.

Notes:
The Income Tax Department, under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has launched a new “Faceless penalty scheme”.
It aims to handle the orders for penalty issued under its recently launched faceless assessment programme. Under the scheme, a National Faceless Penalty Centre along with various regional units will be set up, which can confirm or reject the penalty.

Notes:
India has decided to establish a one-million-dollar facility for academic collaboration with the Arab World. This was decided at the 3rd Senior Officials Meeting of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum.
The meeting was held in a virtual format. The proposal for establishing the facility for academic collaboration is expected to have far reaching impact on contacts between India and Middle east.

Notes:
The Indian Army has signed a contract with ideaForge to procure the high-altitude version of SWITCH unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The UAVs, also called as Drones are expected to be delivered to the Indian Army within a year, at a cost of approximately USD 20 million. ideaForge is a Mumbai-based private company, which has been working on Research and Product Development.

Notes:
A team of Scientists from the World Health Organisation arrived in Wuhan province of China, to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
In December 2019, the disease emerged from the central Chinese city after which it spread to the entire world. Earlier, WHO claimed that China has not permitted WHO to undertake the COVID-19 origin mission.

Notes:
As per a recent study, ‘Huntsman spiders’ present in Madagascar eat tiny tree frogs. The Scientists predict that the spiders catch prey, by weaving traps made of leaves.
Earlier, a spider was spotted by the Scientists which preyed on Tree frog trapped on a pocket on the tree with spider silk sealing the edges. The frogs think these as a shady place to protect themselves from the sun.

Notes:
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has collaborated with Telangana Artificial Intelligence Mission (T-AIM) to launch an Innovation Factory.
It aims to recognise and promote innovative Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for challenges in agricultural sector. The start-ups, companies and institutions winning the challenge will get Rs 1 lakh prize money along with mentorship from state entities.

Notes:
The traditional kite flying festival of Bangladesh Shakrain was celebrated in several parts of Dhaka on Thursday.
This is a centuries old tradition that is celebrated on the last day of Bengali month of Paush. On this occasion, people engage themselves in kite flying and fireworks among many other recent additions like ‘DJ Party’.

Notes:
Ram Sewak Sharma, the first Director-General of the Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI), has authored a book titled “The Making of Aadhaar: World’s Largest Identity Platform”.
The book comprises of technical details regarding the legal, governance and social aspects of the Aadhar system. He also explains his experience during various bureaucratic positions and interactions with the team of Aadhar.