Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has signed an MoU with UNDP India to create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB).
This bond describes outcome-based targets to be achieved, so that the progress of the outcomes can be tracked. It also ensures the funds are used effectively towards the project. The bonds would support the corporation in improving the healthcare services.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has recently approved a modified scheme to enhance ethanol distillation capacity in the country, to produce 1st Generation (1G) ethanol.
1G Ethanol is produced from edible seeds, molasses, sugarcane, sugar beet, sorghum among others. While 2G biofuels use non-edible oilseeds, used cooking oil, agriculture residue, the 3G biofuels use industrial waste, municipal solid waste.

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 Russian media, a well-preserved Ice Age woolly rhino, with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered.
The carcass has been recovered from permafrost in Russia’s north region near Siberia. It’s among the best-preserved specimens of the Ice Age animal found till date. Scientists date the carcass to be 20,000- to 50,000-years-old.

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:
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:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the permanent campus in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur in Odisha.
The institute has been functioning in a makeshift campus for more than five years, since it was launched as a third-generation IIM, in the year 2015-16.

Notes:
Iran has announced to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it plans to enrich its uranium to 20% purity, which was a level achieved before 2015 accord. This is supposed to be done at its Fordow site which is buried into a mountain.
Iran has been continuously breaching the 2015 deals with IAEA since 2019, in response to USA’s withdrawal from the agreement and imposition of sanctions against Iran.

Notes:
The world’s 3rd largest rice exporter – Vietnam has started buying the grain from India, due to sudden surge in price of local rice.
The price rise of the grain has been the highest in 9 years in Vietnam. It is said that Indian rice is attractive in price and the huge price difference is making exports from India possible.

Notes:
The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund Trust has allocated Rs 201.58 crore rupees for installation of 162 dedicated Medical Oxygen Generation Plants.
The Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants are to be procured by the Central Medical Supply Store, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The PSA plants are source of medical-grade oxygen.