Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently approved to the sale of Akash surface-to-air missile systems to friendly foreign countries.
A high-powered panel for quicker approval to export of the military equipment was also set up, with Defence minister, External affairs minister and the National security adviser. Indian Government has earlier set a target of achieving defence exports worth USD 5 billion by 2024.

Notes:
The United States’ space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that it has given approval to two Sun exploration heliophysics missions.
Under these missions, researchers study the Sun and relate them to the events taking place in the solar system. The missions include NASA-led Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission and Japan-led Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission (EUVST) mission.

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 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:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the Indian Navy has conducted a successful trial of the SAHAYAK-NG.
It is the country’s first indigenously designed and developed air droppable container. The container, aided by GPS can carry a payload of up to 50 kg and can be dropped from a heavy aircraft. It is designed and developed by two DRDO labs and a private company ‘Avantel’.

Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has announced that subscribers can now use online mode also to exit from the National Pension System (NPS).
The National Pension System (NPS) was implemented with effect from the 1st January, 2004. It was extended to all citizens of the country from 2009 on a voluntary basis. PFRDA regulates the National pension system (NPS) as well as the pension sector.

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 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) considered the condition of the sailors as a suo-motto step and asked the Ministry of External Affairs to take care of the crew members.
In response, the Ministry has asked China to provide urgent assistance to as many as 39 cre members of the stranded cargo vessels, which have been stuck for months near the Chinese ports of Jingtang and Caofeidian.

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:
According to a recent report published in South Asia Journal, Chennai has the maximum CCTV coverage per square kilometre and per 1,000 population.
The report records the prevalence of CCTV cameras in 130 of the most populous cities in the world. The report also highlights that China and India have the highest densities of CCTV surveillance cameras in urban areas.