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 famous French designer Pierre Cardin, who created an iconic brand in his name, recently passed away at the age of 98.
He licensed thousands of products in his name and they were sold across over several outlets worldwide. Beyond his designer clothes, he also licensed products like Perfumes, Makeup, Porcelain, Chocolates among others.

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 European Union and China have recently agreed to the long-awaited investment treaty, which aims to open up new corporate opportunities.
The accord was confirmed by China’s president Xi Jinping and EU leaders including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. This is also the most ambitious treaty China has ever agreed with a third country.

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:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced the annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Mission.
In the best performing states category, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first place, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In the North East region and Hilly states, Tripura bagged the first place. Vishakhapatnam was named the best performing Municipal Corporation.

Notes:
Michael Kondo, who was a veteran Indian Hockey player, died at the age of 73 recently. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1972.
He was a member of the first and only World Cup-winning team in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur. He was also a member of the team that won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where he scored three goals.

Notes:
Covishield is the vaccine candidate from Pune-based Serum Institute of India. It has been approved by a Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
Covishield is equivalent to the vaccine being developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca. The United Kingdom also granted emergency use approval to the vaccine in the country.

Notes:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

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.