Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
Union Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan has recently inaugurated the country’s highest meteorological centre in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The centre located above 3500 metres, would provide localised weather forecasts and early warning for Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory as well as various tourist places.

Notes:
The External Affairs Ministry has recently launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and application to connect with the Indian diaspora across the world.
The application and portal aim to create a three-way communication between the External Affairs Ministry, Indian missions and the diaspora, who are around 3.12-crore. While the app will be used by the diaspora, the portal will be used by the missions.

Notes:
British Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton has been knighted in the traditional New Year Honours list of the United Kingdom.
The list recognises outstanding achievements in various fields including business, sport and politics among others. Lewis Hamilton, this year, equalled the record of seven Formula One world titles held by legendary racer Michael Schumacher.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister has approved to set up Multi Modal Logistics Hub (MMLH) and Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida.
The estimated cost of the hubs in the city in Uttar Pradesh is Rs 3,883.80 crores. As per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the projects are estimated to generate employment for about 1 lakh persons by 2040.

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 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Interconnect usage charges (IUC) has been made zero from January 1, 2021.
IUC is the charge paid by a telecom company, for every call made from its network to different service providers. Prior to this move, the telecom company has been paying 6 paise per minute as the IUC.

Notes:
Private sector bank of India, IDBI Bank has completed the sale of 23 per cent stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Ltd (IFLI) to Ageas Insurance International.
With the deal amounting Rs 507 crore, Ageas will hold 49 per cent stake in the insurance company, while IDBI will hold 21 per cent. The company is now rebranded as Ageas Federal Life Insurance Company.

Notes:
The Indian Army has created a new human rights cell for the first time in the history. Its aims is to provide more transparency and probity in its functioning in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast.
Major General Gautam Chauhan has taken charge as the first additional Director General (human rights) and will report directly to the Army vice-chief.

Notes:
Britain became the latest nation that has eliminated taxation on women’s sanitary products. These taxes were called “tampon tax” has been completely abolished in the country.
This decision was earlier announced in the country’s annual budget by its Treasury chief, but has been implemented only now, when Britain has left the European Union.

Notes:
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is organizing ‘Udyog Manthan’, in association with Quality Council of India, National Productivity Council, and major Industry bodies
It is a series of sector-specific webinars to promote the quality and productivity in Indian Industries. The webinar marathon focussing on both manufacturing and services is being held from January 4, 2021 to March 2, 2021.