Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
World Braille Day is observed annually on 4 January, after it was established by the UN General Assembly in December 2018.
The date also marks the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who invented the system for reading and writing, used by people who are visually impaired. This year, the UN highlights the importance of the universal touch-based communication system.

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.

Notes:
The Indian Government has approved the memorandum of cooperation on a framework for partnership related to “Specified Skilled Worker” between India and Japan.
As per the agreement, the skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the skill test and Japanese language test, will be granted a new status of residence of ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ by the Government of Japan. They will work in fourteen specified sectors in Japan.

Notes:
An international team of researchers led by the University of Oxford has developed a new method to survey the African Elephants.
In the paper published in a leading academic journal, the survey uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI). A satellite captures over 5,000 square kilometres of imagery, from space, which can eliminate double counting.

Notes:
The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has set up a technical expert group to study the adverse findings from the National Family Health Survey-5.
The committee, chaired by Joint Secretary Preeti Pant, will also recommend policy interventions to improve the factors associated with malnutrition, stunting, anaemia, and C-section. The panel includes experts from medicine and nutrition and State programme officers.

Notes:
The President of India has promulgated an an ordinance to amend J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, to merge the Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS, IPS and IFS officers with that of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT).
This step will allow the officers posted in these states and UTs to work in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir and vice versa.

Notes:
Trade Policy Review (TPR) is a mechanism under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in which trade and related policies of members are examined, to improve compliance to its rules.
Recently, India’s seventh Trade Policy Review (TPR) at the WTO concluded in Geneva. India’s previous TPR was conducted in the year 2015. India backed a set of measures to increase manufacturing capacity and timely availability of new diagnostics and vaccines for Covid-19.

Notes:
India and Japan recently signed an agreement for a loan of up to 50 billion yen (equivalent to Rs 3,550 crore) to support India’s economic support programmes for the people affected by Covid-19.
Japan had earlier provided a support of 50 billion yen and grant assistance worth one billion yen for India for fighting Covid. This aims to support the Indian government’s programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

Notes:
Central Bank of India (CBoI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NABFOUNDATION.
As per the MoU, CBoI will provide collateral-free working capital to those self-help groups (SHGs) having an account with it and are undertaking the Nabard-sponsored ‘My Pad My Right’ project. NABFOUNDATION, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NABARD.

Notes:
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry is to spend over Rs 1,200 crore, to create infrastructure for safe movement of wildlife on National Highways.
Infrastructure including construction of underpasses on the Nagpur-Jabalpur National Highway passing through the Pench National Park and at Gadchiroli-Chandrapur and Chimur-Vadodara highways.