Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Parliament of Turkey approved a law that would increase monitoring of civil society groups. It was proposed by the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The bill also allows the annual inspection of non-governmental organizations, to combat terrorism financing. Several rights groups have expressed their concern that the bill would violate the freedom of association.

Notes:
Last week, around 22,000 ducks died in Kuttanad and upper Kuttanad, in the state of Kerala. The preliminary tests could not find the certain reason for the deaths.
Recently, the samples of affected birds are to be sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, to analyse and ascertain the reason.

Notes:
A wildfire has recently started in the Dzukou Valley, a popular trekking destination located on the Manipur-Nagaland border. It is said to have started three days ago from the Nagaland.
The Indian Air Force has deployed an Mi-17V5 helicopter to put off the massive wildfire in Dzukou Valley.

Notes:
As per media reports, China has recently completed the track-laying work for a railway line which links the cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi in Tibet.
The cities are close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh. This Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second railway into Tibet, which starts from the capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu and enters Tibet.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a loan agreement recently.
As per the agreement, the ADB will provide a USD 231-million loan to improve electricity generation capacity in Assam by construction of a 120- (MW) hydroelectric power plant. The proposed hydroelectric project is a project over Kopili river.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on signed a USD 10 million agreement, which aims to finance the projects expanding horticulture production and farm household income in Himachal Pradesh.
Some of the pilot activities to be held are rehabilitation of irrigation schemes, developing plots for high-density production of fruits, fencing horticulture plots and forming community horticulture production.

Notes:
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Union Ministry of Science and Technology has released the draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP).
It includes nudge for self-reliance in technology, enhanced funding for science, technology and innovation via state budget. It also calls for gender and social audits in academic organisations. DST has also invited suggestions from stake holders and public by January 25.

Notes:
The Parliament of Kazakhstan signed the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
It is a document which commits the signatories to abolish capital punishment. Life imprisonment was introduced in the country in 2004 as an alternative punishment. While ICCPR was adopted in 1966, the second optional protocol was adopted in 1989.

Notes:
The National Metrology Conclave 2021 has been organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi.
This research organization has entered its 75th year of inception. The theme of the function was ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’. The inaugural function was attended by the Prime Minster of India via video conferencing.

Notes:
The Indian Army has signed a deal with the state-run Goa Shipyard Ltd., for procurement of 12 high performance patrol boats.
This is aimed to secure and perform surveillance of large lakes like the Pangong lake in Ladakh. This comes in back drop of the tussle between the Indian Army and the Chinese counterpart at the eastern Ladakh.