Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

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 Union Cabinet has recently approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU0 between India and Bhutan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
The MoU was signed on November 19 by representatives of both the countries sides at Bangalore as well as Thimpu and exchanged. This will enable cooperation in fields like remote sensing, satellite communication and satellite- based navigation, use of spacecraft and space systems among others.

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:
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:
The Kerala state Assembly has recently passed a resolution urging the Central Government to scrap the recent farm laws.
The resolution was passed unanimously with the support of the Opposition party, the United Democratic Front (UDF) also. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the resolution in the House which convened for a special session to discuss on the laws.

Notes:
In the Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, 50 crows had died of Avian influenza (Bird flu) recently. In response, a curfew was imposed surrounding the area.
While, death of crows has also been reported from the city of Jodhpur. The administration ordered to sanitise the affected area and send the samples to the National High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NHSADL), Bhopal.

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:
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:
Dell Technologies announced that they have developed a new mobile application in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Tata Trusts.
The application aims to support the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the government primary health centres (PHCs) across the country. It strengthens the NCD IT system, which is already existing.

Notes:
Several ducks in Kottayam city of Kerala state have been found to be infected with Avian influenza – H5N8.
The state and district administration have initiated war-footing steps to prevent further spread of the disease. It has been stated that the virus killed 1,700 ducklings in the city which are around 70 days old.