Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan has recently reached the Sihanoukville Port in Cambodia to deliver 15 tonnes of disaster relief items for the flood-affected people.
Due to the floods occurred in November, over 8 lakh people are affected and over 40 people have died in Cambodia. This operation of INS Kiltan is a part of Mission Sagar-III under which humanitarian assistance and relief is provided to India’s friendly countries.

Notes:
The Kerala state Assembly has recently passed a resolution urging the Central Government to scrap the recent farm laws.
The resolution was passed unanimously with the support of the Opposition party, the United Democratic Front (UDF) also. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the resolution in the House which convened for a special session to discuss on the laws.

Notes:
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Virtual Agri India hackathon 2020 in New Delhi.
It is the largest virtual gathering to organise dialogues and promote innovations in agriculture. This year, the event organized by Pusa Krishi, ICAR – IARI, ICAR & Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare. 24 best innovations will be awarded 1 lakh cash award and incubation support.

Notes:
Prime Minister released a certification course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing).
He also laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)- at six sites across six states.

Notes:
The National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation conducts and releases the Periodic Labour Force Survey. The first PLFS was released in 2019. Since January 2025, PLFS provides monthly estimates for key labour indicators nationwide. Quarterly survey estimates now cover rural and urban areas. PLFS is India’s primary source of labour market statistics.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to provide a USD 100 million loan to upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city.
Another USD 90 million loan will also be provided to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company. The project also includes laying over 2500 km of fibre optical cables and moving distribution lines underground.

Notes:
Several ducks in Kottayam city of Kerala state have been found to be infected with Avian influenza – H5N8.
The state and district administration have initiated war-footing steps to prevent further spread of the disease. It has been stated that the virus killed 1,700 ducklings in the city which are around 70 days old.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in 2015.
The two programmes are being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power. Under the schemes, EESL distributed LED bulbs and LED street lights across the country, to save energy.

Notes:
As per the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), the two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine should be administered within a period of 21 to 28 days.
However, the United Kingdom is said to have extended the gap between the first and second dose of Pfizer’s vaccine by more than the prescribed interval.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a scheme for the industrial development of Jammu & Kashmir.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had proposed for a Central Sector scheme. It has now been approved with a total outlay of Rs 28,400 crore for 17 years, up to the year 2037.