Notes:
Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth is to become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in India’s Republic Day parade.
She will be a part of the Indian Air Force’s tableau which will showcase the light combat aircraft, light combat helicopter and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane. In 2016, She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two other pilots Mohana Singh, and Avani Chaturvedi.

Notes:
The bilateral Air Exercise, ‘Desert Knight Exercise’ between Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force is scheduled to be held this month.
To participate in the exercise, A-400M tactical aircraft from France arrived at Jodhpur. Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, and IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft will feature in the exercise. The two countries have organised six editions of air exercises named Garuda.

Notes:
India’s think tank NITI Aayog released the second edition of its India Innovation Index, which ranks different states and UTs based on the basis of their support to innovation.
The first edition of the index was launched in October 2019. The states and UTs have been divided into 17 ‘Major States’, 10 ‘North-East and Hill States’, and 9 ‘City-States and UTs’. Karnataka retained the first spot in this year’s index followed by Maharashtra.

Notes:
The Union Culture Ministry announced that the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, January 23, would be celebrated as “Parakram Diwas” every year.
It means the ‘Day of courage’. The Ministry also said that the government is to celebrate the leader’s 125th birth anniversary year starting from January 23, 2021. A series of events from January 23 till January 23, 2022 is also planned.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Government announced that the number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will be increased from 100 to 150.
As per the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the entire cost will be borne by the state government. He also launched the ‘Uttarakhand Aajeevika App’ to help unemployed people in the state to search for job opportunities.